Get the most from your air conditioning

• Open windows and use portable or ceiling fans instead of operating your air conditioner. Even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler. Make sure your ceiling fan is turned for summer -- you should feel the air blown downward. If you live in a relatively dry climate, a bowl or tray of ice in front of a box fan can cool you as it evaporates.

• Use a fan with your window air conditioner to spread the cool air through your home.

• Without blocking air flow, shade your outside compressor. Change air filters monthly during the summer.

• Use a programmable thermostat with your air conditioner to adjust the setting at night or when no one is home.

• Don't place lamps or TVs near your air conditioning thermostat. The heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer.

• Consider installing a whole house fan or evaporative cooler (a "swamp cooler") if appropriate for your climate. Attics trap fierce amounts of heat; a well-placed and -sized whole-house fan pulls air through open windows on the bottom floors and exhausts it through the roof, lowering the inside temperature and reducing energy use by as much as third compared with an air conditioner. Cost is between $200 and $400 if you install it yourself. An evaporative cooler pulls air over pads soaked in cold water and uses a quarter the energy of refrigerated air, but they're useful only in low-humidity areas. Cost is $200 to $600.

• Install white window shades, drapes, or blinds to reflect heat away from the house. Close curtains on south- and west-facing windows during the day.

• Install awnings on south-facing windows. Because of the angle of the sun, trees, a trellis, or a fence will best shade west-facing windows. Apply sun-control or other reflective films on south-facing windows.
• Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity.

• Grown on trellises, vines such as ivy or grapevines can shade windows or the whole side of a house.

• Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides. It increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.

• Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides will keep your house cool in the summer. Just three trees, properly placed around a house, can save a few hundred dollars in annual cooling and heating costs. In summer, daytime air temperatures can be 3 degrees to 6 degrees cooler in tree-shaded neighborhoods.

Saca partido del sistema de aire acondicionado

En Frionuevo S.L. le ofrecemos una serie de consejos para que pueda sacar el máximo provecho a su equipo de aire acondicionado.

1. Conecta el aire acondicionado a una temperatura de 25ºC, aproximadamente. Cada grado que disminuya la temperatura, estará consumiendo un 8% más de energía. En invierno, la temperatura recomendable es de 21ºC.
2. Desconecte el aire acondicionado cuando no haya nadie en casa o en la habitación que esté climatizando.
3. Instale toldo y persianas en las ventanas, ya que impiden las radiaciones directas del sol y disminuyen las necesidades de climatización.
4. Verifique el sistema para cerciorarse de que está limpio y de que sus alrededores están libres de suciedad. Repita la operación todos los meses y cambie el filtro cuando sea necesario.
5. Llame a un profesional para que inspeccione el sistema y verifique el nivel de refrigerante.
6. Retire todos los muebles de las proximidades de las rejillas y conductos del sistema.
7. Cierre puertas y ventanas y verifique su aislamiento.
8. Reduzca la velocidad del ventilador cuando el tiempo sea húmedo para eliminar la humedad del aire, lo que aumentará la sensación de frescor.
9. Lave la ropa o los platos, báñese o friegue los suelos al final del día o a primera hora de la mañana, ya que estas actividades producen humedad y aumentan la existente en el hogar, lo que obliga al sistema a funcionar a más potencia.
10. Lave la ropa con agua fría, cocine con el fuego más bajo posible y no abra el horno cuando tenga algo en él.
11. Baje las persianas y cierre las cortinas para evitar que la casa se caldee por la acción directa del sol.
12. Apague las luces cuando no sean necesarias: Tres cuartas partes de la electricidad que emplea una bombilla desprenden calor, no luz.
13. Mantenga todos los aparatos que producen calor lejos de los termostatos para que no los "engañen" y los obliguen a funcionar más tiempo del necesario.
14. Haga uso de un termostato programable, para controlar el funcionamiento del sistema.

