Being Uncomfortable Is a Matter of Degrees

Thermostat settings on your air conditioning system are most times directed by personal preference as well as energy savings preference.

For example, the Energy Star program recommends a setting of 78 degrees for conserving energy and staying comfortable while you’re in the home – plus, programming your thermostat for higher temperatures when you’re away during the day.

Others might be more comfortable at 75 degrees, or lower. Again, it’s a balance between your personal comfort and your desire to save on energy usage.

Then there are those other very unfortunate times when the temperatures in your house are not at all what you want them to be. And with growing discomfort, you watch those temperatures inside your house rise to 80, 85, 88… Not good. Not good at all.

However, there’s one solution we recommend as your best option to avoid this scenario. Please take a moment and look at this report, Why Your Air Conditioning System Needs Prep Work for Summer’s Long, Hot Run.

Taking Care of Your Investments

No, this is not an article on financial planning, but this is certainly an issue that could affect your financial well-being.

Your home comfort system is a big investment, no question about it. If you take care of this investment, it will take care of you - over a longer equipment life that is spent operating efficiently, saving you energy dollars and keeping you comfortable. Not a bad result for routine maintenance.

Yes, maintenance matters. But what does it involve? If you’d like to learn more, take a look at our free report, “A Quick and Simple Home Investment.”

Is Your Air Conditioner Trying to Hit the Snooze Button?

After a long hibernation, most of us would wake up slowly. Your air conditioning system could be feeling the same way. In fact, it could sputter in protest at the first sign of a warm day. But basically, all it’s probably trying to tell you is that it just needs a little care after all those months of neglect.

These “wake up” calls are the most important services we provide to customers - because that’s how we get you ready and prepared for those warm summer days. If your air conditioner could say “thank you” for the service, it probably would, but you’ll just have to feel the gratitude in the smooth cooling it provides.

In the meantime, if you’ve been wondering what’s on your air conditioner’s mind, this brief, helpful letter could make it pretty clear.

To Replace or Not to Replace

With temperatures in low digits like they are now, our heaters and furnaces begin to seem like one of the best inventions ever. Truly, the development of home comfort systems was more than just a good idea. They’re actually life-savers during the harshest weather days.

We always tell friends that maintaining your system year after year does two important things: it helps lengthen the life of the system itself, and it helps improve its energy-efficiency. After all, the quality of your system is directly related to the quantity of energy dollars you spend. And, for wintertime especially, system maintenance alerts you to lurking dangers, such as the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty equipment.

Even so, no matter how well you maintain your equipment, at some point, replacement time comes. If you think that’s true for your home, we’ve got some important things we want you to know.

We’ve compiled a free report with good guidance on how and when to make a sound decision about your home comfort system: “To Replace or Not to Replace.”

In the meantime, stay warm. And call us if you need us!

Don’t Let Bad Air Crash Your Winter Season

The cooler the weather gets, the more time families will spend snuggled into their homes and battening down the hatches against winter. The extra time spent together can be enjoyable, but there’s nothing fun about what all the family togetherness is doing to your home’s air.

See, you’re probably aware of the dangers of pollution, smog, and allergens outside your home – but you may not know that your indoor air has the potential to be even more dangerous. The issue has become so pressing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun to address it with special studies.

The Results

EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be two to five times, and occasionally, more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.

Tip-offs

Irritated eyes, nose, and throat are some of the first indicators of poor indoor air quality. Since these symptoms can also accompany colds, the flu, or viruses, it’s important to pay attention to when and where the symptoms begin. Don’t be afraid to play detective. Dust or dirt around heating or air vents, on ceilings or stained walls should alert you that there is a problem.

Read more about your home's indoor air quality to make sure you breathe easy this winter.

