Heating, Air Conditioning and Ventilation Tips
Energy Saving Tips & Ideas Lowering the Energy Bill this Summer
The cost to stay cool can be a burden on your wallet, but there are simple things you can do around the house to help lower your energy bill each month. To begin with, keep your curtains and blinds closed during the heat of the day to ward off unwanted heat and make sure all lights and TVs are turned off when not being used. Additionally, turn off your ceiling fan when you leave the room. Fans don’t actually cool off a room, but they do make you feel cooler. Turning them off will save energy.
Switch the Ceiling Fan's Direction
The ceiling fan can be an asset to your home year round. It can keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter simply by flipping a switch at its base to reverse the direction that the ceiling fan rotates. When your ceiling fan is running in the counter-clockwise direction, air is pushed down to create good circulation and comfortable temperatures by creating a cooling effect. When the fan is running in the clockwise direction, warm air near the ceiling is pushed down to warm up the room.
Turn Up Your Thermostat
When home during the hot summer months, try to turn up your thermostat as comfortably possible. Simply adjusting the thermostat up or down 5 degrees can save you up to $250 a year. Additionally, if you like to sleep with a lower temperature, a programmable thermostat can automatically adjust to accommodate you. In the morning, the temperature can automatically increase so you don’t have to get out of bed to a cold house. This can also be programmed to set your home’s temperature at higher or lower temperatures when home or away to save energy.
Create Some Shade
Creating shade both indoors and outdoors is a great way to save energy during the cooling season. Pulling curtains and shades closed during the day (east-facing windows in the morning and west-facing windows in the afternoon) will keep your home from overheating by blocking out the heat. You can also block the heat from directly hitting your sun-exposed windows by going green with some potted trees or plants. This will not only block the sun’s heat from directly invading your home, but it’ll help build curb appeal!
Attic Fans are Cool
Homeowners living in the northern US states or Canada may consider installing a whole house fan in their attic. When outdoor temperatures dip below 60 degrees at night in the summer, for example, the outdoor air can be a comfortable option compared to running the air conditioner. A whole house fan exchanges the outside air quickly with the indoor air, which removes hot, humid air through the attic or roof of the upper floor. This is best used as an energy saver in the evening and early morning hours when the outdoor air is cooler than indoors.
Zoning at Home
Whether you live in Utah or Florida, zoning systems are the perfect way to eliminate hot rooms and provide an even temperature throughout your home. They allow a single air conditioning unit to have separate temperature zones in each room or section of your home. There are different types of zoned heating and air conditioning systems, but the typical home is divided into multiple zones that allow the homeowner to adjust the temperature as needed in different rooms. This saves energy by allowing you to turn the temperature up, down or off in areas that no one is using. Contact your local heating and air conditioning professional to determine the type of zoning that best fits your needs.
Watch Your Electronics to Save Energy
So you’ve probably added shade to your windows, added a programmable thermostat and sealed your duct system to lower your utility bills. But are you still looking for ways to save energy? Then look to your desk lamps, vanity lights and TVs as the next source of energy wasters. When a TV or lamp is located directly beneath a thermostat, your thermostat is tricked into thinking the room is hotter than it really is because of the artificial heat that radiates from that specific heat source. While the heat from a TV or light may not warm up a room, your thermostat doesn’t know the difference. Simply move the heat source away and you’ll prevent the thermostat from turning on and off as frequently.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Your Appliances
You’ve finally decided to replace your 20-year-old heating and air conditioning system with a new, energy efficient system, but what are you going to do with the old system? Just have the heating and AC contractor haul it away? Try donating a unit that’s still in good working order or try recycling it instead. The municipal solid waste agency in many cities will pick up old units because the steel and copper that make up most of the unit is recyclable. The oil and refrigerant also needs to be properly disposed, so contact your Aire Serv contractor for help.
Ventilation
The Dry Side of Humidity
Humidity isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. You may familiar with this common weather phenomenon during the summer months, but dry skin, static electricity, a scratchy throat and coughing can all be sign’s of low humidity levels in your home. Investing in a home humidifier can help you maintain comfortable humidity levels between 30 percent and 50 percent. Adding humidity also helps you keep the thermostat at a lower temperature in the winter, which lowers energy bills! However, contact a qualified heating and cooling technician to find a humidifier that fits your needs.
