Okay, in case you haven’t noticed IT IS HOT!!! The first heat spell of the year is the reminder to many people to have their air conditioner checked for the year. Well, I have a couple pieces of advice to offer on this subject.
The first and most important piece of advice I can give is to suggest you participate in an annual maintenance program with your heating and air conditioning company. If you don’t currently have a company you regularly work with, I would strongly recommend enrolling in Air Assurance’s Extended Service Protection (ESP) Program.
These type of programs typically include a visit in the Spring to get things ready for the Summer and another visit in the Fall to get things ready for Winter. As a participant in Air Assurance’s ESP Program, you will not have to remember to call and schedule your Spring or Fall visit. We call you and remind you that it is time for your next visit. We understand this is an investment, and we want to make sure you get what you pay for.
Since it is Summer, I will discuss what ESP customers receive as part of their Spring visit. One of our highly trained Service Technicians will perform a complete and thorough inspection of your entire heating and cooling system. They will check the operation of your Air Conditioner, as well as its Freon charge. They also diligently clean the outdoor unit to wash away any dirt that may have accumulated since its last cleaning. They inspect the furnace to make sure nothing was damaged during the heating season, and they can change your system’s filters, if you would like.
By keeping your equipment clean you assure that you are able to receive the maximum possible system efficiency. Research has shown that it is possible to save more in energy than the annual investment in the ESP program by keeping the system clean and well maintained. You also can avoid possibly expensive repairs.
The second piece of advice I can give is about scheduling a standard Service Call. If you are not on a program like Air Assurance’s ESP Program, and you just want to have someone come out and clean and check your system, please understand that you will more than likely not be able to schedule the Service Call for the same day you call. Depending on the day, you could have to wait as 4 or 5 days to get someone to your house. There are a couple of factors that contribute to this delay.
First, many companies, such as Air Assurance, give priority of service to their customers on annual maintenance programs. This means that if they call in, they will receive priority over you, just because they are on the annual program. Second, when the temperatures rise the number of systems that fail dramatically increases, and this causes a backlog in scheduling.
So, if you want to help your system maintain its efficiency and potentially avoid costly repairs, I would strongly encourage you to participate in an annual maintenance program like Air Assurance’s Extended Service Protection Program. However, if you don’t wish to participate in such a program, but just want to have someone check your system, please be patient and understand that we will get to you as soon as we possibly can.
At the same time, I would like to thank all of the Service and Installation Technicians at Air Assurance. During this time of the year conditions are difficult and the days are long, but these guys continue to perform extremely professionally. Thanks!
Stay Cool!!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Reducing Heat Gain In Your Home
When it comes to keeping your home cool, there are a lot of factors that contribute to the overall comfort you can achieve. Obviously, your air conditioning system plays a major role in keeping you COOL! However, there are other things you can do that will help. In this post I will try to share a few of the methods I believe work, as well as tell you if I feel they are something you can do yourself, or if you are better off leaving it to the professionals.
Attic Ventilation - If you have owned a home for any amount of time, you are aware of how warm it can get in your attic during the summer. Some of that is unavoidable, but a large portion of the heat is present because it doesn’t have any other place to go. Attic ventilation allows the expanded warm air to escape your attic, instead of finding its way into your home.
There are a number of types of attic ventilation, and there are a couple of important things to keep in mind as you plan on which strategy is best for you. The first thing you need to understand is that even if you add a lot of ventilation openings in your roof, air is dumb and does not know it is supposed to go where you want it to go. One of the most important parts to a correct attic ventilation system is proper venting in the soffets of your house. Soffet vents are louvered openings in the overhangs around your home. This is what establishes the airflow pattern that pushes the warm air out of your attic. When it comes to the size and number of soffet vents, there is no such thing as too much. Obviously you don’t want to completely remove the underside covering on your overhangs, but you do want to install a significant number of soffet vents to allow for maximum air circulation.
Once you have gotten the soffet vents installed, it is time to choose the exit attic ventilation.
