Friday 26 April 2013

Is it time to replace your AC unit?

This is an important question many homeowners ask when their air conditioning units have crossed over eight to ten years of usage. Old air conditioning units are probably oversized and provide inefficient energy savings and improper cooling to your home’s indoors. If your old unit is too noisy or does not cool properly, then it’s time you consider replacing it for a better model that can reduce environmental impact, improve comfort and lower energy bills. Another important fact that must be noted is that older AC units use ozone-depleting refrigerants. Newer models in the market use refrigerants that are safer and beneficial for the environment. You also need to know that if you don’t replace your old unit at the right time, it could cause serious contamination for your indoors and also encounter massive failure. This could prove to be a costly mess to clean up. So, replace your unit quickly to save money in the long run and also benefit from sustained energy efficiency. It all comes down to these three points to help you determine if you should replace your system or not.
  • The life of the AC unit has exceeded 10 or 15 years of usage.
  • The AC unit is very loud during operation.
  • The AC has completely failed to function.
  • Maintaining the AC unit has become too expensive due to its recurring problems.
If you encounter one or more of the given list of points mentioned above, then you should consider replacing your unit. When you buy a new AC unit, take care to purchase one that operates above a 10 SEER level in energy savings. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating and homeowners can use this information to buy a unit that mentions 10 or above in SEER level. There is another advantage of gaining incentives when a new unit is purchase. There are many states in America that offer special incentives when you buy a high efficiency model. Federal tax credits are also made available and homeowners should take advantage of it. There are a few advantages you can enjoy if you replace your old unit and they are:-

1. New Government Standards – There are new standards set by the Federal Government for every homeowner who replaces or purchases a new AC unit with a high SEER rating. You can get a new system that cools efficiently and saves you on energy bills every month.

2. Good Return on Investment – Replacing an old unit depends on its efficiency and size. Buying a unit with a high SEER rating may prove to be expensive at present but will save you money in the long run due to its capacity to run efficiently and save on energy. 

3. Environmentally Friendly – Not many homeowners know that AC units that were purchased before the year 2010 used a refrigerant known as the R-22. This is the very same refrigerant that is causing the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer which protects the environment. Due to this, the EPA has banned manufacturers from making air conditioners with this particular refrigerant, which was responsible of releasing harmful amounts of chemicals into the air. If you buy or replace your old unit, you can do your part in protecting the environment. 

4. Reduce Maintenance Costs – An old unit will add to your electric bills and maintenance costs as well. A new unit can save up to 20% of your energy bills and prove to be an efficient cooling system during the hot weather.

5. Reduce Humidity levels – Sometimes you may feel that are some areas in your home that are really warm while there are some areas that are really cool. This is due to improper insulation, leaky ducts or faulty equipment. It may also be possible that you installed an improperly sized AC unit for your home. This in turn increases humidity levels in the home which results in improper cooling. A new unit can solve the problem as you can check if the system is of the right size for your home. You can also ask your contractor to check if your home is properly insulated and ducts are free from harmful particulates and working properly. They can also check to see if your home’s thermostat is working properly to make sure that you save on energy bills and run the system according to your family’s schedule.

The whole process may seem daunting or expensive but replacing an old unit with a new energy efficient model will be the right decision to make. However make sure that whatever unit you purchase, maintenance comes first. This will ensure that your system has a long life and cools your home efficiently for many more years to come.

Thursday 11 April 2013

Air Conditioner Inverter - Why are people talking about it!

Air conditioners have been in use for over hundreds of years now but there was no innovation which required energy efficiency since electricity was always available and cheap decades ago. About 70% of the electricity was obtained from oil which was purchased from Arab countries at an affordable rate. But the conflict in 1973 between Arab and Israel led to the increase of oil prices by over 400% and has been on the rise ever since. Electricity became a necessity and more expensive and the need to conserve it led to the upgrading of Air conditioning systems to become more energy efficient for homes and commercial purposes.

The quest to save the air conditioner led to the invention of the Air Conditioner Inverter. Air conditioners in general are known to consume maximum commercial and domestic power in all developed countries across the world. Due to that, many countries use Inverter ACs for energy efficiency and affordable electric bills. It will be worth to invest in an Air Conditioner Inverter if you are using your cooling system all year especially in hot, dry or humid climatic conditions. Some of the benefits of an Inverter AC are:
  • They are 30-50% cheaper to use as consumption of energy is very less
  • They achieve the desired temperature far quicker than normal units
  • They function much quieter
  • There are no voltage peaks from compressor
  • There are no temperature fluctuations which in turn maximises comfort levels indoors
  • They require low power and starting current compared to normal units
Inverter Air Conditioners are well worth the cost as they run efficiently and reduce your monthly energy costs, thereby saving you a lot in the long run. 

Merits of an Air Conditioner Inverter

There are a lot of advantages for installing an air conditioner inverter simply because of its promise of delivering precise cooling or heating power as required with low energy consumption. An Inverter AC adjusts the speed of the compressor accordingly to control the flow of gas and consume less power. Normal air conditioners without inverters deliver only a fixed amount of power and speed, which means the compressor stops at intervals to maintain the desired room temperature causing fluctuations in cooling and heating. An Inverter AC on the other hand has proper control of the temperature and the unit is programmed to adjust the capacity and eliminate fluctuations after a set temperature is attained. A normal unit also starts and stops repeatedly which causes power consumption and current to go down when operation stops and then shoot up sharply when it restarts thus leading to temperature variations and high consumption of power. However an Air Conditioner Inverter is technically and functionally superior to the non-inverter 5 star AC as it consumes less power for the same amount of cooling. Although it costs higher than a normal unit, the excess can easily be covered by the amount of money you save on energy bills. If every house and commercial establishment used the Inverter AC, imagine how much electricity can be saved everyday for that particular city and for the nation! You can probably say that millions and millions of fossil fuels can be saved for our future generations. 

So "Go Green" and buy the Inverter AC for the sake of Mother Nature and also for saving thousands of hectares from deforestation.