Why Winter Is A Good Time For Air Conditioning System Upgrades

The majority of houses and business buildings’ top summer electricity expense is air conditioning. Building owners with expensive electricity should anticipate high power costs during the hottest months. But modern technology has significantly reduced the price of cooling. Since tenants are not utilizing the air conditioning system, the winter is a fantastic time to evaluate and upgrade it. Efficiency in air conditioning benefits utility companies as well as homes and businesses. Because so many air conditioners are running at full capacity in the summer, the power system is strained. To meet demand, utility firms must continuously modernize their systems; otherwise, blackouts during periods of high energy usage are likely.

Upgrade Your AC To Start Lowering Your Summer Energy Costs

Although there are many different types of air conditioning systems, direct expansion (DX) rooftop units or chiller plants are used in many commercial buildings. The primary distinction between the two is that chillers cool the air indirectly by giving cold water to fan coil units, whereas DX units directly cool the air. Assuming equal capacity, chiller facilities typically have lower operating costs than rooftop units because water transports heat more efficiently than air. However, summertime sees higher demand for both systems.

Winter Maintenance And Improvement Of AC Systems

Winter is a great season to work on air conditioning projects for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there is no need for space cooling in the building, and the system can be inspected and updated without putting residents through any pain. Additionally, since there are no urgent repairs, there is a decrease in demand for tools and components as well as more time for AC specialists.

On the other side, there will be more building owners who require last-minute inspections or repairs if you postpone your air conditioning project until spring or the beginning of the summer. Given that there would be more air conditioning maintenance tasks underway, the availability of equipment and parts may also be reduced.

Commercial buildings can save money in two different ways with efficient air conditioning. However, keep in mind that commercial buildings are also subject to demand charges. Building owners gain energy savings similar to those from upgrading their home’s air conditioning. Even at full capacity, an AC system with higher efficiency will consume fewer kilowatts, which can be deducted from the demand fee.

In addition to the billing period, several power companies also take into account the biggest demand peak throughout the previous 12 months. Because of this, even in months when space conditioning is not necessary, the summer’s peak demand has an impact on electricity expenditures for the entire year. Demand costs are decreased all year long, while an air conditioning upgrade only saves energy in the months that call for cooling.

Knowledge Of Air Conditioning System Efficiency

There are a number of components that make up a space cooling system, including air handlers and chilled water pumps. The usage is usually largest, though, in the air conditioner. A higher efficiency number results in cheaper power costs, but efficiency ratings vary based on the type of equipment.

IPLV is a measurement used by chillers. Instead of describing efficiency in one specific situation, this figure describes efficiency throughout a range of typical working settings for the chiller.

Kilowatts per ton (kW/ton) are frequently used to measure the effectiveness of a whole chiller plant.

The Integrated Energy Efficiency Ratio (IEER), which is comparable to the IPLV and reflects a variety of operating situations, is used by packaged rooftop units.

Using the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER), mini-split air conditioners cool. In cooling mode, air-source heat pumps also employ this metric.

Because geothermal heat pumps, unlike other cooling systems, lack a specific efficiency statistic, they instead employ the Coefficient of Performance (COP).

Whatever the efficiency indicator, a greater score indicates less electricity use. These measurements can be compared to a car’s fuel economy, except that in this case the input is electricity rather than fuel, and the output is cooling capacity rather than distance covered.

The only exception is chiller plant efficiency, which is measured in kW/ton; a lower value denotes a lower usage.

Upgrades to the same model of air conditioner that are more efficient are less complicated because they don’t require rewiring the entire installation. A transition to a different cooling method, though, can make sense in some circumstances. For instance, window-type and packaged terminal air conditioners (PTAC) are inefficient, and newer systems can save as much as 70% of energy.

Conclusion

Inspecting, maintaining, and modernizing air conditioning systems can be done with little inconvenience during the winter. Since employees don’t need space conditioning to be comfortable, businesses may carry on as usual. On the other hand, on a sweltering summer day, even a single day without air conditioning can be extremely disruptive.

Even if you are not planning a significant renovation, winter is an excellent time to make sure your air conditioning systems are in good operating order. Since an immediate fix is required to get things back to normal, an AC system breakdown in the summer is considerably more expensive and disruptive than a planned change.