Seal Your Ductwork
As much as 20 percent of your heating and cooling costs can be lost through the ductwork. The maze of sheet metal or fiber glass ducts that circulate cool air through the house can be a bigger energy waster than even leaking windows. The most common place for air loss is through the vent registers where the drywall and ductwork connect, but a thorough inspection by a heating and cooling professional can ensure that the duct system is sealed properly and help identify parts that may need to be replaced.
Replace Your Air Filters
Replacing your air conditioner and furnace filter regularly will help increase air flow to your system, which helps your system enjoy a longer life expectancy and more energy efficiency. Your system will last longer because a clean air filter prevents dust and dirt from building up, while a dirty filter slows down air flow and makes the system worker harder to reach your desired temperature. Most filters need to be changed every three months, but if you have pets, suffer allergies or have asthma, you may need to change the filter monthly.
Air Duct Cleaning is Healthy
Poor indoor air quality can be one of the biggest triggers for asthma and allergy sufferers, so cleaning your ducts may be worth looking into for your home. But how do you know if they should be cleaned? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are several instances when cleaning is needed: if the ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris; there is substantial mold growth inside the air ducts or other parts of your heating and cooling system; and if the ducts are infested with rodents or insects. Call a ventilation professional to determine if this is needed.
Open Up to Better Ventilation
It’s common practice to close off crawl space vents or registers in each room to save money, but closing them can actually cause poor air flow. This can also cause the system to work harder and possibly even breakdown. Effective ventilation will allow moisture and airborne pollutants to escape your home, while moving cooler, filtered air throughout your home. When changing from the heating season to the cooling season, you may need to adjust your vent registers for better air control. Typically the upstairs needs more air in the summer months and less in the winter months. To increase the air to the second floor, close down the registers on the first floor ¼ to ¾ of the way.
Size Up Your Ductwork
According to Energy Star, sealing and insulating your ductwork can improve the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system by up to 20 percent or more. That’s why it’s important to have a heating and air conditioning professional perform a ductwork assessment on your system for proper airflow and correct sizing of ductwork. While performing the assessment, they will check for holes, leakage and damage done by critters. When you prevent air from leaking out of the ductwork, you are also helping to create more even temperatures in the home while enhancing indoor air quality.
Watch Your Humidity Level
Watch your humidity level in the cooling season. In additional to making the home uncomfortable, high humidity levels (more than 50 percent) can increase the opportunity for mold, bacteria, dust mites and viruses to grow. If you normally run your fan continuously for air cleaning, you might want to switch it to auto for those hot, humid periods. Continuously running the fan may re-evaporate the moisture the air conditioner has removed and you end up cool but clammy. If you need additional control, consider a whole house dehumidifier. Lower humidity levels make you will "feel" cooler at higher indoor temperatures while saving you money and providing a healthier environment.
Cool Off With Whole House Fans
Looking for an alternative, and inexpensive, way to keep your home cool in the summer? Then consider a whole house fan. To benefit from a whole house fan, it’s best to run it when outdoor temperatures are lower than indoor temperatures. For instance, at night, the outside air is often cooler and can be used to replace the air inside your home because the fan exchanges the cool outdoor air inside and exhausts hot indoor air through the attic. During the heat of the day, when the outdoor air is not cooler than indoor air, the whole house fan (or attic fan) can be turned off.
Control the Humidity and Minimize Allergens at Home
High humidity and temperature can increase concentrations of some indoor pollutants. So, to reduce indoor allergens, it’s important to maintain a moderate indoor temperature, plus a relative humidity from 30 percent to 50 percent, to contain the growth of some biological contaminants, including bacteria, molds, mildew, pollen, viruses, animal dander, cat saliva, dust mites and cockroaches.
Children, the elderly, people with breathing problems, allergies and lung diseases are especially susceptible to disease-causing biological agents from indoor air. Biological contaminants can trigger allergic reactions and some types of asthma. Symptoms include sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, dizziness, fatigue, fever and shortness of breath.
