| Save
Money on Utility Bills
Saving
money starts with the bottom line cost effectiveness of your heating
and cooling equipment. An old unit wheezing through another
blistering summer will consume more power (and cost more money)
than a newer one with a higher SEER rating operating at peak efficiency.
Here's
some helpful tips to keep cool... and stay in the green:
Increase
efficiency
The
number one way to save money on power costs is to reduce your
personal demand for power. Nevada Power is offering the
Rebate Program as an incentive for residential customers to get
out of old, inefficient units and into higher SEER rated air conditioners.
In 2004, this resulted in an energy savings of enough power to
run 900 typical residential homes for a full year!
Set
The Thermostat
Setting
the thermostat correctly is critical to achieving comfort and
minimizing energy use. Setting the temperature one degree cooler
than needed in the summer will cause a surprisingly large increase
in energy use. Similarly setting the temperature one degree warmer
than needed in the winter will also cause a surprisingly large
increase in energy use. Normally it is best to set the temperature
at 78 degrees in the summer and 68 in the winter. However in practice
there are a number of factors that may require a different setting.
Often
thermostats are not very accurate; this is not really a problem
if you can find a single setting that achieves comfort all year
round. Sometimes though, it is necessary to occasionally tweak
the setting.
To find the ideal thermostat setting,
•
Choose a day
that is warm or cool, but not an extremely hot or cold day.
•
Ensure the air
conditioner has been running for at least one hour.
•
Initially set
the thermostat to 70 degrees.
•
Wait for a period
of time (at least 10-15 minutes) to see how the air conditioner
behaves
•
If this hasn't
achieved comfort, set the thermostat slightly higher (or lower
as seems appropriate).
Don't
adjust it by more than a degree at a time or you will end up overcorrecting
and take longer to find the best setting.
Remember
there are some problems that can't be fixed by adjusting the thermostat.
For example, if the air conditioner doesn't have enough capacity
due to the temperature of the day, adjusting the set point won't
make any difference to the room temperature.
Shading
Windows
Windows
are the bane of the air conditioning designer for a number of
reasons.
The
heat load from the window increases the size of the air conditioner
required.
During winter the cold air adjacent the window sinks to the floor,
causing a pool of cold air just above floor level, which may be
cold enough to give patrons cold feet
In summer, the sunlight shining through the window heats patrons
when they are sitting in the sun, making them uncomfortably hot.
The
presence of the window can create a hot or cold spot. (Sometimes
the hot or cold spot caused by the window is not actually at the
window, depending on the air conditioning system design)
Opening
of the window can cause additional problems.
There
are a number of ways to minimize these problems.
If
you are designing a new building, then the best way to minimize
these problems is by correct orientation of the windows. The best
orientation of windows for commercial buildings is not the same
as for residences. The best direction is generally south followed
by north (with extensive shading) and east (with extensive vertical
shading). The worst is west facing windows. As there are a number
of factors that influence this, it is best if your architect and
air conditioning consultant discuss this at an early stage in
the project.
Use
external shade. Correctly designed pergolas, verandahs
and similar architectural features can dramatically reduce the
heat load and associated problems.
Use
reflective glass or add a reflective film to the glass.
This has a similar effect to external shade, although it can cause
problems of unwanted reflections, particularly if the window is
visible from a road.
Use
thermal glass or add a heat absorbing film to the glass.
This is not as effective as the above options, but it does give
a worthwhile improvement.
Use
internal blinds or curtains. These generally perform
similarly to thermal glass, although they can also be designed
to reduce the pooling of cold winter air at floor level.
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