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Many smart thermostats claim they can save you money on your heating and air conditioning bills. Indeed, you might save a considerable amount of money by getting a Nest or Ecobee3, but they can also cost you more money if your house itself isn’t optimized for good airflow.
许多智能恒温器声称它们可以为您节省暖气和空调费用。 确实,您可以通过购买Nest或Ecobee3节省大量资金,但是如果您的房屋本身并未针对良好的气流进行优化,它们也可能使您花费更多 。
If you constantly dread looking at your energy bill every month, it might not be the thermostat causing the problems, so a smart thermostat alone won’t be able to save you. But here are a handful of things you should keep in mind so that your HVAC system is heating and cooling your house in the most efficient way possible.
如果您不停地每月查看您的电费单,则可能不是造成问题的温控器,因此仅凭智能温控器将无法挽救您的生命。 但是,您应该记住以下几点,以便您的HVAC系统以最有效的方式为房屋供暖和制冷。
不要关闭太多通风Kong (Don’t Close Too Many Vents)
If the downstairs area in your house is usually cooler than the upstairs, you might be tempted to close most or all of the vents downstairs in order to push all of the air from the A/C to the upstairs. This is actually a really bad idea.
如果您房屋的楼下区域通常比楼上凉爽,您可能会想关闭楼下的大部分或所有通风口,以便将所有空气从空调传送到楼上。 这实际上是一个非常糟糕的主意。
Closing off vents uses more energy, because your system is working harder in order to push past the increased pressure that closed vents create, especially if you have a variable-speed system fan that can change speeds automatically. If you have an older system, then it’s likely that the fan remains at a constant speed, which is still bad news if you close too many vents, as the increased pressure will simply slow down the fan’s speed, resulting in less airflow.
关闭通风Kong会消耗更多的能量 ,因为您的系统正在努力工作,以克服闭合的通风Kong所产生的压力增加,尤其是当您使用可自动更改速度的变速系统风扇时。 如果您使用的是较旧的系统,则风扇可能会保持恒定的速度,如果关闭太多的通风Kong,这仍然是个坏消息,因为压力升高只会降低风扇的速度,从而导致气流减少。
Plus, if your ductwork isn’t sealed (which it most likely isn’t), then that increased pressure can also push out fresh heated or air conditioned air through the small cracks in the ductwork and into your attic instead of your living space.
另外,如果您的管道系统没有密封(很可能不是密封的),那么压力的增加还可以将新鲜的加热或空调空气通过管道中的细小缝隙排入阁楼,而不是进入您的居住空间。
On paper, closing vents to push air to places where it’s really needed makes a lot of sense, and it should work, but because of how HVAC systems are designed, it’s actually the direct opposite. This is why smart vents are mostly a bad idea.
在纸面上,关闭通风Kong将空气推到真正需要的地方很有意义,而且应该可以工作,但是由于HVAC系统的设计方式,实际上是直接相反的。 这就是为什么智能通风口大多不是一个好主意的原因。
You might be fine closing a few vents around the house, but even then, if your HVAC system and ductwork are old and inefficient, it’s probably not ideal.
您可能会很好地关闭房屋周围的一些通风Kong,但是即使那样,如果您的HVAC系统和管道系统陈旧且效率低下,可能也不理想。
密切关注空气过滤器 (Keep an Eye on Your Air Filter)
Most air filter manufacturers will tell you to change out your system’s air filter every three months, but depending on how often you run your heating or A/C, you may need to change the air filter more often. A good rule of thumb is to check it every week and replace it when it gets visibly dirty.
大多数空气滤清器制造商会告诉您每三个月更换一次系统的空气滤清器,但是根据您运行暖气或空调的频率,您可能需要更频繁地更换空气滤清器。 一个好的经验法则是每周检查一次,并在明显变脏时将其更换。
Also, take into account the thickness of the air filter. Each one comes with a MERV rating, which stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. This is technical speak for how good the air filter is. A MERV rating of 1 is the worst rating, while a MERV rating of 16 is the best. What this means is that a MERV 16 air filter will catch more dirt, dust particles, allergens, etc. than a MERV 1 air filter.
另外,请考虑空气过滤器的厚度。 每个都有MERV等级 , 代表最低效率报告值。 这是空气滤清器性能的技术说法。 MERV等级1是最差的等级,而MERV等级16是最好的等级。 这意味着MERV 16空气过滤器比MERV 1空气过滤器捕获更多的污垢,灰尘颗粒,过敏原等。
You might think that a MERV 16 air filter is the one to get without question, but if your HVAC system isn’t capable of handling such an air filter, you’re in for some trouble. Thicker air filters are great at catching dust particles and allergens, but they also heavily restrict airflow from passing through, so you need to make sure that your HVAC system has a powerful-enough fan to handle something like a MERV 16 filter. You can usually find this information in the owner’s manual.
