What If I Have No Room For Ducts?

With the ever encroaching reality of sprawl (Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is the spreading of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area – wikipedia), space in and around our homes is becoming more and more of a commodity. How are you supposed to heat or cool your home if there is no room for ducts? Well… it is possible…difficult, but possible. However, don’t lose heart, because the HVAC (HVAC (pronounced either "H-V-A-C" or, occasionally, "H-vak") is an initialism or acronym that stands for "heating, ventilating, and air conditioning".-wikipedia) has been working hard to make the technology available to combat this new problem. There are a few options, for the homeowner with no space. The easiest option so far, is a duct-less system. Duct-less systems operate sort-of like the systems that are in place in a hotel, attached to the wall and forcing air either up or down. However, these are different from wall units, because of the amount of air flow and electricity required. A duct-less system will cool your home much more efficiently than a basic wall air conditioning unit will, and take up less inside space. Some benefits of a ductless system are that refrigeration lines are installed (which allow the air conditioner to cool for longer) as well as the utilization of industrial materials in the construction of the unit (metal rather than cheap plastic) and a warranty from a company that will provide service. Want to do your own research? Check out these websites and the units they offer. http://www.enviromaster.com/products.asp Enviromaster utilizes technology that is approved by energy star, and their units operate at a 13 SEER (on the seasonal energy efficiency ratio) which the EPA has put in place to reduce the cfls? That are produced by traditional coolants. They offer everything from split systems, to chilled air handlers, in various directional flows. http://www.bryant.com/products/ductfree/index.shtml Bryant has been a company since 1904 and operates in many fields related to the air conditioning and heating industries. Because of their experience, they offer a variety of different products and customizable systems. These systems are tested in real life situations and field tests in order to provide the most comfort to the customers. This article http://www.ebuild.com/articles/articleId.373696/hvac/air-conditioners--central.hwx tells of the extra benefits that ductless systems may provide to their owners. http://www.residential.carrier.com/products/ductfree/index.shtml Carrier has been in the heating and air conditioning business for over 100 years. As such, their company offers a variety of innovations to improve home comfort and provide energy efficiency. Carrier units are also fully customizable to provide the best service for each homeowner’s individual heating and cooling needs. Carrier also offers units that improve air quality in the home. These units are also especially energy efficient and can save the customer money Carrier offers systems that can be put in various flow directions to minimize the impact on the décor of your home, while still providing the best cooling possible. http://www.york.com/products/unitary/minisplit/docsProducts.asp York is another company that offers duct-less (or as they call them mini-split systems). They have a whole downloadable PDF with their products and accessories. http://www.dayandnightcomfort.com/products/dfac.html Day and Night is a pretty good option because of the warranties that come with their products. Day and Night offers quiet and efficient heating and air conditioning units. All of the models are also equipped with an up-to-date governmental SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) and environmentally friendly coolant agents. All of the Day and Night products are easy to install and service with an access panel and high and low pressure controls. They are also built to last, there is a high gloss powder coat finish over the steel, and even the screws are coated, adding extra protection against weathering. The also provide corner posts to add strength and style. Models also include a compressor sound jacket standard to ensure quiet operation. While you are checking out day and night, Heil http://www.heil-hvac.com/products/dfhp.html has some similar offerings. Ductless systems may not be right for everyone, but it’s a good option to look into, especially when concerned about space. Hope this helps. For more information or questions, please email AManda AT Sinclairair DOT com. My contact info is also on the main frame of the blog.

Enjoy Summer with out Running the Air Conditioner

Source: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10428858/4/save-on-air-conditioning--get-out-of-the-house.html So, I know that as an air-conditioning company, we spend a lot of time telling you how to save money on your electricity bills WHILE running your air conditioning, BUT sometimes it can be better to just get out of the house… Jeffrey Strain of ‘the street.com’ an investing and money advisement website has included several interesting ways to “beat the heat” by going out. His aim is to save money as well, so his suggestions are low-priced and still ‘cool.’ He encourages movie going, and has supplemented the cost by providing links to summer clubs where movies are cheaper as part of a special promotion. He might actually be on to something here! If these suggestions seem a bit to ‘modern’ for you, there is always the old-fashioned summer activity of strolling through a garden. The Huntington library (www.huntington.org/) and La county Arboretum (www.arboretum.org/) offer summertime activities. You can stroll through their spacious gardens or just enjoy sitting by a pond on their grounds. Many cities are also offering summer concert series. The city of Covina has summer weeks basically planned out with activities on every weekday. www.ci.covina.ca.us Enjoy your air conditioning, but also take some time to enjoy some of the special summer activities that are going on around town. Yay summer! Email me AmanDa AT Sinclairair Dot coM (my email is also posted on the main frame of the blog - to avoid spam :( Thank you) if there is a summer activity that saves you money that I have not mentioned.

