Energy Efficient Air Conditioning - Combining Technology With Technique

Too often, we portray energy efficiency as something that results from purchasing one product over another. After all, if you're looking for a way to make your home more energy efficient, you'll soon encounter a bastion of advice that focuses on achieving energy efficiency by implementing energy efficient kitchen appliances, doors, windows, air conditioners etc. In some cases, this straightforward portrayal of energy-efficiency as something results from product purchases is true; if you want to use energy-efficient kitchen appliances, then you need to purchase energy efficient kitchen appliances, plain and simple. But when it comes to systematic energy-efficiency concerns like air conditioning, making your home as energy efficient as possible has more to do than with purchasing an energy efficient product. In the case of air conditioning, there are techniques that you can employ that will enhance the energy savings that begin with implementing an energy efficient air conditioning unit. Below, we list two such techniques.

Natural Ventilation

Natural ventilation relies on natural wind and what is known as the "chimney effect." Working best in cooler climates, natural ventilation is also an option in warmer places during certain parts of the year, such as southern states that experience pleasant fall temperatures for extended periods of time. The chimney effect occurs by convection when cool air enters a dwelling form the first floor or basement, absorbs heats and then rises through the rest of the dwelling to eventually exit through the highest level of windows. Natural ventilation works best in homes with cathedral ceilings and windows located near the highest points of the house. But landscaping can also have an impact on natural ventilation, with natural and manmade obstacles that prevent air from entering low-level windows decreasing its effect.

Window Fans

Window fans are one of the oldest modern methods for cooling a house. But their low energy usage combined with their ability to achieve a vacuum-like cooling effect makes them a valuable cooling element during tepid weather. In multi-level houses, you should place a window fan on the highest level and open windows on the lowest level. As with natural ventilation, window fans should not be used a replacement for an energy-efficient air conditioner, but as an occasional way of keeping your house cool on days when the temperature is cooler outside than it is inside. Using natural ventilation and window fans also offers a way to save wear on your energy efficient air conditioner. For formal ideas on how to combine natural ventilation and windows fans with energy efficient air conditioners, speaking with an air conditioning service that specializes in air conditioning repair and energy efficient heating and cooling solutions is a good idea.