您可能会认为MERV 16空气滤清器是毫无疑问的一款,但是如果您的HVAC系统无法处理这种空气滤清器,那么您将遇到麻烦。 较厚的空气过滤器可以很好地捕获灰尘颗粒和过敏原,但它们也严重限制了气流的通过,因此您需要确保HVAC系统具有功能强大的风扇,以应对类似MERV 16过滤器的问题。 通常,您可以在用户手册中找到此信息。
仅在需要时才运行HVAC风扇 (Only Run Your HVAC Fan When You Need to)
Many people think that running the HVAC fan non-stop to circulate the air (whether or not the A/C is on) can cool down their house even more, but it actually doesn’t. Yes, it circulates the air in your house, but that’s it–circulating air doesn’t necessarily mean cooler air.
许多人认为,不停地运行HVAC风扇以使空气流通(无论是否打开空调)都可以使他们的房屋更加凉爽,但实际上却不能。 是的,它可以循环房屋中的空气,仅此而已-循环空气不一定意味着空气凉爽。
Of course, circulating the air in a space where the air is getting kind of stale can make the room seem less stuffy, but it won’t drastically cool the room by any means. Plus, running the fan non-stop can actually make your house more humid.
当然,在空气变得陈旧的空间中循环空气可以使房间看起来不太闷,但是无论如何也不会大幅冷却房间。 另外,不停地运行风扇实际上会使您的房子更潮湿 。
Furthermore, running your system fan 24/7 is a great way to double your electricity bill, especially if you have an older, inefficient HVAC system, so it’s better to just leave it on “Auto” and let it run only when it needs to.
此外,以24/7全天候运行系统风扇是将电费翻倍的好方法,特别是如果您使用的是较旧的低效HVAC系统,因此最好将其保持在“自动”状态,并仅在需要时才运行。
检查您的HVAC系统 (Inspect Your HVAC System)
Did you think only a professional would be able to inspect your HVAC system? While I’m sure there are a lot of things that they could look for that you would have no idea about, there are a still a handful of things you can inspect yourself to make sure that your heating and air conditioning are running in tip-top shape.
您是否认为只有专业人员才能检查您的HVAC系统? 虽然我确定他们会寻找很多您可能不知道的东西,但您仍然可以检查一些东西以确保供暖和空调运转正常,顶部形状。
For starters, go outside and take a look at your A/C condenser (it’s the big, loud box with the huge fan). If there are obstructions in the way, get rid of them, and I’m not just talking about debris. Many homeowners like to hide their A/C condenser with bushes, lattices, shades, etc., but it’s a piece of machinery that likes being completely free with the wind blowing all around it, so let it be free.
首先,请出去看看空调冷凝器(这是装有大风扇的大而响亮的盒子)。 如果路上有障碍物,请清除它们 ,而我不仅仅是在谈论杂物。 许多房主喜欢用灌木丛,格子,阴影等遮盖空调冷凝器,但这是一台机器,喜欢风完全吹散,所以让它自由。
Next, if it’s winter and you have the heating going, inspect the flames that the furnace produces. They should be steady blue flames that aren’t flickering orange (a teeny bit of flickering is okay). If they are flickering orange a lot, this indicates a problem that requires a professional to check out.
接下来,如果是冬天,并且您要加热,请检查炉子产生的火焰。 它们应该是稳定的蓝色火焰,并且不会闪烁橙色(可以闪烁一点点)。 如果它们频繁闪烁橙色,则表明存在问题,需要专业人员进行检查。
Also at the furnace is the air conditioning unit, which likely sits above the furnace portion of your HVAC system. You can remove the cover panel and inspect the evaporator coils and fins. If there’s dirt build-up, you can usually vacuum it out and clean it yourself, but if there’s ice freezing over the coils and fins, then you have a problem that requires a professional.
同样在炉子上的是空调单元,它可能位于HVAC系统的炉子上方 。 您可以卸下盖板并检查蒸发器盘管和散热片。 如果积聚了灰尘,通常可以自行吸尘并自行清洁,但是如果冰块和散热片上结冰,则您需要专业人员解决问题。
改善您的阁楼绝缘 (Improve Your Attic Insulation)
Your house’s insulation is one of the main features that keeps the inside cool during the summer and warm during the winter, so it makes sense that one of the best things you can do to keep your energy costs low is improve the insulation. However, while you can’t just tear down drywall and upgrade the insulation, you can easily get into your attic and improve the insulation there.