5 Things You Can Do to Get Ready for Winter

By the time the cold winds start to blow, it is too late to worry about whether or not your home is ready for the cold winter ahead. What’s done is done, and what’s not done – well, it could cost you hundreds of dollars in home repair.  Luckily there’s no time like the present to make sure you’re prepared before your hindsight kicks in…

1. Have your heating system cleaned and tuned.  A pre-season tune-up is a good investment – it reduces the chances of breakdowns in the middle of winter, improves safety, and pays for itself through more energy efficient operation.
2. Test your system for hazardous carbon monoxide, which can be produced by a dirty or malfunctioning furnace or water heater. We can also install a low level carbon monoxide alarm. 
3. Have your duct system tested for air leaks. According to recent research by the U.S. Department of Energy, the typical duct system loses 25 to 40 percent of the energy put out by the central furnace, heater or air conditioner. 
4. Get your home’s air checked to find out if the air you breathe is unhealthy. Your indoor air can be much more polluted than what is outside, and with all the time spent indoors during the winter, you’ll want to ensure your family’s health, safety and comfort. 
5. Consider replacing your old furnace or heat pump. Just like a car, heating equipment doesn’t last forever. If your system is more than 12 years-old, and you are planning to stay in your home more than a few years, it is wise to consider replacing it before it fails permanently. A new system is safer, more dependable, and can pay for itself through energy savings as it is up to twice as energy efficient.

Click here for a special discount on an Energy Squeezer Tune-Up! (Good through February 15, 2012)

Winter Heating Bills Go Sky-high This Year

While some of the situation is out of our hands – the price of crude oil, for instance – there are many things we can do to keep a rein on our winter heating bills.

Your heating system is the one element that should get the closest look before the cold, costly winter sets in. Now is a great time to have a service tech give your system a thorough evaluation to make sure it’s running properly.

Additionally, the federal government’s ENERGY STAR program makes several recommendations about how you can heat your home smartly this winter, including:

• Replace the air filter in your furnace regularly. Dirty filters reduce air flow, which makes getting the warm air to the registers a lot tougher.
• Install a programmable thermostat. Why heat the home while you’re away? Setting back the temperature in your household when you’re asleep or at work is another opportunity for energy savings – as much as $100 each year on energy costs.
• Seal up your home. Sealing holes, cracks and openings and then adding insulation is one of the most cost-effective means of improving comfort and reducing energy use. Cracks in windows and doors can be plugged through weather-stripping and caulking.

This article on our Facebook Page explains more and offers a great deal that we're offering through January 20, 2012! Take a look!

If It's Such a Great Idea, Why Isn't Everyone Doing It?

The Washington Post recently reported on Pew climate research that showed the breakdown on where we use energy in our home:

• Heating/Cooling – 42%
• Water Heating – 14%
• Lighting – 11%
• Electronics and Computers – 10%
• Refrigeration – 7%
• Cooking – 5%
• Other – 8%
• Statistical Adjustment – 3%

Notice who’s at the head of the list? No question about it, your heating and cooling system sucks up the biggest portion of your energy dollars. That’s why we always recommend one very important way to help you conserve these dollar dollars: regular service and maintenance.

Regular maintenance also helps you stay comfortable in your home and extends the life of equipment that accounts for such a sizeable investment.

Maintaining your equipment can usually prevent breakdowns. The reason a lot of companies keep this a secret is that the average repair is about triple the cost of a tune-up and to replace a system is up to 50 times the cost. A regularly maintained system is actually inexpensive insurance , especially when you factor in the energy savings.

We’ve got a video that explains a lot more. Please take a look.

Is Your Furnace Keeping Secrets?

With winter setting in soon, this is the time to make sure your family will be able to stay warm and comfortable in the months ahead.

First order of business: get your furnace ready for service. Sure, it’s had a good long rest over the warmer months, but that also means it’s had a chance to collect dust, rust and gunk. None of that will help on a cold winter’s night.

The number one reason for your system failing isn’t age, brand, lightning or that you play with your thermostat too much – it’s dirt. That’s right, a furnace that isn’t regularly cleaned and tuned will most likely be the reason the heat doesn’t come one night.

There are a lot of other reasons seasonal maintenance is a good idea – like saving energy dollars, increasing the life of your system and protecting yourself from dangerous problems like carbon monoxide poisoning. This quick video explains more, so please take a look!