Clogged Filter Monitor Indicates Time to Replace HVAC Air Filters

AUSTIN, Texas — Airflow1 has announced a clogged filter monitor, called the CFM-GM, that signals the ideal time to replace HVAC air filters, which the company says can help homeowners keep a cleaner indoor environment, reduce the need for maintenance on HVAC equipment, and trim energy costs. The company currently has a Kickstarter campaign to fund the final development and production of the device.

Airflow1 notes that replacing HVAC air filters is necessary to keep equipment running at optimal efficiency, but knowing exactly when to replace them is equally important. Unfortunately, there has never been an easy or precise way to address that question. Filters become more efficient the longer they’re in place, so replacing one too soon is wasteful. But there comes a point when a filter is no longer performing at all, and the HVAC unit suffers a drop in efficiency, not to mention the accumulation of dust and dirt on the components and in the indoor environment. By some estimates, inefficient HVAC units waste up to a billion dollars in electricity each month.

Seeing this problem and finding there was no straightforward way to check for clogged air filters, engineer and product developer Mike Sweaton set out to design a solution that could adapt to most standard HVAC units. “My goals were to develop a product that was easy to install and see, cost effective for homeowners, and most of all, accurate. The reality is that many people change their filters on a set schedule, but that may not be ideal from a cost and resource-use perspective. Once in full production, I believe the CFM-GM will make a tremendous difference in our nation’s energy usage.”

The CFM-GM is said to allow homeowners to find the “sweet spot” — the moment just before a filter clogs and loses its efficiency. The device works by sensing the differential air pressure between the front and the back of the filter. Sweaton said he conducted rigorous testing and research to identify the most robust, accurate, and reliable pressure sensors.

The CFM-GM is designed to work with 1-inch width filters mounted in a wall or ceiling return grille. The device is also compatible with Supermechanical’s Twine, a wireless home monitoring system.

For more information, visit www.airflow1.com.

Publication date: 10/16/2015

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Clogged Filter Monitor Indicates Time to Replace HVAC Air Filters

Time is now for NJ to reclaim its status as a leader in clean energy | Opinion

By Jeff Tittel

Never has our energy future been clearer than it is today between clean energy and dirty fossil fuels. The upcoming Energy Master Plan update is important not only for New Jersey’s environment but also New Jersey’s economy. We have a choice between more dirty fossil fuels, pipelines, oil trains and pollution or renewable energy, energy efficiency and a green economy.

The Board of Public Utilities is going to be taking input into updating the 2011 Energy Master Plan. The plan is the guiding document on energy policy in New Jersey. The 2011 plan rolled back important energy goals from the 2008 plan. Now is our chance to reverse these rollbacks and make sure that 30 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources by 2020 rather than the current 22.5 percent. Currently the state does not have an energy efficiency standard. We need to push for a 30 percent reduction in energy use through energy efficiency by 2030. We need to look at the long-term to get rid of dirty fossil fuel sources like closing the state’s three coal power plants. We should have a goal of 80 percent of our energy to come from renewable sources by 2050.

New Jersey was a leader in clean energy and energy efficiency before Gov. Chris Christie took office. We were second in the nation and we’re now seventh. We had 10,000 jobs in solar energy; now 5,500. We were seventh in energy efficiency and are now 21st. We were supposed to be the first state in the nation to have offshore wind. Even though five years ago Gov. Christie signed the Offshore Economic Development Act and the EMP calls for 3,000 megawatts of wind power, the Christie administration has blocked financing rules for offshore wind.

This week Gov. Christie officially pulled us out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. RGGI is a ten-state regional compact to reduce climate change, air pollution and fund clean energy projects. RGGI worked; New Jersey received over $40 million a year and it created over 1,800 jobs. It reduced carbon pollution by 18 million tons. By pulling out of RGGI, The governor was invited to have lunch with the Koch brothers while New Jersey saw a loss in funding and jobs. The New Jersey Sierra Club believes the governor violated the Global Warming Response Act by pulling out of RGGI. The governor has also used over $1.1 billion from the Clean Energy Fund, which helps people save money on their energy bills through weatherization and energy efficiency, to plug holes in the state budget.

