Implementing Energy-efficient Cooling Strategies – Energy efficiency has an important role to play in ensuring Northern Ireland meets its net zero commitments.
It’s about changing the way we use energy. The more efficient we are with the energy we use, the greater our ability to reduce both the amount of electricity we generate and our dependence on burning fossil fuels that lead to harmful emissions. If our homes and businesses don’t need as much power and heat to function, energy bills are lowered, putting more money in the consumer’s pocket and helping businesses improve their competitive advantage.
Implementing Energy-efficient Cooling Strategies
Improving the energy efficiency of our building stock will not only help reduce carbon emissions but also stimulate economic growth. Investment in building refurbishment will provide a significant boost to jobs in the construction sector, as well as the wider economy.
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The Department of Economy has the lead responsibility for the development of energy efficiency policy and legislation in Northern Ireland, in collaboration with other departments and public bodies.
In 2020, Ove Arup undertook a comprehensive research study, for the Department, to identify a roadmap of energy efficiency policy levers to help Northern Ireland contribute to the UK’s ‘net zero’ 2050 target.
The NI Central Government Energy Management Strategy and Action Plan (EMS) aims to support and significantly accelerate action to maximize the utilization of energy efficiency opportunities in both current and future assets and work towards improved governance, accountability, strategic management and reporting arrangements for sustainable long-term success.
As part of the 2016/17 Asset Management Strategy Action Plan, the Strategic Investment Board (SIB) reviewed energy management options across 3,051 public assets to reduce demand and costs, generate revenue and provide this roadmap for energy delivery and cost savings.
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Progress towards this 30 per cent target will be assessed annually and will be informed by robust consumption data. The Department of Finance has agreed to be the sponsoring department for the Energy Management Program, on behalf of NICS.
Given the cross-cutting nature of energy efficiency, the Department relies on a number of other executive departments and public bodies to fulfill its role in improving energy efficiency, including:.
How to request information from the Treasury, including Freedom of Information (FOI) and the use of our publication schedule. This upside down pyramid shows some recommended steps to increase energy efficiency. The most important thing to remember is that each step should be performed in the correct order (1-9) to get maximum benefit. The first step is relatively simple, but very cost-effective. As you go down the ladder, the cost and difficulty of the retrofit increases.
Seal above and below window sills and around interior doors, especially around the top of the door.
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If you have ducted heat, find the return grill, remove it from the wall and inspect and seal the cavity behind it.
In areas you can reach, inspect the insulation for gaps and compression (under the floor, in the ceiling space.) Insulation works best with perfect coverage.
Duct-proof your exhaust fans in the toilet (fit a flap that opens when the air is released), bathroom and kitchen, and make sure they are ducted to the outside. At the same time, put in place supply air valves that make the exhaust fans work efficiently.
Install quality window and door seals/weather stripping, and ensure the bottom of all exterior doors has a draft stopper. Go to our webshop for door and window seals.
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Cover all evaporative cooling vents during the winter heating period. Open vents act as chimneys during the winter and suck the warm air from the house. Better yet, remove your evaporative cooler entirely and install some localized inverter split systems for cooling.
Remove old box (wall) air conditioners. They are grossly inefficient and leak a lot of air. Use split systems for heating and cooling, and when installing them, make sure the contractor understands that all penetrations must be made airtight.
Use expandable foam (in a can) to seal the interior wall cavity from the inside of the attic space. Also check hatches and holes in cavity sliding door pockets from above. Interior sliding doors can contribute to significant air leakage.
Use spray polyurethane foam to seal and insulate under the floorboards. This is not a DIY job, but make sure the installer also covers the bottom of exterior walls to prevent wall insulation from falling. Also, make sure the installer is reputable.
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There are installers who can insulate existing external walls with loose insulation. It is not intrusive and very effective. Unfortunately, this is not a job for the do-it-yourselfer.
Tight, well-sealed homes need proper ventilation to maintain adequate indoor air quality. Consider installing a whole-house mechanical ventilation system. (Energy Recovery Ventilation System)
Completing all eight steps will result in the ultimate energy efficient house, but rest assured that each step will bring some tangible benefits including lower energy bills!
