An eco air conditioner can save you a ton of cash while helping out the environment as well. While there are some energy efficient air conditioners and some which use an alternative to hydro fluorocarbons used in traditional air conditioners for cooling, all air conditioners use energy and most use coolants which can damage the Earth's insulating ozone layer. The are some practical ways to cut back on energy use and hydro fluorocarbons and to learn to live in better harmony with our environment.
Many people go from their air conditioned home to their air conditioned car to their air conditioned office. Before air conditioning existed, people had ways of coping with high temperatures. One tip is to keep window shades closed during the hottest part of the day. The sun gives off radiant heat which travels right through you windows. An alternative is low E window glass. Developed by Ford Motor Co., low E glass is designed to reflect the sun's rays in summer and to absorb them in winter. This helps utilize the sun in a new way. Low E glass works with the angle of the sun in the given season.
Old southern homes in the United States typically have high ceilings and plantation shutters. Because hot air rises, the height of the ceilings helped to keep homes cooler. The wooden shutters effectively blocked out the sun's radiant energy also keeping the home's interior cooler. Shaded verandas to allow windows to be open for air circulation while providing a pleasant outdoor area for sitting and socializing. This construction was a form of eco air conditioner allowing the home to stay several degrees cooler than the outside temperature.
Many desert homes in the southwest were designed around a center courtyard. This allowed for more air circulation in the house. These homes also typically had heavy shutters which could be closed against the radiant heat of the sun.
Underground homes maintain a steady temperature year round with the earth suppling insulation. Of course, not everyone wants to live in a cave like environment. The temperature a few feet below the surface of the earth is constant year round. In some buildings roof gardens provide addition insulation from radiant heat and the evaporation from plants and soil helps to cool down the interior of the building with out using additional energy. This is certainly an eco friendly air conditioner.
If you have to have air conditioning, consider a system which uses water and glycol pumped through tubes in the floors and/ or ceilings. Typically this system uses a heat pump to heat and cool, but it can also pump the water underground to cool it. It uses less hydro fluorocarbons than standard air conditioners and is more energy efficient. In humid climates condensation can be an issue with these systems.
Since one of the largest functions performed by air conditioners is dehumidifying the air, companies are trying to develop dehumidifiers that will efficiently remove moisture from the air without the need for hydro fluorocarbons. When the air is dry, the human cooling system works reasonably well to keep our core body temperature in a safe zone. Just drink lots of water to keep hydrated, and perspiration will take care of cooling your body.
The most eco friendly air conditioner is no air conditioner. If you live with less air conditioning, your body will adjust to the heat and you will actually be healthier. You'll certainly be less uncomfortable when you can't be in an air conditioned environment.