Energy Efficiency in Heating and Cooling Systems

 “An energy smart heating system can save you energy and money, and can help our environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions”*
'Choosing a Heating System' - Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria

The energy we use as part of our daily lives is responsible for nearly half of our carbon emissions; more carbon dioxide is actually produced from the energy we use at home than our cars. It is accepted that we all need heating and cooling systems to maintain a comfortable living environment but we need to ensure that we install the most energy efficient heating and cooling systems that we can thereby limiting the amount of damaging carbon emissions we emit into the atmosphere.

The Koyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol, founded in 1997, is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change, its aim is to achieve an international commitment to reduce global greenhouse gases and combat global warming. The Kyoto Protocol acknowledged that the developed nations had a duty to reduce their carbon emissions being the largest contributors to the situation we are in; as of November 2009 187 states have signed and ratified the protocol; Australia being one of them. By ratifying the Protocol a member state is committing itself to reducing the levels of greenhouses gases produced.

The Koyoto Protocol requires industrialised countries, such as the UK; USA; Australia and New Zealand, to reduce their greenhouse emissions through industry and domestic action as they have been identified as being mainly responsible for the current state of the environment and thus a heavier burden of reducing greenhouse gas levels is placed in them; amounting to 5% against 1990 levels over the 5 year period 2008-2012.

When Australia agreed to the Kyoto Protocol Senator Wong stated “From today, Australia is officially part of the global solution on climate change” adding “After so many years of neglect under the previous government, we are sending a clear signal to the world that Australia is taking responsibility on climate change.”

A global effort to reduce carbon emissions
Substantial measures have already been taken in Western Europe to reduce carbon emissions having identified that over a third of all greenhouse gases produced in the home can be attributed to domestic heating. In April 2007 it became law in the UK that any replacement or new central heating boiler installed had to be a High Efficiency condensing boiler with a minimum operating efficiency of 86%; the energy trust UK estimates that an annual saving of 875kg of CO₂ emissions can b saved through the installation of a high efficiency condensing boiler.

Efficient Heating:
• Controls: There are several low cost options available to increase the efficiency of a hydronic heating system such as the installation of thermostatic radiator valves and a 7-day programmer; these controls enable complete and individual temperature control of each room or area, leading to energy and cost savings by preventing unnecessary heat being produced where it is not required.

• Condensing Boilers: The biggest savings to be made however, in terms of carbon emissions, is through the installation of a High Efficiency Condensing boiler. Condensing boilers by their very nature offer high performance with lower gas consumption and greater energy efficiency over standard boilers. Link to Hydronic Heating BoilersAt H₂O Heating we are the experts at providing Energy Efficient Hydronic heating systems that will not cost the earth but will help save it.

Efficient Cooling
• Inverter Technology: A new innovation in air conditionertechnology is the use of an inverter, or variable speed motor. A standard, non-inverter, compressor will operate at a fixed speed meaning it will operate at 100% capacity at all times; in order to maintain a fixed temperature they operate on a “stop-start” principle, thus using more energy as the unit has to be constantly restarted.

In contrast an air conditioner that incorporates an inverter compressor utilises advanced technology and will vary its operational speed depending on the cooling or heating demands made upon it. An inverter air conditioner will reach the desired temperature faster and then steadily maintain it resulting in “uninterrupted comfort and significant savings on running costs.” (source Daikin)

By choosing an inverter air conditioner you are choosing a more powerful yet more energy efficient product over a conventional non-inverter model.

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