Today more than ever, everybody’s looking for ways to use energy more efficiently around the house and cut down on utility bills. But when it comes to heating, cooling and using home appliances, there are more myths, urban legends, and old-wives-tales out there than you can shake a stick at. In fact, some of the more popular myths that you may think are saving you energy and money are actually doing the opposite. The time has come to set the energy-efficiency record straight. Here are the facts on some of the most common home energy myths, fallacies and outright falsehoods:If you have a modern forced air heating system, the pressure load is balanced throughout the house. Blocking the vent will impact how the system inhales and exhales air; it can throw the system out of balance, causing it to have to work harder or possibly break down. Also the most energy efficient practice you can do is to have heat evenly distributed throughout the house. Blocking vents in certain rooms will make those rooms colder.

Because heat moves from greater concentrations to lesser concentrations, these colder rooms will draw heat from other rooms in the house, making the whole house feel colder and causing you to raise the thermostat. Fiberglas actually does a better job at keeping heat in than keeping cold out. If you have cracks, air leaks and drafts anywhere in your house, the cold air will seep in no matter how much insulation you have. Air sealing is the most important thing you can do to plug these holes and gaps and keep the chill from creeping in.ac heat window unit lowes Fans cool your skin, not the air; cost of wall mounted ductless air conditioning unitsthey do not lower room temperature. jeep yj ac compressorA fan works by circulating the air in a space;

when the air moves across the skin, we feel cooler even though the air temperature in the room remains the same. If a fan runs in a room when no one is there, no one is feeling its benefits. So it’s just wasting electricity.Even the highest efficiency-rated heaters and air conditioners can cost you more money to operate if they are improperly sized or installed.  According to the Department of Energy, shoddy installation and improper sized equipment can waste as much as one-third of your energy consumption. Duct tapes has many great uses. But despite the name, it actually does a pretty lousy job at sealing ducts.  It doesn’t work well in dirty or dusty conditions…and you can’t get dirtier or dustier than an air duct. Also, the tape tends to fall off as it ages and the adhesive dries out. Mastic tape sticks, seals and insulates much better.Furnaces deliver heat at the same rate no matter how high the thermostat is set. If you set your thermostat at the desired temperature, it will reach that point just as quickly as if you set it higher.

And since you’ll probably end up having to move the temperature down a few degrees anyway, you’ll probably wind up using more energy than you intended in the long run. The same applies to air conditioning. Setting your A/C at full-blast will not make it reach a comfortable temperature any faster. It’s just going to make the room colder and make your system work harder. Research shows that the longer your house stays at a reduced temperature when heating or at an increased temperature when cooling, the more energy and money you will save. This is because heating and cooling cost depends mostly on the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. When you adjust the temperature down in the winter or up in the summer, you simply reduce this temperature difference. In fact, setting your temperature back 10 or more degrees for 8 hours while you sleep or go to work can reduce your energy bill by 5-15%.  A programmable thermostat can adjust temperatures automatically for you.

This may have been true of computers 20 or more years ago when they were massive energy hogs and prone to energy surge damage and wear & tear. But today’s computers are much more durable and use a lot less energy. The small surge in energy created when any electrical product is turned on is much smaller than the energy used by running the device when it’s not needed. Rule of thumb: any time you can turn a machine or light off, it will save energy.It takes the same amount of energy to reach the boiling point whether you use hot or cold water. If you use hot water, you’ve already paid to heat the water in your water heater; you may have a headstart of a few degrees, but you’ve already paid for that headstart.Put a bucket underneath and see how quickly those drips add up. A single dripping faucet can add up to 300 or more gallons of water per month. That’s a big chunk of your water bill. This one is true! Taking a 10-minute shower with a low-flow (2.5 gallons per minute) shower head uses 25 gallons of water.

A typical bath takes 30-50 gallons. There are high-quality hower heads that use 1.5 gallons per minute or less for even more water and energy efficiency.There is little if any correlation between energy efficiency and a home’s purchase price. In some instances, efficiency can even reduce the initial cost when smaller highly-efficient heating and cooling systems are installed. Smaller, high efficiency units generate as much heating or cooling benefits as large, inefficient ones. Not according to the National Association of Home Builders who is actively supporting programs such as the use of ENERGY STAR heaters, air conditioners and appliances, as well as its own Green Building Guidelines.  A 2008 NAHB study shows that 51 percent of homebuyers are willing to pay up to $11,000 more if energy costs are reduced by just $1,000 annually.Cleanroom Air Conditioning Systemsfor Hardwall Modular Cleanrooms Terra hardwall modular cleanroom with split A/C system: heat generating compressor module roof mounted, with cool air ducted to cleanroom Fan/Filter Units.

