26
Apr
2010
Clean HVAC System Coils Save Energy
Dirty coils force compressors to run longer and work harder than required, increasing energy usage and utility costs
Dirty coils force compressors to run longer and work harder than required, increasing energy usage and utility costs
COURTESY OF NADCA
One of the easiest, most cost-effective green things you can do for your building’s energy efficiency is to have your HVAC system’s condenser and evaporator coils inspected yearly and cleaned as necessary. Dirty coils force compressors to run longer and work harder than required, increasing energy usage and utility costs while decreasing component life and occupant comfort.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), major utilities, and other experts, dirty condenser and evaporator coils can significantly increase HVAC energy usage and associated utility costs. The U.S. DOE says that “a dirty condenser coil can increase compressor energy consumption by 30 percent.” A dirty evaporator coil decreases airflow, resulting in reduced heat transfer and a degradation of the dehumidification process. These can cause overall air quality to decline and systems to fail, and decrease the life expectancy of motors due to increased heat while running.
NADCA Standards
The ACR 2006 Standard for HVAC Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration includes details regarding methodologies for coil cleaning and occupant protection strategies. It also helps building owners and managers quantify HVAC-system performance before and after cleaning, calling for HVAC systems to operate within 10 percent of their nominal and/or design volumetric flow after coil cleaning (other factors aside). Using NADCA-certified air-system cleaning specialists ensures that the systems are properly cleaned and maintained for increased energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption.
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) suggests an annual coil cleaning to its commercial customers as part of its ongoing efforts to promote energy-efficient HVAC-system operations. “Once the system has been properly charged with refrigerant and has good airflow across the indoor coil, and assuming there is no damage to the duct system, only basic service, such as changing filters and cleaning the outdoor unit annually, should be needed to maintain the system operation at peak performance levels,” says PG&E.
With the HVAC system running in “cool” mode, there are two places where heat exchange occurs: 1) condensing unit coils, and 2) evaporator coils. Foreign materials on these coils act as unintended insulators and inhibit the free flow of air through the coils, decreasing the rate of heat transfer between coil and air that is the basis of most HVAC systems. Further, experience shows that servicing dirty systems can lead to misdiagnosing problems and/or faulty or unnecessary repairs. Typically, this results in overcharging of systems and premature failure.
It’s not just old systems that need cleaning. In fact, the newer and more efficient your HVAC system is, the more likely it is to benefit from regular coil inspection and cleaning. These newer systems operate at greatly increased pressures and are less tolerant of increases in static pressure. While clean coils have always been important, today’s higher-efficiency units require more efficient heat transfer across larger coils to function at their highest capacity. New units with high SEER ratings often have variable-speed fan motors that adjust fan speed based on demand; however, these units lose much of their effectiveness when forced to run harder than necessary due to fouled condenser vanes.
An effective coil inspection and cleaning requires more than hosing down the vanes on an exterior compressor coil. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association’s (NADCA) ACR 2006 Standard for HVAC Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration sets minimum best practices for coil cleaning.
Building Use Air-Handling Unit Supply Ductwork Return Ductwork/Exhaust
Industrial 1 year 1 year 1 year
Residential 1 year 2 years 2 years
Light Commercial 1 year 2 years 2 years
Commercial 1 year 2 years 2 years
Healthcare 1 year 1 year 1 year
Marine 1 year 2 years 2 years
Robert “Buck” Sheppard is president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Air Duct Cleaners Association.
17
Apr
2010
Clean Ducts Offer Benefits Beyond Improved Air Quality – From Goodway.Com Blog
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 | HVAC Maintenance and Efficiency
We’ve used this space a few times to talk about possible health consequences of dirty air ducts. The resulting reduced indoor air quality may make people ill, especially those with allergies or other sensitivities, leading to higher health care costs, increased days off, reduced productivity and other challenges.
It is possible for dust, dirt, mold and other biological agents to accumulate in – and be spread through the air by – your HVAC system. According to National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NADCA) cleaning out that accumulation can improve indoor air quality and reduce the possibility of your HVAC system contributing to asthma and allergies among employees.
But the benefits of cleaner ductwork may extend beyond improved air quality:
•Longer equipment life – Less dust and debris in the air means less dust and air circulating through your sensitive electronic equipment such as computers and printers
•Less Cleaning – It also mean less dust and dirt settling on room surfaces such as desks, shelves and, honestly, everything else in your offices and shops
•Reduced Energy Costs – We’ve explained this one many, many times – dirty HVAC systems use more energy than clean ones
Consider taking a closer look at your indoor air quality. If it has been a long time since your ducts have been cleaned, or if you’ve never cleaned them, the benefits may more than cover the costs. And whether you do your duct cleaning in-house or hire an outside contractor, keep in mind the additional benefits beyond just improved indoor air quality.
