Going Green is as easy as…
I attended a discussion at the Glenview Public Library concerning going green in the building industry. The speaker was an architect by the name of Dave Wystick, Groundwork Ltd. http://www.groundworkltd.com, what he proposed in his presentation was astounding; do the job right the first time and you have just taken your first step to going green.
His job as an architect is to make certain that not only is the design of a building useful, esthetics and timely, but that the structure be built correctly. He showed example after example of beautiful homes that were being torn apart, or torn down, because they were not properly put together in the first place. Air gaps in the walls, improper footings, improper roofing and the list goes on and on.
How does this relate to the HVAC industry? The principle is exactly the same, no matter what manufacturer of furnace, air conditioner, boiler, water heater, humidifier, air cleaner or geo thermal system you have installed in your home. The system is only as good as the installation. I have gone on job after job where a well made piece of equipment that is bench rated at 96% or higher efficiency is only providing about 78% of that efficiency. Leakage in duct work, improperly sized duct systems, improper venting of the exhaust gases, improper sizing of the air conditioning coils, improper piping of the boiler, the list goes on and on.
If you want to feel that you have gone green and helped the environment…take the first step, choose a professional contractor with a good reputation and experience in the industry to install your equipment properly!