Choosing an efficient air conditioner

Choosing an efficient air conditioner
As the summer is starting to grill us, many people have already started installing Air conditioners in their homes.

The most important thing to look for with an air conditioner is the star rating. You need to work out what size you require for the task and then choose the most efficient model that will perform the task.
The two main types of air conditioners for household use are window-wall systems and split systems. While both can be equally efficient, split systems tend to be more efficient for a particular size range as their components are generally less constrained by size (although this is not always true). Split systems have the advantage of being quieter indoors during operation but they are also more expensive. Some larger houses may choose ducted or packaged units. Be sure to check the stars before you buy.
A new innovation in air conditioner technology is the use of an inverter or variable speed drive in the motor system that drives the compressor (comes with Voltas, Hitachi and Onida now). While these systems tend to look less efficient at full load (ie their star rating at rated capacity is not always as high as conventional air conditioners), they tend to be very efficient at part load operation, which is a more common mode in a typical household. So if you are likely to use an air conditioner for long periods because you live in a hot climate, it may be worth considering an inverter system. They are, however, more expensive to buy, as a rule.
Sizing an air conditioner
The output capacity is a measure of the amount of heat that will be removed (cooling) or added (heating) to the room/s in your house by the air conditioner. The output range you need will depend upon your particular requirements. Air conditioner outputs are measured in kilowatts (kW). As an approximate guide for sizing a room unit allow:
125watts (0.125kW) per square metre of floor area to be cooled in living areas;
80 watts (0.080kW) per square metre of floor area in bedrooms.
These estimates depend on the climate and the efficiency of your house design (orientation, glazing and insulation levels).
It is advisable to get a full heating or cooling load calculation from an authorised air conditioning installer or manufacturer before you buy.

Simple thumb rule is that 1.5 tonne will do good for a 200 to 250 sq.ft area. And 1.0 or .8 tonne for areas lesser than 200 sq.ft.


Best suggestions as a user of AC: Go for brands like Hitachi and O General.

2 great Simple ways to save energy

Do not use Air conditioners during winter

Do not use Geysers or water Heaters during summer

People just think !!!! you could save thousands by following the simple rule

Other ideas for saving energy and water: http://www.green-energy-efficient-homes.com/energy-saving-tips-invitation.html

Calculate your Energy saving by Using Star rated Air conditioners

This simple and user friendly Energy Calculator, allows you to choose different capacity of AC, quantity, efficiency level and operating time. Follow the steps shown below and click at appropriate places of your choice. You can estimate savings in Electricity charges by use of Star-5 AC over Star-0 AC.

This is from Bureau of Energy Efficiency site.....


http://www.saveenergy.co.in/20-module-positions-mainmenu-44.php

Why should people use CFL? Compact Flouride Lamps

Why should people use CFLs?

Switching from traditional light bulbs (called incandescent) to CFLs is an effective. Making this change will help to use less electricity at home and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill. Bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost little up front, and provide a quick return on investment.

Do CFLs contain mercury?

CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing – an average of 4 milligrams – about the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury – an amount equal to the mercury in 125 CFLs. Mercury is an essential part of CFLs; it allows the bulb to be an efficient light source. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact (not broken) or in use. Most makers of light bulbs have reduced mercury in their fluorescent lighting products. Thanks to technology advances the average mercury content in CFLs has dropped at least 20 percent in the past year. Some manufacturers have even made further reductions, dropping mercury content to 1.4 – 2.5 milligrams per light bulb.

What are mercury emissions caused by humans?

Mercury released into the air from the coal-fired electrical power is the main way that mercury gets into water and bio-accumulates in fish. (Eating fish contaminated with mercury is the main way for humans tube exposed.)
Most mercury vapor inside fluorescent light bulbs becomes bound to the inside of the light bulb as it is used. It is estimated that the rest of the mercury within a CFL – about 11 percent – is released into air or water when it is sent to a landfill, assuming the light bulb is broken.

How do CFLs result in less mercury in the environment compared to traditional light bulbs?

CFLs use less electricity than incandescent lights, meaning CFLs reduce the amount of mercury into the environment .Because CFLs also help to reduce greenhouse gasses, other pollutants associated with electricity production, and landfill waste (because the bulbs last longer), they are clearly the environmental winner when compared to traditional incandescent light bulbs.

Fake Products Receive Energy Star Certification

According to a recent government report, 15 fake products received Energy Star certifications, including a 1.5 foot-tall gas-powered alarm clock and an “air room cleaner” (actually a space heater with a feather duster and fly strips attached).