There are a number of choices here, but I am really only a fan of two. The two types of ventilation I feel are most effective are ridge vents and passive vents. A ridge vent is a continuous vent that runs along the ridge of your roof. It allows air to leave your attic at its highest point. This is the most effective form of attic ventilation. Close behind is the passive vents. Passive vents are simply openings in your roof that have a protective covering over them to block water and debris. There are powered versions of these vents, but research shows that these vents can be damaging to the indoor air quality of the home because of the large amount of air they pull from the attic. Powered vents are strong enough they can actually pull air from inside the home.
So, I recommend having either a ridge vent or passive attic vents installed to facilitate proper attic ventilation. This is also a job I would recommend leaving to the pros.
Attic Insulation - This is another of those things that everyone knows they need, and most people know they don’t have enough of. The proper amount of attic insulation will dramatically reduce the heat gain on your home, thus requiring your air conditioning system to work less and save you money.
The best type of attic insulation is the kind that is blown into the attic. I say this for several reasons. First, blown in insulation does not leave voids, like what can happen when you lay batts of insulation in your attic. These voids become “hot spots” that decrease the effectiveness of the insulation. You also get a better quality product with blown in insulation.
This is certainly a job that can be done by a homeowner, but again, I recommend leaving this to the professionals. This way you don’t have to worry about damaging your home and cleaning up the installation equipment. Plus, it is about the same price to let a professional handle the job.
Radiant Barrier - This is something most people have never heard of, but it is rapidly gaining in popularity. Recent research indicates that the majority of heat gained in the attic is a direct result of UV radiation. UV radiation passes directly through your roof and warms any surface it comes in contact with. Radiant barriers are designed to repel UV radiation.
There are several types of UV barrier. One type resembles a large sheet of aluminum foil. Another looks like shiny bubble wrap. Still another is part of roof decking material and is installed under new shingles. There is also a paint-based barrier that can be sprayed on the back side of the roof decking. My favorite product is the version that resembles a large sheet of aluminum foil. I like this product for several reasons. It has been proven to be the most effective at repelling UV radiation. It is relatively inexpensive. It is fairly easy to install. And it is essentially maintenance free.
If you think your home could benefit from a radiant barrier, and you are thinking about installing the foil sheets, I would say this is definitely something you could do yourself. I would just suggest starting early in the day to avoid being in the attic during the heat of the day.
There are a number of other products I could discuss, but in the interest of time and space, I will cut it off here for today.
If you have any questions about anything I have discussed, or you are interested in tackling one of these projects, I would be glad to help in anyway I can. Just drop me an e-mail, or give me a call.
Thanks! And STAY COOL!!!
Attic Ventilation - If you have owned a home for any amount of time, you are aware of how warm it can get in your attic during the summer. Some of that is unavoidable, but a large portion of the heat is present because it doesn’t have any other place to go. Attic ventilation allows the expanded warm air to escape your attic, instead of finding its way into your home.
There are a number of types of attic ventilation, and there are a couple of important things to keep in mind as you plan on which strategy is best for you. The first thing you need to understand is that even if you add a lot of ventilation openings in your roof, air is dumb and does not know it is supposed to go where you want it to go. One of the most important parts to a correct attic ventilation system is proper venting in the soffets of your house. Soffet vents are louvered openings in the overhangs around your home. This is what establishes the airflow pattern that pushes the warm air out of your attic. When it comes to the size and number of soffet vents, there is no such thing as too much. Obviously you don’t want to completely remove the underside covering on your overhangs, but you do want to install a significant number of soffet vents to allow for maximum air circulation.
Once you have gotten the soffet vents installed, it is time to choose the exit attic ventilation.
There are a number of choices here, but I am really only a fan of two. The two types of ventilation I feel are most effective are ridge vents and passive vents. A ridge vent is a continuous vent that runs along the ridge of your roof. It allows air to leave your attic at its highest point. This is the most effective form of attic ventilation. Close behind is the passive vents. Passive vents are simply openings in your roof that have a protective covering over them to block water and debris. There are powered versions of these vents, but research shows that these vents can be damaging to the indoor air quality of the home because of the large amount of air they pull from the attic. Powered vents are strong enough they can actually pull air from inside the home.
So, I recommend having either a ridge vent or passive attic vents installed to facilitate proper attic ventilation. This is also a job I would recommend leaving to the pros.