Rich Silverman
Goodway Blogging Team
26
Mar
2010
Great Article from the AARP.org – Scam Alert: Spring Cleaning, Dirty Tactics
Low estimates are often a way for scammers to get a foot in your door
Mailbox-filling handbills proliferate in the spring, promising low-ball prices to clean your carpets, air ducts and chimney. But will the people who send them deliver a bona fide spruce-up, or is their real intention to clean you out? What you should know:
Carpet cleaning
The advertisements may tout carpet cleaning for $10 a room or less, or an entire house for about $60. But that price is often just the “bait” to get inside your door. The “switch” comes in the form of an explanation that soap, preconditioners or stain removal cost more—raising the total price 10 times or more. Expect a legitimate contractor to charge in the neighborhood of $25 per room, cleaning products included.
Another warning sign of a scam is a technician’s offer to “brighten” carpets at an additional cost—sometimes performing a “demo” on a small portion of your carpet that makes the treated area stand out starkly. Also watch out for added charges to travel to your home, and price quotes for additional rooms without taking their measurements. Whenever you call a carpet cleaner, provide room dimensions and ask for the price for everything, which should be less than 30 cents a square foot.
Duct cleaning
Those $99 deals may be tempting, but are they necessary? There’s no proof that air duct cleaning prevents health problems, says the Environmental Protection Agency. But such cleaning may be a good idea if mold is visible in your ducts (just unscrew the vent covers to see), or if someone in your household suddenly begins suffering from unexplained allergies or respiratory problems.
Expect a reputable company to charge up to $1,000 for a typical single-family home, and a quality job should take two technicians with specialized tools at least eight hours to complete, says Consumer Reports.
Workers who arrive with nothing more than a household wet-dry vacuum cleaner are out to fleece you. Instead, get referrals from the company that services your furnace or the National Air Duct Cleaners Association. Then check reputations with the Better Business Bureau.
Chimney sweeping and repair
These scams often start with mailer offers of $25 to $50 to clean a chimney. But when workers arrive, they find structural damage, the need for a new liner, or an alleged leak of carbon monoxide—all requiring immediate action.
Beware of such scare tactics. Carbon monoxide leakage in chimneys is rare, and should be confirmed with a detector available at any hardware store before work is authorized. New liners are expensive and need to be well-fitted, so get multiple bids. And if your chimney is crumbling, expect to see evidence in your firebox or outside in the form of brick, stone or mortar fragments.
A legitimate chimney sweeping—recommended every two to three years for those using a fireplace at least weekly, or if soot rains down when the damper is opened—should cost between $150 and $200. Ask your local fire department or the Chimney Safety Institute of America for referrals.
Sid Kirchheimer is the author of Scam-Proof Your Life (AARP Books/Sterling).
14
Sep
2009
News & Announcements Reduce Airborne Particulates During Asthma and Allergy Month With an Air Duct Cleaning Done Right:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Mozena
(313) 964-4447
jmozena@starrconstand.com
WASHINGTON, DC—[5-20-09]—As Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, May is a great time for people who are sensitive to indoor air quality to learn how to choose the right contractor for cleaning their home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. NADCA – The HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association offers consumers a wide range of tools and information on its Web site to help make informed decisions when selecting an HVAC cleaning contractor.
“There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to clean a home’s heating and cooling system, and NADCA wants to help consumers understand the difference and find a reputable and reliable contractor,” said NADCA Executive Director John Schulte. “Every month, NADCA helps thousands of Americans find HVAC cleaning contractors who get the job done right.”
At NADCA’s Web site at www.NADCA.com, consumers can find useful tools such as a checklist of questions to ask potential contractors, search tools to find a NADCA member contractor in their area, video of the air duct cleaning process and information on the NADCA ACR 2006 standard and NADCA’s certifications for Air System Cleaning Specialists, Ventilation Inspectors and Ventilation System Mold Remediators.
“May is a good time to take a look inside your home’s duct work to see if it looks dirty enough to require a professional inspection,” said Schulte. “We say that if your ducts look dirty, they probably are, and that it can’t help people who are especially sensitive to air quality to be breathing air that has moved through dirty HVAC systems.”
All NADCA members must have a certified air system cleaning specialist on staff, and commit to following the NADCA ACR 2006 standard. Trusted authorities such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety & Health Administration in the U.S. to the Asthma Society of Canada all recommend that consumers and businesses that choose to have their air ducts cleaned do so with contractors who follow the NADCA standard.
About NADCA: NADCA –
The HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association was formed in 1989 as the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, and has since expanded its mission to become a trusted advocate for consumers and the industry on environmental and health issues surrounding heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. NADCA was the first organization to develop industry-standard best practices and its standard, “Assessment, Cleaning & Restoration of HVAC Systems,” is in use in more than 30 countries worldwide as a best practice and/or basis for national law. NADCA has more than 1,000 corporate members and more than 1,500 individuals certified as Air System Cleaning Specialists, Ventilation Inspectors or Ventilation System Mold Rem