15 Jul Worried about Cooling Costs in the Summer? Go for an Energy Audit!
Air conditioning can be solely responsible for exponentially increasing the electric bill because the generation demands cannot go unmet. To make matters worse, inflation has hit energy products rather hard. Energy Audit is a great option to cut down on your Energy Costs.
What are the 2022 challenges and how are they different?
1. Energy prices escalated by 34.6% in 12 months (May 2021-2022) which resulted in the increase in electric prices by 12%.
2. Volatile natural gas prices are affected by Kilowatt-hour prices because gas essentially mandates up to 40% of electricity generation.
3. The US Energy Information Administration is forecasting an even more significant increase in wholesale prices.
With such pretexts and background, becoming energy efficient becomes challenging. The mitigation of the impact of the peaking prices can be achieved by getting an energy audit and a retro-commissioning done.
An energy audit is an identification, survey, and analysis of the energy usage of a building that is carried out to optimize its efficiency. In other words, it helps maintain the same level of output while minimizing consumption. It also guarantees a reduction in terms of cost to the building owner and carbon footprint to the planet, respectively.
Energy audits are performed to maximize cost-effectiveness prioritizing health, safety & comfort. Experts (energy service companies- ESCOs, energy consultants, and engineering firms) complete a comprehensive diagnosis using cutting-edge technology to thoroughly evaluate & rectify the situation at hand. These are mandated to be performed by highly trained contractors as they own the necessary knowledge and skillset to precisely estimate potential savings.
The Strategies That Can be Deployed Towards Managing Cooling Costs Are:
1. Improving the air tightness, insulation, and upgrading the HVAC.
HVAC makes for the lowest hanging fruit. It is responsible for around 40% of the carbon emissions. Thus, if efficiency is somehow incorporated into the heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems then a substantial reduction in carbon footprint is guaranteed. The following are advised:-
– schedule pre-determined HVAC operations
– take care of outdoor ventilation, it’s usually ignored but is just as important
– do install sensors to save on power, plus smart tech is truly the future
– install a low-energy humidifier
Moreover, the US Department of Energy a regression on the thermostats to be at 7-10 degrees. This simple intervention will result in an increased savings of 10% at least. To expedite further, thermal envelopes and air leaks should be checked.
2. Incorporating smart-tech and green-tech optimized tools and strategizing further
They help reduce the overall consumption depending on the latest gas and energy prices. A smart thermostat can adjust your house’s energy consumption depending on the latest gas or electricity prices, or even allow you to phone in instructions such as turning on the furnace before you get home. Prices range from $150 to $400 or more, plus installation from a trained electrician or HVAC contractor.
3. You might also want to consider installing solar panels
This can be achieved quickly and comes with an array of financial incentives like rebates – general & tax among other subsidies. The net savings will begin from the first month of operation in itself and the life expectancy is anywhere between 25-30 years. Renewables as a whole industry has been experiencing great popularity. Countries like Iceland and Costa Rica tend to get almost all of their electricity from alternative sources such as renewables. Meanwhile, other countries still function at a 5-10% usage of regenerative renewables.
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