Eco Air Conditioning

It's summer time and we expect to be cool. When the winter comes, we will expect to be warm. Isn't it amazing how humanity has a knack for going against nature and consuming vast amounts of energy in the process? The way we climatize our environs is a big part of being green and since it's summer now, let's talk about eco air conditioning. Before we get to that though, some facts: traditional air conditioning uses hydrofluorocarbons, which destroy the ozone-layer. They are being phased out but are still common. Air conditioning requires a huge amount of electricity, which in its turn is often produced with fossil fuels. An air conditioning unit can emit 1.34lbs of carbon dioxide for every kilowatt hour used. During summer months, air conditioning accounts for half of the amount charged for domestic electricity bills in the United States. So is eco air conditioning an oxymoron?

Sure enough, the best eco air conditioning is provided by nature, which can be tapped via smart architectural and design decisions. A properly insulated home or office goes a long way to control coolness and heat during their respective seasons. But that's not always possible and in parts of the world where extreme weather prevails, it is impossible to work/live without either heating or cooling systems.

In Spain, a country blessed with lots of sunshine but where summers can be absolutely scorching, scientists from the Univerdad Carlos III in Madrid, in conjunction with the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifificas, have developed a solar powered cooling technology that promises to deliver coolness without warming the planet. According to Science Daily, the research team has designed and built an absorption chiller capable of using solar and residual heat as an energy source to drive the cooling system. The equipment uses a lithium bromide solution (which is ozone layer friendly) and has a reduced need of water. Sounds like there's some serious eco air conditioning technology coming out of this research.

While such clean, eco air conditioning technology does not arrive at the marketplace, what you can do is use systems that are certified with an energy efficiency rate label. Energy Star-qualified products are a good bet as they have to meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Besides saving the environment you would also save money with lower bills. The organization has a leaflet with many useful tips about cooling and heating, which can be downloaded here. A portable unit may also be the answer for those seeking an eco air conditioning solution. Some of them use R410a refrigerant gas, which is also more ozone layer-friendly. This type of refrigerant also provides an energy-efficient operation, using less energy to deliver the same amount of cooling as other refrigerant types. Going easy on the air conditioning is always a good way to minimize its environmental impact, besides avoiding health problems by creating too high a contrast between interior and exterior temperatures. Frugality is always a great friend of the environment, and that's especially the case when it comes to eco air conditioning.