Repair or Replace??

Repair or Replace? Knowing whether to replace your air conditioner or just to schedule a service visit can be a tough call. This decision should be made individually, with information specific to the homeowner. Getting all the information you need to perform a cost–benefit analysis is easier than you may think. The Energy Star ® website provides an easy checklist of information needed to make this big decision. Their consumer checklist http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_checklist_consumers provides easy steps to help the homeowner make the decision whether to replace or repair. They also provide an energy yardstick program to help you determine how much energy you are using compared to others in the United States and how you can improve your efficiency. For this calculation, you will need an energy bill handy. It is a slight bit of work to find and enter the data – such as the monthly usage of kWh, but the total costs of your energy bills as well as the climate of your zip code are factored in to estimate about how many days of cooling and heating you may need for a year. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=home_energy_yardstick.showStep2 is an excellent way of finding out your score. If you receive less than a 5, it is definitely a good idea to install a new heating and cooling unit that is energy star approved.

Air Conditioner

An interesting fact brought to us by: http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/energy/how-much-energy-saved-by-raising-setting-for-home

“How much energy is saved by raising the setting for a home air conditioner? For every Fahrenheit the inside temperature is increased, the energy needed for air conditioning is reduced by 3 percent. If all consumers raised the settings on their air conditioners by 6 Fahrenheit, for example, 190,000 barrels of oil could be saved each day. Sources: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, p. 30; Luetzelschwab, John. Household Energy Use and Conservation, p. 168.”

I found the coolest website! www.energyquest.ca.gov/ It is really easy to understand and kid-friendly. There are science projects and games for children as well as accurate descriptions of how energy works and moves. The Article “How Does an Air Conditioner Work” relates the cooling technology of an air conditioner to that of a refrigerator, using a chemical (that easily converts between gas and liquid form) to transfer heat in the air and remove it. There are 3 basic parts of an air conditioner. The condenser and compressor are the outside components of the typical “split- system” where half of the unit is outside, and the other is located in a hall way or basement (or garage…etc…). The compressor – compresses the refrigerant, or pushes it closer together. The fan on the condenser helps to move the heat away from the unit (and out of the house). The evaporator portion is located inside – sometimes part of your furnace. This is the tool that actually extracts the heat from the air using the process of evaporation. Another type of cooling unit is a heat pump – a heat pump is an outside portion of a split system but has the option of cooling or heating. Heat pumps are especially energy efficient because…well it’s a little complicated. If you want a break down, I suggest reading the answer at http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/eng99/eng99018.htm. Heat pumps are efficient because of the amount of heat they are able to create – which helps in heating and cooling. The picture provided with the article is also very simple and helpful to understanding why an improperly sized air conditioner or older model may not work as well as the newer, more technologically advanced products. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/how_it_works/air_conditioner.html I would definitely recommend a visit to this site for all ages. There is interesting information about energy use, cool games and experiments, and a ton of links that take you to more interesting places. This website does a very good job of explaining things easily but correctly.

Air Conditioning Size For Your Home

This is a great website for a comprehensive overview of buying the correct air conditioner and technology involved. http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/1274616.html?page=1 This article from Popular Mechanics Home Journal explains the basics of how an air conditioner (split system in particular) works, what type of Freon one should use and how efficiency is rated. The article also goes into more detail explaining how size capacity is measured and price vs. energy savings. The sizing and reason for getting your home looked at by a certified contractor is below:

“Sizing For Capacity And Efficiency Your heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) contractor will size your equipment to meet the specific needs of your home. Factored into the equation will be the age of your house, the number and quality of its windows, how well it's insulated, how many stories it has, its size, and, of course, local energy rates. Contractors use industry sizing models, such as Model J, but most use them as a reference, modifying the results to accommodate their own years of experience. A 1500-sq.-ft. ranch-style home, for example, might normally require a 2 1/2-ton air conditioner, but if it's not well insulated, or if a good many windows have western exposure, or if the trees offer little direct shade, then a 3-ton unit might be more appropriate. In any case, sizing is critical. If sized too small, the system will struggle, and even freeze over, on the warmest days. If sized too large, the system will cycle on and off too frequently, greatly reducing its ability to control humidity. It will also be less efficient. Keep in mind that efficiency ratings are measured at the factory, under conditions that may have little to do with your house. In any case, sizing is a job best left to seasoned professionals, and it's a good idea to seek out more than one opinion.”

