FYI energy crisis:


  #1  
Old 03-16-01, 12:56 AM
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This energy crisis is a grim situation for us in the West.

I have a statistic for every home and business owner with a DIY attitude. According to the Department Of Energy studies, the average house leaks 22% of its air through its ducts. That 22% leakage leads to further energy loss by pressurizing or depressurizing the house. Outdoor air is pulled in due to pressure imbalance. Try this: Turn on your furnace or air handler fan at the thermostat. Now with all of the doors and windows closed tightly, crack a door or window (even temperatures,no wind outside for this test) and feel if air is coming in or going out. If in this gap you feel air exchanging, you may have a costly problem. Switch the fan off and repeat the test. Air flow stopped? If you feel a dramatic difference, you can save yourself serious bread by finding your leaks and sealing then with tape or better yet, duct sealing mastic. (Available at hardware stores.) Duct mastic is just thick, mud like, water based glue you slop onto joints with a brush. If you find large broken gaps or disconnections, you may need professional help to remedy this, or ask your hardware store retailer to help you with your particular problem. DOE studies have shown, if we all did this we would have energy to spare.
 
  #2  
Old 03-24-01, 11:49 AM
lynn comstock
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This is a great resource: http://www.aceee.org/pubs/a992.htm

The study reviews the real world efficiency and waste of residential AC and heat pumps.

With the Government about to mandate a higher minimum equipment efficiency of 12 or 13 SEER, The ACEEE report says that "The energy savings potential estimated in this paper for installations in new homes (the high end of the equipment installation scenario savings range), for example, is comparable to the savings that would be realized from upgrading a SEER 10 piece of equipment to SEER 15.4."

This statement comes from analyzing the energy wasted in real homes all over the country. Duct leakage is a major contributor. Low air volume, refrigerant charging errors, and equipment oversizing are the other major problems.

Air conditioning contractors are the creators of this waste. The rules of thumb and "experience" factor leads contractors to oversize units in order to "solve" the problems that may arise when a correctly sized unit is installed.
 
 

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