To minimize the contaminants in your home:
• Install and use exhaust fans vented to the outside in kitchens and bathrooms and vent clothes dryers to the outside.
• Ventilate attics and crawl spaces to prevent moisture from building up.
• Keep your house clean to reduce dust mites, pollens, animal dander and other allergy-causing agents.
• Take steps to minimize mold and mildew in basements.
Three Reason to Check your Ductwork before Winter Arrives
Most homeowners have their forced-air heating systems checked before the cold weather arrives. However, not many people think about the ductwork (the channels that spread the heat from the furnace throughout the rest of the home.) There are three basic reasons to check out your ductwork:
Dust: You get extra dust in the house even though you are changing the furnace filters each month. Many Aire Serv locations have a duct-cleaning machine, comprised of a rotary brush and vacuum system, to clean the dust out of the ductwork.
Wasting energy: Go into your attic or basement, push back the insulation and put your hand where the boot (ductwork) meets the grill into a room. If you feel warm air at the seam, heat is leaking into an unintended area. The gaps need to be sealed up to enable the treated air to reach its destination—conserving your energy costs.
Hot and cold spots: When one room is a different temperature than another, this typically means you need to have your ductwork redesigned to distribute equal warmth throughout the house or incorporate zoning for maximum comfort. Ten to 20 percent of heat loss in a home can be attributed to ductwork that was not properly installed. Aire Serv recommends insulating the ducts in areas such as the attic, basement, crawl space and garage. Then the warm air that passes through the ductwork will more accurately retain the heat in order to better heat the living areas.
Take Care of the Air: 10 Steps to Improve Indoor Air Quality
During the cooler months of the year most people find themselves spending more time indoors. As such, indoor air quality (IAQ) is something to consider in maintaining a healthy home environment.
Seasonal asthma and pesky respiratory infections are major concerns for many Americans this time of year. But luckily, most people can improve their indoor air quality just by making a few easy changes. The following 10 steps can help you get started:
1. Contact a certified IAQ specialist to monitor and report on your home or office.
2. Keep pet hair and dander out of the sleeping areas, and away from upholstered furniture, carpets, and stuffed toys. Vacuum and clean carpets, rugs, and furniture often.
3. Don’t smoke (and don’t allow others to smoke) inside your home or vehicle.
4. To guard against carbon monoxide poisoning, ventilate rooms that have fireplaces. Make certain the flue damper is operational and fully open when in use, and ensure the chimney is properly sealed. Also install carbon monoxide alarms throughout your residence.
5. Closely monitor your bathroom for signs of mold growth. Proper ventilation is necessary to allow it to dry thoroughly. Consider calling a certified mold remediation specialist if signs of mold appear.
6. Dust and vacuum your bedroom (and beddings) regularly to help keep down dust and dust mites.
7. If you must use pesticides, limit your exposure, ventilate the area well and keep them away from food. Follow all manufacturer’s directions and warnings.
8. Consider having your home’s central air handling systems—including furnaces, flues, and chimneys—inspected annually and properly repair cracks or damaged parts.
9. Have your air ducts cleaned regularly.
10. Change your heater and/or air conditioner filters regularly.
It makes sense to ensure the air we breathe is as clean as possible. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s IAQ website at www.epa.gov/iaq.
Maintenance and Replacements
Give the Heating and AC System a Check-up
Just like your car needs regular tune-ups to work safely and properly longer, your cooling system can cost you more than it should to make you comfortable without regular maintenance. Having an annual maintenance tune-up is important to the life expectancy and energy efficiency of your air conditioning unit. Part of the service check includes tightening electrical connections, cleaning evaporator and air conditioning coils, checking the refrigerant levels, sanitizing and cleaning the coil drain, checking air distribution, lubricating the fan motor, checking calibration of the thermostat and changing the air filter.
Things to Check Before Call for AC Service
Before you pay an AC repair company to check your broken air conditioner, ensure the main power switch that is supplying the power to the equipment is in the ON position. Second, check all circuit breakers and reset them if needed. Some breakers will trip only half way and will need to be turned off, then back on. Third, replace any defective fuses in the panel box or in equipment switches. Next, be sure the thermostat is properly set in the heating or cooling mode and that it’s set high enough for the system to come on. Fifth, be sure the air filters are clean. Sixth, make sure the blower compartment door is secured. Lastly, familiarize yourself with the equipment operation manual to make certain the system is functioning normally.