Aires acondicionados

Podría sorprenderle saber que comprar la unidad más grande de aire acondicionado para su cuarto no lo hará sentir necesariamente más cómodo durante los meses calientes del verano. De hecho, una unidad de aire acondicionado que sea muy grande para el lugar que supuestamente debe enfriar, será menos efectiva y funcionará con menor eficiencia que una unidad que sea más adecuada para su espacio. Esto se debe a que las unidades en los cuartos funcionan mejor si están encendidas durante períodos relativamente más largos de tiempo que si se prenden y apagan en forma continúa. El funcionamiento por períodos más largos de tiempo permite que los equipos de aire acondicionado mantengan una temperatura de ambiente más constante y remuevan el exceso de humedad.

El tamaño también tiene igual importancia en los sistemas de aire acondicionado central, y debe ser determinado por los profesionales del ramo. Si usted tiene un sistema de aire acondicionado central en su casa, ajuste los controles para que el ventilador se apague al mismo tiempo que la unidad de enfriamiento (compresor). En otras palabras, no utilice el ventilador del sistema central para la circulación, sino que use para esto los ventiladores individuales de los cuartos.

Consejos sobre el aire acondicionado

• Los ventiladores que funcionan en toda la casa ayudan a enfriar su hogar porque toman el aire frío circulante y expulsan el aire caliente a través del ático. Estos sistemas son efectivos cuando se hacen funcionar de noche y cuando el aire exterior es más frío que el aire interior.
  
  
• Ajuste el termostato a una temperatura alta, pero lo más cómoda posible, durante el verano. Entre menor diferencia haya entre la temperatura en el termostato y la temperatura fuera de la casa, menor será su cuenta total por aire acondicionado.
  
  
• No ajuste su termostato a una temperatura más fría de lo normal cuando encienda el aire acondicionado. Esto no hará que su casa se enfríe más rápido y podría causar un enfriamiento excesivo y, por lo tanto, un gasto innecesario.
  
  
• Considere utilizar un ventilador interior en combinación con su aire acondicionado de ventana para hacer circular el aire frío de una forma más eficiente por toda la casa, sin que aumente en gran medida la energía que utiliza.
  
  
• No coloque lámparas o televisores cerca del termostato del aire acondicionado. El termostato detecta el calor de estos aparatos, lo cual puede hacer que el aire acondicionado funcione más del tiempo necesario.
  
  
• Plante árboles o arbustos para darle sombra a las unidades de aire acondicionado, pero no bloquee el flujo de aire. Coloque el aire acondicionado de su cuarto en el lado norte de la casa. Una unidad que opera a la sombra utiliza casi 10% menos de electricidad que una unidad similar que funciona en el sol. Tenga en mente que aislar y sellar las fugas de aire ayudará a utilizar mejor la energía en la época de verano porque mantiene el aire frío en el interior de la casa.
  
  
• $ Consejos para ahorrar dinero a largo plazo: Si tiene un aire acondicionado viejo, considere comprar un modelo nuevo y con más eficiencia energética. Si hace esto, podría ahorrar hasta el 50% de lo que paga en cuentas de aire acondicionado. Vea que los sistemas tengan las etiquetas de ENERGY STAR y EnergyGuide. La guía de productos que se encuentra en la parte de atrás de este folleto le ayudará a encontrar la unidad del tamaño correcto que usted necesita.
  
  
• $ Consejos para ahorrar dinero a largo plazo: Considere la instalación de un ventilador para toda la casa o de un enfriador de evaporación si esto es adecuado para el clima del lugar donde vive. Consulte Consumer's Guide para más información sobre el enfriamiento eficiente.

Air Conditioners

Buying a bigger room air-conditioning unit won't necessarily make you feel more comfortable during the hot summer months. In fact, a room air conditioner that's too big for the area it is supposed to cool will perform less efficiently and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit.

Sizing is equally important for central air-conditioning systems, which need to be sized by professionals. If you have a central air system in your home, set the fan to shut off at the same time as the cooling unit (compressor). In other words, don't use the system's central fan to provide circulation, but instead use circulating fans in individual rooms.

Cooling Tips

• Whole-house fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic.

• Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible in the summer. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.

• Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.

• Consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.

• Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

• Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units but not to block the airflow. Place your room air conditioner on the north side of the house. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same one operating in the sun.

Long-Term Savings Tips

• If your air conditioner is old, consider purchasing a new, energy-efficient model. You could save up to 50% on your utility bill for cooling. Look for the ENERGY STAR and EnergyGuide labels. The shopping guide in the back of this booklet will help you find the right size unit for your needs.

