Purdue university researchers demonstrate to us one great method to lower 50% of winter home heating bills
Researchers at Purdue University are working on a new research project that promises the potential to reduce heating bill in half for those who reside in very cold climates. The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, builds on previous work that began about 5 years ago at Purdue’s Ray W. Herrick Laboratories.
Heat pumps provide heating in winter and cooling in summer but aren’t efficient in extreme cold climates. The research involves changes to the way heat pumps operate to ensure they are more cost-effective in extreme cold temperatures.
The new technology works by modifying the standard vapor-compression cycle behind standard air-con and refrigeration.
The typical vapor-compression cycle has four stages:
1° Refrigerant is compressed as a vapor
2° Condenses into a liquid
3° Expands to a combination of liquid and vapor
4° Then evaporates
The project will investigate two cooling approaches throughout the compression process.
In one approach, relatively a lot of oil are injected into the compressor to absorb heat generated through the compression stage.
In the second approach, a mixture of liquid and vapor refrigerant from the expansion stage is injected at various points during compression to provide cooling.
The brand new heat pumps might be half as expensive to work as heating technologies now utilized in cold regions where gas is unavailable and residents rely on electric heaters and liquid propane.
In the meanwhile here some ideas to improve your home air quality and save energy:
- Be certain your thermostat is located in an area that is not too cold or hot.
- Install an automatic timer to maintain the thermostat at 68 degrees in the daytime and 55 degrees during the night.
- Use storm or thermal windows in colder areas. The layer of air between the windows acts as insulation helping to keep the heat inside the places you are interested.
- If you haven’t already, insulate your attic and all outside walls.
- Insulate floors over unheated spaces for example your basement, any crawl spaces as well as your garage.
- Close off the attic, garage, basement, spare bedrooms and storage areas. Heat only those rooms that you use.
- Seal gaps around any pipes, wires, vents or other openings that could transfer your heat to areas that are not heated.
- Dust is a wonderful insulator and tends to build up on radiators and baseboard heat vents.
Many people don’t know that common indoor air quality practices reduce home air heating costs too:
- Rain and high humidity can bring moisture indoors, creating dampness, mold spores — big problems for healthy indoor air. Check your roof, foundation and basement or crawlspace one per year to catch leaks or moisture problems and route water away from your home’s foundation.
- Keep asthma triggers away from your house by fixing leaks and drips when they start. Standing water and moist encourage the development of dust mites, mold and mildew – probably the most common triggers that can worsen asthma. Make use of a dehumidifier or ac unit if needed, and clean both regularly.
- High levels of moisture in your house increase dampness and the growth of mold, which not only damage your house but threaten health. Install and run exhaust fans in bathrooms to get rid of unhealthy moisture and odors out of your home.
- Ventilate your kitchen stove directly outside or open a kitchen window when you cook. Keeping exhaust – including cooking odors and particles – outside of your home prevents dangerous fumes and particles from harming you or your family.
About the author
Rosalind Dall writes for the ductless portable air conditioner blog, her personal hobby blog related to suggestions to help people consume less energy and purify indoor air.
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For people who live in the hot areas, it always appears as if the warmer weather creeps up on you. Many people are unprepared for the heat, but the best way to get rid of the heat and be able to enjoy the activities of every day life is by having a central air conditioner unit. Many people have a hard time when deciding to go with a whole house unit or a window unit. It seems like it’s going to be a hot summer, let me know if you need help picking out a central air conditioning unit!
I have never seen any residential units do that
That is odd, I suppose it’s mainly for enclosed malls or places such as museums that would need climate control maybe?
whoever works on air conditioners should fix it for you.
Thanks for sharing this helpful info!
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