Best Air Conditioners
(Page 2 of 4)
August/September 2006
www.GreenerChoices.org
Energy Star. These stickers appear on room air conditioners that use at least 10 percent less energy than similar models. Room air conditioners must have an EER of at least 10.7 to qualify. You should have no trouble finding Energy Star models these days.
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Chill the bill
Always operate your unit efficiently. If you consistently leave the temperature setting one degree higher than the standard setting (letting the room become warmer), your cooling bills will drop by at least 3 percent. Built-in efficiency features include automated thermostats with timers that let you set the temperature and program the machine to turn on automatically just before you get home from work or errands. You wont waste energy air-conditioning empty space or swelter as you wait for the machine to cool the room.
Other efficiency features include variable-speed fans and new settings such as sleep, which allows the room temperature to rise a few degrees, then lowers it seven hours later. If your unit has a filter, clean or replace it regularly. The filter keeps dust and other particulates from entering your home, but a dirty filter will reduce the efficiency of your unit. The owners manual will show how and when to change the filter.
The house can help you keep your cool
The characteristics of your home can affect the performance of an air conditioner. Ceiling fans can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler. On mildly warm days, you can stay comfortable by turning on the fan instead of the air conditioner. Simply closing drapes or drawing blinds during the day can help keep your home cool. Even better are awnings, because they block radiant heat before it enters the house. New windows also can help your home stay cooler. Modern replacement windows have two or more panes of glass with a layer of air or another gas between for insulation, and are sometimes specially coated to deflect solar radiation; the coating can be fine-tuned for different climates. (See High-performance Windows, December/January 2006.)
Insulation is critical to helping your home stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Landscaping can help, too. Strategically placed trees, high shrubs or hedges can go a long way toward keeping your home cooler. For more ideas specifically tailored to your home, check to see if your local utility company offers energy audits.
