Foilage Based Air Conditioning Boost

Image Credit: Businesswire

It's an interesting idea, using plants along the sun-facing wall to reduce summer heat. Kyocera began this project in 2007 for its Japan offices and now has their 'Green Curtain' on 12 of it's factories and offices.

Inexpensive and simple to do, a trellis is set outside the window areas and a foilage plant such as morning glory is planted to grow and closely intertwine over the window area. The employees get a filtered light and load on the air conditioning system is reduced, providing a direct cost savings during the hot summer months.

Effectiveness testing has shown that the temperature of a sheltered outer wall can be up to 15°C (27°F) lower than the temperature of an unsheltered wall with no green curtain growing. This reduces the workload of the air-conditioning system in the factories and offices. The additional positive effect beyond saving energy is a reduction in CO2 due to photosynthesis.

Some employees have taken a liking to the goya plant as a green curtain, because it not only provides a cooling effect but also produces an edible vegetable, which can be harvested by the employees and prepared in the kitchen.

Sources: Fox Business, QualitySmith Cooling, Central Air Conditioning

Answers to questions on Radiant Floor Heating

Sometimes we get calls or questions about radiant floor heating systems, and I thought I'd cover a few of the most common inquiries here.

First of all, radiant floor heating comes in two varieties - either an electric heating cable is set into the mortar under a tile floor, or there is a piping system through which hot water travels, heating the floor and objects above.

In regards to cost, a radiant floor heating system is going to be more expensive at the outset. For one thing, you have a higher labor cost, because it has to be installed as part of the flooring system, and followed by a tile or other flooring installation. But as an offset to that cost, a radiant floor system tend to run 20 to 40 percent more efficiently than a standard forced air furnace, and it does add to the resale value of your home. For most people when you consider the added comfort provided, those benefits outweigh the initial expense.

Yes, you can still use air conditioning with radiant floor heat, and the two work quite well together. Radiant floor heating can be used to heat the whole house, or just a few selected floors, often the master bath and bedroom.

Installation is typically a two-person job. Be sure to use a contractor who is not only familiar with installation procedures, but has actually performed several successful installations. Because Radiant Floors are less common, it's worth checking to make sure your contractor has experience with these. All QualitySmith Contractors have the experience and customer recommendations needed to pass QualitySmith standards.

Tags: Radiant Floor Heat, central heating and air, forced air furnace prices

The hotter it gets the better it works

It almost sounds like a contradiction, but solar-powered air conditioning makes use of an absorption chiller to convert heat into a thermal reaction that cools water pipes that in turn are used to cool airflow.
The system still uses energy for pumping the water, running the fans, and keeping rooftop mirrors aimed at the sun, but it's a step in the right direction.
Another similar rooftop mirror-based system is being developed at Southern California Gas Co. and it's parent company, Sempra. Both systems are experimental, and both make use of an absorption chiller to convert hot water to cold water.
Sempra Energy has a strong record of pioneering solar energy projects.

Tags: solar, central heating and air, heat pumps

Tax incentives for heating and Air Conditioning

Home improvement season has already begun, and this year we have a juicy incentive to improve energy efficiency for both summer and winter needs. As part of the Economic Stimulus package, homeowners get some hefty advantages - for consumers, the bill includes:

- An non-capped 30 percent tax credit for the purchase of solar water heaters and geothermal heat pumps (which means that homeowners who purchase such equipment can claim a credit for a full 30 percent of the purchase price, regardless of the total cost).

- A $1,500 aggregate tax credit, which begins from the date of enactment (Feb. 17, 2009), that consumers can claim for qualified energy efficient home improvements.

For the more technically savvy - the efficiency levels for split air conditioners and heat pumps have been modified to reflect the highest tier of the 2009 Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) specification. Therefore, only 95 percent AFUE gas furnaces; 90 percent AFUE oil furnaces; 16 SEER/13 EER and above central air conditioners; 15 SEER/12.5 EER/8.5 HSPF split heat pumps; 0.82 energy factor/90 percent thermal efficiency gas, propane, or oil water heaters; and 90 percent AFUE gas, propane, or oil-fired boilers would qualify. This provision replaces the current tax incentives for these products.

If you'd like help in sorting that all out, I suggest using QualitySmith's Free Air Conditioning Estimates service, which gives you up to 3 prescreened local contractors who will offer you advice and prices. Let them know you're looking for the best tax incentives available. QualitySmith contractors are chosen from the most reliable and well established contractors in your area, due to the strict requirements for joining the QualitySmith network.

Put their knowledge to work for you!

Tags: central air conditioning estimates, central air installation cost, central air conditioning cost