Curb Inefficient Heating and Cooling With Energy Audits

An inefficient heating and cooling system does not go unnoticed for any home as it will be uncomfortably hot during summer and cold and drafty during winter. There are also problems associated with excessive dust due to indoor air pollution, expensive energy bills, peeling paint on the walls and ice dams on the roof due to bad insulation. With hot and cold spots in various areas of your home, it definitely depicts inefficient heating and cooling systems. If you are always trying to set the right temperature on your thermostat for comfort or adjusting the air vents, then there may be improper airflow indoors.  

If you have improper airflow, it will definitely bring harm to the working life of your furnace and air conditioning systems in the long run and contribute to high energy costs. There are several areas that need to be addressed if your home has uneven heating and cooling:-

• Sizes of the HVAC unit – Many homeowners make the mistake of buying the wrong size heating and cooling units. Bigger units for small indoor areas and smaller units for larger indoor areas end up consuming more energy. This is because bigger units consume more energy and are not required for heating and cooling small indoor areas. Smaller units consume more energy because they need to yank up more power to heat and cool larger indoor areas. This will increase your utility bills and reduce the working life of your system. A large unit will also cause fluctuations in electricity supply for your home due to over capacity. You can ask a technician to run a check on your units and replace it if it’s not of the correct size.
• Speed motors – The motors in your unit could also be one more feature that contributes to improper heating or cooling. For better control of indoor airflow, check to see if it’s a variable speed motor. This kind of motor moves the air slowly through the system and provides even heating and cooling. Variable motors also aid in air filtration and moisture control for optimum working efficiency of the system
• Ductwork – Improperly sized ducts causes constriction in the air flow which provides imbalance in heating and cooling. Leakages and blocks in the ducts will also cause uneven conditioning of air. If your ducts are not of the proper size, they need to be replaced at the earliest. For proper airflow, blocks and leaks also need to be removed. You can get a professional HVAC contractor to fix all of the technical glitches in your heating and cooling systems. Only a professional can find out the underlying causes of the problem and take the necessary steps to rectify it.  

The advantages of an energy audit

To go one more step further for energy efficiency, undertake an energy audit of your entire home. Homeowners can determine where the home loses its energy efficiency and where maximum consumption takes place that causes expensive utility bills. An energy auditor is the right person to detect problem areas indoors and find a solution for it. Only a professional audit will help in determining the amount of energy that is used and evaluate techniques and processes to improve efficiency. State of the art equipments are used by energy auditors to carry out the inspection. Leaks in the building are measured by blower doors and missing insulation in hard to reveal areas like basements, attics and crawlspaces are detected by infrared cameras.

One of the biggest advantages of performing an energy audit is that it pushes homeowners into doing stuff they know they should have done long before.

What are the Advantages of Zone Heating over Central Heating?

Heating your entire house everyday may not be the best economic choice for your utility bills, particularly with the rooms that are used only during a certain part of the day, like bedrooms. Keeping them warm the whole day and using the room only at night is like literally throwing money into your furnace and burning it up.

Zone heating has a lot of advantages over Central heating systems simply because it saves homeowners an average of 20 to 30 percent on energy costs. This is because Central heating systems are designed to heat the entire house with the same temperature while a zone system heats only specific areas and saves on the rest. You can heat rooms that are used more during the day like your living room, kitchen and dining rooms and prevent usage of energy in bedrooms.

Every family has different comfort and lifestyle needs. You may have a home office that needs to be cooled or heated only during the day. Or, you may use the upstairs bedrooms only when you have guests over. This is when zoning will keep specific areas in your house at the perfect temperature so that everyone feels comfortable at all times. You can restrict airflow with dampers in unneeded areas indoors and save huge amounts of energy in return. This theory is simple to switching on and switching off a light bulb. You can use them when you need to and turn them off once you leave the room.

Also known as automatic balancing systems, zoning systems are the ultimate solution for comfort problems with lower energy costs. The system is designed to eliminate uncomfortable and annoying cold and hot spots in the house through the use of duct dampers and multiple thermostats serving a central HVAC unit. If you are planning to install a new HVAC unit in your home or office, consider adding the zone system to reduce utility costs and improve comfort levels.

Even for new homes, the zone system can be installed during construction. It offers the homeowner control over their heating and cooling any time of day or night. So the more zones, the more control you have over your heating and cooling. In today’s world with depleting fossil fuels and rising energy prices, it is very important that you are aware of how you heat and cool your home.  You can practice heating and cooling rooms that are used the most rather than trying to heat the whole house with the same temperature. An efficient way to do this would be to supplement your central heating system with multiple thermostats for every room indoors. This ensures a reduction in energy consumption. The zoning system segments each area of your house to be individually controlled by a multi-zone heating/cooling controller.

The advantaged of zoning systems over central heating are:

• Efficiency – Save hundreds of dollars every year in heating and cooling costs with a well designed zoning system.
• Control – Adjust comfort levels indoors with a zone system. It can divide the house into different areas to heat and cool at specific temperatures with a programmable thermostat.
• Comfort – Without affecting other indoor area, the zone system can meet the specific temperature and airflow requirements of one room.
• Quiet Performance – Operating at lower speeds and less noise, the zone system can deliver optimum levels of working efficiency coupled with peak performance.

Looking at its advantages, the zone system saves a significant amount of energy. Occupied areas indoors will have the perfect temperature setting while unused areas will save on energy. There is no problem of under usage or over usage of energy when there is a zone system in your home or office. It also possesses the added advantage of stretching the capacity of your HVAC unit. The zone system has proved time and again that it is a powerful energy and air management tool that can provide for increased comfort and energy savings.

Can Zoning Systems be Retrofitted?

