HEATING, VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC)

A tight home requires good mechanical ventilation. It is unhealthy to live in a home with poor air exchange, and ventilating the old-fashioned way (inefficient homes) is neither a good use of our resources nor a way to control where that ventilation occurs. In fact, the vast majority of the energy loss in a normal home occurs in the basement and attic, places where fresh air does not benefit the homeowners.

Meadowlark Energy addresses this problem with energy-efficient ventilation techniques and air filtration systems. When combined with quality high-efficiency equipment and ductwork that maximizes performance, we can create superior comfort, health and energy efficiency in your home or office. We are your one-call solution for HVAC systems that work in harmony with a well-insulated home.

Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs)
Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs)
Air Purification Systems
Ductwork
Furnaces
Boilers and Hot Water Heaters
Air Conditioning
Thermostats
Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Gas Piping
Carbon Monoxide and Backdraft Testing
Occupant Behavior

Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs)

ERVs are an excellent way to mechanically ventilate a house without throwing away most of the energy that has already been generated. An “enthalpy core” in the ERV accomplishes this by exchanging the heat energy from outgoing stale air with incoming fresh air from outside.

Besides recovering the heat energy during exchange, ERVs also recycle water content, keeping a house at a good moisture level during the winter without need for additional humidification, and removing some moisture from the incoming air in the summertime. This can help lower air conditioning energy use, as removing humidity from the air is one of the goals of an air conditioning system.

ERVs come in many different types and can recover anywhere from 65% to 95% of the energy of the conditioned interior air, depending on the model. Some models have HEPA filtration capabilities, resulting in air that is even higher quality in the home. ERVs can also pull from bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms, removing air that has excess moisture or pollutants. Although this usually requires a separate duct system, it is an excellent way to get the most out of your interior air quality with the best overall efficiency.

Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRVs)

These cousins to ERVs recover the heat energy from the air without water vapor recovery. There are some schools of thought that state that HRVs are a superior solution. Both will work well to recover the heat energy from air.

Air Purification Systems

For those with asthma, allergies, or other pulmonary or autoimmune conditions, clean air in your home can be a first line of defense. Besides keeping fresh air in a home with an ERV or HRV, other devices can clean the air in a duct system. From HEPA filter systems that scrub the air of even the tiniest particles to biocide chambers, which use ultra-violet light to kill any micro-organisms that pass through the system, there are many ways to make air in a home that is measurably better than the normal home.

Ductwork

Good ductwork can be the most overlooked part of a building’s mechanical systems, and one that is very important for an efficient and healthy home. Ductwork should be computer modeled and designed accordingly prior to installation. For best system performance, cold air returns should be ducted along with supply ducts, not simply put into framing chases. All ductwork should fit tightly and be sealed either with mastic or with foil tape.

Existing homes can lose significant energy through inferior ductwork and introduce pollutants into the air. Ductwork should never be run in unconditioned areas such as attics or crawl spaces unless these areas can be well-insulated. While many areas of existing ductwork can be hard to get to, frequently it is worth improving those areas that can be reached. In extreme cases, it can actually make sense to re-duct and entire house. Ductwork that is sealed and properly sized makes a home that is more comfortable, healthy and energy efficient.

Furnaces

The least expensive way to save money on furnace operation expenses is to upgrade aging equipment with newer, more energy-efficient equipment. Aging, inefficient equipment can add as much as 30% to the costs of heating and cooling your house, and can contribute to poor indoor air quality.

It is also important to size mechanical equipment appropriately using computer modeling. Oversized equipment will not run at peak efficiency and will result in a home that is less comfortable. With incentives available for high-efficiency equipment, it no longer makes sense not to install efficient equipment in your home, even in the short-term.

Keeping your mechanical system clean and operating correctly requires maintenance, just like any other part of your home. Clean burners operate more efficiently. Clean filtration systems make the system operate without strain and keep your interior air quality higher. You can save money and breathe better air by installing the best equipment and keeping their system in good operational condition.

Boilers and Hot Water Heaters

Boilers, especially steam heat boilers, are significantly less efficient than forced air furnaces. This makes having an efficient building envelope even more important, as the heat lost costs even more to replace. Cleaning the system and making sure the boiler is in good shape not only saves energy, but also is important for safety.

Hot water heaters are similar to boilers and are in most homes. These are typically inefficient, about 65% of the energy used going to heat water that is actually used. There are more efficient models available, up to 96%, that pay off rapidly if the hot water heater is due for replacement. Even if a lower efficiency hot water heater has some years left in it, there can be a good economic argument for replacing it with a higher efficiency model.