Another important aspect to buying a new air conditioner is making sure the price and the benefits will balance out for you as an individual.

“The Price Vs. Efficiency Question Of course, you'll always pay more for high-efficiency appliances, so the critical question is whether you'll save enough in the long haul to come out ahead. And that, unfortunately, requires a region-by-region, even a house-by-house, assessment. You'll need to work closely with your contractor to make an informed decision. Don't assume that high efficiency always pays. It may from a good-citizenship perspective, but real dollars should drive the rest of the equation. And don't forget to add the cost of interest on the money gained or lost. All we can do here is provide some context. If, for example, your electricity costs you a low 6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh), and you live in a reasonably well-insulated home in the northern one-third of the nation, using your air conditioner 200 to 400 hours per year, a basic SEER 10 system is probably your best choice. There's little chance that you'd recover the several hundred extra dollars a SEER 11 or SEER 12 system would cost, spread over a 12- to 15-year projected service life. You may hope for longer service, and you'll probably get it, but don't count on it. A SEER 10 is also a reasonable choice if you plan to move in the next few years. On the other hand, if you live in Yuma, Ariz., and run your air conditioner 2000 hours per year, then it makes sense to buy the most efficient model you can afford. The same might be true if you live on the Eastern Seaboard and pay 11 or 12 cents per kwh, or if you live in a house with stone or brick exterior walls, where insulation is simply not feasible. In these cases, high efficiency really is a good investment. Prices vary by manufacturer and with local market pressures, but it's probably safe to say that each step up in efficiency will cost about $200. This may seem a paltry sum, and it is for many people, but when you consider that the equipment costs for an entire SEER 10 system might run $800 to $900, an increase of $200 to $800 is significant.”

The article also has a section of illustrated drawings describing maintenance. These should only be done per homeowners own risk. However, maintenance – especially yearly and right before the hot summer months – is necessary to keep one’s air conditioning system in the best running shape to prevent future problems.

What do I need for my AC?

There are many different types of equipment used to heat and cool a home. Each home is different, as are the needs of those living in the home. Researching the types of equipment will help you make an informed decision on what to install in your home. What is an Air Handler? Air Conditioning and Heating Units require both a heating and cooling aspect and also a blowing aspect. The heating is usually done in a coil and the cooling is usually done in the condenser. The Blowing usually comes from a blower motor that pushes air (hot or cold) through the duct work throughout the house. For this reason, a homeowner cannot add on air conditioning without adding or already having central heat. The air conditioning unit (usually a condenser) is often set up outside and uses a type of Freon to charge the air and cool it down. Then, the cooled-down air is then pushed through the house using the blower motor. As each cooling or heating mechanism requires both parts, air conditioners and heating units are usually sold in pairs. An Air Handler has a blower motor and is a type of component that will blow air through a house. More specifically,

“An air handler, or air handling unit (often abbreviated to AHU), is a device used to condition and circulate air as part of a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. Usually, an air handler is a large metal box containing a blower, heating and/or cooling elements, filter racks or chambers, sound attenuators, and dampers. Air handlers usually connect to ductwork that distributes the conditioned air through the building, and returns it to the AHU. Sometimes AHUs discharge (supply) and admit (return) air directly to and from the space served, without ductwork.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_handler

SEER!