According to a study, around 75% of homeowners are dissatisfied with their comfort levels at home. Those same people also happen to have zone control systems only 30% of the time. Installing the zoning system in a fresh home is one thing, but probably the largest market in the heating/cooling industry is retrofitting zoning systems to make them better. America has close 130 million existing homes and contractors will grab this opportunity to increase their business.  Homeowners are always looking for ways to stay comfortable indoors as they spend more time at home. They are also looking for solutions to decrease energy bills and optimize heating and cooling with the right equipment.

You, as a homeowner, may have noticed that there are a lot of times that certain rooms in the house are colder or warmer than they are. This is because heat rises during summer and the rooms on the first or second floors are very hot. In direct contrast, the basement is very cold as warm air does not find its way down to heat that area of your house properly in winter. Rooms that have direct access to sunlight are very difficult to cool down and those with vaulted ceilings don’t retain heat very well. There is only one surefire way to even out the temperature in your room regardless of the weather outdoors. That is system zoning.

Why Switch to System Zoning?

The whole operation process of system zoning is quite simple. There are multiple thermostats wired to a central control panel, which in turn operates dampers within the ductwork of the heating/cooling unit. For each specific zoning area, the thermostat read the temperature constantly and according to its settings, it opens or closes the dampers within the ductwork. System zoning is really helpful for homes with improper and inconsistent heating and cooling temperatures. It is also good for heating and cooling individual rooms based on the programmed temperature setting.

If used properly, system zoning can save you a lot of money on electricity bills which approximately adds up to around 30% every year. According to the Department of Energy in the United States, 40% of a home’s utility costs accounts for heating and cooling alone. System zoning helps you save energy by running temperature controlled air for only specific rooms in the house.

Is Cost of Switching a Problem?

There are many homeowners who are unwilling or hesitant to make the transition from traditional heating/cooling methods to system zoning and programmable thermostats simply because of the cost. This definitely may not be a do-it-yourself project but the Department of Energy has funded the development of a damper system that can be retrofitted into an existing zoning system. Existing ductwork does not need to be supported or altered as there are no heavy motors involved.

The flex dampers work with most brands of zone-control systems and come with air control inserts with an air pumping system and an electronic controller. Designed in square duct or circular models, the dampers fill the air to block or constrict the airflow within the duct.  They are resistant to aging, moisture, heat, ozone and airborne chemicals. Even if they are punctured, which is highly unlikely, the punctured holes will not affect the performance of the system.

The dampers can be installed in flexible or steel ducts and also serviced easily by gaining access through a register.

To install a retrofitted zone-control system, here are some of the items needed in your shopping list:-

·         Flex dampers

·         Thermostats for each room/zone

·         Zone control panel

·         Transformer

·         Solenoid pump and panel

·         Plenum tubing

·         Control limit switch

You will also need to determine the number of zones your home needs, since this will affect the way you set up your zoning system that for retrofitting. While retrofitting the zoning system is more challenging than installing it the first time, you’ll find that doing so would be a lot more worth it than looking at your energy bills summing up because of the traditional heating system.

Your Home Has No Insulation? What Are Your Heating/Cooling Options?

Insulation is a very important factor in improving building energy efficiency. HVAC or otherwise known as heating, ventilation and cooling accounts for a lot of expenses associated with energy consumption in a building. The economic impact and comfort levels of your indoor space can have a dramatic effect with proper insulation. If your home has no insulation there is no need to panic. Mechanical heating and cooling devices should never be used for homes with improper insulation. You can opt for passive heating and cooling methods to reduce energy consumption and maintain comfort indoors.

It is easy to address your home’s lack of insulation by following these simple steps below. It will be easy on your wallet and also improve your home’s health, energy efficiency and comfort in no time at all.

1. Get an energy audit done

Spending $95 on an energy audit is good investment as it will help you choose appropriate upgrades for your home. You will get a customized report of your home’s energy performance in just two to four hours of thorough assessment. By using specialized equipment like infrared cameras, the energy auditor will be able to pinpoint areas that need insulation like gaps in floors, walls, ceilings. He will also suggest ways to uncover the source of drafts by depressurizing the whole house. A series of tests will also be undertaken to assess indoor air quality, moisture damage risks and combustion safety.

2. Pair air sealing and insulation

You need to opt for air sealing in your home as insulating alone will not eliminate drafts, increase energy efficiency and increase indoor comfort. To illustrate further, pairing air sealing and insulation will give you the option of a hard shell rain jacket and your favorite fleece jacket all at once for optimum comfort. If you don’t have a rain jacket, then cold air can move through the fleece and leave you uncomfortably cold. Only if there is a rain jacket over the fleece then it will act as a barrier, thus keeping you nice and warm.

3. Consider inspecting the attic, crawl space and envelope

Before starting on air sealing and insulation for your home, you and your contractor can consider inspecting the attic, crawl space and vertical envelope to check if it needs proper insulation. Spray foam which is used for loose insulation is preferred if you are considering the attic for conditioned storage. For the basement and crawl space, you need to air seal first and then use batt insulation to the appropriate level. The vertical envelope includes areas around the doors, windows and walls. You need to first upgrade your wall insulation before investing in new windows.

4. Filter good air in and bad air out

Good ventilation indoors is extremely important before air sealing and insulating your home. Areas like the kitchen and bathroom should have a fan to remove indoor moisture and eliminate humidity. You may also need whole house ventilation if you live in areas that experience a lot of heat and humidity.

Ø  Keep the heat out during summer and in during winter

The sun’s heat can be used optimally to warm your indoors during the cold months. Open windows to let natural daylight in. During the warmer months, you can close the windows by installing drapes and blinds to keep the rays out and the cooler air in.