While Gov. Christie was pulling us out of RGGI, President Obama released his Clean Power Plan. The EPA’s CPP requires reductions in greenhouse gasses and encourages states to participate in regional compacts like RGGI. The CPP is important because this is the first significant attempt by the United States to reduce greenhouse gasses and combat climate change. The plan sets targets for each state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to promote renewable energy. This will help move our economy into the future, providing green energy jobs. While the CPP calls for a 32 percent reduction in greenhouse gasses nationally, it’s only a modest 23 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030 in New Jersey. New Jersey should and could be able to do a lot more than that but Gov. Christie and his administration oppose even those modest goals.

States have two years to comply and if they do not then the federal government will write the plan for them. New Jersey can easily comply because we have the programs and rules in place to meet the CPP’s goals and go beyond. The only thing that’s holding us back is Gov. Christie. Updating the EMP could easily help New Jersey implement President Obama’s CPP. The governor cares more about his national political ambition than he does about the people or environment of New Jersey.

We need to demand action on climate change and these EMP hearings are the first real step to moving us forward on doing so. New Jersey’s energy future should be built on increased solar and wind generation and more energy efficiency. We must demand response programs, green job creation, and a commitment to reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. We need to take a page from the president’s Clean Power Plan and tell the BPU to stop promoting dirty fuels and work towards clean energy and reducing climate change by ramping up their Energy Master Plan. These three upcoming EMP hearings are important because we need an EMP with stronger energy goals. This is our chance to go in the right direction and work with the Clean Power Plan to reduce our dependence on dirty fuels and fight climate change.

Jeff Tittel is director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

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Time is now for NJ to reclaim its status as a leader in clean energy | Opinion

Time to tap solar power

With the price of oil tumbling to new lows, some are rejoicing that falling consumer prices and low inflation will finally bring the happy days that Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised during his campaign.

For the sake of a healthier India and a safer world, however, rather than ramp up spending on cheaper fossil fuels, this may instead be the moment for a more responsible correction. Governments all over the world should seize the moment to scale back fuel subsidies that cause budgetary distortions and swell deficits. If they are clever, they may even redirect the sums earmarked for subsidy payments to promote investments in wind, solar and biomass energy.

As someone who has long argued for proactive steps to wean the country off its fossil fuel addiction, I was encouraged by the Modi government’s recent moves.

Ahead of hosting the First Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet & Expo next month, the government offered long overdue incentives to grow the solar energy sector. In a written statement submitted to the Lok Sabha in early December, Mr Piyush Goyal, Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy, announced fiscal and financial incentives, including capital subsidies for off-grid and decentralised solar power generation systems.

Given the vast area of the country that enjoys regular sunshine, a strategy that focuses on smaller decentralised units avoids the need for the costly development or expansion of electrical grids.

Mr Goyal also wisely offered up to 100 per cent financial support to government and non-profit research organisations and 50 per cent to industry and civil society organisations.

We do not yet have a price tag for these incentives, but we can be sure it will be less than the billions earmarked for oil subsidies for this financial year.

Most importantly, it sends an important message to producers and consumers that it is time to embrace renewable energy as a way forward.

India, which imports 75 per cent of its energy, is considered to be among the winners in the drastic fall of crude oil price, which recently reached its lowest levels in five years.

With the price plunging by 40 per cent since just April, it would have been tempting to woo voters with lower prices of diesel, cooking gas and kerosene oil – but doing so would have squandered this historic opportunity to shift the country’s energy policy onto a more sustainable path.

This adjustment could not come soon enough. Following the US-China pact on reducing fossil fuel use, India has come under intense international scrutiny. The announcement by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar that India has stepped up its use of renewable energy and that about 1.1 million households are using solar energy only helped to underline how far behind India is in this area.

Currently only 6.5 per cent of the country’s electricity is generated from renewable sources, though Mr Modi aims to almost double this in the next three years. From its currently installed 2.8 gigawatts capacity, India plans to grow solar power generation to 100 gigawatts by 2019-20.

According to an International Energy Agency estimate, governments worldwide paid US$550 billion (S$733 billion) in subsidies to offset the price their consumers pay for fuel.

