Air conditioning produces a lot of greenhouse gases. Almost 50% of energy consumption for an average household in Charleston, SC, is used for heating and cooling systems. Over 90% of American homes use air conditioners to some extent, and air conditioners use approximately 6% of all energy consumed by the entire United States each year. This means that air conditioning releases about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. Heating and AC service professionals can have a significant impact on energy efficiency and carbon emissions.
Energy Efficiency Ratings
Most air conditioning units are rated for energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR rated units include SEER, or seasonal energy efficiency ratio, ratings. SEER ratings indicate how much cooling is produced for the amount of energy used. Traditional central air units may be rated up to 27.5 SEER, while ductless units may be up to 33.1 SEER. Heating units may be rated for heating seasonal performance factor, or HSPF, and annual fuel utilization efficiency, or AFUE. A heating and AC service professional can explain what each rating means in practical terms.
Units with high energy efficiency ratings use less electricity or gas than less efficient models to achieve the same results. Improved energy efficiency is good for the environment and lowers the cost of heating or cooling a home. Ask your local heating and AC service provider about a new Energy Star qualified system if the system in your home is over 10 years old or you notice unexplained increases in the electric bills.
HVAC Zoning
An HVAC zoning system, also known as zoned HVAC, may be beneficial for your home as well. A zoning system tracks your household heating and cooling preferences and trends and helps you create customized temperature zones throughout the home. Some zoning systems include programmable thermostats that can be set and monitored with a tablet or smartphone. This helps the system maintain comfortable temperatures without constantly watching and adjusting a more conventional thermostat. A heating and AC service technician can install dampers in the ductwork to regulate or redirect air to specific rooms.
Zoned HVAC systems reduce wasted energy by limiting the amount of cooled or heated airflow to unused rooms. Most households can benefit from an HVAC zoning system. Almost all of us can think of a room that seems to be too hot or too cold on a regular basis. Family members may have different ideas regarding comfortable temperatures. Although energy savings vary, some home or business owners may use up to 35% less energy after installing zoning systems. Your local heating and AC service provider can install an HVAC zoning system and help you customize it to fit your household needs.
Some homeowners may see a very noticeable difference by switching to a zoned HVAC system. These systems are especially beneficial for homes with large windows or top floors that are always warmer than rooms on ground level. Zoning systems may also improve the air quality in rooms that always feel oppressive and stuffy, and zoning is perfect for maintaining appropriate temperatures in home offices or gyms that may require cooler temperatures than the rest of the house.
Refrigerants
Changes in refrigerants are also lessening the environmental impact of HVAC systems. R-22 refrigerant, used by many older AC units, is harmful to the environment and may have a negative impact on the ozone layer. Older refrigerants are being replaced with other types of refrigerants, such as R-410A, which also leads to energy savings for homeowners. Your local heating and AC service technicians can help you integrate energy efficient technologies in your home.
Heat Pumps
Some popular traditional heating and cooling systems include gas furnaces, boilers, electric baseboard heat, and split system air conditions. Heat pumps may not sound very familiar, but a heat pump is another type of HVAC system for heating or cooling. Heat pumps use mechanical energy to pull heat from the air and move it. Although heat pump technology has been around for a while, it’s only recently improved enough to use in areas where temperatures may drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit on a regular basis.
Air source heat pumps absorb heat from indoor air and move it outside to provide air conditioning. They remove heat from outdoor air and moves it inside to provide heating. This may sound ludicrous on the surface, but air always contains some level of heat, even in frigid temperatures. Other types of heat pumps absorb heat from water instead of air, and geothermal heat pumps use heat from deep underground to heat water pipes. Both water and geothermal pumps are extremely energy efficient, but they can’t be installed everywhere. An air source heat pump works almost anywhere. Your local heating and AC service provider can tell you which type of heat pump is possible in your location.
Heat transfer requires much less energy than heat generation, which explains why heat pumps are much more energy efficient than most conventional heating methods. In some ways, heat pumps are technically more than 100% efficient because the energy produced in the form of heat is larger than the amount of energy needed to power the pump.
The pump does have to work harder to get heat from cold air, so heat pumps still aren’t very common in northern states with cold climates, However, they work well in Charleston, SC. If you decide a heat pump is right for your home, there are several types to choose from, such as split system pumps, packaged heat pumps, and ducted or ductless pumps. Consult a heating and AC service technician to decide which type is best for your home.
Contact Carney & Son 72 Degrees Air Conditioning and Heating in Charleston, SC, if you’re interested in improving energy efficiency in your home. The experienced heating and AC service professionals at Carney & Son can provide assistance to find appropriate energy efficient units for your home. They could help you set up an HVAC zoning system to fit your needs.
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