A "precooling" temperature maintenance scheme devised by engineers to curtail energy expenditures in small office buildings during hot summer days has been tested in California. The procedure, which was shown to diminish cooling-associated electricity use by 30 percent during high-demand hours, reduces a building's thermostat during morning hours. Since it requires less power to cool a building when it's already at a lower morning temperature, less energy is needed to keep the building at a comfortable temperature during the most heat-intense periods of the day.

The engineers behind this method have acknowledged the idea of precooling structures so less electricity is consumed later in the day when it's hotter isn't new. Their innovation is a "control algorithm" that constitutes a unique precooling strategy for each structure, using information like construction, window number and placement, air conditioning units, and floor material. Incorrectly precooling a building can consequently increase energy use and costs.

Though this precooling method should only lower an annual electricity bill by $50, the engineers who developed it claim its effects are hardly noticeable and a peak-time energy cost incentive could encourage adoption and decrease the risk of power outages.

Via (Newswise)