Understanding Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling are two of the biggest contributors to your home’s energy bills. That’s why it’s important to understand how these systems work — and how they can be repaired.

Students watch a video of water freezing and melting to learn that cooling and heating can cause a change in matter. They also see an animation that demonstrates that heating causes molecules to move faster and separate from each other while cooling makes them move slower and connect together.

Heating

The heating system is an important part of your home, keeping you comfortable and able to live at a normal temperature. A good cooling and heating system can also help reduce noise levels in your home, creating a more relaxing environment for you and your family. In addition, a good cooling and heating system can increase the value of your home, as potential buyers are more likely to be interested in buying a property with an efficient cooling and heating system. Students learn about the process of heating and cooling, which causes changes that can be seen and felt. Students watch as butter melts and observe how warming a substance makes its molecules move faster and separate from one another, while cooling slows them down and brings them back together.

Cooling

Cooling is the removal of thermal energy from an object, system or environment, usually resulting in a lower temperature and/or phase change. It is achieved by transferring thermal energy from the object to cooler surrounding medium, such as air or water through thermal radiation, conduction or convection. Evaporation is a natural cooling process responsible for water and other liquids changing into vapour.

Students explore how heating and cooling cause changes we can see and understand that some of these changes are reversible while others are not. For example, they observe that warming butter causes the molecules to move faster and separate from each other while cooling butter makes them move slower and come back together.

Ventilation

Ventilation is the replacement of polluted indoor air with clean outdoor air, and it’s one of the most important HVAC functions. It’s also a critical factor in achieving health-promoting comfort and energy efficiency.

Proper ventilation is needed to provide oxygen for metabolism, dilute metabolic pollutants (carbon dioxide and odor), and control moisture, which can lead to mold and other problems. ASHRAE publishes detailed standards for ventilation requirements in homes.

The optimal ventilation rate varies with occupancy levels, schedules, activities, and health concerns. Some buildings can be adequately ventilated by natural forces, such as breezes or winds, while others must rely on mechanical ventilation systems.

HVAC

HVAC, or heating, ventilation and air conditioning, is a subdiscipline of mechanical engineering that designs systems to control the temperature and humidity in indoor environments. It’s also known as building services engineering or commercial engineering.

According to Bright Hub Engineering, an HVAC system usually consists of a heating unit, a cooling unit and ducts that move the air. The heating and cooling units work together to keep the indoor temperature comfortable, while removing excess moisture or pollutants.

It’s important to keep HVAC equipment clear of debris. Routinely check around the outside units to ensure there are no overgrown plants or fallen leaves that can impede airflow and cause your system to work harder.