Air Filter Tips for New Equipment Owners
Aire Serv® recommends that air filters be changed or cleaned within two weeks of start-up of your new system. If your home is new or newly remodeled, this is very important due to dust, fumes and building materials floating in the air. As a rule of thumb, a follow-up check every 30 to 45 days can then be adopted. Dirty air filters will increase your operating cost and make your equipment work harder, possibly causing damage to your equipment. High efficiency air filters are available for your comfort system.
Get a Plan-A Maintenance Plan That is
Maintenance agreements are your best protection against expensive repairs on your heating and air conditioning equipment. Think of a furnace and AC tune-up like changing the oil in your automobile. It is important to maintain the expensive purchase of your heating and cooling system with routine maintenance and tune-ups for longevity, performance and safety. With regular service, you will prolong the life cycle of your equipment, maintain the highest efficiency possible and catch problems early before damage occurs. Many companies provide maintenance agreements that ensure your heating and AC system receives two tune-ups a year―once in the fall and once in the spring.
How to Prevent Your Equipment from Losing Power
If your power goes OFF or if it blinks ON and OFF, turn your system off and wait five minutes after power is restored before turning the system back on to avoid equipment damage. This will help protect your equipment from abnormal operating conditions or any power surges/spikes that may occur. Surge protectors are a great for protecting all your home electronics, including your heating and air conditioning equipment. A properly sized and placed surge protector can be a small investment that helps protect your more costly investments.
Cleaning Your Way to Improved Indoor Air Quality
If your power goes OFF or if it blinks ON and OFF, turn your system off and wait five minutes after power is restored before turning the system back on to avoid equipment damage. This will help protect your equipment from abnormal operating conditions or any power surges/spikes that may occur. Surge protectors are a great for protecting all your home electronics, including your heating and air conditioning equipment. A properly sized and placed surge protector can be a small investment that helps protect your more costly investments.
Get a Check-Up in the Fall
Before the chilly autumn nights set in, it’s important to make an appointment for your furnace's annual checkup. Without this yearly cleaning and inspection, a heating system can wear itself out quickly, pump deadly carbon monoxide into your home or simply stop working. Whatever type of system you have, don't wait until it breaks down to call for service. A clean, well-adjusted heating system will save you money on fuel and prolong furnace life. Annual servicing is affordable—typically less than $100—especially when compared with the price of a new furnace.
Should You Repair or Replace Your Heating & AC System?
If your heating and cooling system is more than 10 years old, it may be time to consider replacing it with a more efficient system. There are many factors to consider when determining whether or not to repair or replace a system, such as its age to overall investment costs, from initial purchase price to long term operating costs, and utility rates. After analyzing your budget, check out an online calculator here to see what it costs to keeping your existing system. You should also contact your local utility company to see if there are any rebates available for replacing your existing system. They can also tell you about any state rebates too.
Conserve Energy without Losing Comfort
Rising utility and overall energy costs are concerns for most homeowners today. Fortunately, you can save money while being “green” by installing a smart thermostat. Programmable thermostats can adjust the temperature when home or away. Once your desired temperature is set, head to your local garden center to pick up some trees or shrubs that shade the air conditioning unit. Just make sure the foliage is at least three feet away from the unit so they don’t block air flow. This will keep your AC unit from trying to cool off―and your house with it. Additionally, check your attic, crawl space or basement to make sure they’re properly insulated. A properly insulated space reduces your home’s energy demands.
Save Money with Digital Thermostats
Heating and air conditioning systems use the most energy in a home. One way to keep the costs in check is to install a digital thermostat. This simple gizmo can automatically change a home’s temperature while the occupants are away or asleep for optimum energy efficiency.
For every degree a thermostat is set back during an eight-hour period (or up during air conditioning season), the energy savings equals up to one percent. Set the thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for the eight hours you’re away or asleep and the savings can reach up to 15 percent.
