Energy Efficient HVAC Factsheet

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Introduction
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is essential in most settings to ensure a
pleasant, comfortable and safe work environment. In commercial buildings in Australia,
70 percent of energy usage and 63 percent of greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to
be contributable to heating, cooling and ventilation
2
. HVAC typically accounts for 40-50
percent of the total energy bill for businesses and commercial buildings
1,2,3
.
Significant energy saving design and equipment opportunities are available when
constructing new buildings, but several possibilities to improve heating and cooling
performance can also be achieved in existing systems.
Energy Saving Tips
Quick wins
Use only when and where necessary. • Ensure HVAC systems are turned off when the
building is not occupied, for example overnight and during weekends.
Keep your employees informed. • Encourage employees to ensure doors, windows and
the like are closed when appropriate and that they are aware of the implications and
benefits of adopting different behaviours and initiatives.
Adjust the temperature after season. • For maximum comfort, the temperature of rooms
should be 24-25°C in summer and 18-20°C in winter. Additional heating or cooling
results in energy wastage. Infrequently used rooms such as toilets and storerooms can
be set to 16°C in winter, saving on heating costs for these areas by around 30 percent
1
.
Section off unused areas. • When heating or cooling, ensure both vents and thermostats
in unoccupied areas are sectioned off to avoid energy wastage.
Use fans. • Temperature, humidity, and air movement all affect the comfort of a room.
The use of fans can therefore reduce the need for air conditioning allowing for a
temperature setting of three to five degrees higher being as comfortable with fans.
Avoid peak demand periods. • By adjusting workplace schedules and reducing energy
use during peak demand periods, savings can be made on air conditioning, lighting and
other electricity use.
Maintain filters. • HVAC filters should be maintained or changed on a regular basis as
Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet:
Heating, ventilation & Air Conditioning
recommended by the manufacturer, which can be as frequently as monthly during
peak cooling or heating seasons. Proper filter maintenance will help avoid energy
wastage and overwork of equipment.
Maintain the system. • All HVAC equipment needs to be maintained on a regular basis
to ensure efficient operations, reliability and long life. Proper maintenance can save up
to 10 percent of space conditioning energy usage
4
.
Ensure the maintenance program includes the cleaning of condenser coils and •
evaporators, change of belts and filters, fix of duct leaks. Also check for proper
economiser operation and adequate refrigerant levels. Further, old and inferior valves,
steam traps and other low cost parts can waste large amounts of energy if not
replaced.
Use timers. • Air conditioning, ventilation and heating hours can be reduced by using
switches and timers ensuring all HVAC systems are turned off when the building is
unoccupied.
Install thermostat. • Programmable thermostats can be used to automate HVAC
systems. The thermostat ensures the HVAC system turns on half an hour before arrival
and turns the system off half an hour before leaving. This avoids heating or cooling
unoccupied space which is the case with older type thermostats that control the
system based on temperature. This inexpensive investment can save HVAC related
energy costs by as much as 30 percent
4
. Ensure a locking cover is used to prevent
tampering with thermostat settings.
Avoid unnecessary lighting. • Turning off lights in unused areas and replacing
incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) globes may not only
result in lower electricity usage but also in less heat being emitted, saving on air
conditioning and ventilation running costs.
Use energy efficient office equipment. • Selecting efficient office equipment and
electronics can help to ensure minimum heat output. Coupled with turning off
equipment when not in use can yield significant savings.
Long Term
Avoid over sizing. • Over sizing HVAC equipment will result in unnecessary investment
as well as operation costs. Ensure a proper and well configured system is in place.
Consider energy recovery. • An energy recovery ventilation system can be used to take
advantage of waste energy from the exhaust air stream by using it to condition the
incoming fresh air.
Use radiant heating where suitable. • Areas such as warehouses, garages, patios and
waiting areas can be beneficial to heat using radiant heating. With this method,
objects are being heated rather than the air which requires less energy.
Insulate buildings. • By insulating roof spaces, ceilings, walls and pipes, loss of heat
during the winter and gain of heat during the summer can be reduced, mitigating the
need for heating and cooling. Ensure hot as well as cold air ducts are insulated and do
not leak.
Avoid losses through windows. • As much as 40 percent of the heat lost during the
winter and up to 50 percent of unwanted heat gain during the summer is through
windows. The use of double-glazing windows can dramatically reduce heat loss during
winter and also the amount of heat entering during the summer period.
The use of shades, drapes, blinds and tinting can also be used to prevent solar entry •
and air-conditioning loss during the summer. Keep drapes and shades open during
winter days to allow the sun to warm the building and closed during night to prevent
possible draught and heat loss.
Skylights can be used to allow natural light to enter which will save on both lighting •
and heating. These can be covered during the summer months to avoid the need for
additional air conditioning.
Ensure use of energy efficient systems. • When replacing HVAC systems, consider
high-efficiency units. By replacing fan and pump motors and other equipment with
premium efficiency models, as much as 35 - 45 percent can be saved on the annual
investment. Modern high efficiency HVAC systems use up to 40 percent less energy
than older systems.
4
Consider variable speed drives. • By installing variable speed drives (VSDs) on air
conditioning fans, the speed of the fan motors can be controlled to match the amount
of air needed to be moved throughout your building and therefore reduce energy use
and operation costs if the compressor powers down accordingly. VSDs can save 30 - 40
percent on the investment annually.
4
Utilise waste heat. • For facilities that have heat-generating processes such as cooking,
or onsite distributed generation equipment, consider heat recovery as a way to capture
free waste heat and use it to offset facility heating and cooling costs.
Use dehumidification in humid climates. • In humid climates the use of a
dehumidification system can provide increased comfort at higher temperatures,
allowing for use of smaller HVAC equipment.
Install economisers. • Energy can be saved during days when the outside temperature is
lower than the inside temperature by using economisers. These take fresh air from the
outside for cooling rather than using refrigeration equipment to cool recirculated air.
Implement an energy management system. • Energy management systems can be
useful when the air conditioning system is too complex to control with timers or
thermostats. The system allows for the use of different cooling temperatures for
different zones, optimum equipment start and stop times etc. Energy management
systems can save 30 to 40 percent on annual investment.
4

