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5.1 Minimizing Equipment Operation

The first principle of energy conservation is turning off equipment when it isn’t needed. This part of the Energy Efficiency Manual explains how to tailor the output of unitary and packaged HVAC equipment to satisfy the actual heating and cooling requirement. These activities often provide large savings, and they are relatively inexpensive.

The energy conservation measures presented here include devices that reduce energy consumption in heating and air conditioning units. They include setback thermostats, programmable thermostats, timeclocks, time interval switches, motion sensors, people sensors, and contact switches on doors and windows. In some situations, a reliable method is to provide the power to HVAC equipment through a light switch. None of these methods require special skill, but all of them require careful planning.

You can also motivate energy conservation in heating and air conditioning by using energy conservation signs effectively and by using security personnel, maintenance personnel, and other facility staff to control the HVAC equipment.