Air Conditioning Replacement and Inefficient HVAC Components

Investing in air conditioning replacement can be a great way to save money on energy bills. The energy consumed by heating and air conditioning a home or building accounts for nearly half of all energy use in the building. Because of this fact, having an air conditioning service specialist replace your old and less efficient air conditioning model for an energy efficient air conditioning replacement can save a considerable amount of money on energy use. Commercial HVAC installation upgrades to more energy efficient models can account for energy savings of thousands of dollars a month in a large building. Boilers and chillers in particular are two of the most energy consuming parts of any commercial HVAC. Engineering managers and HVAC maintenance professionals are beginning to put more effort into maintaining efficiently running boilers and chillers.

Chillers are somewhat difficult to operate efficiently. They are challenging because manufacturers rate the component efficiency when the chiller is at full load. The problem with this is that the majority of chillers do not operate at full load. Running the chiller at partial load means you're simply not taking advantage of the standard unit efficiency. The actual unit efficiency varies, and depends upon many different factors, making it difficult to know in advance how energy efficient a chiller will actually be. Chillers should be monitored at all times in order to ensure energy efficiency. Monitoring the performance of a chiller can provide insight into whether the chiller needs maintenance or is performing correctly. By evaluating the performance of a chiller at all times, the chiller will be more likely to run at peak efficiency more often, saving a considerable amount of energy consumption.

Boilers are not able to have their efficiency monitored in the same way that chillers do. Chiller efficiency is measured by calculating the difference between the amount of energy consumed by the appliance and the amount of energy exerted by it overall. However, energy efficiency is calculated by the combustion efficiency of a boiler. The combustion efficiency of a boiler measures how well fuel burns and also how well heat in the boiler is transferred into steam or water. Boiler efficiency measurements cannot account for heat lost from the surface of the boiler, energy being used by auxiliary equipment, or blow down loss. The efficiency of boilers is usually constant, so their efficiency does not require monitoring at all times like chillers. Their efficiency should be measured at regular intervals, however.

HVAC pumps are often neglected when air conditioning service specialists are looking for ways to improve efficiency. Inefficient pumps can often be overlooked for the entire time an HVAC system is in place. Yet having inefficient HVAC pumps can lead to major energy losses. During the process of commercial HVAC installation, HVAC specialists should always choose a pump based on the HVAC system requirements.

An air conditioning replacement or HVAC replacement is not always necessary in order to maintain good energy efficiency. Depending on the efficiency of the current boiler and chiller being used, and if their efficiency can be improved, it can be determined whether or not an upgrade is necessary.