3 Ways Maintain Energy Efficiency of Your Air Conditioning System
Posted on: 1 April 2021
Efficient HVAC systems consume less energy, and thus you don't pay more in electricity bills. Proper maintenance is a critical step to ensuring higher energy efficiency and a longer lifespan for your HVAC system. This is because maintenance ensures internal components are not blocked and work efficiently in coordination with each other. This prevents unnecessary friction that causes energy wastage or increased wear and tear. Here are four important things that maximize the efficiency of the air conditioning equipment while reducing wear and breakdowns.
1. Ensure Sufficient Space Around the Condenser Unit
The manufacturer specifies the space between the outdoor condenser unit and the roof or eaves on the installation manual. If the contractor does not leave this space during HVAC installation, rain runoffs happen during rainy seasons, and snow falls on the condenser during winters.
2. Use Adequate Amount of Refrigerant Fluid
When recharging your air conditioning system with a refrigerant fluid, don't use too little recharging refrigerant. Otherwise, the system will not cool the house efficiently. Additionally, the system loses its energy efficiency and the compressor starts to wear faster, which increases your energy bills.
Putting too much refrigerant also compromises the efficiency of the system because the operating pressure will increase. Too much of the recharging fluid can also damage the compressor. The problem is called slugging and is characterized by the refrigerant fluid flooding into the compressor's piston cylinders.
Once this flooding occurs, the valves and connecting rods in the compressor are at risk of breaking. Flooding also burns out the motor, which is a serious problem because you might need to replace the air conditioning unit entirely to fix the problem.
3. Prevent and Repair Duct Leaks
Leakages on ducts lead to wastage of the conditioned air, which compromises the system's energy efficiency. Some of the conditioned air cannot reach the desired spaces because it gets lost through the holes, cracks, or seams in the air ducts. This leads to higher than normal electricity bills.
It is easy to suspect duct leakages. For instance, you might start getting cold and hot spots in the room if the heater is not heating the space efficiently. You also begin to notice excessive allergens and dust in the room, which means the air conditioning is leaking them out. An obvious sign is an increase in energy bills when you use the HVAC system for cooling or heating.
Cleaning the ducts by loosening the dust with a brush reduces the risk of holes and cracks forming on the ducts. Additionally, HVAC installation experts should ensure no room for entry of foreign materials into the duct.
HVAC installation needs to be done by professionals, whether it is on home or commercial buildings. The professionals apply their knowledge and skills when installing HVAC equipment and ensure efficacy and indoor thermal comfort.
Share