• Consider installing a whole-house fan or evaporative cooler if appropriate for your climate. Check out www.energysavers.gov for more information on efficient cooling.

Honeywell Fan

Honeywell is a very large company producing items ranging from consumer electrical devices through to engineering and aerospace systems. It is one of the oldest companies in the World being incorporated in 1906.

Some of the best known Honeywell products are their household electrical and auto items. In particular Honeywell fans have become very popular in recent years, with a large product range that is well regarded in the industry.

Honeywell make a large range of fans and air circulators which cover a range of uses and price brackets. From simple table-top fans such as the Honeywell HT-904C Tabletop Air-Circulator Fan which can be found from as little as $16 through to $260 for a Honeywell Oscillating Tower Air Purifier With Permanent IFD Filter 186 Sq Ft Room Capacity. Honeywell Fresh Breeze Tower Fan with Remote Control at $85 increasingly more popular with buyers.

Air Condition in Canada

In Canada, home air conditioning is less common than in East Asia and the United States, but it still quite prevalent. This is especially true of the Great Lakes regions of southern Ontario and Quebec, where there are especially high humidity levels. While window and split units are common in these regions, central air systems are the most widespread in Western Canada. Most Western Canadian homes are built with already-compatible central forced air natural gas heating systems, making installing a central air system very simple. In Central Canada separate room-based hydro powered heating is more common, leading to the higher cost of retrofitting a central air system. The majority of modern urban high-rise condominiums built in Canadian cities have air conditioning systems. It is also offered as a relatively low-cost option on most new built homes. While energy is comparatively very cheap in Canada, the large size of the average Canadian home and cold winters make heating and cooling one of the largest household expenses. Canadian summers are uncomfortably hot, but rarely reach the dangerous temperatures experienced in the United States or Asia. As such, many Canadians, especially in older homes, simply choose to forgo air conditioning in lieu of simple fans and evaporative coolers. Cost of operation (as a factor of efficiency) of air conditioning is often considered an environmentally unfriendly mitigation to poor thermal design. There have been a number of advances in more environmentally friendly technologies, including insulation advancement, geothermal cooling, and the Enwave deep lake system in Toronto that cools a number of office towers using cold water from Lake Ontario.

How much ice would I have to store up in the winter in order to air condition my house all summer?

How much ice would I have to store up in the winter in order to air condition my house all summer?

This is a great question... there's a lot to love about free air conditioning!

It certainly would be an easy system to build. All you need is a big insulated container (probably in the form of a hole in the ground) with some coiled tubes at the bottom. You would run a chilled water circuit from the container to a radiator inside the air conditioner. You would need a small pump to pump the water in the chilled water loop, but that's it.

So let's make a couple of assumptions:

• Let's assume that your air conditioner runs for 12 hours a day for three months out of the year.
• Let's assume that your house has a 5-ton air conditioner (60,000 BTU -- British thermal units).
• Let's assume that we can store the snow and ice with 50 percent efficiency. That is, over the course of the summer we will lose half of it to melting, inefficiencies in our system, etc.

To cool the house, you therefore need:

60,000 BTU/hr * 12 hours/day * 90 days = 64,800,000 BTU

Multiplying by our 50 percent efficiency rating, let's call it 130 million BTU.

If you have a gram of ice at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), it will absorb 80 calories of energy converting from ice to liquid water. There are 252 calories in a BTU. So we need 3.15 grams of water to absorb 1 BTU of heat. The assumption here is that we are going to rely on the phase change from ice to water to power the air conditioner. Once all the ice melts, the water will warm up quickly.

So we need:

130,000,000 BTU * 3.15 grams/BTU = 409,500,000 grams of ice

That's about 410,000 liters of ice, or 410,000 kilograms (902,000 pounds) of ice that you must store to cool your house all summer. That's a cube measuring 740 centimeters (24.26 feet) on a side. Very roughly speaking, you would have to dig a hole as big as your house and insulate it well, and then in the winter you would have to shovel it full of nearly a million pounds of ice. But if you do that, you can cool your house for free! (The value of the equivalent electricity to cool the house, at 7.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, would be about $1,500.)