Issue No. 08
10 April 2014
Caring for energy-efficient air conditioner
N
owadays, people consider air conditioners as a necessity rather than a luxury because of the severe heat that the world is currrently experiencing, especially in the tropical countries like ours.
Air conditioners offer a number of benefits, particularly in places that suffer relentless heat or while on the road or out in the field in heavy machinery. Air conditioners have complex mechanical systems that rely on a wide variety of conditions to work correctly. They are assessed to meet a certain “load” on the house. They are designed to have certain amount of “charge” and air flow across the coils. When any of these things changes, the system will have problems. These might include more energy consumption that you are trying to avoid this summertime. Here are some tips to efficiently use, clean properly, and maintain your air conditioners: •
•
Keep air conditioners clean and in good running condition. Dust and dirt are the air conditioning system’s enemy. You must always keep all filters clean. Monitor approach, effectiveness, and cooling capacity. This will continuously optimize the cooling tower’s performance, but one should also consider the seasonal variation.
•
Optimize your chiller’s heat transfer capacity. It can be done by maintaining proper refrigerant charge.
•
Check cooling water pumps regularly. This will maximize its efficiency.
• Follow manufacturer’s recommended clearances around cooling towers. The air intake or exhaust should not interfere the surrounding structures.
•
Operate chiller in proper sequence. The chiller’s efficiency drops off significantly when it’s load falls below 40%. Make sure to determine optimum chiller sequence.
•
•
Maintain proper condenser water flow. Search for partially closed valves, clogged cooling tower nozzles, dirty strainers and filters, mud in the condenser tubes, and air in water piping.
Sources: http://www.meralco.com.ph/brightideas/index.html#top3 https://www.ashrae.org/resources--publications/freeresources/top-ten-things-about-air-conditioning
Reduce condenser tube fouling. The tube fouling brings inefficient heat exchange which makes the compressor work harder.
Published by the Trade and Industry Information Center (TIIC) for the DTI ENERCON Management Team in support of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program. If you have Enercon tips to share, other suggestions or requested topics, please e-mail us at publications@dti.gov.ph.