Air Conditioning

Air conditioning systems do two things – remove moisture from the air, and cool the temperature of the air. Moisture-laden air will feel hotter than dryer air that is the same temperature, so removing moisture is a key to staying cool.

An air conditioner is a type of heat pump. Heat pumps use a refrigerant gas that is compressed then condensed in a coil outside to remove heat – the fan and compressor you hear running outside is removing heat from the building and imparting it to the outside air. The resulting liquid then goes into the house and and then expanded in a coil located right after the air-handling fan in a duct system. When the gas is expanded in the coil, the coil will become very cold and water vapor in the air will freeze on it. Air moving past it will also become cooler. The gas then goes back outside and the cycle is repeated.

Air conditioners continue to get more efficient in their operation. Code minimum efficiency these days is 13-SEER, a measurement of the air conditioner’s Coefficient Of Performance, or COP. There are more efficient models available, however, and the higher the SEER number, the more efficient the air conditioner.

Keeping the evaporator coil outside clean and in good working order helps these system run more efficiently and last longer. Similarly, with a window or wall unit, it is important to keep filters clean and clear.

Thermostats

Setting your thermostat back when you are not at home can save a tremendous amount of energy over the course of a year. Many programmable thermostats exist that allow this setback to happen automatically. Many families are gone throughout the day, and nighttime while people are sleeping is another ideal time to dial your energy use back.

Occasionally you hear someone say that turning the heat or air conditioning back doesn’t do any good because the system has to work harder when it comes back on. This is categorically false, and programmable thermostats should be used whenever possible, unless you have a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling

Geothermal systems work much like air conditioners, except the heat pump is reversible and can both cool in the summer and heat in the winter. They are exceptionally efficient because unlike an air conditioner which imparts hot air from the house to an even hotter outside, a geothermal system uses the steady 52° Fahrenheit (in Michigan) temperature of the earth as the exchange medium. The air conditioning cycle of a geothermal system is therefore much more efficient.

Similarly, when the cycle is reversed, the 52° temperature of the earth goes a long way toward heating the refrigerant gas to a usable temperature. Much less energy is used to heat a house than bringing in the outside air and warming it.

The earth has an almost limitless heat capacity. The temperature around the geothermal lines going into the earth will change seasonally for a few feet around them as heat is introduced or used, but this will come into balance over time. The earth is a better insulator than a conductor, however, so geothermal systems are great at storing energy long-term for the opposing season. Heat extracted from the home during the summer can be recycled back into the house in the winter.

Geothermal lines can be horizontal if there is plenty of property to dig in around the house, or vertical for smaller city lots. The geology in Michigan is highly variable, so drilling vertical wells can be challenging, but once they are in, the owner can tap into the nearly limitless thermal energy of the earth.

Geothermal systems are electric, requiring no natural gas or propane. As such, it is important to make the building envelope as efficient as possible in order to reduce the size of the system. Electrical energy is expensive relative to natural gas (but not propane), and although a geothermal system is 3-4 times more efficient, it makes sense to make the house as efficient as possible before introducing a geothermal system.

A geothermal system can also be used to heat water in a home. There are a few different ways to accomplish this, from systems that generate about 25% of the hot water needs through waste heat, to full geothermal hot water systems. While not the most cost-effective way to heat water, it is one way that uses a very low amount of energy.

Gas Piping

Natural gas and propane pipes in a house almost always have some leaks in the system, sometimes significant leaks. While not enough gas is emitted to be able to smell, these leaks nonetheless create unhealthy air quality for the occupants. Natural gas is also a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. We test each home for natural gas leaks and repair them as necessary.

Carbon Monoxide and Backdraft Testing

Natural gas and propane both produce carbon monoxide as a by-product of combustion. Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas that is odorless and colorless. Frequently, with natural draft equipment like hot water heaters, furnaces and boilers, the combustion products can end up in the home under certain conditions. Sometimes we find conditions that are extremely unsafe, and the homeowner has no knowledge of the situation.

The symptoms of chronic carbon monoxide poisoning are headaches, vertigo, and flu-like symptoms, as well as depression, confusion and memory loss. Over a long period of time, low level poisoning can lead to central nervous system and heart damage. It is important to get your house audited with testing for carbon monoxide and backdrafting if you have older or lower-efficiency equipment in your home.

Occupant Behavior

One area of energy consumption that is not controllable with any device is the habits of the occupants of a building. If doors and windows are left open for periods of time in the winter, even the most efficient equipment will not realize it’s full potential. Ensuring that your windows are sealed and locked, closing the doors promptly when exiting or entering, and using programmable thermostats are examples of ways that an occupant can help save energy through daily habits.

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