First Crossing of the Alps by a Solar PlaneFinally a Workable System to Replace Current Energy Guzzling A/Cs?In 2007 we covered a Coolerado A/C system with the headline "getting close to solar powered air conditioning". Back then, the unit produced 5 tons of cooling using 1,200 watts, getting within the range of what some people and small businesses could afford in solar panels. Now, the new Coolerado design can produce 6 tons of cooling using 600 watts, quite an impressive improvement!Read on for more details an a video detailing how it works.Boosting Solar Power Production TooOne interesting trick that Coolerado has - and that you can see in the video below - is the use of exhaust air from the A/C unit to cool down the solar panels. The reason for that is that solar panels produce less electricity when they get too hot, something that happens on the sunniest days when A/C is most needed. But cooling down the panels with exhaust air (that would need to thrown out anyway because it contains too much humidity) allows them to keep producing more, reducing costs because fewer panels are needed.

The demonstration video is quite well done, check it out:One of the downsides of using an evaporative cooling system is that it uses water. About 4 gallons per hour for the 6 tons system, or 96 gallons a day. In some very dry areas, this can be a lot, though it might still be better than using a regular A/C that uses tons of electricity. A good compromise would be the use of gray water (stored in a holding tank underground so it stays cool?).For more information about how this solar power A/C works, see this page.If you're interested in buying a solar powered air conditioner from Coolerado, check out this page.More Solar Air ConditioningGreencore's Solar-Powered Air Conditioner (Finally!)Coolerado Coolers: Getting Close to Solar Powered Air ConditioningSmall-Scale Solar Powered Air Conditioning Is Here (in Spain, Anyways)Solar Powered Air Conditioning Just Makes SenseMore Solar Power ArticlesSunSeeker II Solar Airplane to Fly Over Europe this SpringBiomimicry Breakthrough: Butterfly Wings Could Lead to Better Solar Panels7 Awesome Solar Boats You Must See

Most air conditioners have their capacity rated in British thermal units (Btu). A Btu is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of 1 pound (0.45 kilograms) of water one degree Fahrenheit (0.56 degrees Celsius). york air conditioning parts njOne Btu equals 1,055 joules. car ac repair winter parkIn heating and cooling terms, one ton equals 12,000 Btu.air conditioning unit ducted A typical window air conditioner might be rated at 10,000 Btu. For comparison, a typical 2,000-square-foot (185.8 square meters) house might have a 5-ton (60,000-Btu) air conditioning system, implying that you might need perhaps 30 Btu per square foot. These are rough estimates. To size an air conditioner accurately for your specific application, you should contact an HVAC contractor.

The energy efficiency rating (EER) of an air conditioner is its Btu rating over its wattage. As an example, if a 10,000-Btu air conditioner consumes 1,200 watts, its EER is 8.3 (10,000 Btu/1,200 watts). Obviously, you would like the EER to be as high as possible, but normally a higher EER is accompanied by a higher price. Let's say you have a choice between two 10,000-Btu units. One has an EER of 8.3 and consumes 1,200 watts, and the other has an EER of 10 and consumes 1,000 watts. Let's also say that the price difference is $100. To determine the payback period on the more expensive unit, you need to know approximately how many hours per year you will be operating the air conditioner and how much a kilowatt-hour (kWh) costs in your area. Assuming you plan to use the air conditioner six hours a day for four months of the year, at a cost of $0.10/kWh. The difference in energy consumption between the two units is 200 watts. This means that every five hours the less expensive unit will consume one additional kWh (or $0.10) more than the more expensive unit.

Let's do the math: With roughly 30 days in a month, you're operating the air conditioner: 4 months x 30 days per month x 6 hours per day = 720 hours [(720 hours x 200 watts) / (1000 watts/kilowatt)] x $0.10/kilowatt hours = $14.40 The more expensive air conditioning unit costs $100 more to purchase but less money to operate. In our example, it'll take seven years for the higher priced unit to break even.Programmable thermostats can save you hundreds in heating and cooling costs. When the thermometer rises in the summer, the cost of turning on an air conditioner may seem minor compared to getting some relief from the heat — but knowing how much air conditioning costs and how you can reduce that cost makes good fiscal sense. According to the Energy Information Administration, Americans spend more money cooling their homes than any other single usage of electricity, accounting for 22.4 percent of the average household electric bill in 2010. Typical Electricity Costs The town of Wellesley, Mass., has estimated the average cost of running central air conditioning in a typical home for six hours a day will use 900 kilowatt/hours (kWh) per month.

At a cost of $0.134 per kWh, this amounts to $120.60 per month. A large 12,000 BTU air conditioner, like that in a window, running six hours each day will consume 270 kWh, at a cost of $36.26 per month. A smaller 6,500 BTU room air conditioner will consume 144 kWh at a cost of $19.34 per month. Understanding Kilowatt-Hours The kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the standard unit of measurement for electricity in the United States. This is 1,000 watts of electricity being used for one hour. To calculate how much your air conditioner costs to run for an hour, look for its wattage on the box or in the instruction manual and multiply this by the number of hours you use it each day. For example, a 1,000-watt air conditioner running for one hour consumes 1 kWh. By comparison, a 60-watt light bulb running for an hour uses 0.06 kWh (60 watts divided by 1,000). The cost of electricity varies by region. While the average cost in the US in 2011 was 12 cents per kWh, it was as high as 33 cents in Hawaii and as low as 8 cents in Idaho.

Check your electric bill to determine your cost. Air Conditioner Size and BTUs The size of air conditioner you should purchase depends on the size of the rooms it will be cooling, how well your house is insulated, and whether or not the rooms are facing direct sunlight. An air conditioner's ability to cool is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). For example, to cool a 100- to 150-square-foot room that is well insulated and not facing direct sunlight, you need about 6,600 BTUs, which requires about 1,934 watts. The same room in direct sunlight requires about 7,260 BTUs, using 2,128 watts. A poorly insulated room in direct sunlight needs about 9240 BTUs, using 2708 watts. Cutting Costs A programmable thermostat can reduce the cost of central air conditioning if you program it at a higher temperature while you are at work and while you are sleeping. The temperature you set the air conditioning at should be relative to the outside temperature. If the temperature outside is 90 degrees, setting the air conditioning to 78 should feel quite comfortable in comparison.