Source: http://www.residential.carrier.com/knowledge/efficiency/ratings.shtml Energy Efficiency in Air Conditioners is rated by SEER, which stands for: Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. In 1992, the SEER rating was set at 10. Now it is at 13. Depending on when you had your central air conditioner installed, your unit may be operating a SEER of 6 or 7 or even 10. Each time a seer rating increases, the savings goes up by a percentage. For example, a 13 SEER is 30% more efficient than a 10 SEER. Concurrently, each time the efficiency goes up, the more money you save on your energy bill. According to http://www.eesi.org/publications/Fact%20Sheets/acfactsheet.htm, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute explains some common myths about SEER ratings and the corresponding factual evidence.

Myth #2: Utility bill savings will not cover the cost of going to a SEER 13 standard. FACTS: • The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that the incremental cost of a SEER 13 unit relative to today’s minimum standard SEER 10 unit will be about $171. With typical household savings of $48 per year based on current national average electricity prices, the higher standard pays for itself in about 3.5 years. Central air conditioners last about 18 years. • If prices for power go up (particularly in the summer), the consumer payback will be even quicker. • History shows that manufacturers’ predictions of huge price increases due to higher standards prove false. In the 1980s, the air conditioner industry predicted that the 1992 standard would increase prices by more than $700. U.S. Department of Commerce data show that prices did not go up at all. Now, some manufacturers are again claiming a new standard will increase prices by more than $700. • The truth is that the market determines prices, not industry or government projections. When faced with the need to compete for the business of price-conscious consumers, manufacturers have a very good track record of meeting standards with minimal price increases. Myth #3: The higher standard will prevent people from replacing their old air conditioners because of the extra cost. As a result, people will stick with old, inefficient air conditioners causing the nation to use more energy. FACT: SEER 13 adds three to eight percent to the cost of a purchase relative to a SEER 10 unit. When compared to the weaker SEER 12 standard that some in the industry and the Bush Administration support, the price difference is even smaller (about 2 to 4 percent). It would seem unlikely that droves of consumers will decide to repair rather than replace an old broken-down energy-hog system over such a small price differential on a $2,000 to $5,000 purchase. Myth #4: SEER 13 units are much bigger than SEER 10 or SEER 12 units, so major renovations will be required to fit them into existing homes. FACT: Some SEER 13 units are significantly bigger, but many are not. For example, Goodman Manufacturing makes SEER 13 units using non-proprietary technology that are only about three inches larger than their basic units. The size of the unit depends on the technologies that a manufacturer uses to improve efficiency; SEER 13 units of all sizes are made now and will be available in the future.

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Is “High Efficiency” really worth it?

By Federal law, the minimum efficiencies that can be sold in California are 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) for residential cooling products and 80% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) for gas heating products. SEERS can range as high as 21 seer and AFUES can go as high as 96% AFUE. These translate into operating savings of about 25% on cooling and 17% on heating. If comparing against a 20 year old condenser the operating savings goes to about 65% for cooling and 40% for heating. Payback of the initial cost difference in some cases can be realized in 4 to 7 years, depending on how often you use the heating and air conditioning systems. http://www.coolairsolutions.com/F.A.Q.html

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http://www.aps.com/_files/services/ResFAQ/highseer.pdf is a downloadable PDF (also available as a HTML document - to view online if you prefer). According to the Arizona Public Service Company, the Seer efficiency ratings are important for many different reasons. One of them includes protecting the environment.

“On a larger scale, the energy conserved by your high-efficiency unit (12 SEER or greater) will lessen your home’s impact on our environment. With an efficient heating and cooling system, you can save money and also help preserve natural resources.”

You can estimate about how much SEER your current air conditioner is operating at by looking up the year it was installed. According to APS, these are some years and corresponding seer numbers to help you figure out your energy usage.

