Go green, save electricity and cut your electric bill with solar-assisted air-conditioning. That was the message delivered Thursday by Gary R. David, manager of Dr. Cool air conditioning, who spoke at the Island Green Building Association’s monthly meeting at Mongoose Junction shopping center.
"It drops electricity use by an average of 30 percent," David said.
While each installation is different, David said that a typical solar-assisted 12,000 BTU air-conditioner costs about $4,000, including installation, while a conventional unit runs about $3,000 installed.
In a technical discussion about this new technology, David said that the sun superheats the refrigerant prior to its going into the condenser. This reduces the load on the compressor.
While electricity is needed to power the fan and the compressor, the new technology uses corn oil as the heat-transfer agent.
David added that the corn oil is environmentally safe—unlike chemicals used in conventional air-conditioners. "So if it gets broken by a hurricane and [the corn oil] goes into the ground," David said, there’s no worries about ground contamination.
The solar-assisted air-conditioners also save electricity by running the compressor at a variable speed. The compressor in conventional units runs at 100 percent all the time, which uses more electricity, David said.
The solar-assisted air-conditioners are also quieter than their conventional counterparts, David said.
Except for the collection tubes, which are made in Malaysia, the solar-assisted units are made in the United States.
While this technology is still new to the territory, David said that in a few months units will be available that heat water as well as cool rooms.
David also had a tip for people who air-condition their homes. He said it makes no sense to run a ceiling fan while operating the air-conditioning because the fan draws the hot air down.
"Leave the hot air up there," he said.
Island Green Building Association is a St. John-based organization of builders, architects and others interested in doing the least amount of damage to the environment while building.
Visit www.igba-stjohn.org for more information on Island Green Building Association. Call David at 693-9071 for more information on solar-assisted air-conditioning systems.
