Tag Archives: residential

Should I Run My Air Conditioning All Summer Long?

Lots of homeowners worry about running their air conditioner too long. They want to save energy, or they don’t want to cool rooms that don’t need it. So they only turn on the A/C when it’s really warm out.

That seems like common sense, but there are actually different schools of thought on this issue. In fact, some people worry about running the A/C too little. Why’s that?

For one, when your house is very warm, it takes a lot of energy for your air conditioner to cool it down. The surfaces of your home all store heat—from your roof, to your walls, to your windows. And the greater the temperature differential between indoors and outdoors, the longer the air conditioner has to run to reach the target temperature. So it’s reasonable to think that if you leave the A/C running at a consistent temperature, your system won’t have to work as hard to keep you cool.

That may be true in the short term, but it can create unexpected consequences in the long term.

One big issue is “short cycling.” If your home is always close to your target temperature, your A/C only needs to run for a few minutes to cool it to the proper level. That shorter cycle may be long enough to reach your target temperature, but it’s often not long enough to dehumidify the air. Too much humidity can make your home feel warmer than it actually is, so you may end up running to the thermostat to turn it down even lower.

Also, short cycling isn’t the most efficient way to run your air conditioner. Think of the impact on your gas milage when you drive your car in stop-and-go traffic versus cruising along on the highway. For maximum efficiency, you want your A/C to cruise, not crawl. It can also be noisy. Many homeowners find it irritating it is to hear their system constantly turning on and off.

So, should you run your A/C at the same temperature, all summer long?

We recommend the “cruise control” option. Run your A/C when you need it, and let your programmable thermostat handle it when you don’t. Ultimately, you will save energy—and money—by running your system fewer hours per year.

Image credit: Jeremy Levine/Flickr. CC license.

Our Homes Have More Devices Than Ever—But They Use Less Energy

How many electronic devices do you have in your home? If you’re like most Americans, you’ve got a growing collection of smartphones, flat screen TVs, laptops, e-readers and other electronic goodies crowding your outlets for charging space. And with the rise of the “Internet of Things,” the number of devices in your home is only going to grow.

The good news is, a growing number of devices doesn’t necessarily translate into an increase in home energy use. In fact, the opposite is possible. And now we have the numbers to prove it.

According to a recent study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, the number of consumer electronics devices in use in the U.S. rose from 2.9 billion in 2010 to 3.8 billion in 2013. However, consumer electronics’ share of overall residential electricity consumption fell nine percent over the same period, from 13.2 percent in 2010 to just 12 percent in 2013.

In other words, American homes are more fun, convenient, and comfortable thanks to electronic devices, but all those consumer electronics aren’t turning our homes into energy hogs.

Or, as Ann Bailey, director of the ENERGY STAR Products Program, put it, “This is further evidence that American consumers don’t have to sacrifice to save energy and help protect the climate.”

As a consumer electronics company that cares about comfort, energy, and the climate, that’s music to our ears.

Image credit: Islxndis/Flickr. CC license.

The Fastest Way To Save Energy This Summer

Image credit: Rising Damp/Flickr. CC license.

In a hurry to save energy this summer? It only takes a second. (And maybe some willpower.)

The U.S. Department of Energy has a long list of helpful tips to stay cool while keeping your energy bill under control this summer. They recommend everything from changing lightbulbs to growing shade trees around your home, but the single quickest fix is simply adjusting the set points on your home air conditioning system:

Running your air conditioning at 78°F instead of 72°F can save between 6 and 18 percent on your cooling bill. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be…

There’s no doubt that raising your A/C set point will reduce your summertime energy bills. But as great as that sounds, it’s tough to maintain. To truly capture those savings, you can’t let your settings drift. It takes a lot of willpower to resist the urge to crank up the A/C on a hot day. Plus, every time you do, it uses a lot of energy to get your home down to that cooler temperature, and it puts more wear-and-tear on your system.

There’s also the question of comfort. Most homeowners agree that a room temperature between 68 - 72°F is the most comfortable setting. For many people, 78°F just won’t cut it. It’s possible that a few rooms could creep up to 78°F without bothering anyone, but most homes don’t have that level of room-by-room control.

That’s where ecovent comes in. When you install ecovent throughout your home, you can set the exact temperature you want for each room individually. And you can let the system take care of any drift. That means you’ll see savings quickly, with no willpower necessary. Even better, ecovent can reduce the need to adjust your thermostat on hot days, creating those wild swings in temperature that use so much energy. We’re designing a system that can predictively condition the rooms you use most, so you’ll use the thermostat less but still be more comfortable.

All in all, we think it’s much a better way to save energy fast this summer—and throughout the year. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to own our system.

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