Archive for 'Cooling'

Many homes have air-conditioning units that are too big or too small for them, which can lead to a loss of cooling and high energy bills. Use these tips to determine the proper sizing for an AC unit.

“A lot of people have the perception that a bigger unit is better for the heating and cooling system in their house,” Eric Nekibach, systems integration designer at Cool Heat Mechanical Systems, said. “And that’s really not the case. A properly sized piece ...

These maintenance tips will help homeowners keep their air conditioning units running efficiently.

Before each cooling season, it is recommended that central air conditioners get a professional tune-up. This is the biggest step to preventing major malfunctions in an AC unit.

Probably the most important step that can be done by a homeowner is to clean or replace the air filter every month. Electrostatic filters are the best. Do not run the unit with the filter removed. Check the owner’s manual ...

Sensible Cooling Load

The heat gain of the home due to conduction, solar radiation, infiltration, appliances, people, and pets. Burning a light bulb, for example, adds only sensible load to the house. This sensible load raises the dry-bulb temperature.

Dry-Bulb Temperature

The temperature measured by a standard thermometer.

Latent Cooling Load

The net amount of moisture added to the inside air by plants, people, cooking, infiltration, and any other moisture source. The amount of moisture in the air can be ...

Can you stay cool this summer without breaking the bank?

While there’s no one money-saving strategy that will work for everyone all the time, there are a number of simple steps you can take to ensure that your air-conditioner system works at peak efficiency and that it isn’t being asked to handle more cooling than necessary.

This material, reprinted with permission from Consumer Reports magazine, offers, some tips.

In some cases, you may be able to cut back on air-conditioner use considerably without ...

It is generally accepted that “the right way” to specify an air conditioning system is to calculate the loads and select a piece of equipment that will provide comfort to the customer in a wide variety of conditions. Unfortunately this is rarely practiced.

A colleague of ours (we will call him Bill) approached us at a conference seeking advice on selecting an air conditioner for his renovated home. Our recommendations included, “Be sure that the cooling load is calculated ...