“Estimate your older unit Seer rating: Pre-1980 – SEER rating of 6 or less 1980-1985 – SEER rating of 7 1986-1991 – SEER rating of 8” © 1999, Arizona Public Service Company – MM-5K-0699-AS

Remember how much money you can save using the chart at the top of the page! A higher seer definitely saves on your bills. Maybe an increase in comfort and energy efficiency is worth upgrading to an energy saving product.

Something Funny...

Public service announcements are always fun to watch...especially when they are really 'bad.' This one is pretty funny and can put electricity in a new perspective. This public service announcement for Energy Star makes fun of the lengths gone to to save energy. While it may be a funny way to show it, energy star appliances can save a homeowner money on their energy bill. Adding a thermostat to your central air condtioner can be an especially good idea. It costs more to constantly cool a house than it does to maintain a cool temperature. Check back tomorrow!

New Technology in Refrigerant

This video attempts to explain how an air conditioner works using a visual. So, a basic air conditioner uses a “cooling agent” to circulate through the house as “gas” and carry the warm ‘air’ to the outside where it is cooled down and then released back into the house. This cooling agent is usually referred to as the air conditioner’s refrigerant. There are two main types of refrigerant used in air conditioning units currently. Depending on your unit, as well as the refrigerant that your unit is using, the cooling efficiency might be different. What is the difference between refrigerants anyways? There are two main types of refrigerant (the cooling agent in air conditioners) being used on the market today. One of them is R-22. According to http://www.answers.com/topic/refrigerant?cat=technology, Answers.com – R-22 is used mostly in small commercial and residential air conditioning units (with some freezers and refrigerators included). This is an ozone depleting agent, but is going to be sold until 2010. At which time, the alternate to R-22, Puron (also called R-134a) will be used. According to answers.com (utilized for its ease in explaining a complex process),

“R-134a and certain blends are now replacing chlorinated compounds [like R-22]. One popular 50/50 blend of R-32 and R-125 now being increasingly substituted for R-22 is R410a, often marketed under the trade name Puron®.”

While Puron® is much safer for the environment; it needs to operate at a much higher pressure. Therefore, when R-22 stops being produced, homeowners with R-22 capable units would need to upgrade their units to ones operating on Puron®. However, this may not be the final verdict. A new type of refrigerant was sponsored by a grant through the Department of Energy and the Environmental Technology and Engineering Center. This new refrigerant called Ikon® B would solve the environmental concerns of ozone depletion, while still operating at an efficient energy and at pressures concurrent with R-22. This would save homeowners the headache of replacing fairly new air conditioning units because of a lack of refrigerant to run them. This study compared Ikon ® B with R-22 using an air conditioner to cool a 90 degree test and a 100 degree (F) ambient temperature test. Then the cooling capacity and energy efficiency was compared between the two refrigerants. This is what they found…

What are the stats on Ikon® B? At 90 degrees, the Ikon ® B refrigerant had

“15% higher quantity of cooling obtained per amount of energy used, and at 100°F about 22% higher quantity of cooling obtained per amount of energy used, versus R-22.”

Even though the Ikon B had more cooling quality, the unit did need to be run for longer. According to the research,

“In residential and small commercial air conditioning, this simply means that the air conditioner will run about 20% longer with Ikon ® B to provide the same amount of cooling it would have with R-22. The energy savings of Ikon ® B will be obtained even though the air conditioner runs longer, because COP is amount of cooling obtained per amount of energy used, independent of the run time.”

The tests did show that Ikon B will work with units that have previously run R-22 refrigerants and also provide even more energy savings. According to the tests (simulating an outside temperature of 90 degrees Fahrenheit and also 100 degrees), the Ikon B actually did better when outside temperatures were higher. The two main sources for today’s blog come from PDF’s from these links. These explain the project, research methods and findings of the team studying Ikon B in 2003 for the Department of Energy. http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/875416-mcgEfB/875416.PDF http://www1.eere.energy.gov/inventions/pdfs/12067_nimitz_incdbaetec.pdf New Technology continues to make life easier, and air conditioning innovations have come a long way as well. Soon units will be even more efficient and environmentally friendly while being more effective at providing escape from the summer heat! Please keep checking back for updates!