In comparison, wind, solar and other renewable technologies received subsidies of just US$121 billion in 2014. Last year, the bulk of these subsidies was provided by just five countries: Germany (US$22 billion), the US (US$15 billion), Italy (US$14 billion), Spain (US$8 billion) and China (US$7 billion). It is time that India, the world’s third-largest polluter, take its place among countries promoting sustainable and clean energy alternatives.

The forthcoming Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet and India’s readiness to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in solar parks will hopefully mark a sunny departure from the coal-powered future that India has pursued so far.

stopinion@sph.com.sg

The writer is editor-in-chief of YaleGlobal Online, published by the MacMillan Centre, Yale University.

Time to tap solar power

Time To Change Your Vehicles Air Cabin Filter

Car Cabin air filters are considered to be a relatively new addition to all the in-built features that the new cars boast of. However, an air cabin filter does not really get the amount of attention that all other automotive functions do. This is to say that while other instruments are cared for and maintained, a car cabin air filter is often found to be overlooked in regular car maintenance, Which is a pity, because car cabin air filters are as important to the passengers as, say, a steering wheel to the car.

Time to change your vehicles air cabin filter

What an air filter essentially does is to process, or clean the air that finds its way inside the car through the vehicle’s heating and air conditioning system. The air filter installed in the car begins to process this air and cleanse it completely off all the irritants that can cause damage to a person’s health. For a person allergic to dust, or to other agents of air, the air filter inside the car is one of the most important instruments. This is because the air filter blocks all the air particles, which make an allergic person vulnerable to sickness. There are several types of cabin air filters available in the market, including particulate, which filters the air inside the car, thus making the air safe to breath and dust-free. Also essential is the electrostatic filter which works in filtering the ultra-fine particles that are mixed with the air like, for example, diesel carbon.

The air filter of a car should be properly maintained and replaced at proper intervals. With all the dirt that gets accumulated inside the filter, it serves no purpose after a certain amount of time, which is why it becomes important for it to be cleaned. In order to know how to clean air filter of a car, one can check the manual, or can go through the process on the internet. A vacuum cleaner may come to use as the filter can be cleaned by running the vacuum over the filter for a minute or two- so will a bucket of soapy water, in which the filter can be placed and cleaned.

But if you don’t want to waste time in thinking about how to clean the air filter of your car, you may do good to change your vehicle’s air cabin filter. It is recommended that the air filter be changed after every 30,000-60,000 km. Once you remove the old cabin air filter, clean the chamber and the gaskets. Then, install the new cabin air filter. Changing your vehicle’s air cabin filter will assure you a safe, healthy and comfortable ride.

Time To Change Your Vehicles Air Cabin Filter

Time to Change Your HVAC Air Filters?

A dirty air filter decreases the effectiveness of your HVAC system because it inhibits airflow and allows dirt, dust, pollen and other materials to blow through the system. The challenge is how often it should be changed to keep the system working efficiently and extend the equipment life. Too often and you’re wasting money and not often enough and your increasing the operating and maintenance costs. Improperly maintained filters will lower the quality of the air in the home, have a negative impact on air flow, cause equipment to use more electricity and eventually require maintenance to the systems.

In an attempt to easily compare filters, a rating system was created called MERV, an acronym for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value.  The rating from 1 to 16 indicates the efficiency of a filter based on standards set by ASHRAE.  Higher ratings indicate a greater percentage of particles are being captured in the filter.

Fiberglass panel filters are inexpensive and easy to find but they’re not very efficient and they allow most dust to pass through.  They were popular years ago but there are much better products available currently.

Pleated air filters are available in MERV ratings from 5 to 12. As these filters collect dirt and other particles, they become less efficient to the point of impacting air flow.  Allergy sufferers can benefit from this type of filter.  These should be changed every two to three months based on local conditions.

HEPA filters stand for High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance. They are very efficient and more expensive than previously described filters.  Since they are very efficient, they require changing more frequently; possibly, every month.

Electrostatic air filters are permanent and washable. They generally cost more initially but the savings will be based on how long they last.  This type does not add to landfill issues or produce ozone.

