Keep Cool and Save Electricity This Summer
On a hot summer afternoon in California, air-conditioning can consume 16,000 megawatts, nearly a third of the electricity used in the state.
That number might make you think twice about buying a new air conditioner--just when electricity bills are rising and rolling blackouts are looming. Yet this may be the best time, according to utility companies and the California Energy Commission.
So much progress has been made in air conditioner efficiency, experts say, a new central air-conditioning system with a federal Energy Star designation could use half the energy of a 20-year-old model. Consumers who buy such a unit can save 20% to 40% on their overall energy bills, allowing the state to shave vitally needed megawatts off peak demand.
“It’s an excellent time to buy a new air conditioner. If you have a unit that’s more than 7 years old, it would make economic sense to invest in a new one. And you’ll get a rebate,” said Claudia Chandler, assistant executive director of the energy commission.
High-efficiency units cost more, however, and consumers in the past have found the payback time too long and opted for less efficient units, said Greg Rosenquist, an engineer at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“But when you factor in the higher energy prices people will be seeing soon, [purchasing a high-efficiency unit] becomes a much more attractive option,” said Rosenquist, who specializes in air conditioner efficiency standards.
Using national average power costs, he calculates that switching from a unit rated at today’s standard of 10 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) to a more efficient 12-SEER unit would save $42 in annual energy bills. California’s expected rate hikes could double or triple those savings, he said.
Then there’s the array of rebates: $50 to $400 a unit from Southern California Edison; $50 to $225 a unit from San Diego Gas and Electric; and from $75 a unit to $300 a ton from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (air conditioners are sized by tons of heat exchange, with 3-ton units typical in most whole-house applications. Each ton is equal to 12,000 British thermal units, or BTUs).
Some rebates go directly to consumers; others go to licensed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning contractors, who are expected to pass the savings along. (A list of rebates is available on the energy commission’s Web site, https://www.flexyourpower.ca.gov/rebates).
“The idea of this level of incentive is to make buying a high-efficiency air conditioner actually cheaper than [buying] the standard one the code requires,” said Don Cunningham, director of efficiency solutions for the DWP.
High efficiency central-air units cost 25% to 50% more than standard models, said Ray Camacho of Camacho Air in Sylmar. He’s among the approved contractors for the DWP rebate program that so far has replaced 850 central air conditioners.
That’s a collective savings of 5 megawatts of power during peak times, according to Cunningham--enough to power 5,000 homes.
DWP’s customers aren’t subject to the rate hikes just approved by the state Public Utilities Commission. But Southern California Edison’s are, and the increases have spurred people into action. Through late May, Edison had received 2,700 requests for its residential air conditioner rebates, said Gene Rodrigues, Edison’s director of energy efficiency.
One question that comes up: Is it possible to use an air conditioner but avoid the rate hikes that kick in when customers reach 130% of their baseline rates?
The answer might depend on where you live. Baselines vary seasonally from region to region. In June, it’s 9.1 kilowatt hours a day (273 monthly) in Mission Viejo and 42.7 kilowatt hours daily (1,281 monthly) in Palm Springs.
So the Mission Viejo household would see rate hikes after boosting electricity usage 82 kilowatt hours a month, while in Palm Springs it would take a monthly boost of 384 kilowatt before rates would rise.
But the energy commission’s Chandler speculated that flipping the switch would put many Californians into rate-hike territory, based on a commission estimate of average seasonal air conditioner power use: 360 kilowatt hours per month from May through September.
The DWP’s Cunningham agreed, “It’s almost impossible to stay in the first two tiers [categories with no rate hikes] if you use the air conditioner or run a pool filter,” he said.
More than two-thirds of American homes have air conditioners, as will 82% of the 1.6 million new homes being built nationally, says Ed Dooley, of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, a Virginia-based trade group.
Many existing units are 10-to 12-year-old models with SEERs of 6 to 8, the Department of Energy says.
“People are replacing their units, and the trend is toward higher SEERs,” Dooley said, adding that 60% of the 6.7 million central air and heat pump units shipped nationwide last year were replacements.
In California, about half of all homes have air conditioners and 60% of all new construction will include it, Chandler said.
It’s too early to tell what effect California’s energy crunch will have on air conditioner sales. Interest is up, say contractors like Paul Biard of P & M Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in Santa Ana. But people usually don’t decide to buy until it gets hot.
A new central air system, which often requires a new heating system as well, is a substantial investment that could cost $8,000 to $10,000. Room air conditioners cost several hundred dollars. Here are some tips for buyers:
* Decide on the right system. To cool only the immediate area, a room air conditioner (new models are up to 70% more efficient) can do the job. But central air is more efficient for whole-house cooling.
* Make sure the contractor uses Manual J from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America to properly size a central air unit. Most units are oversized, wasting energy and money.
* Buy the most energy-efficient system you can afford, a 12-SEER for central air or a room-size unit with a 10 energy efficiency ratio.
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Lynn O’Dell is an Orange County-based freelance writer.
