The Tribune

By JOSHUA GREEN

Have you felt it in the air? Summer is behind us, and winter will be here before we know it. For some Bahamians, that will mean the air conditioners (AC) that have run all summer will get a break at last. For others, however, that is not an option. Businesses and churches will still need to run their ACs, and restaurants will not be able to turn off their walk-in coolers and freezers. Many homes will also run air conditioners to stay comfortable. If you need electricity for cooling over the next few months, how can you reduce its impact on your electricity bill? That’s what we will talk about today:

• Maintenance Check – If your home or facility uses air conditioners or walk-in chillers, schedule a qualified technician to check your compressors and condensers regularly to be sure the components are in good repair.

Is coolant is leaking? Are the ducts clogged? Is the fan working properly? An air conditioner in good working order can save you a lot of money.

• Energ2 – If you are a restaurant with a walk-in cooler or freezer, you know how much your cooling costs because of how much your energy bill goes up in the summer.

Fortunately, you can fight this year-round by adding intelligence to your walk-in coolers and freezers. With retrofits such as the Energ2, typical savings are 15-30 per cent, which easily puts $3,000 back into your pocket every year.

Since these types of retrofits often go for less than $2,000 and have a 10-year warranty, it is a no-brainer investment for any business. Who would not want to have an extra $30,000 in 10 years?

• Air Flow – Just behind the door of the walk-in cooler or freezer, install overlapping plastic panes so only the smallest amount of air possible is allowed to pass through the doorway, along with your staff and goods.

These panes should extend from the top of the door to the floor, and preferably be several millimetres thick. Replace any that become significantly ripped or damaged to minimise the expensive cold air flowing to the outside.

• Tick-Tock - If your facility has multiple air conditioners and compressors, use timers and delays -if possible - to stagger when your units start up. Imagine the power required to start all your units the moment after Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) stops load shedding in your area. Your power usage peaks in that instant.

Timers and delays will reduce your peak demand (the greatest amount of electricity demanded at any one moment during the month), which is a major factor in many a company’s power bills.

• Hidden Benefit of Solar – Have you ever thought about adding solar panels to your house, church or business? One of the secret benefits of solar panels is how they help to keep the building cool.

Properly installed systems are racked to the roof with a small air space in between. When the sun shines on your panels, they take the heat instead of the roof. And because of that air space, a lot of that heat never transfers down into your home or business. This keeps your building cooler, extends its life and saves you money on cooling.

• Shine when the lights go out – What happens when BPL schedules you for load shedding and cuts off your light? If you have a solar generator, you can power lights, fans and fridges for hours to stay cool.

In fact, even when BPL is on, you can power some items with the solar generator and save a few dollars on the power bill. There is still no fuel surcharge on the sun.

• Don’t skimp – If you are thinking about installing an air conditioner to cool a new room, be sure to get one that is large enough to cool the room properly.

Do not think that you are saving money by getting a cheaper AC that is too small. Even in winter, if the unit is too small to cool the room properly, it will have to run a lot more and make your electricity bill significantly higher than the bigger unit would.

On top of that, you still will not be cool with the tiny unit. Spend the extra dollars to get the correct size unit, and you will save many more dollars on your electricity bill. Or get an outright solar air conditoner.

• SEER Matters – The SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) of an air conditioner tells you how efficient it is. The higher the SEER, the less it costs to run.

If you need a new air conditioner or chiller, our expensive electricity makes it a ‘no brainer’ for you to spend a few extra dollars to get a more efficient unit. The savings will pay you back in no time.

• Upgrade – And, if you have older AC units in the 10 SEER range, consider changing them out, especially if you use your AC regularly. Upgrading to a more efficient unit or solar unit can dramatically reduce your electricity bill.

Many of these tips and tricks will help you save money all year. If we each made our lives more efficient, we would have more money to spend, we would burn fewer fossil fuels, and we would play our part in keeping the Bahamas clean, green and pristine. Now is the time to start.

• NB: Joshua Key is general manager for SuperGreen Solutions Bahamas, located on Wulff Road next to FYP. SuperGreen Solutions is one of the premier advisors, suppliers and installers of domestic and commercial energy efficient solutions.