Its hard to believe that our parent's form of air cooling often consisted of an outdoor porch, and ceiling fans. Times have changed and, today air conditioning is generally viewed as one of life's essentials. Indeed, it is not uncommon for people to seek refuge in malls and movie theaters when the going gets hot.

But, air conditioning can be quite costly. So costly, that it is not affordable for some. Every year, we hear of people who die from heat related illness. Presumably in many cases, these people could not afford to remain cool.

There are some general measures that everyone can take to reduce air cooling costs. Since many of these suggestions reduce air conditioning reliance, they are also environmentally friendly. This is so because reduced dependency on air conditioning limits the need for electric production and electric production is a leading cause of air pollution in the United States.

Homeowners can operate their air conditioning systems in a manner that will save money and the environment. First and foremost, they should purchase an automatic, programmable thermostat. Various kinds of units are available, generally costing from $30 to $100.00. By changing temperature settings during the day and night, substantial energy savings can be realized. Also, maintaining a higher temperature, just enough to make a home comfortable and take out the humidity, can also significantly lower operation costs.

Other household changes can also help. For example, painting a home a lighter color can reduce the amount of heat absorbed into the house. And by applying a reflective coating to the roof, one can reduce a great deal of heat absorption as well. This heat absorption increases the need for air conditioning usage.

Installation of more efficient windows and insulation will also help. As also will shading through awnings, louvers, shutters, and natural landscaping. Energy savings may also be realized by using heat producing appliances such as overs, dishwashers and dryers, during morning hours and at night.

Are you using the best available technology? The technology employed for cooling will effect cost and efficiency. The need to reduce dependency on ozone depleting CFCs has encouraged development and refinement of competing technologies.

According to the EPA, desiccant cooling and dehumidification systems offer much promise. It is estimated that businesses might save $750 million and eliminate the reliance on 500,000 barrels of imported oil by capitalizing on advances in this form of cooling technology. Currently, the Park Hyatt Hotel in Washington relies on desiccant cooling, as do many supermarkets and other commercial applications. The government is promoting desiccant cooling and you should keep an eye on this developing technology.

Other alternative cooling methods that are now found in residential and commercial applications include triple function heat pumps, propane fueled cooling systems, hydrocarbon and ammonia based technologies, and evaporative water cooling based technologies. All of these systems may represent promise and environmentally safe cooling alternatives. Professional assistance should be sought in determining whether one of these technologies might be appropriate in a given application.

System sizing is also important. Air conditioning units have tags located on them which indicate their cooling capacity. One ton of air conditioning equals 12,000 BTUs per hour of cooling capacity. What many people do when they replace an old air conditioning system is simply replace it with a system with the same capacity as the old system.

This can be a costly mistake. In the "old" days, 20 years ago and more, many contractors installed very oversized units to make up for the fact that older houses tended to be energy inefficient. Since many buildings now have weatherstripping, insulation, newer windows, etc., a lower capacity unit may quite capably fill the shoes of a stronger one installed many years ago.

The EPA, Department of Energy, and leading American manufacturers have created a new designation for products that are environmentally protective, known as "Energy Star." Energy Star labeled products require less energy to operate, saving consumers money and protecting the environment. While energy star products may be more expensive to purchase, the EPA maintains they are, in the long run, the least expensive to operate because of their enhanced efficiency.

Published: February 25, 1999

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