To create a system to remind you when to change your filters, set a reminder on your electronic calendar to recur for whatever frequency you determine is best for you.   Be sure to keep a supply of filters on hand to be ready to change them out when the time comes.

Time to Change Your HVAC Air Filters?

Is solar really ready for prime time?

Roslan Rahman | AFP | Getty Images

Solar panels on the roof of a building at the Marina Barrage in Singapore

Predictions that solar energy will disrupt and replace the current electricity grid system may be premature, with analysts noting urban settings are likely to remain dependent on traditional delivery methods for a while yet.

“The problem is solar or wind or some of the other main intermittent renewables only work when the sun is shining or when the wind is blowing or when the tide is moving,” said Lord Ronald Oxburgh, chairman of the Science & Technology committee in the U.K.’s House of Lords as well as a former non-executive chairman of the U.K. arm of Royal Dutch Shell.

Read More Has solar power’s day in the sun arrived?

“None of these things will work unless you have some means of storing energy,” he said on the sidelines of CNBC’s EnergyFuture brainstorming event Tuesday. “You’ve got to have some backup and your backup at the moment looks like fossil fuels.”

That’s been the experience of import-dependent Singapore, which is keenly interested in cutting energy use.

“By using solar energy, we are not going to be able to be self-sufficient,” said Dr. Liu Thai-Ker, chairman for the Centre for Liveable Cities and a former head of Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and its Housing Development Board. “But we’ll try to use solar energy to supplement the energy supply as much as possible,” Lui said on the sidelines of the EnergyFuture event.

He noted the island nation has few other renewable energy options besides solar as it doesn’t have strong winds or currents or large rivers, while due to the country’s small size, nuclear power is too dangerous.

The declining price of installing and using solar power has led many analysts to expect it could effectively compete with and displace fossil fuels, as well as weighing on the finances of traditional electricity distributors.

Read More Solar power’s ‘a decade-long story’: Pro

Solar could reshape the market within 10 years, Bernstein Research said in an April note. Many companies are also stepping up solar installations. Wal-Mart, for example, has said it wants to switch to 100 percent renewable power by 2020.

“Great ideas, but they’re incomplete without another technology,” Oxburgh said. “You’re really talking about fancy batteries. And they exist, but they’re really too expensive for general application.”

To be sure, analysts expect the batteries, and lower prices, are coming. In the April report, Bernstein said it expected moves by distribution utilities to protect their revenue from solar’s incursions would make battery storage more cost effective compared with the grid.

Read More Why Asia’s utilities may welcome solar disruption

“A failed battery technology in the auto sector (too hot, too heavy, too rigid a form factor) might well be perfect for the home energy storage market,” Bernstein said then.

Others also expect the batteries will become cheaper.

“Historically, EV (electric vehicle) battery prices were high because they were customized to large formats, with limited production runs, making each battery much more expensive (per kWh) than the smaller models used to power consumer devices,” Barclays said in a note last month. But with electric carmaker Tesla bundling cheaper laptop cells into batteries large enough to power vehicles, it reaped production efficiencies and brought prices down, it noted.

“The power required to operate an electric vehicle can power the average home for 2-3 days,” Barclays said.

Within an urban setting, there are also expectations that the solar panels themselves can reduce overall energy use.

“If you put it at a suitable distance above the flat roof, it not only generates energy itself, it also reduces the heat transmission through the top floor,” Liu said. “It is really kind of a joint effort.”

He noted the city-state is taking other steps to cut energy use, including orienting buildings in a north-south direction, rather than east-west, to minimize sun penetration and cut the use of air-conditioning.

Read More Solar gadgets that could save the planet

In addition, Liu noted it’s possible to put greenery on the buildings, especially facades with high sun exposure, to reduce reflected heat on the ground.

It’s a plan recently put into practice by the ParkRoyal Hotel in the city-state’s central business district, which, in addition to using solar power for landscape lighting, also has four flours of “sky gardens,” as well as using natural light whenever possible.

—By CNBC.Com’s Leslie Shaffer; Follow her on Twitter @LeslieShaffer1

Is solar really ready for prime time?