Clean Air

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, air pollution has harmful effects on a person's overall health. As such, if pollution is reduced, it adds years onto a person's lifespan. If you are living in a city, like Los Angeles, with high levels of pollution, it is important to realize how clean your air is. Especially since we are spending more and more time inside. It can be very helpful to add on an existing air system. Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/22/longer_life_expectancy_is_linked_to_cleaner_air/ (last access 10/5/09.) An air filter in your air conditioning unit should be changed out or cleaned at least every three months (more than that if you are using your system often, like in the peak of summer). If your filter is not changed out, it can cause problems for your system and eventually the unit will not even turn on. There are many different types of filters. The most basic filter is a cut-to fit media filter which is made up of fibers that catch only the biggest dust (etc). particles. Then, there are filters that use carbon, or other materials to clean air. At the higher end, there are hepa and electrostatic filters that use electricity to charge particles and prevent them from entering the home. These filters will help improve your air quality of your home. This is something important to think about, especially since we have had so many fires this year. The less dust that you have in your home, the better the air quality is going to be. Just something to think about. Even if your air conditioner has an existing filter, you might want to upgrade to a better filter, just so that more particles are prevented from re-circulating in the air.

Tax Rebate

The whole tax credit/rebate thing can be a bit difficult to understand. So here it is in the very basic form (more info can be found on our website). When: January 1, 2009 - December 31, 2010. What: a tax credit/rebate to take money off any money you might owe to the government. Qualified Equipment: Air conditioners with a seer higher than 16, Furnaces with an AFUE of more than 95%. MATCHED systems. (talk to your AC installer/tax professional to make sure your units qualify). How Much: 30% of the costs of equipment and installation up to $1,500. Why: To encourage homeowners to upgrade their old equipment, helping the environment, and keeping jobs (in the AC industry) trekking. Benefits: An efficient unit will keep the home more comfortable, and cost less in energy bills than an older unit. Okay, that's the tax rebate in a nutshell. There are also similar rebates being offered for other energy efficient home upgrades, such as installing efficient windows, roofing and solar lighting. You can find information about all of these at www.energystar.gov. For more information, you can always email us: customercare at sinclairair.com or give us a call 626-331-4541.

Edison Rebates

In continuing with my list of rebates and specials regarding energy use/air conditioning etc. The next on my list is Southern California Edison. The electric company has a page dedicated to the residential rebates that they are currently offering in a variety of areas. That page can be found here: http://www.sce.com/residential/rebates-savings/ (last access 9/29/09.)

Currently they are listing rebates for lighting, appliances, pool and heating and cooling as well as multi-family and solar/generated energy.

While the best way to save money and live energy efficient, is to combine all of your resources and make a bunch of small changes in different areas, It is also important to remember that your heating and air conditioning take up over 50% of your yearly energy bill. In which case, if you reduce your energy use in heating and cooling, you can save a substantial amount of money.

So, according to the SCE rebate page for heating & cooling (here: http://www.sce.com/residential/rebates-savings/heating-cooling/heating-cooling.htm#xD;NRMODE=Unpublished&wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished) there are several things you can do to lower your electricity bill.

Edison advertises five different heating and cooling related ways to save money. The first is their Energy Star qualified room air conditioner rebate. Now as a whole, room air conditioners do not cool as effectively as central air conditioning systems do. However, they are less likely to be energy efficient, and so Edison is providing a rebate for those that are efficient.

The second program Edison offers is the Summer Discount Program. With this, Edison installs a switch in your air conditioner that allows them to turn your air conditioner off at peak times. This in turn, saves you money.

They also provide rebates for installing a whole house fan, which can pull all the hot air out of your home, once it cools down in the evening. Or also for installing evaporative cooling.

They also provide the AC quality program, where if your air conditioner is serviced, they will give you an incentive. This allows the condenser to run at tip-top condition (like a car) and lets out less pollution into our environment.

These programs and the others they offer help to save you money and give back a little to the environment.

Rebates!

We're all looking for a break during these tough economic times. Here are some rebates that you might consider.

All rebates courtesy of the Southern California Gas company, as advertised in their "2009 Energy Efficiency Programs and Rebates For Your Home" http://www.socalgas.com/index/.

APPLIANCES

• Energy Star Rated Clothes Washer - $35
• Energy Star Qualified Dishwasher - $30.

HEATING

• Central Natural Gas Furnace, AFUE of 92% or greater - $200!
• Water Heaters EF of .62 or greater - $30
• Tankless Water Heaters EF .90 or greater - $200! or EF .82 - $150.

INSULATION

• Attic or wall insulation - $0.15/per square foot.

These are just rebates offered by the gas company! I will be cataloging other rebates daily. Or, to find a full list for yourself visit www.fypower.org

New Technology in Air Conditioning

UC Davis, a campus leading the way in many academic areas also leads in environmental advocacy and research. UC Davis holds a national competition (well, several of them) depending on the case, and this year one of the winners was the "Coolerado" Air conditioning system that is designed for light commercial buildings that can cut energy use by 80% over a traditional air conditioning system.

Source: http://www.greentechmedia.com/green-light/post/coolerado-wins-uc-davis-air-conditioning-prize/ - last access 9/23/09, also noted on flex your power's monthly news letter.

These air conditioners were designed to work better in the climates of western states (Southern California). That means that they don't need to waste energy doing processes that may not be needed. These air conditioners would drastically reduce the energy used in the hot summer months. In California, our air conditioners use about 50% of all energy during peek usage. If we could cut that number, we could be freeing up energy for other usage and prevent those rolling black outs.

While this technology is probably out of the price range for most homeowners, the pay offs for larger corperations and industrial buildings are already there. This is just something to keep in mind as our society grows more energy concious and technologically advanced.