Energy Management
In the average commercial building, 50% of the energy bill comes from the HVAC system and 30% of that is directly related to the air filter. Choosing the right air filter can be a big part of your company’s energy saving plan.
What if your filter-buying habits made you money, instead of costing you money?
HVAC Energy Management
Buying the right air filter could save you a lot of energy — and actually save you money — not to mention the ancillary benefits from using less energy.
A lot of people who buy air filters focus on the filter cost, alone. They don’t realize the energy cost difference between filters could be 3X to 7X the filter cost! Energy savings of $50 – $100 PER FILTER are not uncommon, which translates to tens of thousands of dollars per year for even a modest-sized building.
The culprit is the air resistance of the filter and the pressure drop it causes. Even small differences in the pressure drop across a filter aggregate quickly, ratcheting up the electric bill. The most energy-efficient filters start with a lower air resistance and have a slower increase in air resistance over the life of the filter. They also have longer service lives, which means fewer changeouts and lower disposal costs.
Several air filter manufacturers have low-resistance filters in their portfolio. At RP Fedder, we sold the Camfil product line for decades, based on its energy savings potential. Rensa Filtration, however, recently introduced a best-in-class air filtration line made with the latest media technology (spurred by the COVID pandemic). This product line features air resistance 20% less still, while also providing a higher MERV rating over the life of the filter. A true innovation.
Fortunately, you don’t need to trust just the marketing hype. RP Fedder has test ducts and analytic models we can use to calculate what your current filter choices are costing you in energy, and demonstrate — hands-on — the energy consumption differences of the filters choices you’re considering.
Air is invisible, and so are the air filter culprits that are likely costing your organization serious money year after year.
How to Save Energy in HVAC Systems
A filter’s job is to take particles out of the air and maintain efficient airflow in your building. When using a low cost filter, it will clog more quickly, causing a higher resistance to the airflow, and an energy cost penalty. When this happens, it’s time to change the filter. A premium air filter captures particles and maintains the proper airflow two to three times longer than a low cost filter, and requires less frequent filter changes. With premium air filters by Rensa, you buy fewer filters and save on associated labor costs and disposal fees.
Your biggest savings is in energy cost, because by selecting a filter designed for lower average lifetime resistance, your HVAC unit doesn’t work as hard to pull air through the system.
If Cheaper Filters Were Free, it Would Still Cost More to Use Them
The longer you use premium air filters, the more your savings will increase. In fact, if all the cheaper filters available to you were actually free it would still cost you more to use them.
Talk to our sales engineers about doing a simple lifecycle cost evaluation and decide if you’re ready to start saving time, money and energy with your next filter purchase.