Kencold

12/07/2024

Homeowners who don’t take advantage of smart temperature controls are missing out on some serious benefits, like saving energy and making their homes more comfortable. Traditional thermostats often need manual adjustments and don’t automatically adapt to changing conditions, which can lead to wasted energy and higher bills. Smart thermostats, on the other hand, learn your habits and adjust the temperature based on your preferences, weather forecasts, and even whether anyone is home. This level of customization helps homeowners reduce energy costs while still keeping things comfortable.

Smart temperature controls also make life easier by letting you manage your home's climate remotely through an app, whether you're home or on the go. This feature is a game-changer for busy people who want their house to be just the right temperature when they walk in the door. Plus, many smart thermostats can sync with other smart home devices, making the entire home more efficient and automated. By skipping out on these smart systems, homeowners are missing a great chance to boost their home’s energy efficiency, comfort, and convenience.

11/19/2022

Residential Home Ventilation
Does your home; apartment, dwelling, etc.… have proper ventilation? Windows and doors are not good ventilation systems, they are closed 99% of the time. Most residential HVAC systems designed for the US Northern region are not design for ventilation. Ventilation is removing the contaminated or polluted air from within a space and replacing it with fresh clean outdoor air several times per hour. Designers or HVAC installers would say that when they designed the building HVAC system according to the heat load calculations ventilation is included – through the supply and return air vent within the conditioned space. Is that a good argument?
But where is the fresh clean outside air leaving and entering the building? Where is the building ventilation? The Supply and return duct system, while properly designed in most homes, only removes air from the conditioned space, filters this air, and return the same filtered air back into the room. In short, it recycles the air! Almost all residential HVAC system recycles air in the dwelling. No fresh air from the outside enters to every conditioned space as recommended by the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, & Air conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE 62.1 and 62.2 guidelines. According to International Mechanical Code (IMC), mechanical ventilation is required for a residential dwelling space if there is no natural ventilation, that is, no windows and doors. So, if a bedroom has windows and door, with the assumption that the windows are open, it meets the natural ventilation code. Is that enough ventilation? In the US Northern States in the winter and the summer, windows are kept closed due to the outdoor conditions (cold, hot, high/low humidity) and due to the HVAC system being on conditioning the indoor air. However, air cleaning or filtration is not enough to protect people from air borne illnesses such as mucous membrane irritation of eyes, nose, and throat; headache; unusual tiredness or fatigue and COVID-19.
- Kenrick Eagar, CMHE

11/18/2022

Side Note - Don’t forget the “V”
HVAC or what should be, HVACR, is an acronym for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration. I’m sure most individuals are familiar and concerned more with H -Heating and AC - Air Conditioning but not the “V” or Ventilation. The “V” in HVAC is an important factor for healthy indoor air quality control. Basically, AC or Air Conditioning means to control the condition of the air within a confined space through air filters, injecting water to the air in the dry season, extracting excessive moisture from the air in humid seasons, recycling the air within the condition space, and controlling the space temperature to comfortable levels for humans and other creatures of earth. My colleagues and all HVACR personnel, please remember the “V” in HVAC. Ventilation is essential for a healthy indoor air quality control.
- Kenrick Eagar, CMHE

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11/10/2022

Improving Indoor Air Quality:

Dehumidifier: This equipment removes moisture from the air. In damp spaces, such as the basement, the dehumidifier helps reduce the presence of allergens and irritants. Dehumidifiers slow the growth of mold and dust mites which is found in damp areas in the home. Moist air is forced over a lower temperature coil, resulting in water v***r being extracted as it flows through a cooler coil of the dehumidifier. Another coil in the dehumidifier raises the temperature of the air as it re-enters the conditioned space. In all the mentioned approaches, the same air from within the home or workspace is recirculating into the conditioned space many times per hour. The same building air is being recycled!

Ultraviolet (UV) Lamps: UV lamps are lights that kill mold and mildew within the HVAC duct work. They prevent the accumulation of mold, mildew, and bacteria build-up on the indoor cooling coil thus preventing it from becoming airborne and recirculating into the conditioned space. This approach works best with a combination of other air improvement methods.

Smart Thermostats: Smart Thermostats with a built in Air Quality Monitor constantly checks the air quality levels and harmful pollutants such as smoke, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and some VOC’s and gives you a notification alerting you to make the necessary corrections. These thermostats also alert you when to replace the HVAC air filters.

Ventilation: Ventilation moves the air from within the conditioned space and takes it outside while simultaneously introducing clean fresh outdoor air into the conditioned space. This approach replaces the inside air with fresh outside air several times per hour. Harmful gases are generally not captured using even the most practical highest grade air filters on the market. Although many manufacturers and designers use an additional attachment on the same HVAC system, particularly in commercial buildings, a complete standalone ventilation system which uses a separate mechanical mechanism will achieve even greater indoor air quality. At this point you might be thinking, these mentioned methods and equipment will cost significantly high in both initial and maintenance cost. Indeed, it’s a costly approach for improving indoor air quality. However, in the context of improving indoor air quality, HVAC personnel, homeowners, leaders, and business decision makers must understand the difference between air circulation, recycled air, and ventilation. So, how do we really make the air healthy in our homes?

- Kenrick Eagar, CMHE

11/09/2022

Improving Indoor Air Quality:
How do we improve indoor air quality? Many HVAC and Air Quality Control professionals say cleaning your home regularly helps, invest in an air-purification system, or get a dehumidifier, ultraviolet lamp, and/or consider a smart thermostat. Cleaning the home regularly is necessary and essential. Remove any toxic or harmful chemicals from within the conditioned space, wipe and dust surfaces, vacuum and mop the floors, remove pet hairs from carpet and cushions, and keeping the walls clean certainly will help in maintaining a healthy home or workspace.

Air Purifier or Air Cleaner: an air purifier or air cleaner is a unit designed to remove airborne contaminants from the air within a space. Air-purification system uses a fan to bring room contaminant to an air filter where it is then trapped and later discarded when the filter is replaced. Air purifiers are as good as their filters! A HEPA filter capable of removing 0.3-microns or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 17 air purification system works best to capture particulars such as dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, viruses, and other airborne particulars. Another tool for improving air quality is the dehumidifier. What is a dehumidifier?
- Kenrick Eagar, CMHE

11/06/2022

It’s all in the Air!
While most people in the US spend 90% of their time indoor, the air inside most homes is more polluted than the air outside. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times and occasionally more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels”. Unhealthy air pollutant is introduced into our dwelling daily through many ways such as when we breathe out unwanted gases (carbon dioxide), pets, cooking on a gas stove, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, common household products (perfumes, hair spray, chlorine, ammonia, paint, other cleaning agents), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in cleaning products, dirty HVAC air filters, smoking, fireplaces, doors open to enter the garage, etc. Common health problems related to poor air quality include coughing, eye irritation, headaches, allergic reactions, aggravate asthma and/or other respiratory illnesses, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Yes, it’s all in the air inside our dwelling space, workplace, schools, etc.… so, how do we improve indoor air quality to make it healthy?
- Kenrick Eagar, CMHE