Carolina HVAC

Heating and cooling

• Establish a preventative maintenance program for your heating, venting and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and systems. Ensure that you regularly:
  • Change or clean all air filters, preferably every month.
  • Clean all heat exchanger surfaces, water and refrigerant coils, condensers and evaporators.
  • Repair leaks in piping, air ducts, coils, fittings and at the unit(s).
  • Replace defective equipment insulation, ducting and piping.
• When replacing air conditioning units of five tons or greater, purchase units with a high energy efficiency ratio (EER) of 10.5 or more to reduce operating costs for the life of the unit. Ensure that your contractor performs a "Manual N" calculation to select a properly sized system based on your building load characteristics and specific occupancy needs.
• When old motors fail, replace them with premium efficiency motors that operate at a lower annual cost. Ensure you specify the proper sized motor for the application. 
• Install variable speed drives (VSDs) on large motor loads, where appropriate, to further reduce energy usage.
• Use sunlight wisely. During the heating season, leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.
  

Temperature control

• In winter, set your thermostat between 65 and 68 during the day hours, and 60 to 65 degrees during unoccupied times.
• In summer, set thermostats between 78 and 80 degrees during the day hours, and above 80 degrees during unoccupied hours.
• Adjust thermostats higher when cooling and lower when heating your unoccupied home  e.g., during weekends away.
• During summer months, adjusting your thermostat setting up one degree typically can save 2-3% on cooling costs.
• Install programmable thermostats that automatically adjust temperature settings based on the time of day and day of the week. If you have multiple HVAC units, set thermostats to return to the occupied temperature a half an hour apart.

For More Energy Saving Tips

• www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips
• www.energy.gov/energysavingtips.htm
• hes.lbl.gov