Sealing a home from pests also benefits energy efficiency. Efficiency Window and Door Sealing Energy Efficiency for Gas Fix Skylights Energy Efficiency The Smart Tools for Efficient HVAC Performance (STEP) campaign is sponsored by the U.S. Department of (DOE) and managed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to encourage and support the use of smart diagnostic tools that enable home HVAC technicians to quickly and easily install and commission new HVAC systems and identify and troubleshoot waste with errors in existing systems. The STEP campaign serves as a national platform to share information and recognize successes for key stakeholders, including plumbing contractors and installers, utilities, efficiency programs, educators and others.
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Improper installation and maintenance of residential heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems leads to increased usage, occupant comfort issues, unnecessary repairs and reduced system reliability. Researchers estimate that central air conditioners (CACs) and air source heat pumps (ASHPs) in the United States waste 20.7 terawatt hours per year (above a fault-free baseline) due to airflow and refrigerant charge errors alone—that’s 9 percent of national CAC/ASHP consumption, costing utility bill payers an estimated $2.5 billion each year
. A recent analysis by DOE’s Office of Efficiency and Renewable (EERE) found that 70-90% of home heating and cooling systems have at least one waste failure.
Common failures include improper refrigerant charge, improper air flow, oversized equipment, and duct leakage from improper installation and maintenance. Smart diagnostic tools help identify and troubleshoot these potential failures during installation and maintenance. To provide the reliable, high-quality comfort that passengers expect, these devices must be installed correctly from the start.
Automated Fault Detection and Diagnostics (AFDD) identifies operating problems in HVAC equipment and the underlying causes. In premium CAC/ASHP for variable speed residential buildings, AFDD is available for reliability monitoring, but does not currently measure performance. There are ongoing efforts to develop AFDDs for monitoring efficiency, but these would initially only be available in higher priced systems. Add-on products (eg smart thermostats or professionally installed sensors with cloud-based fault detection) are commercially available but have limited performance monitoring capabilities. While they may be the future of high-quality residential HVAC, built-in AFDD products and add-on products can only ensure the efficient performance of a system.
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Conversely, a single set of smart diagnostic tools in the hands of a trained plumbing technician can enable high quality installation and maintenance and efficient performance across many new and existing systems.
See the ACCA Quality Standards for guidance on installation, maintenance and other aspects of quality HVAC installation. DOE’s Building America Solution Center also provides guidance on quality HVAC system installation:
Smart diagnostic tools are used by HVAC technicians to identify faults in residential HVAC systems by pairing a set of digital gauges or probes with an HVAC diagnostic application on a smartphone or tablet. The technician temporarily places the digital probes or gauges to measure temperature, pressure and airflow and transmits this data in real time from equipment in the field to a mobile application that quickly performs the calculations required to verify correct installation, such as superheat, subcooling and operating capacity and efficiency . To achieve savings, key features of smart HVAC diagnostic apps include the ability to use real-time data to calculate system performance and capacity, diagnose system faults, and recommend corrective actions. Currently, three diagnostic applications include all these functions: Fieldpiece Joblink, iManifold and measureQuick.
Smart diagnostic tools enable technicians and installers to quickly install or maintain, and correctly commission, retro-commission and perform diagnostics on residential HVAC systems. Contractors who have used these tools claim they increase productivity and reduce callbacks, leading to improved customer satisfaction. Want to learn more? Contact the campaign team or read the STEP Campaign Contractor Case Study.
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Smart diagnostic tools enable your organization to expand its HVAC quality control capabilities with non-invasive testing. Want to learn more? Contact the campaign team.
Smart diagnostic tools have been used in verified quality installations and tune-up programs across the country. These tools streamline the process and increase transparency in reporting for verified QI/QM programs and equip technicians with the tools and knowledge required to provide quality service to homeowners. Want to learn more? Contact the campaign team or check out our tool and
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