8 Methods For Getting More Out There Of Your Air Conditioning Unit

We all used to make the case on TreeHugger that you could live without AC, but for most people these days it's hard. More people are in the south (thanks to AC), our homes are no longer made for cross-ventilation, our summers have got hotter and we have become acclimatized to it. But Air Conditioning Unit runs on the lot of electricity. As William Saletan wrote several years ago:

"Air Conditioning Unit takes indoor heat and pushes it outdoors. In order to do this, it uses energy, which increases production of greenhouse gases, which warm the atmosphere. From the cooling standpoint, the first transaction is a wash, and the second is a loss. We're cooking our planet to refrigerate the diminishing part that's still habitable. "

The United States now uses more electricity for AC than a billion people in Cameras use for everything. So really, we have to do everything we can to reduce the amount of air conditioner required, make it as efficient as it can be, and then reduce your non-renewable resources needed to run it.

Over at Energy Vanguard, physicist Allison Bailes has some ideas to improve air conditioner performance and making them more efficient in our homes right now. The best is his first: rather than adding more cooling you should be reducing warmth gain.

1. Seal the leaks
Wherever you reside, whether an apartment or house, the first and easiest action to take is to seal the air leaks. "If you have an older house that is never been air-sealed, this may be a major part of your heat gain problem, particularly if you have leaks from the attic. If you haven't had a blower door test, get one. "

2. If you have any kind of inquiries relating to where and how you can make use of heating and air conditioning repair, you can call us at our own website. Keep the sun and the warmth out in primaly.
Allison suggests shading windows, preferably with exterior blinds, but people used to do much more. As Professor Cameron j. Tonkinwise of Carnegie Mellon School of Design has noted: "The Air Conditioner allows architects to be lazy. We don't have to think about creating a building work, because you can purchase a container. " We love woods, overhangs, pergolas and other designed shading devices that nobody considers anymore. Individuals used for taking this very seriously; website just buy a few more plenty of AC.

3. Obtain efficient lighting and appliances
This is getting old but people still have incandescent bulbs that publish a lot of heat. Turn them off or get rid of them.

4. Insulate if you can
For those who have access to an attic, make positive that the insulation is spread evenly and add more if you can. Allison notes that bumpy insulation is not as good as smooth.

5. Make some minor lifestyle changes.
Laundry on clotheslinesNew York City used to have clotheslines everywhere/Public Website

Allison shows that you should check your dryer vent, but we are heading to suggest that this is the time of yr to look old school and get a clothesline. Food preparation is another big source of heat; try changing to a summer diet of cool foods, salads, and fire up the bbq and cook outside. Then Allison gets more technological, and we learn how to actually make our Air Conditioner system work better. The most apparent is to replace the filters.

6. Put some rooftop solar panels
It is hottest when the sun is glowing, therefore it makes some sense to offset electricity intake with rooftop solar if you can. It is not necessarily perfect, because we are often not home when the panels are producing the majority of the power and need it later in the day (hence the popular duck curve) but it is a help.

7. Get outside and cool with culture, not contraptions.
This is what is missed when we come to rely upon Air Conditioner; sure, it's hot out there but this is why there are rivers to jump in, parks to go to, outdoor restaurants to enjoy.

8. In summary: go for a mix of lifestyle, technology and good design
Years ago, the advertisers had to work to convince individuals who Air Conditioning Unit was not a luxury. They did a good job, with a little help from very lazy builders and a heating climate.

There are things we can do to lessen our need for AC, from adding fans, dressing properly or changing what and once we eat. But in the end, we need major building efficiency to reduce the amount of Air Conditioning required.