Energy Efficient Air Conditioning
In the air conditioning market, going green is becoming more and more popular. As someone who lives in the greater northern San Diego area, you know how important it is for air cooling systems to be both effective and environmentally functional. But what is it exactly about a particular cooling unit that makes it “energy efficient”?
Most air conditioners labeled energy efficient are required to have reduced their energy usage by at least 10% from the average unit to have earned the distinction. That reduction in energy can eventually result in significantly reduced energy bill costs. By purchasing a new unit to substitute for the old one (12 or more years old), individuals can reduce their spending on cooling by as much as 30%. Beside reduction in energy, these efficient air cooling units are also instrumental in keeping you cool while lowering the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the air.
Each energy efficient air conditioner model comes with an energy efficiency rating (EER), spanning a points system of 8 to 11.5–the higher the number, the lower the emission of toxic gases, the more efficient the unit, and the lower the amount of energy consumed when running the air conditioner (and therefore your bill). Beside the EER, energy-saving cooling units also come with a BTU (British Thermal Unit, ranging from 5,000 to over 20,000) number system which lets the buyer know the quickness with which a certain size unit can cool down a particular size room. Raising the number of BTUs considered when buying an energy efficient unit may be necessary if the cooling unit is to be installed in the kitchen or in a room that contains more sunlight than normal or three or more people residing in it.
The Environmental Protection Agency deems a cooling unit “energy efficient” only after stringent guidelines and rigorous testing have been met. The cooling unit must offer all the same functionality of conventional models and use less energy. The model must definitively add to energy reduction across the entire United States. More expensive than average models must eventually pay for themselves in reduced energy costs within a specific time frame.