Introduction
Maintaining a comfortable and productive work environment is essential for any business. However, the rising costs of energy and the increasing awareness of environmental impact present a significant challenge. Businesses are under pressure to find cooling solutions that not only deliver optimal comfort but also minimise operational expenses and reduce their carbon footprint.
The need for improving air conditioning (AC) efficiency has never been greater, with the benefits extending beyond simply keeping your premises cool:
- Cost savings: efficient AC systems translate directly into lower energy bills and reduced operational expenditure.
- Environmental responsibility: by minimising energy consumption, you’ll reduce your business’s carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future.
- Enhanced comfort and productivity: a well-regulated temperature improves the well-being and focus of your staff or building occupants, leading to increased productivity.
At Aggreko, we understand the balance between effective temperature control and energy efficiency. With our expertise in providing reliable and optimal-sized temperature control solutions, we’re committed to helping businesses achieve optimal cooling while minimising their environmental impact.
This guide to improving air conditioning efficiency explores practical strategies and actionable tips to help you maximise the performance of your AC system.
Understanding your AC system
To understand how to increase the efficiency of air conditioning systems, it’s helpful to know the fundamental principles behind their operation.
At its core, an air conditioning system doesn’t introduce ‘cold’ air; rather, it works by removing heat and humidity from an indoor space and expelling it outdoors. This is achieved through a continuous cycle involving a refrigerant, coils and a fan.
The refrigerant absorbs heat from your indoor air as it passes over the evaporator coil, then carries that heat to the condenser coil outside, where it’s released into the environment. The efficiency of this heat transfer process is important to how effectively and economically your system operates.
Several factors directly influence your air conditioning system’s efficiency:
- System age: older units typically use outdated technology and refrigerants, making them less efficient than modern, high-efficiency models.
- Maintenance: a neglected system with dirty filters, clogged coils or low refrigerant levels must work much harder to achieve the desired temperature, consuming more energy in the process.
- External heat load: the amount of heat entering your building from outside, through windows, walls, doors opening, and unsealed gaps,, directly impacts how hard your AC needs to run.
- User habits: how you set your thermostat, when you operate the system, and your overall usage patterns play a role in energy consumption.
How to use your air conditioning efficiently
Beyond the technical aspects of your system , your daily operational choices impact energy consumption and overall efficiency.
The optimal temperature setting
A frequent question we’re asked is about the most efficient temperature. While comfort is subjective, for optimal energy efficiency in commercial settings, the generally recommended range is between 20-25°C (68-77°F) during occupied hours.
Setting your thermostat lower than this does not cool the space faster. It simply makes the unit run longer and consume more energy to reach a colder, often unnecessary, temperature. Each degree lower than the optimal setting can increase your energy consumption, directly impacting your bottom line.
The ‘Keep it On’ myth
There’s a common misconception that it’s more efficient to keep air conditioning on all the time, even when a space is unoccupied, to avoid the energy surge of reheating. While a sudden temperature change might require a short burst of energy, for most commercial buildings, particularly those that are unoccupied for significant periods (i.e. overnight or weekends), it is more energy-efficient to turn the AC off or raise the set point.
Modern systems are designed to cool down spaces effectively when needed. Focus on smart scheduling by programming your thermostat to adjust temperatures automatically based on occupancy schedules, ensuring comfort when needed and energy saving when not.
Strategic use for peak performance
How to efficiently use air conditioning involves several simple yet impactful habits:
- Embrace programmable and smart thermostats
These tools are crucial for efficient operation. They allow you to preset temperature adjustments based on daily schedules, ensuring cooling is active only when required, and automatically adjusting for unoccupied periods.
- Implement zoning (where possible)
If your building has multiple zones or areas with varying occupancy, cooling only the spaces that are currently in use is the most efficient way to run air conditioning. This prevents wasteful cooling of empty conference rooms or storage areas. - Minimise internal heat sources
Help your AC by reducing other heat loads. Turn off unnecessary lights, especially incandescent bulbs, and unplug electronics when not in use. Use blinds, curtains or window coverings during peak sunlight hours to block solar gain and prevent heat from entering the building. - Ensure clear airflow
Regularly check that supply and return air vents are unobstructed by furniture, equipment or debris. Blocked vents restrict air flow, making your system work harder and less efficiently.