Whatever Did People Do Before Air Conditioning?

As a history buff, I cannot resist sharing this blog article with you! Located at http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/7424. This online blog ‘spot’ “provides knowledge junkies with their fix” and shares interesting and little known facts. This particular blog piece describes life before air conditioning. The author ‘Miss Cellania’ included period pictures and topics such as subtropolis.

The piece tells about different ‘experimental’ ways to keep the home cool. Houses, in the earliest of times resembled caves and provided 50-degree comfort in the summer (and winter). Then, as society (and perhaps building practices) developed, techniques to help the cooling process introduced the 10 ft high ceiling, ceiling fans and wrap around porches. However helpful they were, these early cooling devices still fell short of the cooling capacity provided by today’s air conditioner.

What about today’s air conditioners? Well, if your air conditioner is “more than 8 years old, it’s time to get a new one” according to National Geographic’s Green Guide. Their Guide (http://www.thegreenguide.com/products/Appliances/Air%20Conditioners%20(Central) ) explains how to choose the best air conditioner for your home, but also the “back story” of why so much of this SEER rating and environmental control is necessary. They also give some examples of conditioning units that are better “green” buys. They even include a section dedicated to ‘personal health’ and how an air conditioner can either help or harm the homeowner.

“In the midst of sweltering heat waves, air conditioning can be a lifesaver, protecting against heat stroke and hyperthermia. But, without proper maintenance, air conditioners can also be a health hazard. Dirty filters can allow allergens, pesticides and other particulate matter to enter your home from the outside, posing threats to indoor air quality. Exposure to those pollutants can trigger a host of health problems, including allergies and asthma and eye, nose and throat irritation. In offices and schools, those symptoms signify "sick building syndrome," caused by improperly ventilated air conditioning systems, and health problems don't always disappear after an extended period away from the building. Repeated bouts of air conditioner fever, a particularly nasty form of sick building syndrome, can result in pulmonary fibrosis, cough, fatigue and weight loss and sometimes require hospitalization. Ozone depletion caused by HCFCs in the atmosphere also poses health risks. The UN Environment Programme estimates that exposure to the additional UV-B radiation resulting from 10 percent loss of global ozone could lead to 300,000 additional cases of squamous cell cancer and basal cell cancer and 4,500-9,000 additional cases of potentially fatal melanoma worldwide each year. Increased exposure to UV-B rays also poses a significant threat to animal and plant life and consequently many of the earth's food chains.”

Their excellent article concludes with a section that provides links to other articles that may be helpful. Related Articles From the Green Guide: "Keep Your Cool With Less AC," www.thegreenguide.com/doc/121/cool "Ventilating, Vacumming and Filtering Out Allergens," www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/ventilating From Outside Sources: Air Conditioning Contractors of America:http://www.acca.org/ American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy: http://www.aceee.org/, 202-429-8873 Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov/, 888-STAR-YES Rocky Mountain Institute: http://www.rmi.org/, 970-927-3851 References A Guide to Energy Efficient Heating and Cooling. Energy Star. May 2005. Choose Green Report: Room Air Conditioning. Green Seal. Summer 1999. "Home Energy Brief - #3 Space Cooling." Rocky Mountain Institute, www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid119.php The Most Energy-Efficient Appliances 2005. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. "Residential Central Air Conditioners and Air-Source Heat Pumps Qualified Product List." Energy Star, February 2006, http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/prod_lists/cac_prod_list.pdf%20 Wilson, A. et al. Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings. American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2003. --By Solvie Karlstrom, June 2007

Happy Friday to all! And I hope you have an excellent weekend with plenty of rest. Keep cool – according to the heat index, this weekend is going to be warm. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Problems with the website? Email amanda At Sinclairair Dot Com (My email is also posted on the main frame of the blog) and I’ll do my best to see that everything gets taken care of. I’d love to hear from you.

