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Are Air Conditioning Systems Eco Friendly?

You may be asking yourself ‘is air conditioning eco friendly?’ Over the years, air conditioning units have developed. A lot. And this is because there is a greater demand for more eco friendly practices and making air conditioning greener. As such, this article we will broaden your knowledge with:

  • What is air conditioning
  • Why is air conditioning important 
  • Is air conditioning eco friendly
  • Benefits of eco friendly AC units 

What Is Air Conditioning?

Firstly, it’s important to understand what air conditioning actually is. Air conditioning is a method of ventilation and is the process used to create and maintain certain temperatures, relative humidity and air purity conditions in indoor spaces. The ‘clean’ air normally comes from outside and is supplied to a specific space while the stale air is removed. Ventilation is especially useful for commercial and industrial spaces to control indoor air quality by diluting and displacing indoor pollutants.

What’s also noteworthy is that the distinction between industrial and personal comfort applications is not always clear cut. Industrial air-conditioning usually requires better precision in regards to temperature and humidity control. Some applications also demand a high degree of filtering and removal of contaminants.

Why Is Air Conditioning Important?

Depending on your workplace application, you may be required to spend a large proportion of your time indoors. This imposes the possibility of that indoor space being prone to heat and If you’re spending a large amount of your working time in these spaces, it can actually be detrimental to your health. See our blog on whether air conditioning causes illness for more information on this matter. In summary, operating indoors which is too hot for work can:

  • Cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat
  • Cause shortness of breath
  • Aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions
  • Affect the heart and cardiovascular system

 For these stand alone reasons, it is important to have well-air conditioned rooms both at home and in the workplace and to have an eco friendly AC unit.

Is Air Conditioning Eco Friendly?

Now that we have an understanding on what air conditioning is and why it’s important, you may be asking yourself, ‘is air conditioning environmentally friendly?’ which we will discuss below:

Environmental friendliness has been a hot topic when it comes to the air conditioning world. Many people associate air conditioning systems with having a heavy environmental impact in terms of the installation process. In the case of the largest or oldest systems, they can look outdated and take up a lot of space outdoors which only adds to sight pollution in the community.

However, the use of modern day air conditioning systems are becoming rapidly more environmentally friendly. Not just in terms of innovative systems, but even for the more ‘middle of the road’ air conditioners installed in offices and homes across the nation. 

As such, we have listed how modern air conditioning units are being more eco friendly:

  • More Sustainable Materials 

In keeping with growing societal concerns for the environment and the impact certain machines/technology is causing to our planet, modern air conditioning manufacturers are using carefully sourced materials and are hard at work making systems more sustainable.

  • Law and Certificates

Companies who install, maintain and service air conditioning refrigeration and heat pump equipment have to by law, have an F-Gas certificate from REFCOM. Essentially, this is to prove that they’re working within all legal requirements, ensuring that any environmental impact is kept to an absolute minimum. As such, this is helping to support the question ‘Is air conditioning eco friendly?’. 

  • Refrigerants

Older more dated air-conditioning units often utilise energy-intensive, ozone-damaging refrigerants. A refrigerant is a substance used in a heat cycle to transfer heat from one area to another. The main function of the refrigerant is to travel through the system to the different parts of the air conditioner, changing from a low-pressure gas to a high-pressure liquid. It absorbs heat and then releases it along its journey, helping to bring cool air to the rooms of your home or workspace. However, ‘Freon’ is a gas used as a refrigerant in air conditioning applications and is incredibly harmful. It significantly depletes the ozone layer and is unsafe for the environment. It became so harmful that it is now illegal for AC systems made after 2010 to rely on Freon thus, making air conditioning eco friendly. 

Benefits Of Eco Friendly AC Units:

Finally, we will explain the benefits of having air conditioning systems that are environmentally friendly.

  • Reduces Energy Bills

Utilising eco-friendly air conditioning systems reduces your energy bills in a few different ways including:

  • Reducing the power needed to operate the pumping system
  • Reducing the power needed to cool the air
  • Conserves cool air and energy to be used later

In addition, newer AC  systems are more compact, meaning the amount of electricity used to run them is reduced.

  • Reduces Harmful Emissions

When you reduce how much energy you are using, you are reducing the amount of harmful emissions that are put into the atmosphere and contributing to a better carbon footprint. Furthermore, heat pumps in AC units don’t generate any cool air themselves. This prevents the need to give off any harmful emissions consequently being much safer for the environment.

  • Quieter Operation

It’s not uncommon knowledge that traditional window air conditioners can be incredibly loud, especially central air systems and duct systems in workplaces that require heavy ventilation such as factories. However, with more modern eco friendly AC units, the lack of moving parts on means that there are less ways for the system to make noise.In this blog we have discussed whether air conditioning is eco friendly. If you feel you may need advice from our industry experts here at D-Mec, give us a call on 01525 852 819 or alternatively, email us at – info@d-mec.co.uk