Heating and cooling a home can account for close to half the energy usage of an average home per year.

Cooling equipment may include room air-conditioners, central air-conditioners, fans, evaporative coolers and shading. SEER is the measure of energy efficiency for central air-conditioners and EER is the measure for room air-conditioners. For instance, a central air-conditioning system with a SEER rating of 18 would be more efficient than a system rated at 14 SEER.

Heating equipment may include furnaces, boilers, heat-pumps and district heating and ducts. Furnaces are the most common type of heating system in the United States and typically run on natural gas. A fewer number of systems also run on fuel oil or electricity have heat is delivered through a forced-air ducting system.

Boilers use natural gas or fuel oil to heat water which is then circulated through radiators or radiant floor systems. Energy Star^® qualified boilers have an AFUE (annualized fuel utilization efficiency) rating of 85% or greater and use about 10% less energy than regular boilers.

In order to keep costs down and to conserve energy, the following guidelines are applicable:

• Residential heating and cooling system should be appropriately sized so that the home would be comfortable in the coldest weather as well as in the hottest weather. An HVAC (heating ventilation air-conditioning) specialist would be the most qualified source of information to help make a purchase decision.
• Most humans are comfortable at a relative humidity of 40% to 60%. In the winter, because typical heating systems tend to dry out the air, the net effect causes humans to feel chilled due to increased moisture evaporation from the skin. While the natural inclination is to turn up the heat, a better approach would be to maintain the relative humidity in a comfortable range thereby lessening this effect.
• Studies have shown that when humidity is maintained at around 50%, air-conditioning thermostats can be set as much as 5 to 7 °F warmer while providing the same level of comfort to occupants.
• Sealing air leaks in a homes interior (inner walls, ceiling, windows and floors) can increase comfort and decrease energy bills.
• Programmable thermostats allow homeowners to maximize energy savings without sacrificing comfort. Adjusting the thermostat back for as little as 4 hours a day can result in significant savings.
• Planting shade trees in strategic positions is an attractive and effective way of cooling the home naturally. Shading can reduce interior temperatures by as much as 20 °F.
• Opening windows and doors can create cross-ventilation in the home making the living environment more comfortable.
• In hotter climates, the use of ceiling fans can increase comfort and allow thermostats to be set warmer thereby saving on energy bills.

Filed under: Energy Efficiency