How Does Your Home Measure Up?

Have you ever wondered if you are doing enough of your part to save energy during the hot summer months? Do you wonder how your neighbors are doing? Homeenergy.org published an article entitled “Comparing Your Home’s Energy Use to Others,” which can be found on their page http://www.homeenergy.org/consumerinfo/benchmarking-energy-usage.php. One of the easiest and low-tech ways to determine an estimate of your home’s energy usage is benchmarking. In the article, the “do-it-yourself” section provides a section on what benchmarking is and how to do it. What is is: Benchmarking is a way to roughly compare the energy your house is using to the energy used by similar houses near by. It is an easy to do, somewhat accurate way to get an idea of how energy efficient your home is. If you want to do this manually, as described in the Home Energy article, you will need to know how much fuel you used last winter, the square footage of the heatable space in your house and about how cold the weather was. However, if you are like me and try to avoid math, you can head over to http://hes3.lbl.gov/hes/hes.taf?f=top. This takes us back to a very helpful web page, The Home Energy Saver web site. This site will give you an average electrical bill for homes in your area (found by typing in your zip code). Then, the web page will also generate a possible bill if energy saving appliances and techniques were used. In my case, our zip code is 91723. The average Home Energy Bill for Homes in my zip code is $1,314.

The Home Energy Bill with Energy Efficient appliances/precautions is $899.

That's a savings of $415 a year.

If that is enough information for you, you can stop there. But if you want to see how your energy bill can look more like the lower estimate, there are questions on the bottom section of the page that you can answer that will give you a ‘prescription’ of appliances to change out or upgrade to impact your bill. These questions include describing the type of insulation in your home, the number of windows and even the geographical direction your home faces. After answering basic questions like these, the website will then generate a calculation of possible upgrades you can make to your house and the amount of money those upgrades would save you (with the payback amount and time period already factored in). Upon completing the questions and calculations you will be taken to a “results” page where you can then map your homes carbon footprint. This was very interesting to me. According to http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html, a carbon footprint is

“is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.”

The explanation continues as the web page splits the carbon footprint term into a primary and a secondary footprint (explaining corresponding calculations used in the definitions). The whole carbon footprint is found by adding the primary and secondary traits together. The primary footprint is the direct usage of fossil fuels (like driving in your car, or taking a flight). The secondary footprint comes from products we buy and how long it is going to take for the products we buy to decompose. The carbon footprint calculator on energy website calculates your “carbon footprint” a little bit differently because it is examining the energy usage of your home, not you as an individual. It also has a mapping system so that you can compare your energy usage with the median usage of homes near you (in your same zip code) as well as others on the map. To see the numbers the calculator uses as well as the methodology please visit http://hes3.lbl.gov/hes/footprint_map/index.taf?session_id=1110331&_UserReference=5621E7A2A0F286594851845B. After you have input your information and viewed the map of your zip code, the “summary stats” tab allows you to see your energy consumption on a graph compared to “Annual Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Emissions per Home” other homeowners, as well as a line representing homeowners across the United States.

This is the ‘pins’ that show how the energy usage in my area. The green represents 0-5 levels of carbon emissions, and the yellow represents 5.1-15 levels and the red represents 15.1-999. Green is a great level of carbon emissions, yellow is ok, and red levels should be avoided.

If you are interested in finding out your carbon footprint for other than your primary footprint (like how much carbon is utilized during travel or household waste, visit: http://www.coolcalifornia.org/ A carbon footprint, usually looks like this:

They give options to help reduce your carbon footprint: “Tips to Reduce Your Primary Footprint” according to http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html

• When traveling for Holidays, they recommend avoiding air travel – as it uses more fuel than travel by land
• Utilize renewable energy or energy saving appliances as much as possible.
• “Try solar water heating – this can reduce your gas bill by up to 70% over a year.”
• Use public transportation as much as possible.
• Also, car sharing reduces your impact.

