Five energy-saving tips from a top HVAC expert

After a cold winter, the upcoming U.S. summer is looking to be sizzling hot, according to predictions. The dire impact of climate change is putting pressure on businesses and households. Latiful Kabir, an advanced manufacturing engineer and a top expert in heating and air conditioning systems, shared his recommendations on how to deal with extreme temperatures. 

Focus on energy efficiency. Both businesses and consumers are using more energy these days, which means their bills are increasing. Also, record-high consumption is only approaching deadlines for fossil fuel exhaustion, which means that electricity prices will also increase. According to the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere, an initiative of Stanford University, the world’s oil reserves will run out by 2052, natural gas by 2060 and coal by 2090.

Invest in powerful economizers. Currently, I am developing economizers, which are devices that reduce the amount of consumed energy for large tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Google. Their data servers are energy-intensive and need to be cooled. Our economizers are large commercial units (LCUs) with a 15-25 ton capacity. It takes at least a few years to design and develop such a system, as well as a reliable supply chain. But smaller businesses, hospitals, and homeowners also can find an appropriate economizer that can help to both lower their energy consumption and utility bills by 20-60%.   

Consider alternative energy sources. Although entirely switching to alternative energy sources is challenging for most businesses and homeowners, we can and should think about integrating them into our lives. Electric vehicles, for example, are slowly becoming a part of our life, so installing a residential EV charging system could help to save costs in the future. Also, the energy law that took effect in August 2022 offers tax incentives for consumers to electrify their homes and cars. For example, taxpayers get a 30% credit of the costs of installing residential solar, small wind or geothermal systems through year-end 2032. 

Think of insulation. Improving insulation in your home or at a business facility is a sound investment and helps you to cut energy costs immediately. You don’t have to change the design of your building, and sometimes it can be as simple as covering air leaks with waterproofing. For businesses, faulty insulation means that the HVAC systems never stop, because the heat and cooling keep coming. For data centers, proper insulation is a must for air-conditioning to work effectively. 

Reducing waste is important. Sometimes this could be something as simple as replacing the raw materials that your business is using. For example, many factories can’t recycle their waste although alternative, more environment-friendly solutions are available. The same goes for households: As consumers, we should be more mindful of everything we buy in order to reduce environmental pressures. After all, energy efficiency is not just about reducing costs but also about adopting a lifestyle that puts us in harmony with our planet’s intricate and complex ecosystem.