This news story has some tips and techniques to saving you money on your summer electricity bills. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2008/06/15/oph.trim.energy.costs.cnn

ICE for Energy?

LaMonica, Martin. “Throwing Cold Water on Energy-Hog Air Conditioners” CNET News.com Published May 17, 2007. http://news.cnet.com/Throwing-cold-water-on-energy-hog-air-conditioners/2100-11392_3-6184646.html?tag=nw.1 last access 7/21/08. So, with all this talk of energy saving appliances and doing “our” part for the environment, ever wonder why it has taken such a long time to develop technology that doesn’t harm the environment in heating and cooling systems? While energy star rated air conditioning appliances are much more efficient than their non-rated counterparts, there is still a long way to go before air conditioning is truly “green” or efficient. Two companies recently unveiled their “new” technology, quite similar to a geothermal heat pump in which ice/cold water is used to cool the systems instead of high pressured chemicals. These new systems would store their water in an underground ‘tank’ creating cooling energy at night (saving money in energy costs through off-peak usage). Then the coolness from the water (or ice) is then used to make the air cooler in the home. These companies are focusing mainly on bigger industrial units, but plan to also cater to residential homes. Perhaps the technique isn’t perfected yet, but it might be a step in the right direction… You decide. The full article is featured on cnet’s news website and there are several interesting comments. I’m not saying that you should go out and demand your own ice utilizing cooling system, but it is a technology to watch…

Why Doesn't The House Get Cool?

This is a VERY familiar complaint during the summer! Your air conditioning unit will work when you turn it on, but sometimes we (as homeowners) make the unit work harder than it needs to! This article was borrowed from the Austin Texas Green Building Blog (as noted on the bottom enclosure) found at: http://www.greenbuilder.com/general/articles/AAS.atticcool.html

"This article first appeared in the Austin American Statesman. Don't Let Your Roof Take the Heat "Tips to keep your attic cool"By Marc Richmond-Powers, City of Austin Green Building Program

Picture this: It's a hot and humid Austin summer day. You head for the indoors and some relief from your trusty air conditioning (A/C) system. Three hours later, you're slightly cooler, but you're wondering why your A/C unit hasn't shut off yet.

Here's why: all day long, solar radiation has been heating up your home through the windows, walls, doors and especially the roof. Your attic temperature can easily reach over 140 degrees. That heat up there is working its way through your meager attic insulation into your home and through the A/C ductwork, located in your attic, into your cooling system. Your A/C system has to fight that added heat to change all that hot air in your home into cool air.You can install solar screens for the windows, porches around the house for shade, and plant trees around the home, but what do you do about the roof which accounts for a third of all the heat build-up of your house?

Here are a few options: Ventilate your attic with ridge and soffit vents. Vents are louvers, grills, or screen materials which allow passage or air through them. They are typically installed along the top peak (ridge) of your roof, at the top of the side wall (gable), and on the underside of your roof overhang (soffit). Ventilation moves air through your attic by force of wind or by heat rising through natural convection. This leaves cooler air sitting on top of the insulation on the attic floor. Ventilation also has the ability to remove humidity which has built up in your attic and which reduces the effectiveness of your insulation. It is often best to hire a contractor to install these.

Insulate your attic floor to R-30. R-30 is roughly a10 inch thick layer of insulation material above your ceiling. This is a job for any handy homeowner or it could be handed over to a contractor. When installing the insulation, be careful not to block your vents.

Install a radiant barrier between your roof and your attic insulation. A radiant barrier is an aluminum foil material which prevents 95 percent of the heat that radiates from your roof from reaching the insulation on your attic floor. It comes in a roll and is stapled to the underside of your roof rafters. Radiant barriers are sold in most building material supply centers and can be easily installed by a homeowner. This system can save you up to eight percent on your summer cooling bills.

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copyleft 1997: You are encouraged to copy and redistribute this article provided that you acknowledge the City of Austin's Green Builder Program as the source. Please attach this statement. "

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What are some other things you can do to ensure that your air is working at it's best? 1. Turn your air on early - BEFORE the heat of the day, IF you are going to be home. If you are not going to be home a thermostat that you can set is an especially good way to keep your home cool. Setting this thermostat to turn on at a very low rate while the home is unoccupied keeps the hot air from settling in the house, but still does not use too much energy. 2. Make sure to keep drapes drawn. If your home has skylights or larger windows, you might want to consider placing an outside screen or other heat reflecting material over these. 3. Set the thermostat to a comfortable setting (78 degrees if possible - this is the energy star recommended setting and will save you). If you set the degrees for as low as it will go in hopes that your house will cool faster, your unit is just going to burn out faster.