Terra recommends three options for air conditioning in hardwall cleanrooms. An existing heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system provides the most effective and economical means to cool your modular cleanroom. Because filter/fan units (FFUs) draw air from the surrounding room, they pass cooled air directly into the cleanroom without the need for ducting or special exhaust systems. The additional load on an existing HVAC system can be calculated by adding the heat dissipated by the specified number of FFUs (@ approximately 1,000 BTU/hour/unit) and by equipment and personnel inside the cleanroom. The modules below provide economical cooling in facilities without adequate HVAC. Based on the cleanroom size, desired temperature, and heat dissipated inside the cleanroom, Terra will configure the appropriate number of units. Note: In these applications, heat removed from the cleanroom is vented into the room outside. In the case of large cleanrooms and/or significant heat-generating equipment, this vented heat will raise the ambient temperature and place greater load on the A/C modules as well as any existing HVAC system.

For most efficient operation, exhaust ducts and ventilation fans should be installed to vent heat outside the facility. In large modular cleanrooms, a split A/C system, which moves the heat-generating compressor outside the facility is preferable to the A/C modules. In such applications, Terra will provide a ducting and recirculation system that routes exhaust air to the A/C system and delivers cooled feed air to the ceiling FFUs in ample volume to maintain the desired air velocity inside the enclosure. In addition, Terra will work with a local A/C contractor to connect this recirculation system to a central air unit that meets cooling requirements and local codes. Call Terra Universal to discuss the most economical, efficient air conditioning solution for your application. Stainless Steel BioSafe™ Cleanroom with HVAC Module No. 6704-32 and stainless steel Vertical Air Return. Polypropylene Vertical Air Return features removable side panels for easy cleaning of unit's interior;

top baffle plate minimizes air turbulence. Modular HVAC units ensure comfort and productivity of garbed cleanroom personnel External air baffles allow quick, easy control over ratio of recirculated/make-up air Models available with humidity control maintain stable sub-ambient RH levels All units include Vertical Air Return that directs cooled air to ceiling FFUs via either a ceiling plenum or flexible ducts These modular units remove heat to keep working conditions inside a modular cleanroom cool and dry. Each HVAC unit is mounted to a Vertical Air Return (VAR), which includes a plenum chamber mounted to the side of the cleanroom. This structure (polypropylene or steel, depending on room design) draws air from the cleanroom into the HVAC module and then directs cooled air upward to the cleanroom ceiling, where it enters either a ceiling plenum or duct manifold (see illustrations below). On BioSafe® Cleanrooms, return air is directed to the HVAC unit via ducts inside the BioSafe® panels.

An adjustable baffle mounted outside the cleanroom lets you adjust the percentage of fresh make-up air. A Terra application engineer will help select the HVAC module(s) appropriate to your cleanroom, based on room size, number of FFUs, and heat load. Typically, supplemental Vertical Air Returns are required to recirculate a portion of the cooled cleanroom air through ceiling FFUs. Select FFU Connect Packs to connect return ducts to individual FFUs. Vertical Air Return (each services up to 3 FFUs) For Cleanrooms with up to 7' (2134 mm) ceilings For Cleanrooms with ceilings over 7' (2134 mm) A/C Modules: Includes air distribution Plenum. All models operate on 230/208VAC, 60Hz, i Phase AC and RH Control HVAC Air Return Configurations Cleanroom with ceiling plenum, HVAC module and Vertical Air Return Air Conditioning with a Ceiling Plenum In very large modular facilities, Terra recommends an insulated ceiling plenum, which provides cooled return air to the fan/filter units.

Air conditioning modules are mounted to air returns, which direct cooled air upward to the plenum. Depending on the number of fan/filter units (FFUs) being serviced, additional Vertical Air Return modules may be required to ensure ample recirculated air supply to the FFUs. Adjustable baffles on the A/C modules allow some fresh make-up air to enter the system. Cleanroom with HVAC module, Vertical Air Returns and FFU Connect packs Vertical Air Return connection to ductwork FFU connection using No. 6601-00 kit Air Conditioning without a Ceiling Plenum In these structures, cooled air is directed from the HVAC module upward through an air return module (included with the A/C unit). This air return attaches to ductwork that feeds the Fan/Filter Units (FFUs) positioned on the cleanroom ceiling. A single A/C module can typically feed up to three FFUs. Additional FFUs are typically fed air recirculated from the cleanroom through Vertical Air Returns, as shown in the illustration above.