Cooling Systems

About half of a household’s energy use, about $1,900 a year, goes toward heating or cooling the house. In the summer most of the cost can be attributed to a hard working air conditioning unit. Cutting costs are important, but the value of comfort cannot be overlooked. While using a central air conditioner, keep exterior doors and windows tightly shut. Many older buildings do not have as tight a seal to keep cooled air from slipping through the cracks. Therefore, if you are thinking about remodeling consider upgrading windows and insulation with products featuring the Energy Star rating energy efficiency. For smaller projects, go to your local hardware store and ask about weatherization for hot summer months. Many of these same strategies will also keep your heating costs down in the winter.

Other methods can be as effective as air conditioning to cool your home. According to the United States Department of Energy, good ventilation, evaporative and radiant cooling ventilation systems are the least expensive and most energy-efficient way to cool a building. A properly ventilated attic is about 30˚F cooler than an unventilated attic. Evaporative and radiant cooling systems evaporate water from the air and naturally cool the air while pushing hotter air outside. The air entering the home is 15-40˚F cooler than the warm air leaving the house. Installing an evaporative system costs half as much as installing a central air conditioning system and uses about a quarter of the energy as a central air conditioner. So if your central air conditioner is running on hard times, consider an evaporative system, but remember when in doubt always look for the Energy Star.

For more information on strategies to save energy in heating and cooling, visit:

http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12300

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac