Planning to buy an eco-friendly air conditioner for that new house and lot for sale? Before moving in, an eco-friendly aircon is the most efficient and cost-effective solution for homeowners. Choosing an environmentally friendly air conditioner will help homeowners know the advantages and best types of air conditioners to use for their homes, especially this summer.
Why choose eco-friendly air conditioning systems
Understanding the Problem of Air Conditioning to the Environment
We mostly don’t realize the types of products we utilize every day, which have a fair portion of negative effects on the environment. Unfortunately, in this case, air conditioners are no exception. In most instances, there are some environmental concerns related to how air conditioning units are made and what we do with them when they reach their end of life, but their day-to-day use causes the biggest challenge.
Unlike heaters, which may be powered by electricity or gas, air conditioners are all electrically powered. In general, it is the case that this is a good thing for the environment, but it is the method we use to produce electricity that sets off one alarm.
Australia’s Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISE) revealed that last year, almost 3/4 of Australia’s hourly electricity supply used fossil fuels. Combusting fossil fuels is the main source of CO2 emission, the world’s leading factor in global warming, and the environment becomes unbalanced, and the climate becomes unstable.
Additionally, air-conditioning has to do with a chemical that is both toxic and harmful to the environment called fluorocarbons, which can be found in air-conditioning refrigerants (also known as coolants). Almost all air conditioning systems (except evaporative coolers) have refrigerant, creating the perfect temperature in your house.
Nevertheless, if the refrigerant escapes the system through either leaks or gets damaged, these fluorocarbons will act similarly to the greenhouse gasses humans create. They will be even more challenging to remove from the atmosphere and dangerous than carbon dioxide.
Owing to years of research, the air conditioning industry has used less detrimental types of fluorocarbons (known as hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs) that were introduced to phase out the more harmful fluorocarbons (known as chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs and halogenated chlorofluorocarbons or HCFCs ). However, HFCs also are not considered environmentally friendly. Therefore, the industry keeps looking for substitutes suitable either as a replacement for a refrigerant or as a cooling method.
How can you Contribute to Environmentally Friendly Air Conditioning?
Using solar power helps you produce renewable electricity, reduces the air conditioner’s picture of pollution, and keeps various systems in your house on. Same as this, geothermal heat pumps, utilizing solar energy that is stored in the Earth, can reduce your overall ecological impact greatly by partially relying on refrigerants and conventional electricity.
The conversion of old window air conditioners or portables to reverse cycle split systems is environmentally friendlier due to higher energy efficiency ratings. Alternatively, going with the evaporative coolers serves as an innovation that can conserve energy by eliminating the refrigerants and utilizing the evaporation effects of water instead for cooling, purchasing markedly fewer power plants than the traditional refrigerated systems.
Which Brands Are the Best for Environmentally Friendly Air Conditioning?
Although there is no ideal solution, Australia’s top aircon brands are going green and striving to provide environmentally friendly air conditioning solutions. The following are our top choices for eco-friendly air conditioners in Melbourne.
Daikin
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Daikin justifies its leadership in the industry through the use of green approaches. The air conditioning sustainability development concept is not new to the brand, dating back to its inception. The company has grown through its commitment to launch eco-friendly technologies that use the most environmentally friendly refrigerant and possess a high Energy Star rating. Indeed, 98% of its residents’ air conditioners can be listed as being environmentally friendly.
Throughout its production and development stages, Daikin has reduced 70 million tons of CO2 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 79% since fiscal year 2005. In addition, Daikin puts out an annual report to make people aware of the company’s sustainable approaches.
Panasonic
This firm understands that caring and being kind is not just a business motto of the past but the future of environmental protection. By introducing a hybrid Inverter system and its Economy mode to its reverse cycle systems, the brand enables people to experience wind-energy-saving solutions in an eco-friendly way. Their high-energy star range is their energy-efficient air conditioning model that won’t dent your budget while simultaneously benefiting the environment. The organization debuted its R32 refrigerant, which does not damage the ozone layer and has an extremely low impact on world warming. It is the least impactful of all the refrigerants used. With a Panasonic system, you will find that saving energy is both healthy and pleasant.
Brivis
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With a focus on ISO 9001-approved coolers made for Australian climate and sustainability, the Brivis also offers high energy star ratings in its products. The AC giant has been known for a long time for employing a low-power evaporator system that makes power plants contribute to greenhouse gas emissions going down. Different from the traditional cooling systems that use refrigerants, the evaporative coolers implement a non-exhausting cooling system that uses water as a base and no recycling of the dehumidified air. This air conditioner can be installed in rooms where the natural breeze may not penetrate through the windows; you will only have natural cooling with a few low-impact procedures.
Top Features to Look for in an Environmentally Friendly Air Conditioner
The Energy Star rating is what we usually check regarding environmental qualifications. Here are some more features that you should consider when shopping for eco-friendly air conditioning:
Custom Size and System Requirements
Choose an air conditioner design that will be completely suitable to your space while looking for a green air conditioning system. Systems that are too large or too small in accordance with the square footage of the living space can be a source of excess energy consumption because of the ineffective cooling process. Take into account things like heat exposure in rooms and green construction features such as zoning systems, which can be used to optimize consumption by cooling only the occupied areas, and this will, in turn, save energy in the areas that have not been used.
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Your air conditioning installer is the best person to consult personally. Still, their recommendations should align with the traits of your compound and the lifestyle of its occupants so as to achieve the envisioned energy conservation and eco-friendliness. Simplicity and user-friendliness also add to the efficient usage of the air conditioning system, thereby maximizing its eco-friendly features. Scheduled maintenance and on-time repair also support its greener operation, as it means maintaining proper performance and avoiding unwanted issues such as leaking refrigerants damaging the environment. If you consider replacing it, buying newer and more efficient models will help reduce pollution and save you a lot of energy.
Eco-Friendly Compressors with Inverter Technology
To reduce the energy consumption of your eco-friendly air conditioner, you would want to use the minimum energy possible. There is no doubt that this compressor is the worst energy player in your system. Upgrading to eco-friendly technology will result in lower costs.
You want a compressor that pulls electricity at a variable speed (two-stage compressors) and inverting ones. In other words, the system will work more, use more watts during the shortest period, and stay stationary while using much less power the rest of the time.
Recent models of compressors that consume little energy will be used. This helps to cut down electricity usage and emissions without affecting performance, reliability, consistency, and comfort.
Smart Thermostats Are a Smart Choice
Choose an air conditioning unit with a thermostat that you can control with your preferred program. Unlike the traditional ones with only one switch, a system with a programmable thermostat can more efficiently maintain the temperature thanks to the efficient switching off when unnecessary.
This leads to lower power demand, stability, and less power consumption, with superior performance.
Ease of Use Is Essential
Knowing how to use your air conditioner correctly is very important to achieve the eco-friendly maximum potential of the unit. Just like trying to navigate the intricate controls of someone’s TV at their house, stumbling upon a system that is too confusing and poorly explained keeps you from wisely using energy for cooling your living space. To achieve the level of efficiency, make sure you give preference to the systems that are intuitive to use and whose controls and features you are familiar with. If any doubt arises, your installer can provide a complete guide that will help you grasp all the aspects of this installation, giving you confidence to use its eco-friendly utility.
Make Maintenance and Replacement a Priority
Eventually, you will have problems with each device you use because their working and performance levels depend on their quality and condition. To keep your air conditioning system both efficient and environmentally friendly, we highly recommend servicing and maintaining it regularly.
You should give immediate attention to a problem or an inoperability you came across and repair what you can. In that case, the leakage of refrigerant, which is the most terrible aspect of most environmental systems, should be the last thing you are worried about!
Additionally, if your system has reached the end of its serviceable life, you will most likely enjoy high energy efficiency and home comfort by replacing the air conditioning unit.
Takeaway
Purchasing environmentally friendly air conditioners is essential to limit the negative environmental impact and gain maximum energy performance, especially during the hot summer. Homeowners can significantly impact the environment by choosing eco-friendly and brand heat pumps that are devoted to creating green products. These choices will give them better living conditions and cost savings, too. Integrating eco-friendly methods gives individuals the privilege to make a great contribution to the community by reducing their carbon footprint and building a conducive environment.