Invest in green energy. • Choosing Government accredited Origin GreenPower for your
business can benefit everyone and is one of the simplest things your business can
do to reduce its impact on our environment. We give you the choice of accredited
new renewable energy from environmentally friendly sources such as solar and wind
energy. For more information about Origin GreenPower, visit www.originenergy.com.
au/GreenBusiness.
Benefits
An optimised and correctly working HVAC system can increase staff and client comfort
levels, work performance as well as financial and environmental benefits.

Cost Benefits
The above mentioned actions can result in significant cost benefits in terms of reduced or
avoided:
energy consumption •
maintenance costs for HVAC equipment; •
HVAC replacement costs due to reduced operating life; and •
running costs. •
Environmental Benefits
The associated environmental benefits may include:
resource conservation from avoided maintenance and repairs; and •
avoided emissions, including greenhouse gases, through energy conservation. •
Did you know?
1. HVAC typically accounts for 40-50 percent of the total energy bill for
businesses and commercial buildings.
1,2,3
2. By leaving a door open, up to 50 percent of HVAC energy costs can be
wasted.
1
3. Every one degree temperature increase in winter will increase energy use
by 15 percent.
6
4. Every one degree temperature decrease in summer will increase energy
use by 10 percent.
6
Useful references
Australian Government – Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts – 1.
Greenhouse Challenge Plus
www.environment.gov.au/settlements/challenge/publications
Australian Government – Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism 2.
www.eex.gov.au/eexhomepage/smeenergymanagement
Australian Government – Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism 3.
www.eex.gov.au/technologies/heatingventilationandairconditioning.asp
Flex Your Power 4.
www.fypower.org/com/tools/energy_tips_results.html?tips=hvac
Government of Western Australia – Sustainable Energy Development Office 5.
www.sedo.energy.wa.gov.au
Sustainability Victoria 6.
www.sv.sustainability.vic.gov.au/manufacturing/sustainable_manufacturing
US Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 7.
www.eere.energy.gov
U.S. Government - Small Business Guide to Energy Efficiency 8.
www.business.gov/guides/environment/energy-efficiency/index.html
Further information
For more information visit www.originenergy.com.au or phone our dedicated small
business team on 1300 730 533.
Endorsement
This fact sheet is endorsed by Ingrid Cornander, MSc Environmental Engineering and
Senior Consultant with Impact Employee Communications – An Ogilvy Public Relations
Worldwide Company. It is for general use only and should be used as a reference guide
only.
1041.Oct08.All

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