Carbonfootprint.com also provides tips to reduce the secondary footprint

• Pay closer attention to the materials you buy and the processes used to make them. So, for example, they recommend drinking bottled water because it is safe to drink tap water in most counties and recycling bottles adds to emissions.
• Buy as locally grown/made as possible. If local wine is produced, there will be less miles traveled, and therefore less emissions. The same goes for clothing. If clothes have to travel more than 1,000 miles, that is a large percentage of your footprint.
• Eat less red meat and avoid any goods that have unnecessary packaging.

There are many easy ways to reduce your impact on the environment, and also save money off of your energy bills. Why not do something easy and helpful? Stay posted for more information about saving money on your electric bills!

How Hot is it Going to Get This Summer?

Why should I care how hot it is going to get this summer? Because, especially in the city, heat stroke can be very dangerous to the elderly or young children. The Red Cross has a brochure that can be downloaded as PDF or plain text that explains the possible dangers of the summer heat. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/heatwave.pdf Here is the link for the PDF, a tri-fold brochure with a wealth of information. What I found most interesting on the site was their Heat Index Chart. This chart compares temperature and humidity and categorizes each "relative temperature" according to a color. This graph can be found at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/heat/index.shtml There are also other links on the page to different heat awareness resources including a checklist to see if your family is prepared for a heatwave. According to the National Weather Service, Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services even temperatures beginning at 91 degrees can be dangerous. The Red Cross (as part of their brochure) has more information about preparadness and avoidance of heat-related illnesses. On their web page: http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_243_,00.html The American Red Cross gives these tips for preparation for the summer months: If a Heat Wave Is Predicted or Happening... Slow down. Avoid strenuous activity. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Stay indoors as much as possible. If air conditioning is not available, stay on the lowest floor, out of the sunshine. Try to go to a public building with air conditioning each day for several hours. Remember, electric fans do not cool the air, but they do help sweat evaporate, which cools your body. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing. Light colors will reflect away some of the sun's energy. Drink plenty of water regularly and often. Your body needs water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids even if you do not feel thirsty. Water is the safest liquid to drink during heat emergencies. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them. They can make you feel good briefly, but make the heat's effects on your body worse. This is especially true about beer, which dehydrates the body. Eat small meals and eat more often. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.

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So what does this have to do with us? Here is the weather forcast for this Saturday, June the 14th on a large scale, national map. Look at the heat index when applied to an actual place, and then I'm sure the importance of paying attention to your heat behaviors will be more important! Click on this link and check out the image of the United States as the projected temperatures for Saturday. http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heat_index_MAX/bchi_day3.html

Keep checking back for more updates!

Using a Thermostat to Control Energy Savings

The website http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/mih.html is a great resource to browse for ideas on how homeowners can save energy on their own, and not just for heating and cooling, but for other aspects as well. Today’s information is going to focus more on controlling the temperature of your house and how a thermostat can assist in saving energy costs.

“General Thermostat Operation You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you're awake and setting it lower while you're asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 10°–15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5%–15% a year on your heating bill—a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates. In the summer, you can follow the same strategy with central air conditioning, too, by keeping your house warmer than normal when you are away, and lowering the thermostat setting to 78°F (26°C) only when you are at home and need cooling. Although thermostats can be adjusted manually, programmable thermostats will avoid any discomfort by returning temperatures to normal as you wake or return home. A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save.”

–source:(http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/tips.html under the “supporting equipment” titled “Thermostats and Controls” Last Access 6/9/08) In other words, if you set the thermostat to turn on the air conditioner at 78 degrees and allow the thermostat to determine when to shut off or on (keeping the house’s temperature at (or around) 78 degrees) you will be able to save money. A unit works hardest when it is constantly being turned off and on or forced to try and cool the home when it is already hot inside. If the unit is left on, and left to run at a comfortable temperature, it isn’t going to work at capacity. It’s easier to keep a cooler home cool than to cool a warm home down.

