Home Heating Systems- Forced Heating
Currently, in North America, forced heating is the commonly used way to heat homes. Heat from the forced air is produced by either electricity or natural gas. The system works by distributing heat throughout a house using air to carry it. Heated air travels through a system of ducts and is sent out through vents into the different rooms and areas at home. The heat distributed at home is set at where ever the thermostat is set up at. Once the house reaches a specific the temperature, the thermostat will turn off.
Although furnaces have improved a great deal since the Energy Star program was implemented in 1985, household heating still uses around 45% of all housing energy. By decreasing the amount of heat on a thermostat, households can save up to hundreds of dollars on their heating bill and help the environment by using less gas.
According to the California Energy Commission's Consumer Energy center, households can save energy in the winter by turning the thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. By doing this, you get save up to 5% of heat costs per degree.
According to the California Energy Commission's Consumer Energy center, households can save energy in the winter by turning the thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. By doing this, you get save up to 5% of heat costs per degree.
Home Cooling Systems- Air Conditioning
Today, nearly every house has an air conditioner. An air conditioner utilizes easily convertible gas to liquid chemicals. The chemicals are used to transfer heat from house to the outdoors. An air conditioner consists of three parts: a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. The fluid in the air conditioner first arrives at the compressor as a cool, low pressure gas. Afterwards, the compressor compresses the fluid, packing the fluid's molecules together. This causes the fluid to become a hot, high pressured gas and will flow into a condenser. After the fluid leaves the condenser, the fluid cools down and changes to a liquid. The liquid passes to the evaporator and turns into a low pressured gas. When the liquid evaporates, heat is extracted from the air. In the evaporator, the heat in the air is used to turn the liquid in a cold low pressure gas. From there, it continues the cycle from the beginning.
The evaporator in the air conditioner is connected to a fan that circulates air to blow the evaporator fins. The hot air then rises to the top of the room. Usually vents in a house suck the warm air to cool the gas in the evaporator. When the heat is removed from the air, the air becomes cooler. It then gets blown throughout a house until the house's temperature is at that set on the thermostat.
The evaporator in the air conditioner is connected to a fan that circulates air to blow the evaporator fins. The hot air then rises to the top of the room. Usually vents in a house suck the warm air to cool the gas in the evaporator. When the heat is removed from the air, the air becomes cooler. It then gets blown throughout a house until the house's temperature is at that set on the thermostat.
Air conditioning units are mainly powered by electricity. Air conditioning makes up 9% of energy use in houses. A typical efficient air conditioner installed in a 2500 square feet home will use around 5000 watts of electricity at a rate of 5 kWh.