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Which is the more efficient way to keep cool: turning on your AC or leaving your freezer door open?

07.24.2006

Submitted by idealbite on Mon, 07/24/2006 - 5:00pm.
The Bite:
If you have an older house, they're probably about equal. Sloppy ductwork loses a lot of cool air, and older ACs are pretty inefficient. Install an Energy Star™ air conditioner and make use of programmable thermostats to save big on electricity.
The Benefits: 
  • 1/6th of all electricity generated in the US goes to AC. Caulk and seal ducts and use more efficient ACs - you'll use 20% less electricity.
  • Save some cold, hard cash. Replace a 10-year-old room AC with a new Energy Star model and save about $14/year. Use programmable thermostats and save about $100/year.
  • Ceiling fans (spinning clockwise in the summer, so heat is forced upwards) use 90% less electricity than AC.
  • Drapes, shutters and awnings can further keep out heat by up to 77%.
  • Lower cooling costs by 10-50% by planting hardwood trees on the east, west and south sides of the house.
Personally Speaking: 
During the August '03 blackout, Heather was sweating over the lack of AC (she was sweating even more over the fact that she couldn't use her computer or cell phone).
Wanna Try: 
Check for a high Energy Efficient Rating (EER - for room units) or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER - for central AC). The higher the EER or SEER, the more heat removed/watt of power used.
  • Lennox - air conditioners with up to a 20.50 SEER rating (prices vary by location).
  • Carrier - the first major manufacturer to switch to Freon-free Puron, a more Earth-friendly refrigerant (ditto - prices vary).
  • Heat & Cool Smartly - Energy Star's guide to being cool.
 

Cocktail Fact

By themselves, ACs in the US use more energy than is consumed by the entire nations of India and Indonesia combined.

Bang For The Bite

If half of all American homes were cooled with Energy Star ACs, every year it would prevent emissions equal to those of almost 6 million cars.

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SandraM  on April 28, 2009 at 11:20 PM 1
Wow, I had no idea that so much of our energy goes to air conditioning. And surely in California we use it even more than average. I am going to replace my old equipment. I found a good website with some services http://www.proservices.com/category/home-services-ac-and-heating/region/... Hope it will help!
wdf  on November 04, 2009 at 01:09 AM 2
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