More and more American families are choosing to live off-grid or at least adopt some of the practices of homesteaders in order to make a more positive impact on their environment. Even if you are not planning to live completely off the grid, these alternative heating and cooling options can help you reduce energy consumption and may even be able to help you save some money in the long run. Tips for Off-Grid Heating and Cooling Here are some tips for heating and cooling for those who want to live off-grid: Make sure that your home is well-insulated. One of the most important first steps in transitioning to off-grid heating and cooling is making sure that your home is well-insulated. A significant amount of energy is wasted when poor insulation allows warm or cool air inside the home to escape. By checking that your home is well-insulated and fixes any problem areas, you can help increase […]
The History of Air Conditioning: How Your Descendants Stayed Cool
On those really hot days when you can’t imagine being out of an air conditioned home or office, aren’t you happy to live in the 21st century? Luckily, your descendants and those before had all types of inventive ways to keep cool. And all of that clever thinking eventually led to the development of the air conditioning that you enjoy today! Let’s get started with a brief, yet surprisingly fascinating history of air conditioning. The Fascinating History of Air Conditioning Underground Homes The cave dwellers found that it was cooler underground and inside the Earth. They built homes in caves to get themselves out of the hot sun. Although this was around 12,000 years ago, the cave dwellers knew what they were doing. (Today we call this geothermal cooling, and it’s highly efficient and green!) First Water-Cooled AC Fast forward to the days of the Egyptians, when the first water-cooled air conditioner was discovered. The […]
Can I Just Replace the Outdoor Unit on an Older Air Conditioning System to Save Money?
Central air conditioners have two parts: an indoor unit that sits in an attic or other unfinished space, and an outdoor unit that sits on a concrete slab. The indoor unit houses a critical component called an evaporator coil, while the outdoor unit houses two critical components: a compressor and a condenser coil. If you have an older air conditioner, there’s a pretty good chance that the outdoor unit will fail before the indoor unit. You might think that a simple replacement of the outdoor unit will return your AC to good working order. In reality, partial replacement of the components in an older air conditioner can lead to significant, expensive problems. Understanding Your Air Conditioner When you turn on your central air conditioner, the system pulls warm air from the interior of your home to the evaporator coil in the indoor unit. This coil contains a refrigerant in gas form. The heat in the […]
Should I Leave Interior Doors Open Or Closed During Heating And Cooling?
Recently, researchers have found out that simply keeping a bedroom door closed can adversely affect comfort, safety and health in a house. This is because it blocks the air’s pathway, thus reducing air flow into the room and through the system as well. Pressurization of the room, which is caused by air trapped within the space, forces the cool air out of the house. All this has a significant impact on the energy efficiency of a house. How Closed Doors Affect Energy Efficiency When air is forced out of a room under pressure, an equal amount needs to be drawn so as to replace the expelled draught. Depending on the number of closed doors, the rate of entry of hot or cold outside air could go up by anything between 300% and 900%. This raises utility bills, decreases comfort and brings in a host of health problems. Since fluids seek the path of least resistance, […]
Using Fans Or Air Conditioners To Cool Your Home
Everybody wants to live in a comfortable home with the right temperature. During the summer months, temperatures can get quite high and this is the time to consider the perfect cooling system. The fans or A/C debate appears to be a no-brainer because most people prefer air conditioners. Your decision to cool your home with either an air conditioner or a fan depends on your inclination as well as your budget. Just look at the facts and numbers below and decide whether to use fans or A/C to cool your home. The high cost of air conditioning Cooling your home with an air conditioner does not come cheap. A typical window air conditioner that runs for 12 hours per day will cost the average American $40 per month at 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. The 2.5-ton residential central air conditioner uses about 1,300 kilowatt-hours per month. This costs approximately $150 monthly. On the other hand, a […]
