Tag Archives: air conditioning units

Winter Weather Wonders the Land

Britain has, this past week, been blanketed by fog. This has caused flights to be cancelled and delayed across the country which has left travellers, understandably, furious. However, there is simply nothing that can be done, except to wait for the fog to clear of course.

A spokesman for the BAA, Heathrow’s operators, has warned passengers to check with their airlines before travelling due to the fact that Northern Europe has been affected by the fog as well.

The spokesman was quoted saying: “Today 11 arrivals and 12 departure flights have been cancelled and we are advising all our passengers to check with their individual airlines before travelling.”

Meanwhile, Gatwick and Stansted have been able to operate as normal despite the poor weather.

It has also been reported that some areas of the country could witness some snow fall in coming days. Frost and gales are also in the pipeline.

Last weekend it was reported that visibility on some roads was less than 100 yards, due to the fog. I for one was driving south towards Basingstoke and could only see literally 10 metres in front. Dangerous stuff and not something I want to experience again anytime soon.

This cold weather has followed one of the warmest autumns on record, and has, to some extent surprised us all. However, we must remember it is late November and it’s not long now until Christmas rolls around for another year.

Furthermore, this winter weather is certainly sticking around. It is likely that we will see strong winds across England and Wales in coming days, and Met Office spokesman, Dan Williams, has said: “We will be seeing colder nights because of the clear skies.”

Jonathan Powell, of Positive Weather Solutions, has added: “There is a rain-bearing front that could bring a covering of snow on Thursday and Friday in the mountainous parts of the north. Roads will be pretty treacherous as any overnight rain will quickly freeze.”

With such weather now forecast, it is more likely that we will be switching our central heating on rather than turning to our air conditioning units!

If anyone is out on the roads in coming days, be sure to take care and keep your wits about you in icy conditions.

Mongolia to Trial Natural Air Con

The capital city of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, is planning to stay cool in the hot and humid summer months by ignoring air conditioning in favour of creating an enormous artificial urban glacier. An interesting plan indeed, if somewhat a little strange!

It has been reported that the capital city of the country will try to capture some of the very cool winter temperatures in enormous ice blocks that will slowly melt over the summer, and then cool the city. The aim is to build artificial ice shields, known as “naleds”, that will occur naturally in climates in far northern areas of the globe. Naleds can also grow to be over seven metres thick. That sure is one giant block of ice!

Furthermore, they grow when the river water pushes through cracks in the surface of the ice during the day, and then freezes at night time, and thus creates an extra layer of ice.

ECOS & EMI, a Mongolian engineering consortium, is set to attempt to replicate this process by drilling several bore holes into the ice that is currently forming over the Tuul River. This process will be repeated again and again throughout the winter months in order to thicken the ice considerably.

It is interesting to note that the North Korean military used naleds to build river crossings for tanks during the winter, and Russia has also previously used them as drilling platforms. However, engineers normally see them as a threat to railways and bridges. So it is not all positive news surrounding naleds.

The Anglo-Mongolian firm believes that their proposed use in Ulan Bator may set a positive example that will allow northern cities around the world to save on summer air conditioning costs, regulate drinking supplies, and create cool microclimates.

A Mongolian based geologist, Robin Grayson, has stated: “Everyone is panicking about melting glaciers and icecaps, but nobody has yet found a cheap, environmentally friendly alternative. If you know how to manipulate them, naled ice shields can repair permafrost and build cool parks in cities.”

A naled is thought to work in a climate where the winter months dip to as low as somewhere between -5˚C and -20˚C and where the summer months are unbearably hot. However, there is yet to be any proof that such a plan could work, and, evidently they will not be possible in a climate such as the one we have here in Great Britain, and it is therefore expected that sales of air conditioning units will likely remain the same, if not increase, in the UK next year.

Could getting Paid to use Less Energy be a Possibility?

We all know from our bills that prices have doubled in line with the increased cost of imported gas, which now makes up 40% of our demand. The chief executive of British Gas, Sam Laidlaw, said “The price we pay for our gas is determined by a global marketplace, not the marginal cost of North Sea production.”

In the 1990s, it was good for both cost and climate, to rely on a single source of fuel for almost all our heating and half our electricity, which is looking quite foolish now that prices are increasing.

In theory, we should be using less energy and cutting back on our gas, air conditioning units and electrical products like flat screen TVs, as the prices are rising, which should lead to less cost and less carbon in the atmosphere. But the price rises for consumers has also created a political demand for action to cut prices, which has fed demands on George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is responsible for all economic and financial matters, to cut “green levies” on our bills. But some argue that it will raise future bills, which would be counterproductive.

It is thought that it wouldn’t have much effect on our current bills as green levies only account for around 7% of the normal consumer’s bill. Lowering the UK’s 202 renewables target will take around £21 off domestic consumer bills by the next election in 2015, but recent price increases from the big six energy suppliers amount to a £134 rise on average bills and reflect higher gas costs. So we won’t necessarily have a big cut in bills if ditching our green ambitions.

Another thing to think about is in the latter half of this decade when the UK could be even more dependent on imported fuel. No one knows or understands which energy technologies will provide low carbon and low cost power in the future. The reason for green levies is to force the energy industry to diversify so we have a chance of discovering a low cost pathway to a decarbonised power sector by 2030. If we knew what will be cheap in the future, then diversification isn’t the cheapest strategy, but unfortunately we don’t.

As we don’t know what will give us cheap (or affordable) energy in the future, we know that saving energy makes good economic and environmental sense now.

The idea of Green Alliance’s proposal for an electricity efficiency feed-in tariff, is to pay people to use less energy, where consumers will have to pay to build new power stations to meet future demand. Then, if we can spend less to cut our demand and avoid the need to build, we can save money. If we do this, then we could save £35billion on the UK’s energy bill between now and 2025.

