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Look Inside the Box for Energy Savings

Not all HVAC filters are created equal, and not all are created Green. HVAC filters with Kimberly-Clark Filtration Media offer sustainability advantages that are hard to ignore. With Kimberly-Clark Filtration Media, you get a lower resistance to airflow, which means your HVAC equipment does not need to run as hard to deliver the required airflow to the building. This can translate into reduced energy consumption, and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Air filters are an important, but sometimes overlooked component of HVAC systems, although they play several key roles: they remove contaminants from air that passes through the system to building occupants, and they protect the HVAC equipment from dust that can increase operating costs due to coil fouling.

Filters also play a significant role in the energy consumed to operate the system. The energy used is based on the resistance of the air passing through the media inside the filter. The lower the filter media’s resistance to airflow, the lower the energy consumption will be.

Switching to filters with a lower resistance to airflow is one of the easiest changes facilities can make in an effort to reduce HVAC energy costs. And energy costs comprise the vast majority – more than 80 percent -- of a filter’s total life cycle costs, as seen below.

The three major components to life-cycle costing formula are initial investment and maintenance, energy consumption, and disposal.

When evaluating filters, don’t just focus on the initial purchase price. Consider the energy costs to operate the filters as well. You’ll find that energy costs can be 10 times the initial filter price for a standard pleated filter and 4-5 times the initial filter price for higher efficiency final filters.

According to ENERGY STAR, reducing your energy costs can have a real impact on your bottom line:

• The annual energy bill to run America’s primary and secondary schools is a staggering $6 billion — more than is spent on textbooks and computers combined.

• Colleges and universities spend close to $2 billion each year on energy. Adopting a strategic approach to energy management can lower your energy bills by 30 percent or more.

• Just a 5 percent reduction in energy costs in for-profit hospitals, medical offices, and nursing homes can boost earnings a penny per share.

To see how your facility can reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions by switching to HVAC filters made with Kimberly-Clark Filtration Media, and for information on a filter distributor near you, visit www.kcfiltration.com and check out our Interactive Energy Calculator and our Where to Buy page.

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