The commercial electricity for HVAC systems accounts for about 50 percent of a building’s total energy consumption. Being one of the major energy costs in a manufacturing facility, it dominates the building’s peak electricity demand. As such, improving the system’s efficiency, in order to cut energy costs, should be every facility manager’s priority.

The energy consumption depends on the climate, comfort preferences, building design, insulation, the timing of use, the size of the HVAC system, heat generated by electrical equipment, and other site-specific factors.

Building owners and businesses can reduce their energy costs by combining several measures that increase an HVAC system’s efficiency while reducing the demand for heating and cooling.

When selecting HVAC systems, pay attention to its design and controls. Components such as motors can impact heavily on the running costs of equipment because some are usually oversized to meet peak demands. An ideal system should have more variable speed control, inverter controls, economizers, demand controlled ventilation, advanced sensors and monitoring, as well as superior diagnostics. In addition, the system should be the appropriate size; not too small or oversized.

By controlling and running the HVAC motors at speeds based on the heating or cooling needs, consumers are able to realize energy savings of between 30 and 50 percent compared to the conventional constant speed operations. Most manufacturers prefer newer algorithm-driven smart microprocessors.

These provide a refined speed control that responds to the changing load in the building. Instead of using on and off cycling, these controls adjust the system according to the actual cooling or heating needs of the facility. More functions can be added through software add-ons as opposed to costly hardware upgrades.

Some of the ways to optimize HVAC systems include the use of thermostats and control systems, locating the HVAC unit in the best place possible, and modifying the ventilation and distribution. These are discussed more fully below:

A HVAC energy audit helps in identifying the operational deficiencies, hence allowing the building manager to take the necessary measures to enhance performance. The audit is often necessary because it helps in determining the amount of energy use, maintenance and upgrade requirements.

Consumers can then reduce their energy costs by optimizing, replacing or retrofitting the HVAC system to become more energy efficient. This not only increases efficiency and reduces the amount of commercial electricity for the HVAC system, but also improves the air quality.

Having a generator is a great way in which to put your mind at ease. Even when the power goes out for a substantial amount of time, a good whole-house generator will be able to keep your home up and running until the utility straightens the problem out. Of course, the only way in which you can truly rely on your generator to be there for you when you need it most is to keep it in exceptional working condition. This is something that the pros here on our staff are happy to help you out with. Be sure to schedule your routine generator maintenance in Needham Heights, MA with one of our fine technicians.

You may think that your generator, because it is not up and running every day like your HVAC system is, does not require much in the way of maintenance services. This could not be further from the truth. Your generator should be inspected on an annual basis to ensure that it is functioning properly, and that all of its components are in great shape. Even if this is the case, though, there are a couple of items that must be addressed. Your generator will need a new air filter, and an oil change.

Your generator lives outdoors, and that provides ample opportunity for pollutants to build up in the system, even when it is not used very regularly. By cleaning out your air box and locking a new air filter securely into place, we’ll ensure that your generator’s condition and operation won’t be impeded by a clogged filter or pollutants within the system.

We will also run your generator for a few minutes in order to get everything warmed up, and then drain and completely replace the oil in the system. We’ll also check the oil filter for you. Once these basic maintenance services are complete, along with the other, more complex electrical checks and inspection points, you’ll be able to rest assured in knowing that your generator is ready for action.

Well, they told us yesterday’s Super Bowl would be the greenest one to date, but they failed to mention that as part of the plan to save energy they were going to turn the lights out in the second half.

Just kidding. This year’s Super Bowl might go down in the books for its lighting “abnormality,” but certainly there were some “bright spots” about this year’s lighting as well. Today, I’m going to reflect on  both.

We were also enamored by the flashy lights in Beyonce’s halftime show. Seriously, this show was any lighting enthusiast’s dream. It had everything. A stage with insane video effects, a guitar with incredible pyrotechnics, and 72,000 fans wearing Image via USAToday.com

What actually caused this thing?

After the lights came back on and the game ended, Entergy New Orleans, the stadium’s energy provider, and Superdome operator SMG issued this statement in an attempt to “shed some light” on the situation:

“A piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system. Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. Entergy and SMG will continue to investigate the root cause of the abnormality.”

Picture this scenario: you’re sitting at home with your family watching television and enjoying an otherwise run-of-the-mill evening. Then, all of a sudden, *poof*! Your power goes out, leaving you in the dark.

Here’s a quick question: do you know what to do when this happens?

Have a look at our guide to understand your best course of action after an outage. That way, you can keep you and your family safe no matter the situation.

When the power first goes out, take the following steps:

This is a non-issue if there’s a power interruption. But in cases of extreme weather or other emergencies, guarantee the bodily safety of you and your family first.

If you have telephone or cellular service, a quick call to the power company can give you information on the cause, extent and estimated restoration time for an outage.

Depending on the expected outage time, you may want to put a plan in action for your food/water. If the outage is less than two hours, food in your refrigerator and freezer will be fine. After that, however, temperatures may rise high enough to cause food-borne illness. To minimize the risk, avoid opening and closing the refrigerator as much as possible.

In most power outages, municipal water should remain unaffected. However, extreme weather or extended outages could compromise water safety. In cases like this, it’s recommended to avoid using it for anything that could come in contact with your mouth or body:

If possible, use boiled or bottled water to avoid the risk of getting sick.

If an outage knocks out air conditioning during hot weather, your risk of heat stroke will increase significantly. It’s important to identify the signs of heat stroke and address it as soon as it happens. Symptoms include hot/red skin, dizziness or nausea, headaches, rapid heartbeat and a high body temperature.

To reduce the risk of heat stroke, follow these guidelines:

Just like the heat, a prolonged power outage in the cold can quickly create an emergency situation. This holds especially true with most in-home heating systems that rely on electricity in some capacity.

Remaining warm is especially important in these situations. One of the largest risks with prolonged exposure to cold is hypothermia. Signs of hypothermia risk include cold skin, shivering and a body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Without proper steps in place, hypothermia can quickly escalate into a life-threatening situation.

Maintaining a warm environment is the most important step in a cold temperature power outage. Use all the following tips to keep your family safe in the cold:

Planning on some home remodeling in Arlington in the near future? You might want to consult your friendly neighborhood electrician (that’s us!) about some points of critical importance. Why? Because remodeling, inevitably, will almost always include a measure of electrical work. And in Arlington, no one knows electrical work like the certified electricians at Kolb Electric!

In fact, we get quite a few queries on a regular basis about remodeling and how it may impact the electricity in your home. And today, we bring you the most common questions residents ask our Arlington electricians, and their answers.

We got loads of questions. But luckily for all of us,providing answers and solutions is what we do, and we love every minute of it! Some of our most asked include:

Need a certified electrician to assist with your remodel? Our team boasts all of the skill, experience, and technology needed to ensure your energy needs are totally met! If you’ve got more questions, our Arlington electricians will be happy to provide answers. Just contact us online!