“Digital thermostats are easier to set and calibrate than older models,” says Matt Nolen, co-owner of the Aire Serv of the River Cities franchise. “And you don’t have to leave it to memory to change the thermostat when you leave the house.”
Three Types of Programmable Digital Thermostats
A 5+2 model has one setting schedule for weekdays and another for weekends.
The 5-1-1 model has one setting schedule for Monday through Friday, one for Saturday and one for Sunday.
The flexible 7-day model allows a different daily schedule with up to four different temperatures time periods each day.
Some more-advanced units run diagnostic programs and can tell homeowners information such as when to change the air filter. There are even units that start heating (or cooling) early so the scheduled temperature is reached at the desired time. A local Aire Serv expert can help in the selection and installation of the best model for your home.
Eight Home Energy Saving Tips
• Change the systems filter each month to help it work properly.
• Install a programmable thermostat. Increasing the temperature 2 degrees to 5 degrees for the eight hours you’re at work can result in energy savings. (Don’t turn off the system completely; it takes more energy to cool a hot house.) For summer months, only set it as high as is comfortable.
• Install an attic fan. It can remove hot air from the attic so the air conditioner doesn’t have to work as hard.
• Relocate the air conditioning unit to the shade. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10 percent less electricity than one in the sun.
• Use the ceiling fan only when you’re in the room. Running the fan doesn’t lower the temperature, but it does increase evaporation from your skin to help you feel cooler.
• Keep lamps, televisions and other heat-producing appliances away from the thermostat.
• Close the blinds on the southwestern side of the house during the day.
• Avoid closing off vents in unused rooms. Cooling systems are designed to cool the whole house. Closing off vents can cause indoor cooling coils to freeze up.
Stay Cool. Ways to Beat the High Costs of Cooling Down this Summer
Summer means starting up your home’s air conditioning system. Unfortunately, it can also heat up your utility bills. Aire Serv offers these energy auditing tips:
First, have the system checked by a professional to make sure everything is running at peak efficiency. Second, check the level of insulation in your exterior and basement walls, ceilings, attic, floors and crawl spaces. Check for holes or cracks around windows and doors and for open fireplace dampers. Also, look out for unsealed ducts in your attic, basement, and crawl spaces. Third, make sure nothing is blocking the system’s air return inlet, such as a piece of furniture or a rug. This could decrease the air conditioners performance. Lastly, look for ways to use natural light to reduce the time your lights are on, and replace your bulbs with the newer, high-efficient light bulbs and lamps.
A Smart Shoppers Guide to Heaters and Furnaces
Most homes today are heated with a forced-air furnace, heat pump or boiler. The most appropriate type depends typically on the climate and available fuel. In the Northeast, furnaces in many older homes are fueled by oil and operate with a boiler and radiators. Natural gas forced-air is more commonly used in cold climates in other parts of the country. Where the weather does not get as cold, electric heat pumps are an efficient alternative. Here’s an overview:
Forced-air furnaces (also called heaters) operate by blowing air across a heating source. They can be fueled by natural gas, electricity or oil. Where available, gas is most popular because it’s relatively economical. Furnaces that use electricity to heat a coil are most expensive to operate and so are usually used only where gas or oil is not available. Oil forced-air furnaces require fuel deliveries by truck to a tank on the owner’s property.
Heat pumps have an outdoor unit that looks like an air conditioner, and in fact, operates like an air conditioner when in the cooling mode. When heat is called for, the heat pump’s coil absorbs heat from outside air and pressurizes the refrigerant, making it hot enough to give off heat as it passes through an indoor coil in a unit called an air handler. The heat is then blown through ducts into the house. A heat pump usually needs a source of backup heat for those times when outside air gets too cold to provide heat by pressurizing the refrigerant. The backup heat source is usually an electric coil. Still, heat pumps can produce as much as three times more heat for the money than an electric furnace, and they are much more efficient now than when they were first introduced.
Geothermal heat pumps draw their heat and cold from water that circulates through a coil buried underground. The relatively constant temperature of the water makes this one of the most efficient systems, but it’s also the most expensive to install.