So, in summer keep your thermostat at 78˚ when you are home, and set to 83˚s when you are away. These pre-sets on the thermostat are agreed to by energy star to provide the customer with as much comfort and as much savings as possible.

This is a link to a PDF that you can download that explains various “Flex” facts that are more ways homeowners can save money. http://www.fypower.org/pdf/challenge_cheatsheet0806.pdf

“Q: During the summer, how much can you save on your electrical bill for every degree you set your thermostat above 72 degrees? A: 1-3% per degree”

According to their research (at Flex Your Power.org) there is a savings of 1-3% per each degree you set your thermostat over 72. So if you are setting your thermostat to the recommended 78 degrees that’s at minimum of 6% savings, but it could be up to 18% depending on where you live and what other energy you are using. Another article on home thermostats can be found in the online magazine Home Energy. “Who Controls Your Thermostat” is a look at the savings possible with current programmable thermostats, but also a look into what may be the future for home air conditioning units. The link: http://www.homeenergy.org/blog.php?id=30&blog_title=Who_controls_your_thermostat will take you to a blog set up as part of their magazines that lays out the pros and cons of this new technology.

More information can be found on their webpage http://www.homeenergy.org/

If there is anything (questions, comments, suggestions, things that confuse you or you would like more information on) that isn't covered on the blog (or needs more detail), please email me at amanda at sinclairair dot com (the email is also linked off of the main page of the blog!) and I will make sure that it gets up on the blog as soon as possible!

Easy Tips to Make a Difference in Your Cooling Bill!

“Heating and cooling your home uses more energy and drains more energy dollars than any other system in your home. Typically, 45% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling."

The first rule of thumb in any type of equipment (especially in the home) is maintenance. If your heating and cooling system is serviced regularly by a certified technician, your unit will be more energy efficient and run for longer. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratory at the Berkeley Lab,

“By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling, and reduce environmental emissions, from 20% to 50%.”

This reduction can help homeowners save money on their bills.

An environmentally friendly system has a high number of SEERs. A Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is how air conditioners are measured in efficiency and energy conservation. The current governmentally approved ratio is 13 SEER. Air conditioning units rated at 13 SEER usually have Energy Star® rebates that will also save you money. Some other tips: *Keep windows and blinds closed – the more heat you can prevent from coming into the home, the less work the cooling unit is going to have to do. *Turn on the air conditioner before the hottest part of the day. Your home “soaks” up heat as soon as the sun rises in the morning, and if you wait to begin cooling the house after it is hot, the air conditioning unit is going to have to work at full power, longer. This will increase running costs, because the unit will utilize more electricity for longer. *Clean or replace filters when needed

These are just a few ideas to kick off the warm summer months with a ‘cooler’ attitude on air conditioning maintenance.

All of the information for this blog entry can be found at http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/makingithappen/tips.html. Once inside the web page, the specific article titled “Heating and Cooling” can be navigated to using the left side bar. When there find the "Heating and Cooling" tab and click on "Tips from Energy Savers". Last access 6/9/08.

The website I am using as a source is the output of the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, a leader in science and engineering research for the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories. This web page is titled “Making it Happen” and provides ways that everyday homeowners can conserve energy. http://www.lbl.gov/LBL-PID/LBL-Overview.html

More information at: http://www.lfpress.com/perl-bin/publish.cgi?x=articles&p=230466&s=energyguide. The London Free Press’ Energy Guide “Keeping Cool: Is Your Central Air Conditioning System Ready to Handle the Summer Heat?” April 16, 2008. *last accessed 6/10/08. This is an article also going over the various steps one should take towards pre-summer maintenance. There are also a couple of helpful links in the article to find more information. Please check back often as the blog will be updated with more information about energy saving tips for heating and cooling products!