Residential HVAC Mythbusting

Two nagging duct questions answered

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Advanced Two-Stage Design Hits the Market

Author: Leo Rainer

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May 01, 1997

Until recently, most residential two-stage evaporative coolers were of the down-discharge variety and were generally installed on the roof. [continue reading]

Heat Pumps and Manufactured Homes: Making the Marriage Work

Author: Francis Conlin and C. Leon Neal

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November 01, 1996

In my job as the factory-built home specialist for North Carolina's Alternative Energy Corporation (AEC), I have been crawling under, in, and around manufactured homes for the last dozen years, looking for causes of, and solutions to, building energy problems. [continue reading]

Sizing Air Conditioners: If Bigger Is Not Better, What Is?

Author: John Proctor and Peggy Albright

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September 01, 1996

Since the publication of "Bigger Is Not Better-Sizing Air Conditioners Properly" (HE May/June '95, p. 19), homeowners, builders, and contractors have questioned us about sizing and performance issues raised in that article. [continue reading]

Where Radiant Barriers Really Shine

Author: Richard Engel

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July 01, 1996

Manufacturers of radiant barrier materials claim that their products significantly cut cooling costs by reducing summertime radiant heat gain through attics and ceilings (see "Conservation Clips: Radiant Barriers Test Well," p. 45). A new study confirms that radiant barriers can indeed conserve cooling energy. [continue reading]

What Drives Cooling Savings in Mobile Homes?

Author: Wendy Hawthorne and Rob deKieffer

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July 01, 1996

It's cooling season, and if statistics are any indication, utilities, energy technicians, and HVAC contractors will be spending more time than usual dealing with mobile homes this summer. [continue reading]

Cooling By the Stars

Author: Phillip Hasley

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May 01, 1996

An innovative way to cool houses has recently been tried at two sites in California. It's called night evaporative underfloor cooling storage (NEUCS). [continue reading]

Installing and Maintaining Evaporative Coolers

Author: Roy Otterbein

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May 01, 1996

Evaporative coolers cost only one-tenth to one-fourth as much to operate as refrigeration air conditioning and are much cheaper to buy ($400-$800). This makes them an excellent option, particularly in hot, dry areas of the country. [continue reading]

Air Conditioner Shading Shows Minimal Savings

Author: Ted Rieger

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September 01, 1995

A study by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) on the effects of shading outdoor air conditioner condensers indicates that energy savings benefits are modest at best--less than 5%. [continue reading]