Because our Yuma weather can vary quite a lot, you’ll want to ensure your indoor space remains at a comfortable temperature all day and all year-round. While your heat pump or furnace is responsible for getting your building’s temperature to a comfortable state, keeping it there is another issue, which is why the building envelope is so important.
Your facility’s building envelope is a set of barriers that keep indoor temperatures inside and outdoor temperatures outside. This includes the foundation of your home, your walls and roof (and their insulation), your floors and any windows or doors which cross the boundary. A strong thermal envelope can have a powerful effect on your facility’s energy efficiency.
For example, you probably know that it’s harder to keep your building cool if the windows are open during the hottest parts of the summer. This is because cooled air is escaping and warm outside air is infiltrating your facility, bringing excess heat with it. The same thing can happen if you have air leaks in your building. If you don’t have sufficient insulation, heat energy can infiltrate into or escape from your building even without an open path for airflow.
Your facility’s envelope can also impact your indoor humidity, which can have implications on your indoor air quality as well. Controlling humidity might require specifically designing basement and foundation areas to reduce condensation, and installing ventilation systems that allow air to be brought in or expelled without wasting the energy that’s gone into temperature control. Some systems, such as energy recovery ventilation, can transfer heat between incoming and outgoing air, allowing indoor pollutants and humidity to be exhausted without compromising your thermal envelope.
To learn more about your facility’s building envelope and how to tighten it, connect with Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company in Yuma today!
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy efficiency and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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