Investigators from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) submitted 20 bogus products to the Energy Star program, which is operated by the EPA and Department of Energy (DOE), for labeling as energy-efficient consumer products. Fifteen of the products passed these specification guidelines:
- Product categories must contribute significant energy savings nationwide.

- Qualified products must deliver the features and performance demanded by consumers, in addition to increased energy efficiency.

- Energy efficiency can be achieved through broadly available, non-proprietary technologies offered by more than one manufacturer.

- Product energy consumption and performance can be measured and verified with testing.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, concluded the program to be “a self-certification program vulnerable to fraud and abuse,” due largely to the fact that Energy Star does not verify claims made my manufacturers.

Senator Susan Collins of (R-Maine), ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, requested the study.

The EPA and DOE did respond to the GAO report in a joint news release, outlining the course of action they will take in order to rectify the situation.

“The steps we’re taking now will further strengthen and improve the program, building on the results that consumers have come to expect,” said Cathy Zoi, DOE assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The outlined steps include both testing and enforcement actions, including an expanded system that will require all products seeking the Energy Star label to be tested in approved labs.

Get rid off those "Energy Phantoms"

Protecting the environment and saving money is as easy as pulling the plug. There are appliances and electronic devices scattered around your home that are sucking electricity even when they aren’t in use. Who’d have thought that your cell phone charger could pull down an average of 1.73 Kilowatts per month; or that a printer absorbs 4.32 Kilowatts per month–just sitting there. May not seem like much, but if you add up all the items in your home that are secretly eating energy–it is a fairly large number.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) has made the task of searching out and destroying the energy phantoms easy. Check out their energy phantom calculator. Just enter the quantity of each electronic device in your home and the calculator can quickly help you add up how much electricity each month is being wasted at your house. Now think about all the households in the U.S. The Census Bureau estimates that in 2007 there were 127,902,000 housing units in the country. I calculated a sampling of a few of these household items and the savings if they were unplugged.

Collective Usage of 127,902,000 Houses


kWh to be Saved Per month Millions $ to be Saved Per Month
Dishwasher 166,272,600 $15,348,240

Charger/power cube 184,178,880 16,627,260

Laptop charger 322,313,040 29,417,460

Doorbell 460,447,200 40,928,640

Microwave 276,268,320 24,302,380

Fax machine 856,943,400 76,741,200

Cell phone charger 221,270,460 20,464,320

Power & garden tool
charger 368,357,760 33,254,520

Multi-funct printer 552,536,640 49,881,780




I’m not suggesting that you have to unplug your microwave, doorbell or your dishwasher when they’re not in use (way too painful), but there are items that pulling the plug takes no more effort than flipping off a light switch. Figure out where you can unplug at your home. Collectively we can conserve millions of dollars worth of electricity and that little bit of effort can make a huge difference for the planet.

The Homeowner’s Guide to Alternative Energy

The Homeowner’s Guide to Alternative Energy

Do you ever watch the sun hitting your house, or the feel the wind rushing at your windows, and wonder just how hard it would be to harness all that energy?

The timing has never been better for average consumers to start using alternative energy in their own homes. The technology is better than ever, more and more contractors specialize in installing green energy generators in homes and state and federal money will often help you pay for it.

The key is to find out what type of green energy is right for you.

“When you look at alternative energy choices for a home, the choice has a lot to do with geography, where in the country you are,” said P.J. Stafford, co-founder of the eco-consulting firm Green Irene. “Your cost per kilowatt you generate is going to vary significantly from state to state.” For example, solar power in Minneapolis may not be a good choice, but in Arizona it’s a no-brainer.

Since sorting through the options can be confusing, many consumers hire consultants to visit their homes and offer customized advice. Green Irene, for example, has 150 consultants in 37 states who help customers complete “Green Home Makeovers” to save money and energy.

Since you might not be quite ready to call in a professional, here are some basics for getting the ball rolling.
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia have adopted Renewable Energy Standards, which require that a certain percentage of all of their power comes from renewable sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass. - Lcv.org

29 states, including D.C., have adopted Renewable Energy Standards, which require a certain percentage of their power to come from renewable sources. - Lcv.org
1. Greening the Grid

“The first step is, people should opt for green power from their existing utility,” Stafford recommended. For an added price, you can often choose to buy green energy over conventionally-derived energy from your electricity utility company. In general, this option costs a couple cents more per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity you buy.

