Efficient Air Handling in a Green World

Green is the new buzzword. Society is coming to realize that the environmental footprint we are leaving in this world is not the one that we want to leave behind for our children and our children’s children. We are becoming aware to the fact that every little bit that we do now can help create a better world for future generations. As such, we aim for the cleanest and most efficient forms of energy usage available to us. One area where businesses are finding a way to improve their carbon footprints is in the realm of air handlers.

Air handlers are units whose purpose is to circulate air throughout larger buildings. They are an essential part to the HVAC system for most structures. Unlike many single family homes, that often have an air conditioner and/or a heater (depending on the region in which they live), air handlers are larger units designed to cover both functions, often in tandem with other air handlers. Commercial units offer three major functions. These are to maintain air flow throughout the HVAC system (often through ductwork), control temperature as needed, and maintain air quality to greatest degree possible. They are typically operated through a control panel similar to a household thermostat.

These units have served a valuable purpose for decades now. However, they have also have a reputation for being terribly inefficient. The handlers require a tremendous amount of energy to do their job. Normal functioning typically creates more output than is needed leading to energy being wasted. They also struggle to heat or cool different areas of a building to different temperatures, which often leads to dueling thermostats and more wasted energy.

However, thanks to modern technology, a great deal of this inefficiency is being rectified. Many of the units coming off the assembly lines today were designed with a much greater emphasis on being more efficient and using less energy to accomplish the same tasks as their older counterparts. While older units were often designed with thoughts towards accomplishing any possible temperature that the user may want, newer units use smaller motors that are focused on a given range that the vast majority of buildings will select for operation. In addition, greater incorporation of computers and sensors help the units to target exactly the right amount of time and energy output necessary to reach a certain temperature. No longer do they need to operate at full bore in one direction or the other until the thermometer tells them to stop.

It should also be noted that not all improvements are strictly with the air handling units themselves. Building owners are also learning how to improve the efficiency of their HVAC systems as a whole. By doing something as simple as improving the sealing of the ductwork, less air escapes from the system prior to reaching its destination, this means that that air handler can operate for a shorter period time. Also, yearly maintenance on the machines used in the system can save the owner a great deal of money and energy use in the long run – one poorly functioning air handler can use 3 or 4 times as much energy to create the same effect as one that is functioning properly. Finally, keeping the thermostat within a given range for most of the year can be effective as well. Drastic and frequent thermostat adjustments can put the system into overdrive and waste any gains offered by using a green unit.


By Felix Chesterfield



For more information on Air Handlers or other HVAC units, please visit the link provided. Also, we recommend that you visit Energy Star for more tips on keeping your heating/cooling system as efficient as possible. Thank you for taking the time to visit this site.