WAYS OF REDUCING HEATING AND COOLING COSTS IN YOUR BUILDING
When the temperature rises, so does your electric bill. Running your air conditioner in June, July, and August means that your AC is working extra hard to keep you and your family comfortable. There are many ways of reducing heating and cooling costs in your building which are discussed below:
Use a ceiling fan or other circulating fan:
It can make you feel six or seven degrees cooler via the wind-chill effect: A fan doesn’t cool a room, it just makes it more comfortable to be in. “Just remember to turn off the fan when no one’s enjoying it. Otherwise, you waste electricity,” says Ronnie Kweller, spokesperson for the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy, which promotes worldwide energy-conservation initiatives. If you also use an air conditioner, a ceiling fan helps disperse cooled air more efficiently and allows you to raise its thermostat by as much as four degrees, with little or no discomfort.
Invest in a Programmable Thermostat:
When it comes to saving money when trying to heat and cool your home, you will benefit more from investing in a programmable thermostat. It is not uncommon to forget turning off the system or set the temperature to a certain degree, that is why a programmable thermostat is an ideal feature to include in your air conditioning system.
You can set it to automatically control and manage the heating and cooling of your home when in or away. The thermostat can shut off the system during the day and start about an hour or so before you get home.
It works in different ways. For instance, it can stop the compressor once the room temperature reaches a set level so that the AC does not keep working when not needed, thus aiding in lowering energy consumption.
To set up the thermostat for maximum savings, have run at around 78° Fahrenheit (25° Celsius) when you are indoors and running at a high temperature when you are not home. With the AC also being able to expel indoor humidity, it is possible for the home to feel cooler when its 25° outside.
Use Renewable Energy Sources :
Although carbon-based energy sources are still widely available today, exciting innovations in alternative energy paved the way for renewable energy sources to become more viable in the residential and commercial sectors.
The most prevalent renewable source is solar energy, an ideal long-term investment for your business if you are serious about becoming more sustainable and reducing energy costs. The various benefits of installing solar panels significantly outweigh its disadvantages. It is an excellent means of controlling your cooling costs and reducing your reliance on non-renewable energy sources.
Close Curtains and Blinds at Right Time :
Reducing cooling costs is also about having an intelligent approach and maximizing everyday items in your commercial space, such as curtains and blinds. One way of preventing internal heat transfer is to close the curtains or blinds when direct sunlight is glaring through.
Shutting them before leaving the office helps reduce heat from the setting and rising sun to make the space easier to cool when in use. In addition, you can also place indoor cooling plants to reduce heat and improve air quality. Place the plants near the windows to absorb the sunlight and act as additional protection against the heat.
Regularly Maintain Your Commercial HVAC Unit :
Finally, ensure that you take care of your new unit with proper maintenance and regular inspection. Schedule inspection once or twice a year, ideally before the summer and winter, to prepare your unit for the drastic temperature changes. If you properly care for your HVAC system, you will eventually decrease your energy costs.
Avoid heat buildup during the day:
Whenever the outdoor temperature exceeds the temperature inside your home, try to eschew activities that generate a lot of heat, such as cooking on the stovetop and using the dishwasher or clothes dryer. Instead, Kielich suggests microwaving food or grilling it outside, washing dishes by hand and letting them air-dry and hanging clothes on a clothesline. Or, “Try to save these activities until after dark when temperatures have dropped,” says Kweller. And if you must bathe during the heat of the day, always use the bathroom exhaust fan to spot-ventilate and remove excess heat and humidity. Computers, stereos and TVs are also big heat-generators. By simple avoidance, you’ll be save money on electricity—and what it would cost to make that AC work overtime.
Find and Seal Leaks:
In the winter, 38% of your home’s heat is lost through leaks in ductwork, around doors and windows. Finding and sealing leaks can help you stop losing warmed or cooled air. This might be sealing the ductwork in your home or caulking windows. You also may need to lower or raise the threshold of your door or replace the weather stripping around the bottom. If you can see light through the crack below your door, you need new weather stripping and you most likely are losing that cooled or heated air through that crack.
KEY POINTS:-
- Replace air filters on the cooling section of the unit
- Check the belts and pulleys if they need replacement
- Maintain condenser and evaporator coils
- Remove water from drain lines and trays
- Test electrical connections
- Inspect fan operation and blower motor if they require adjustment
- Apply oil to motors, bearings, and other moving parts so that they are well-lubricated
- Test the thermostats
- Ensure adequate airflow