The average U.S. monthly household uses 938 kWh per month, so if the household opted to replace 100 percent of its energy with green energy, at a 2 cents-per-kWh premium, its monthly electricity bill would cost about $20 more.

But since you usually pay a flat rate for, say, wind power, and the price of oil and coal power can fluctuate throughout the year, consumers may end up saving money if conventional energy prices rise. And you’ll be contributing to the solution of greening the grid.
2. Do it Yourself

Another option is to install the actual generating equipment on your property to create green energy, rather than simply buy it. Building a wind turbine in your yard or installing solar panels on your roof requires a larger investment to begin with, but can end up saving more money in the long run, since you’ll no longer have to purchase as much energy from utilities.

Plus, many states offer tax incentives, rebates and subsidies to encourage consumers to install alternative energy technology. The rates vary largely from state-to-state, and from energy technology to energy technology. For example, sunnier states often provide greater rebates for solar panels than cloudier states where the technology is less useful.
3. Solar

In many areas of the U.S., solar power is the most practical option. Installing an average 5 kW solar panel system in New York, for example, might total about $60,000. However, the state offers such generous rebates and tax credits, that the job will actually cost only about $11,000.

“There’s no better deal right now in the country,” said Robert Covello, a certified solar panel installer for Mercury Solar Systems of New Rochelle, NY. “If you look at the numbers, the payback is like five years. It’s like stealing.”

Since the entire system pays for itself in as little as five years, it sounds surprising that most residents of New York haven’t installed solar panels yet. “Why are people not doing it? Because they don’t know, that’s part of the problem,” Covello said. However, the news of the deal is spreading. Covello’s business has been doubling ever year recently. “It’s the only business where people call me up and say, ‘Thank you,’ because three months later they are getting virtually no electric bill.”
Companies like Wells Fargo, Pepsico and Starbucks have made significant investments in renewable energy in various forms. Why not try it on your home? - Commercialenergy.net

Companies like Wells Fargo, Pepsico and Starbucks have made significant investments in renewable energy. Why not try it for yourself? - Commercialenergy.net
4. Wind

Wind power is also a great option for many homes.

“Our most active markets are typically on the coasts,” said Scott Merrick of the Bergey WindPower company, based in Norman, Okla., which installs small wind turbines for homes and businesses around the country. “There you have incredibly high utility rates, good wind resources and large subsidies.” In situations like these, a typical 10 kW wind turbine system, that costs between $55,000 to $67,000 to install, will usually pay for itself in six to eight years.

Surprisingly, wind power isn’t as popular in places like Oklahoma, even though the Plain States get tons of wind. That’s because electricity prices are so low anyway, most people aren’t motivated to switch over to green energy. In areas where energy is cheaper, the same 10 kW wind system can take as much as 12 years to pay back its cost.

Those planning to install wind power generators also must contend with zoning laws and neighbors that don’t want the eyesore of a turbine “souring” their view. “We typically recommend people have about an acre of space,” Merrick said.
5. Geothermal

Geothermal energy, or energy generated from the heat stored in the ground, is another up-and-coming alternative energy source. To harness this energy, consumers can install a heat pump in their yards to transfer heat from the ground to the house in the winter time, and divert heat from the house to the ground during the summer. It can also be used to heat water. The systems start at around $15,000, and can usually pay for themselves after four to six years.

“Once you install the unit, it’s going to save about 40 to 60 percent on your monthly heating and cooling bill,” said Bridgette Oliver, marketing communications manager for ClimateMaster, a manufacturer of geothermal heat pumps. “It’s using energy from the Earth that’s already there, that’s free.”

Unlike solar and wind energy, Oliver said geothermal energy works about equally well all over the country. “You just have to have dirt,” she said.
6. Cutting Down on Energy

Ultimately, installing alternative energy generators in your home, or buying green power from your utility can do a lot of good, and even save you money in the long-term. But just as important, experts say, is reducing your energy usage in the first place. This makes it easier to meet your energy needs with alternative sources, and is the easiest way to go green right now.

“The best thing you can do today is not put in solar panels, but do some things to reduce the electric and gas usage in your home,” said Green Irene’s Stafford. “The best energy [people] can generate is saving the 30 to 40 percent of energy they’re wasting in their own house right now.” Insulating your house, using compact fluorescent light bulbs and switching off appliances and electrical outlets that aren’t in use is a great place to start.