The importance of regular maintenance
Even with the best operational strategies, the physical condition of your air conditioning system is crucial to its efficiency. Proactive maintenance is fundamental to making air conditioning more efficient.
Think of your AC unit like a high-performance vehicle needing regular care to run at its best:
- Filters: dirty air filters restrict airflow, forcing the system to work harder to pull air through and consuming more energy. Clean filters ensure optimal airflow and improve indoor air quality.
- Coils: over time, dirt and debris accumulate on the evaporator and condenser coils. This grime acts as an insulator, hindering the system’s ability to transfer heat efficiently. Clean coils ensure maximum heat exchange, allowing the system to cool efficiently.
- Drains: clogged condensate drains can lead to excess moisture, potential water damage and increased humidity, making the AC work harder to dehumidify the air.
Ignoring these basic maintenance tasks leads to higher energy bills, reduced cooling capacity, increased wear and tear on components and, ultimately, a shortened system lifespan.
While routine tasks like filter changes can be done in-house, professional servicing ensures a thorough inspection, cleaning of coils and drains, refrigerant level checks and identification of potential issues before they escalate. This preventative approach is an investment that pays dividends in efficiency, reliability and longevity.
Consider system upgrades or temporary solutions
Sometimes, even the most meticulous maintenance can’t compensate for an ageing, inefficient system.
If your conditioning is old, frequently breaks down or consistently leads to high energy bills despite good maintenance practices, it might be time to explore a modern, high-efficiency upgrade. Newer systems often incorporate advanced technologies that significantly reduce energy consumption and improve performance.
However, a full system replacement isn’t always feasible or immediate. This is where Aggreko can support with temporary cooling. We can provide modern, efficient temporary cooling solutions that can bridge the gap during peak demands, offer emergency cooling during unexpected breakdowns or support your operations as part of a phased upgrade strategy.
Our rental fleets ensure you maintain comfortable and productive environments without committing to long-term capital expenditure on outdated or underperforming equipment.
Managing environmental factors for improved air conditioning
While maintaining your air conditioning unit is vital, the efficiency of your cooling system is also influenced by its environment, specifically, the building itself. Addressing external factors can reduce your AC’s workload and energy consumption.
Building envelope
The building envelope refers to the physical barrier between the conditioned interior and the unconditioned exterior. A well-optimised building envelope can reduce the amount of heat infiltrating your space, thereby reducing the strain on your AC system.
Adequate insulation in walls, roofs and loors acts as a thermal barrier, slowing down the transfer of heat into your building during warmer months. This keeps the heat out, allowing your AC to maintain the desired temperature with less effort.
Small cracks and gaps around windows, doors and utility penetrations can allow significant amounts of hot air to leak into your conditioned space. Sealing these drafts with weatherstripping, caulk or foam can prevent unwanted heat gain and improve overall thermal efficiency.
Double or triple-pane windows with low-emissivity (Low-E) coatings can reduce solar heat gain and improve the insulation value of your building. Investing in these improvements helps your AC system work smarter, not harder.
Solar gain
Solar gain, the heat that enters a building through windows and other transparent surfaces due to direct sunlight, is a major contributor to indoor heat. Minimising this can significantly lighten your AC’s load.
Simple solutions like closing blinds, drawing curtains or lowering shades on sun-facing windows, during the hottest parts of the day, can block a substantial amount of solar radiation from entering the building. Light-coloured or reflective materials on the exterior side are particularly effective.
Applying specialised reflective window films can deflect a significant portion of solar heat before it even enters the building, without drastically reducing natural light. This is an excellent solution for reducing heat gain, especially in spaces with large window areas.
By addressing these external and environmental factors, you create a more resilient and energy-efficient building, enabling your air conditioning system to operate at peak performance with a reduced energy footprint.
The benefits of a highly efficient air conditioning system extend far beyond just feeling cooler. They save you money on your energy bills, provide a tangible reduction in your environmental impact, and create consistently comfortable and productive environments for your staff and clients.
At Aggreko, we’re your partners in achieving optimal temperature control and energy efficiency. Our large rental fleet means we offer cutting-edge, reliable and highly efficient cooling solutions, whether you need temporary support or a flexible bridging gap addition to your existing infrastructure.
Contact Aggreko today for professional advice, to discuss our temporary cooling solutions, or to assess your current temperature control needs.