房屋的隔热是在夏季保持室内凉爽并在冬季保持温暖的主要功能之一,因此,可以降低能源成本的最佳方法之一就是提高隔热性能。 但是,虽然您不能只拆除石膏板并升级隔热层,但可以轻松进入阁楼并改善那里的隔热层。
It’s very possible that you don’t have enough attic insulation, especially if you have the blown kind that looks like loose cotton candy all over the attic floor. So hiring a professional to add more or doing it yourself can go a long way to keeping your living space comfortable without spending a lot of money.
您的阁楼隔热层很可能不够,尤其是如果您吹的那种阁楼地板上看起来像松散的棉花糖。 因此,雇用专业人员来添加更多东西或自己动手做,可以在不花费大量金钱的情况下使您的居住空间保持舒适状态。
It’s also possible that the airflow in your attic isn’t optimal. Yes, in order for your house to stay cool (or warm) and have good airflow, the attic itself needs good airflow as well so that hot air can escape out of the house during the summer, and cold air can get into the attic during winter to prevent ice dams from forming and causing damage.
阁楼中的气流也可能不是最佳状态。 是的,为了使您的房屋保持凉爽(或温暖)并保持良好的通风,阁楼本身也需要良好的通风,以便夏天期间热空气可以从房屋中逸出,而凉爽的空气可以在夏季进入阁楼防止冰坝形成并造成破坏。
Your attic should have some kind of ventilation, and there needs to be both intake vents and exhaust vents. Intake vents usually come in the form of soffit vents or eave vents, and exhaust vents are usually in the form of ridge vents, gable vents, or general fan-operated vents. Your house probably has these, so you’re good to go there, but you’ll want to make sure that any insulation isn’t obstructing your intake vents and restricting airflow by seeing that the baffles aren’t causing any problems.
您的阁楼应该有某种通风 ,并且需要同时有进气Kong和排气Kong。 进气Kong通常采用拱形排气Kong或屋檐排气Kong的形式,排气Kong通常采用脊形排气Kong,山形排气Kong或一般风扇操作的排气Kong。 您的房子可能有这些,所以您最好去那里,但您要确保任何隔热层都不会阻塞挡板,不会造成任何问题,从而确保它们不会阻塞进气Kong并限制气流。
是否使用新Windows? (New Windows or Not?)
There’s no doubt that getting new windows for your house is a great way to cut down on energy costs, especially if your house is older and the original single-pane windows are still standing. However, the cost may not be worth it, and there are cheaper ways to modify your house to cut down in energy costs.
毫无疑问,为房屋安装新窗户是降低能源成本的好方法,特别是如果房屋较旧且原始的单窗格窗户仍然存在。 但是,成本可能不值得 ,并且有更便宜的方法来改造房屋以降低能源成本。
New windows are extremely expensive. The previous owner of our house paid around $8,000 just for the downstairs, while all of the upstairs windows still remain original. Let’s say we decide to replace the upstairs windows finally, spending $4,000 (they’re smaller windows overall and less of them). That’s $12,000 worth of windows when it’s all said and done.
新窗户非常昂贵。 我们房子的前任业主仅在楼下就花了8,000美元,而所有在楼上的窗户仍然是原始的。 假设我们决定最终更换楼上的窗户,花费4,000美元(它们整体上较小,窗户较少)。 说完这些,那就是价值12,000美元的窗户。
If you end up spending that on new windows and save around $50 per month on your energy bill (which is a huge savings), it would take 20 years for the cost of the windows to pay off. Who knows if you’ll even still be living in the same house by then.
如果您最终在新窗户上花了钱,每月每月节省了约50美元的电费(这是一笔巨大的节省),那么要花20年才能收回窗户的成本。 谁知道那时您是否还会住在同一所房子里。
Instead of spending that kind of cash, you could instead improve the weather stripping around doors and windows, as well as use plastic film over windows during the winter. However, if you know you’ll be living in your house into the distant future, there’s certainly no harm in getting new windows, especially if you have the money, and they certainly won’t hurt your home’s resale value.
您不必花费这种现金,反而可以改善门窗周围的天气,并在冬季在窗户上使用塑料膜。 但是,如果您知道您将在遥远的将来居住在房屋中,那么购买新窗户当然没有任何危害,尤其是如果您有钱的话,它们肯定不会损害您房屋的转售价值。
Images from zveiger/Bigstock, ToddonFlickr/Flickr
来自zveiger / Bigstock, ToddonFlickr / Flickr的图像
翻译自: https://www.howtogeek.com/263656/how-to-optimize-your-homes-airflow-to-save-money-on-your-ac/
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