Playing Your Part in Eco Conscious Air Conditioning

Home & Garden Blog

Companies that manufacture air conditioners are increasing their efforts in making more efficient, ecofriendly systems. Research and development is focused on creating machines that rely more on renewable energy or consume less energy but maintain efficiency.

As they play their part, you too can take some eco-conscious steps in how you handle your air conditioner. Neglecting regular maintenance for instance increases energy use and consequently harms the environment. This article will cover maintenance tips and mistakes to avoid when buying and using an air conditioner.

Maintenance

Air Conditioner Filters

For better efficiency, clean or replace the filters on your machine routinely. Clogged filters tend to block the normal flow of air and affect efficiency. Once obstructed, any air that goes through will carry dirt to the evaporator coil impairing its heat-absorbing capacity. Filters are normally located in ceilings, walls or the air conditioner. For room air conditioners, you will find them mounted just in the grill facing the room.

Coil Fins

Another cause of air flow blockage is the bending of condenser and evaporator coils found on the aluminium fins. If you have a fin comb, straighten them out to resume normal airflow.

Air Conditioner Coils

Over a period of time, the condenser and evaporator coil will accumulate dirt. Despite constant cleaning of the filters, it still soils after a while. Just as it is with the filter, there is poor airflow once clogged, which reduces the air conditioner's capacity to absorb the heat. This is also the case with outdoor coils especially if the area is dusty or full of foliage in close proximity.

To sort out the problem, regularly clean the area around the condenser coil and remove any dirt or debris from falling leaves or blades of grass when lawn mowing.

Mistakes

If you want to reduce the wastage from high usage of electricity and to also save some money from lower bills, watch out for these common mistakes.

  • Buying an air conditioner without considering the size of the space: A bigger air conditioning system will not necessarily cool the house faster. In fact, it will only cycle on and off more quickly and therefore not run efficiently. On the other hand, if a unit is too small then it will not adequately cool the space.
  • Wrongly placing your air conditioner: Under direct sunlight, the unit will be overworked as compared to a shady spot somewhere on the east side of your house.
  • Leaving the unit running the whole day: If possible, get an individual timer for every unit or a programmable thermostat to help with schedule regulation. This is an efficient and cheaper solution to having it run all day.
  • Carelessly placing the thermostat: If left next to a television, lamp or any other heat generating appliance, the thermostat might accidentally spike the temperature reading. This in turn overworks the air conditioner which is inefficient. Keep this in mind when considering placement options.

Contact an HVAC company, such as ACSIS Airconditioning Warehouse, for more information on improving the efficiency of your air conditioning system.

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16 May 2016

Creating A Child-Friendly Outdoor Space

As the parent of five children, I've picked up some tips over the years when it comes to childproofing the garden and creating an outdoor space that's safe and can be enjoyed by everyone. I started focussing on safety in the garden after my first child had an accident that could have been prevented. Thankfully, they recovered pretty quickly, but I realised how easy it is for young children to get hurt when playing outdoors. I started this blog to share what I've learned as a parent, and topics I post about include creating safe swimming pools, identifying toxic garden plants, choosing child-safe gates and maintaining outdoor play equipment. I hope you find my blog interesting and useful.