The Importance of Indoor Air Quality

You may not be aware that the air in your home is even more polluted than the air outside! Dust, mold, and other allergens can get trapped inside your HVAC system and home and negatively affect its indoor air quality, leading to health concerns and overall discomfort. Thankfully, there are many ways in which you can improve the indoor air quality of your home. Continue reading this blog post to learn more about the importance of indoor air quality.

Indoor air quality can be affected by many different pollutants, including, dust, dirt, pet hair and dander, mold, as well as many others. Even when your home is kept squeaky clean, pollutants in the air can affect the health and comfort of your home or building occupants.

Some effects can be felt immediately or after only short-term exposure to poor indoor air quality, such as itchy eyes, irritation of the nose and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. For allergy or asthma sufferers, babies and toddlers, as well as elderly members of your family, these symptoms and health effects can be exasperated when exposed to poor indoor air quality.

If not properly addressed, long-term exposure to poor indoor air quality can result in respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer. These kinds of medical conditions can prove to be very severe and in some cases fatal.

If you are concerned about the indoor air quality of your home, or have been experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms inside of your house there are many steps you can take towards improving the indoor air quality:

• Invest in an in-home air filtration system. An HVAC professional can provide more information about the latest products on the market.

• Open windows for 10 to 15 minutes everyday (weather permitting).

• Ensure that your home is cleaned on a regular basis - this includes having air filters cleaned or replaced, ducts and vents cleaned, as well as the area around your HVAC unit.

• Add an air-filtering plant to your home. Plants such as English Ivy, Peace Lily, and Chrysanthemum all have air-filtering properties, and add a little life to your home!

• Keep your home at a low-level of humidity. This can be achieved through the use of a humidifier or dehumidifier.

For more information on indoor air quality, or to request an estimate for an air filtration system, we encourage you to visit our website.

The Importance of HVAC Maintenance

With summer quickly approaching, it’s more important than ever that your air conditioning system is in good working order. Many people fail to realize that even if your air conditioning system is operating seemingly without major issue that does not necessarily mean it is running at maximum efficacy and efficiency. The only way to ensure your system is at its best is through regular HVAC maintenance. Regular maintenance will help to keep your system running at peak performance and save you money in repairs and energy costs over time. Continue reading for more information on the importance of HVAC maintenance.  

·       Increases efficiency: Regular maintenance helps to ensure that your system is running as efficiently as possible. When your system is running at peak performance it isn’t forced to work as hard in order to keep your home comfortable. Because your system doesn’t need to work as hard, you’ll notice a significant decrease in your monthly energy or utility bills, especially during the summer months!

·       Alerts you to repair needs: Sometimes your system appears to be in good working order, but there are underlying issues that need to be addressed before they become major problems. Through regular maintenance, a professional can alert you to small repairs before they become bigger issues, saving you money in repairs and replacements and also helping to keep your system running smoothly.

·       Prevents emergencies: Unidentified repair needs can eventually lead to air conditioning and heating emergencies. The last thing you’ll want is to be without air conditioning on some of the hottest days of the year this summer because your system is on the fritz and your preferred air conditioning professional is booked solid for the week. Having your system inspected and regular maintenance performed can help you to avoid these kinds of situations.

·       Increases system lifespan: Not unlike your vehicle, your HVAC system is a complex interworking of parts that require regular tune-ups in order to stay healthy and operating effectively. You wouldn’t expect your car to continue running year after year without putting gas in, changing the oil, or having your tires rotated, so its unrealistic to assume that your air conditioning system could operate without tune-ups as well. Through proper maintenance, your system will not only work better but will also last you longer, which means you won’t need to pay to replace your system for a longer period of time.

HVAC maintenance is an important aspect of keeping your air conditioning system running efficiently and keeping your home comfortable. If you haven’t already had annual maintenance performed on your air conditioning system, now is the time! Give us a call at (219) 464-9181 or click here to visit our website.

Cost of Comfort

With the economy the way it is and rising natural gas costs, we have to try and find a balance of cost over comfort. That’s why being energy efficient is so important these days because it can save you a lot of money on your energy bills.

At Kent Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc, we have several ways to check your system to make sure it is running at optimal performance and keeping more money in your pocket. There are also some small things that you can do to cut down on energy costs. Change your HVAC filters monthly during peak heating and cooling seasons. They only cost a few bucks to replace and a dirty filter makes your system work harder and longer. You can also look for any leaks around your windows or doors that could be letting the heat escape.

If you want to know more about what to expect come this cold season, read our free report “Predicting the Cost of Your Home Heating.” You can see more about the costs of natural gas and a way to cut down your energy usage by 20% from last year.

The Down and Dirty of Your Home Comfort System

As with most things, the better care you take of your heating and air conditioning unit, the better it will perform and the longer it will last. If you neglect your system, then it could be underperforming, and this can really show on your energy bill.

There are simple things you can do to help take care of your system like changing your air filters. This keeps dust and dirt from getting into the system and clogging it up. However, through your system’s months and years of service, it still can collect dust.

This dirt buildup reduces airflow through your system which makes it have to run longer to heat or cool your house. If your system is outside, it can also pick up debris from items like your dryer vents, leaves and lawn mower dust.

It’s important to get your system cleaned and tuned up at least once a year to keep it running safely and efficiently. Read this report about “The Cost of Neglecting Your Home Comfort System” to see more about the hidden costs of putting off maintenance for your home comfort system.

What About My Warranty?

Most heating and cooling systems will come with a warranty whenever you purchase a new system. The length of coverage ranges depending on the system and you can even extend them sometimes when your coverage is almost up. Warranties are great for those unforeseen repair needs, especially if your system is only a few years old.

 But did you know that your warranty could be voided if the manufacturer determines that neglect of maintenance was the cause? Just like you would get an oil change or tune-up on your car, your heating and cooling system needs this same attention. You don’t want your car’s transmission to blow up just like you don’t want your heater to stop working this fall. Especially if you’ll be stuck with the full bill because it could have been prevented with a tune-up.

Unfortunately sometimes, we’ve just got to learn, but we have come up with a few ways to help you avoid this trouble with “How to Avoid Lessons Learned the Hard Way.” Take a look - it could save you a lot of money in the future.

Did You Know…

About half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. That means your home comfort system can have a big effect on your utility bills. So taking care of it can save you a lot of money on your energy bills and also improve your home comfort.

A good way to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently through each season is to get a tune-up. I know what you’re thinking; that’s what you do for a car. But your home cooling system, like a car, requires maintenance to run well. Just like a tune-up for your car can increase your gas mileage, a tune-up for your cooling system can increase efficiency and comfort.

If you are interested in learning more about how to get your system tuned up and ready for the weather change, read “Smart Home Value.” You can get your home comfort system where it needs to be and start seeing instant savings.

Extreme Weather Patterns and Your Home Comfort

Have you ever noticed that sometimes life feels like you’re going from one extreme to another? Like, low, high. Cold, hot. We’ve certainly seen those extremes in weather this year – and will be seeing even more. You’d think that serious cold would be followed by a milder summertime. But that’s not what the weather people see happening. Instead, after a really cold winter pretty much across the country, we’re moving right into another extreme: a really hot summer.

So those really low temperatures are headed really high, and those uncomfortably cold days are about to become uncomfortably hot.

But here’s the good news. This fact of weather life does not mean that you have to be uncomfortable, especially in your own home. In fact, there’s an important step you can take right now to ensure that your home comfort stays steady whatever ups and downs the thermometer shows. This info tells you lots more. Please take a look.