Evaporative Coolers Save Energy… But!

Photo from http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org

Even though it is August and still very humid in Arizona, people who have a piggy-back evaporative coolers are counting the days until the humidity and dew point drop enough so they can begin using the “swamp” coolers and save big dollars on their cooling bills.

Evaporative cooling is based on a physical phenomenon in which evaporation of a liquid (usually water) into surrounding air cools an object or a liquid in contact with it.  As the liquid turns to a gas, the phase change absorbs heat.  Technically, this is called the “latent heat of evaporation”.   Water is an excellent coolant because it is plentiful, non-toxic, and evaporates easily in most climates.  Six gallons of water evaporating has the same cooling effect as a typical (3.5 ton) home central air-conditioner.

Never use a swamp cooler and an air conditioner in tandem. This is foolish if you are trying to conserve energy and help the environment. Instead, on really hot days, use the swamp cooler to cool down your house at night. Turn off the swamp cooler during the day, shut windows and blinds to keep the cool air in, and run your standard AC as needed to maintain a comfortable temperature.

At a time when efficient use of energy has become a worldwide concern, evaporative coolers are an attractive means of staying cool when it's not so cool outside. When compared to standard air conditioning, these units require less energy and are also less expensive. Their only drawback is how they are described. They are evaporative coolers, not SWAMP coolers.

The energy efficiency of an evaporation cooler is the big reason that they are used by many people. Compared to a typical refrigeration form of air conditioning, an evaporation unit uses 1/10 to 1/3 the amount of energy. Evaporative coolers are definitely more energy efficient.

However, many people feel that the air from an evaporative cooler is both cooler and fresher than that from an air conditioner.  On a day when the dew point is low the air from an evaporative cooler is at a lower temperature than that from an AC unit. An evaporative cooler also tends to have a higher air flow rate than a refrigerated air conditioner.

Need your Evaporative Cooler or AC Unit repaired or serviced?  Give Aaron’s Mechanical Service a call and let us help you get your cooling running again!

Call 623-388-4436
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Aaron’s Mechanical Services
623-388-4436
info@coolingaz.com
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