The aggressive effect of paying for energy saving is also outstanding. There is no competition to create less generation in today’s market; and none of the government’s electricity market reforms doubtful, thus far will create a market for energy saving.

By paying for energy saving, we can pressure power generators to compete with companies which can display real energy savings, and use private-sector innovation to slice the cost of consumer bills.

With a little change to the government’s flagship electricity market reforms, the policy incentive could be formed, and won’t hold up investment in new low-carbon power stations.

An electricity efficiency feed-in tariff is a economically, politically and environmentally sound answer to business and consumer concerns about price rises. It could also provide relief to those struggling with their energy bills as it could be put into place quickly

It’s officially Autumn in the UK

We may have had one of the nicest springs in 2011, but in Britain we also had one of our worst-ever summers. Summer was officially declared over yesterday as the UK was battered by gale-force winds and torrential rain. Most people saw themselves going to bed earlier than usual as it became darker quicker.

Forecasters predicted unsettled weather throughout the week and it won’t get much better throughout September, so there’s no need to have your air conditioning units switched on.

According to the Met Office, it has been the worst summer in Britain since 1993. Dan Williams, Met Office forecaster, said “Northwest Britain is looking unsettled with showers and even gales. For the South East, we’ll see rain but in general it’s going to be drier and more settled,” which sounds like a very uncertain prediction.

There were gusts of wind up to 60mph in some places in Britain. Railways across the country were disrupted by trees falling on the tracks causing cancellations, ferries along the south cost were severely disrupted and some of London’s tube stations were also closed due to flooding.

Southend’s mile long pleasure pier’s supports and decking were also damaged after a giant barge was blown into the structure.

We still have our fingers crossed for some sunshine though!

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Is your air conditioning unit keeping its cool?

With August getting us hot under the collar in Britain, some people are turning to their air conditioning and have only just realised that their units doesn’t seem to be working anymore. People who have air con units don’t have to spend a lot of money to have ensure a longer life for their unit. Here are a few of our top tips-

As the key component of your homes air con system relies on the coils within the unit to remain free to cool the incoming air, you should keep in clear of debris by removing grass and weeds, as well as keeping a lookout for any insects.

To do this, switch off the electric power, remove the sheet metal screws and lift off the housing. Remove the debris and use a cloth to clean off the coils, some people use a garden hose but this is at your own risk. If you do choose to use a garden hose, do your best to avoid the electronics as there is a risk of electric shocks. Check for any bent coils and straighten them as well as you can before replacing the housing and tighten all the screws carefully.

Next, check for insects, especially for ants as they can be a dangerous intruder. Ants will take up habitation in your air conditioner as they seek shade and water, which can cost you a lot of money. You could have your ducts sealed which could help keep insects out and also puts a stop to hot air leaks into return ducts, which can overburden your air conditioning unit.

Don’t forget to check your filters and clean them on a regular basis (depending on how much you use them) as well as keeping an eye out for leaks as early as possible.

Following these tips and maintaining your air conditioning unit should help ensure a longer life for them.

Love your air conditioner

Our air conditioners can be neglected until we desperately need them over the summer. Not keeping up with maintenance on your unit can run up a huge bill for some consumers. It is said that air conditioners can lose up to around 5% of its overall efficiency if they go without maintenance each year. Air conditioner lovers can avoid unexpected failure during the hot summer by looking out for signs that their air con units are due for service.

Check out for obvious signs

Obvious signs that air conditioning units aren’t running to their full potential include; when the humidity in your home or office has increased and if it hasn’t been cooling your rooms as effectively as it has done in the past.

Not always recognisable

We understand that it isn’t always easy to know if your air conditioning unit has a problem, which is why maintenance every year can be important. Maintenance and inspections may include; checking the refrigerant levels to make sure there are no leaks, inspect safety controls, cleaning or changing the filters, cleaning and checking the compressor and electrical components, cleaning the outdoor coil and checking the air flow and temperature. Customers should make sure that they call a professional to clean, inspect and tune their air conditioning units. This ensures that your air conditioning unit is in safe hands and will be maintained property.

Is it time to replace your air conditioning unit?

If your air conditioner unit is over 10 years old, it’s more than likely that you’ll have an expensive bill for maintenance repairs. If so, it could be time to start thinking about replacing your old air conditioning unit. With the new technology around, it’s possible to get more energy efficient and environmentally friendly model. Even though they can be more expensive to buy, they can use less energy which may save you money in the long run.

Maintenance on your air conditioning unit

The British summer is upon us and even though we’re not having the hottest weather at the moment, it may soon well be. Before it does turn hot, it gives us plenty of time to check and maintain our air conditioning units.

July and August is when we start to get calls from hot and bothered people who have air conditioning units, including the LG R410a and need maintenance done. Ideally it’s best for customers to call us in spring, when it’s not too hot so we can prepare them for the sizzling summer.

You can help upkeep your air conditioning unit at home by spotting leaks and checking the filters in the unit. If they are dirty, it’s easy to clean them out. Ideally they should be changed every three months – but it depends how much you actually use the air conditioning.

Another tip is to make sure the unit is not clogged or covered with dirt or leaves outside the house. However, don’t use a water hose to clean the unit out because of the risk of electric shocks.

To make sure cool air won’t leak from supply ducts, which can make your air conditioning units less efficient, is to have your ducts sealed. This can also prevent hot air seeping into return ducts, which may overwork your air conditioning unit.

If you have had your air conditioning for a long time and have not had any maintenance work on the unit, contact GT Refrigeration for a check up as we can tune, repair or replace your units.