Articles tagged with: ac

The Right Temperature for your Home This Winter

Date: February 28, 2017 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

For many homeowners, wintertime is the time of year when they are tempted the most to turn their thermostats up to the highest setting possible in order to keep all of those cold drafts at bay. While this may seem like a good idea, it is not. Constantly setting the thermostat to a high temperature during the wintertime will cause a big spike in energy bills. In order to save money and keep your HVAC system from working too hard, here are some ways you can program your thermostat in order to save energy and money during those cold winter months.

Day Time Temperature Setting

Setting the thermostat too high when it is cold outside is the equivalent of tossing money out of the window. The warmer your home is the faster thermal energy will be lost to the outside. The lower the temperature is inside of the home, the slower the rate of thermal energy loss. To achieve optimal comfort, it is recommended for homeowners to set their thermostats between 68 to 72 degrees while there are people inside of the home. 68 to 72 degrees is a temperature range that is not too warm or cool, and is sufficient enough to warm up the home just enough so that everyone is comfortable regardless of the type of clothing they have on.

Night Time and Away Temperature

When the house is empty for an extended amount of time and at night, it is a good idea to lower the temperature to 58 to 62 degrees. When everyone is sleep and less active, there is no need for the heating and cooling system to waste energy when it is not needed as much. That temperature setting is also enough to keep the pipes in the home from freezing when the temperatures outside drop and no one is home.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Older furnaces and heat pumps take longer to heat up the inside of a home. This can cause the home to feel colder than it really is since the appliance is taking more time to heat things up. In order to improve how fast the furnace responds and to maintain the warm atmosphere inside of the home, it is a good idea to replace all older appliances including the furnace with energy saving appliances.

Digital Thermostats

Invest in a digital thermostat to make setting and maintaining temperatures a breeze. Digital thermostats make it possible for homeowners to set their thermostats in advance and not have to worry about setting them again until the season changes. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and install the digital thermostat in an area that is convenient for you to reach and away from all drafts, sunlight, furniture, doorways, and windows.

When setting a digital thermostat be mindful of the times that everyone is awake and sleep. Consider programming the device so that it lowers and raises the temperatures shortly before everyone gets up, goes to sleep, or leaves the house. If the home is going to be empty for three hours or more, do not forget to set thermostat to a lower temperature to save energy and money while you are away.

The Dangers of a Faulty Air Conditioner

Date: December 27, 2016 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply
The Dangers of a Faulty Air Conditioner

Air conditioners are installed to keep an establishment cool, in this case, a home. But they can also have an opposite effect once it becomes faulty or malfunctions. Faulty air conditioner can be very dangerous for you and your family. According to a study between 2005 and 2009, air conditioners have been the cause of an average of 2,346 home fires per year. These fire accidents have caused casualties, deaths, injuries, and property damage in millions of dollars per year during that span.

The study didn’t indicate clearly as to which kind of air conditioner has been the cause of these fires. But the data strongly suggests that it is between room ACs and central air conditioning units. The study does show that more than 27 perfect of these fire accidents started from bedrooms. While only 11 percent started from the air ducts. This goes to show that room ACs are the bigger culprit behind these fires.  This was further confirmed with an earlier report made by the US Fire Administration which shows that room ACs account for more than 55 perfect of all home fires even though they are just 35 percent of installations.

Prevention:

The main reason behind these AC related fires are electrical and mechanical failures. Short circuits are often the cause of AC catching fires. You should always do a routine inspection to prevent electrical mishaps from happening. You should also consider installing smoke alarms throughout the home and make sure that they are always in good condition to detect fire immediately and prevent it from getting big.

And the most important is to give your AC a proper maintenance so you can minimize the risk of electrical mishaps and also improving its performance and efficiency. For room ACs, you need to clean its filters or replaced them if needed be at least once a month. It would also be better if you hire a professional to do maintenance for your room AC or central air conditioning unit. This way you should be able to prevent any dangers from faulty air conditioners or prevent your AC unit from getting faulty or malfunctions.

Keeping an Eye on Your Outside Unit

Date: September 2, 2014 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

There is plenty you can do to keep your a/c unit clean and working properly longer including keeping an eye on the parts of your unit that are outside of your home. air conditioning, a/cThe compressor/condenser unit is usually located outside in your back or side yard area. In most cases it should be about 2 feet away from your home’s foundation. A great way to keep this part of your a/c unit healthy is to keep it free from obstructions.

Many people do not realize how easy it is for these units to be compromised by weeds, grass and debris. Make sure that you check it out at least every two weeks to see if there are any obstructions to do away with. For the best performance try to keep a 2 foot radius of clear space around the compressor, and also trim back trees or bushes that overhang.

Another thing to pay attention to is the duct system that is in your attic and crawl space, this is where a lot of heat can build up throughout the day. Try to get a good look at the areas you can at least 2 times each year to see if there is any tearing in the insulation or seals. Ensuring that these ducts are insulated well will keep the air traveling through them much cooler. Also, looking for any leaks in these ducts can help you save money and not waste cool air in spaces where it is not needed.

Indoor pets and your A/C

Date: August 19, 2014 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

Many of us are animal lovers and we love the feeling of unconditional love we come home to everyday from our pets. We want them to stay cool during these hot summer months as much as we do, but having indoor pets brings about some issues to be aware of when thinking about your a/c system. Build up of pet hair and dirt can greatly effect the life of your air conditioning filter. A clean a/c filter helps tremendously in keeping your system clean so it can run properly. air conditioning, summer heat, a/c filter

  • Keep pet hair and dirt to a minimum as much as possible, especially where the air intake for your unit is in your home. This will help prolong your filter life.
  • Change your filter more often than recommended because indoor pets will reduce the life of your filter even with your cleaning efforts.
  • Keep in mind also that there are filters on the market that are designed to help reduce pet dander and allergens as well. This may be helpful in increasing the overall air quality in your home.

While it can be a little more work to maintain your a/c unit and filters with indoor pets it is certainly worth the effort because it will keep your unit running smoother and keep the air quality better throughout these hot summer months.

 

 

The videos keep coming

Date: October 11, 2011 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

We are pleased to unveil yet another video – this one features some great testimonials from our clients.

A big thank you to the participants in the video shoot.  It was a lot of fun and we think it turned out great!