Treating an AC unit more like a car could drive down cooling costs. Experts say that repeated on and off cycling of heating or cooling systems has a similar effect on their energy use as stop- and-go driving has on a car's fuel consumption: The more the unit is turned on and off, the more energy a home uses-and the higher a homeowner's electric bill. How high? The Department of Energy says heating and cooling a home drains more energy and energy dollars than any other system in a house-typically accounting for 44 percent of a home's electric bill. Fortunately, new types of technology are helping to curb those statistics.
For instance, homeowners can use a device called an IntelliCon® economizer to help cut cooling costs by an average 10 to 30 percent. The technology reduces energy usage by automatically compensating for load and outdoor temperature changes. In short, it stops a unit from being constantly turned on and off when it's not necessary to do so. The device-made by Intellidyne-also reduces wear and tear on a home's heating or cooling systems. That means less money is spent on repair or replacement.
The technology can be installed on an existing heating or cooling system, and has no affect on the air temperature in a home-people using the device can keep their homes as warm or cool as they'd like.
An added bonus: It's good for the environment. DOE says heating and cooling systems in the U.S. emit over a half billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. The technology helps reduce those emissions.
"Every year, billions of dollars worth of gas, oil and electricity are wasted in both residential and commercial buildings due to inefficient operation of heating, central air-conditioning and refrigeration systems," says Dan Tarulli of Intellidyne, the manufacturer of the IntelliCon line of energy economizers for residential and commercial cooling and heating systems. His company's technology may help put that trend on ice.
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