Boilers work by heating water and circulating it through pipes to radiators or baseboard heaters. There are no ducts, so central air conditioning requires a separate system. Older boilers circulated steam. This hot water heating, also called hydronic heating, is quiet and comfortable. When circulated through piping installed beneath ceramic tile or wood, the entire floor surface radiates heat upward from the floor, which many people find heavenly. Electricity, gas or oil can power boilers.
Safety
Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Carbon monoxide is a clear, odorless gas that can be fatal before you even realize it’s spreading through your home. If you skip you annual furnace maintenance appointment, you may have a cracked heat exchanger letting this silent killer flourish. In addition to having a furnace safety check each winter, install a carbon monoxide detector onto each level of your home and near sleeping quarters. You should replace the batteries twice a year—especially right before heating season—to make sure they work when it matters.
Detecting Danger from the Silent Killer (Carbon Monoxide)
Safety is a major concern for most homeowners, and many of us take precautions to ensure that our homes are safe for the people living inside. But when was the last time you checked your smoke or carbon monoxide detector? Detectors can be installed on the ceiling or walls, but should be placed in an accessible area. Since carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can be deadly when inhaled in high amounts, make sure there is one installed on each level of the house and near sleeping quarters. Have your professional AC contractor or local fire station inspect your detectors before it’s too late.
Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Exposure
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), moderate levels of carbon monoxide can give you and your family severe headaches and make you dizzy and mentally confused, nauseated or faint. If these symptoms persist, you can lose consciousness and die. Even low levels of carbon monoxide (CO) can result in shortness of breath, mild headaches and nausea. Exposure over a long period of time can result in severe heart and brain damage.
Staying Warm When the Heater Goes Out
Staying warm can be extra important when you experience a long power outage during the cold winter months with freezing temperatures. However, you can be prepared for the unexpected by keeping flashlights, battery-operated lanterns, warm blankets, radios and food on hand at all times. You should also dress warmly in loose layers with gloves or mittens, a scarf and warm hat. You can also make sure your fireplace is in good working order before a power outage strikes and walk off your chill. Walking around or doing mild exercise can help keep your blood flowing and your body warm.
Prepare for Winter Weather with these Safety Tips
Before winter weather brings freezing temperatures, it’s important to make sure your heating system is working safely and efficiently with a furnace tune-up. A maintenance check-up will look for a cracked heat exchanger and other issues that may cause carbon monoxide poisoning. In the event you break out a generator after experiencing a power outage, make sure it’s kept in a well-ventilated area away from the house to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and portable indoor heaters should be kept at least several feet away from any combustible items.
Give Your Furnace Room
When temperatures drop and the warm winter months become a mere memory, one of the first actions a homeowner takes is turning up the heat and running their furnace. To reduce the chance of your furnace leaking carbon monoxide, a clear, odorless gas that can be fatal, make sure there is adequate and clean space around your furnace. Never store cleaning chemicals near the furnace and be sure that nothing is blocking the furnace so that it can take in oxygen, which is needed to properly burn off the gas. Not having enough oxygen can cause what is known as incomplete combustion, allowing carbon monoxide to flourish.
Tips for Staying Warm if Your Heater Loses Power
Even though you’ve maintained your heating system annually, it may still fail you in the worst of times. If you experience a power outage during the cold winter months with freezing temperatures, remember to be prepared with an emergency kit that includes flashlights, battery-operated lanterns, warm blankets, radios and food. You can also dress warmly with loose layers and bundle up with gloves, scarves and warm hats. It’s also important to keep moving. Walk around and do mild exercise to keep your blood flowing and your body warm. Lastly, keep your fireplace in good working order. Never use an outdoor heater in your home, because they can give off deadly carbon monoxide gas.
Pets
Keep Pets Safe during the Winter Months
Your four-legged friends are an extension of your family, so whether they enjoy a nice thick coat or come in the short-haired variety, there are some easy things you can do to make sure they stay safe and warm all winter long. When outdoors, they need cool – not cold or frozen – water available at all times. Additionally, shelter will protect them from the wind and extreme temperatures. When indoors, remember that they can be as attracted to your portable/space heaters too. So keep an eye on them in case they knock a heat source over – putting everyone in harm’s way.