Is It Expensive to Run Evaporative Cooling?

Being able to cool your home is of the utmost importance. Often, it comes at a cost. It seems that spending a fortune on your energy bill is the only way to have a cool home during the hot summer months.

The reality is that there’s a difference in costs when it comes to using traditional HVAC systems and implementing the evaporative cooling process.

An evaporative cooler price is going to be dramatically lower than running AC.

When you’re looking for a cost-effective way to stay cool, it pays to know how evaporative cooling works and what the costs will be.

How Does Evaporative Cooling Work?

Evaporative cooling depends on a water-saturated filter medium and a fan. Essentially, through the process of evaporation, air moves across the filter and cools down. From there, that cooler air is circulated throughout the space.

Areas, where you have a lot of dry and arid air, are able to benefit from evaporative cooling. If there’s too much humidity in the air, the evaporative process doesn’t work as effectively.

Depending on the temperature and the various conditions in the air, it is possible for an evaporative cooler (also known as a swamp cooler) to lower the temperature by as much as 20 or 30 degrees.

There are units of varying sizes. Some can be installed on a ceiling or wall while others are portable. As long as you have a water source and a power source, the unit can be set up anywhere. And with portable units, there are usually water reservoirs so that you don’t need an actual water line going to the unit.

What is the Cost to Implement Evaporative Cooling?

When you decide to invest in an evaporative cooler, it can be considerably more affordable than an HVAC system. Not only are the units more affordable but the cost to have them installed is lower.

HVAC requires ductwork. And if you don’t already have ductwork installed, it can end up costing thousands of dollars.

An evaporative cooler works on an open system as opposed to a closed one. You can get the cooler up and running as soon as you have it plugged in and with a water supply. Open a window or a door in order to get the circulation moving around. Within minutes, you’ll start to feel the cooler air.

When you don’t need ductwork, it drops the costs considerably.

And portable units have no cost for installation.

Realistically, with most evaporative coolers, you pay for the unit alone – and that’s it.

The Costs of Running an Evaporative Cooler

Running an evaporative cooler on a regular basis can be about 10 times less than running an HVAC system.

When you are looking for a way to be energy efficient, save money, and get a cool home, evaporative coolers are simply the best solution.

One of the reasons the system costs so little to operate is that you’re not dependent on so many mechanical systems. The open-air system helps the circulation – and the evaporative process is what’s cooling the air.

On average, evaporative coolers will cost between 20 and 40 cents an hour to run – and a traditional HVAC system could cost two dollars or more to run.

There are a few factors that will determine the actual cost of operating your commercial evaporative cooler and/or residential evaporative cooler, including:

• Size of the space you’re cooling
• The temperature outside
• The humidity levels
• Maintenance provided to the unit
• Your energy service provider

If you were to compare the cost of cooling your home with AC and the cost of cooling your home with an evaporative cooler, you’d quickly see that the evaporative process is the cheaper option.

It’s why many homeowners actually choose to have both. While you can’t run them at the same time, you can pick and choose when it makes the most sense to run each.

When there is not a lot of humidity in the air and it’s really hot, the evaporative cooler can provide you with the most comfort for the least amount of money. Humidity will actually be produced while cooling the air, providing you with the moisture that your skin (and your lungs) crave. Plus, you won’t be spending a fortune for your AC to run constantly as it tries to maintain a comfortable temperature for you.

How to Keep Evaporative Cooling Costs Low

Evaporative cooling costs will always vary. As such, there are things that you can do once you have a unit to ensure that operating costs remain low.

First, be sure that you clean the cooling pads on a regular basis. The evaporative process is dependent on the air’s ability to pass over the water-soaked pads. If there are too many minerals and other pollutants clogging the pads, it will require the unit to work harder.

Some pads can be cleaned. Once they can no longer be cleaned, you will want to replace the pads. When you replace the older filters, you may see that there’s a dramatic difference in the system’s ability to cool and save energy.

Next, be sure that you service your evaporative cooler. Many units don’t require a lot of maintenance. Still, you need to keep them clean and ensure that worn parts are replaced. Additionally, if your unit is being installed somewhere where there is a cold winter, you will want to winterize the unit for several months when it will not be in use.

Taking care of your unit ensures that it’s not only energy efficient but that it also lasts you for many years to come.

Explore the Different Units

The reality is that evaporative coolers work very differently based on manufacturer, size, and design. At Premier Industries, Inc., we want to show you that evaporative coolers can provide you with an energy-efficient way to cool your home on the hottest days of the year.

Contact us today to start exploring the various units, including mobile evaporative coolers and maintenance parts like replacement wet sections. Our professionals will help you to find one that is sized for your home and that offers all of the features you want.

Categorised in: Air Coolers, Coolers, Evaporative Cooling

This post was written by Mike Nicolini