Attic Insulation - This is another of those things that everyone knows they need, and most people know they don’t have enough of. The proper amount of attic insulation will dramatically reduce the heat gain on your home, thus requiring your air conditioning system to work less and save you money.
The best type of attic insulation is the kind that is blown into the attic. I say this for several reasons. First, blown in insulation does not leave voids, like what can happen when you lay batts of insulation in your attic. These voids become “hot spots” that decrease the effectiveness of the insulation. You also get a better quality product with blown in insulation.
This is certainly a job that can be done by a homeowner, but again, I recommend leaving this to the professionals. This way you don’t have to worry about damaging your home and cleaning up the installation equipment. Plus, it is about the same price to let a professional handle the job.
Radiant Barrier - This is something most people have never heard of, but it is rapidly gaining in popularity. Recent research indicates that the majority of heat gained in the attic is a direct result of UV radiation. UV radiation passes directly through your roof and warms any surface it comes in contact with. Radiant barriers are designed to repel UV radiation.
There are several types of UV barrier. One type resembles a large sheet of aluminum foil. Another looks like shiny bubble wrap. Still another is part of roof decking material and is installed under new shingles. There is also a paint-based barrier that can be sprayed on the back side of the roof decking. My favorite product is the version that resembles a large sheet of aluminum foil. I like this product for several reasons. It has been proven to be the most effective at repelling UV radiation. It is relatively inexpensive. It is fairly easy to install. And it is essentially maintenance free.
If you think your home could benefit from a radiant barrier, and you are thinking about installing the foil sheets, I would say this is definitely something you could do yourself. I would just suggest starting early in the day to avoid being in the attic during the heat of the day.
There are a number of other products I could discuss, but in the interest of time and space, I will cut it off here for today.
If you have any questions about anything I have discussed, or you are interested in tackling one of these projects, I would be glad to help in anyway I can. Just drop me an e-mail, or give me a call.
Thanks! And STAY COOL!!!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saving Money with a Programmable Thermostat
For years we have been told that we can considerably reduce our heating and cooling bills by using a programmable thermostat. However, what we haven’t been told is how to use this tool to save the money they advertise.
Too many times I talk with people who use a programmable thermostat, but they aren’t saving any money. In fact, I have spoken to people who actually saw their bills rise after installing this “money-saving” device.
So, how do you use a programmable thermostat properly???
The correct way to use a programmable thermostat is to have different temperatures inside your home based on when you are home and when you are away, but that is only part of the answer. The part you have not been told is that you shouldn’t vary the temperature in your home by more than 4 degrees when you are away. Any more than 4 degrees of temperature difference causes your heating or air conditioning system to work extra hard to overcome the temperature difference.
Many times I find homeowners who have 8, or even 10 degree differences in their programs. These same people are the ones that report increased utility costs after installing the “money-saving” thermostat.
Another potential result of dramatic temperature differences in thermostat programs is early failure of heating or air conditioning equipment. When you force your system to recover from large temperature differences, it has to work at its maximum capacity. This puts extra stress on all of the parts of the system, and any weak parts will fail earlier because of this higher demand.
So, if you want to realize the full benefits of a programmable thermostat, here are words to live by:
- set programs to change temperatures to “higher” levels when you are away
- do not exceed 4 degrees of difference when setting your “higher” levels
- allow the thermostat to work, don’t constantly override it
If you have any questions about programmable thermostats, or if you would like some help deciding if one is right for you, please shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. I am happy to help.
Have Fun!
Too many times I talk with people who use a programmable thermostat, but they aren’t saving any money. In fact, I have spoken to people who actually saw their bills rise after installing this “money-saving” device.
So, how do you use a programmable thermostat properly???
The correct way to use a programmable thermostat is to have different temperatures inside your home based on when you are home and when you are away, but that is only part of the answer. The part you have not been told is that you shouldn’t vary the temperature in your home by more than 4 degrees when you are away. Any more than 4 degrees of temperature difference causes your heating or air conditioning system to work extra hard to overcome the temperature difference.
Many times I find homeowners who have 8, or even 10 degree differences in their programs. These same people are the ones that report increased utility costs after installing the “money-saving” thermostat.
Another potential result of dramatic temperature differences in thermostat programs is early failure of heating or air conditioning equipment. When you force your system to recover from large temperature differences, it has to work at its maximum capacity. This puts extra stress on all of the parts of the system, and any weak parts will fail earlier because of this higher demand.
So, if you want to realize the full benefits of a programmable thermostat, here are words to live by:
- set programs to change temperatures to “higher” levels when you are away
- do not exceed 4 degrees of difference when setting your “higher” levels
- allow the thermostat to work, don’t constantly override it
If you have any questions about programmable thermostats, or if you would like some help deciding if one is right for you, please shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. I am happy to help.
Have Fun!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Things are HEATING up! COOL DOWN!!!
In case you haven't looked at a calendar, or the weather forecast, SUMMER is fast approaching. For me this has to be my favorite part of the year, even though it means spending time in 140+ degree attics.
In this post I want to pass along a few tidbits of wisdom...or at least what I consider to be wisdom.
If you have been considering replacing your Air Conditioning system DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER!!! I say this for several reasons. The biggest reason is that you don't need to pay the electric company any more of your money that necessary, and a new, higher efficiency Air Conditioning system can help. Another reason is that the longer you wait to take action the longer it will take to have the system installed. It isn't unusual for companies to be two, or more, weeks behind on installs when it gets really hot. Finally, you don't want to run the risk of your current system failing before you can schedule to have it replaced. This might lead to you paying for expensive repairs, just to maintain cooling until your new system can be installed.
Another piece of advice is to check/change your air filters. Your Air Conditioning system works longer and harder during the summer months than during any other time of the year. As a result, the air filters will have more air pass through them. You want the air your family breaths to be the cleanest possible, so check/change your filters. If you aren't happy with the level of filtration at your house, let me know. I have a number of ways to make your house healthier.
You also need to have your Air Conditioner serviced, preferrably by a trained professional. A professional will be able to confirm that your system has the correct Freon charge and is operating correctly. They should also clean the coils of your Air Conditioner. If you don't have a professional service your system, you should at least take the time to rinse out the outdoor coils. This is best done by rinsing them from the inside out. You only need to use a gentle stream of water and wash from the top down. Make sure not to damage any of the coils. Damaged coils cause a loss of efficiency.
Okay, in the interest of time I will stop here. If you have any questions, or would like to take a look at some of your Air Conditioning or Filtration options, please drop me an e-mail, or give me a call.
HAVE FUN!!
In this post I want to pass along a few tidbits of wisdom...or at least what I consider to be wisdom.
If you have been considering replacing your Air Conditioning system DON'T WAIT ANY LONGER!!! I say this for several reasons. The biggest reason is that you don't need to pay the electric company any more of your money that necessary, and a new, higher efficiency Air Conditioning system can help. Another reason is that the longer you wait to take action the longer it will take to have the system installed. It isn't unusual for companies to be two, or more, weeks behind on installs when it gets really hot. Finally, you don't want to run the risk of your current system failing before you can schedule to have it replaced. This might lead to you paying for expensive repairs, just to maintain cooling until your new system can be installed.
Another piece of advice is to check/change your air filters. Your Air Conditioning system works longer and harder during the summer months than during any other time of the year. As a result, the air filters will have more air pass through them. You want the air your family breaths to be the cleanest possible, so check/change your filters. If you aren't happy with the level of filtration at your house, let me know. I have a number of ways to make your house healthier.
You also need to have your Air Conditioner serviced, preferrably by a trained professional. A professional will be able to confirm that your system has the correct Freon charge and is operating correctly. They should also clean the coils of your Air Conditioner. If you don't have a professional service your system, you should at least take the time to rinse out the outdoor coils. This is best done by rinsing them from the inside out. You only need to use a gentle stream of water and wash from the top down. Make sure not to damage any of the coils. Damaged coils cause a loss of efficiency.
Okay, in the interest of time I will stop here. If you have any questions, or would like to take a look at some of your Air Conditioning or Filtration options, please drop me an e-mail, or give me a call.
HAVE FUN!!
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