Don't Get Hot!

During the summer, the heat can be very hard to live with, especially with all those summer holidays and get-togethers coming up. No one wants to have family over for the 4th and have their air system go down. How can we prevent this? Regular service and maintenance of the unit.

Source: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_maintenance This list of maintenance tips is provided from energystar.gov, but if there is something that you are unsure of how to do, it is always a good idea to call your HVAC contractor. Your contractor can perform this maintenance more easily than you can, and they probably won't damage any system components. (While taking a garden hose to your outdoor unit CAN do a substantial amount of damage.) Your unit should be serviced about twice a year (one to get ready for summer, and one to get ready for winter) but you should still change your filters regularly.

Maintenance Checklist Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your cooling and heating system at peak performance by having a contractor do annual pre-season check-ups. Contractors get busy once summer and winter come, so it's best to check the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. To remember, you might plan the check-ups around the time changes in the spring and fall. A typical maintenance check-up should include the following. Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away. Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components. Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use. Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels. Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly. Cooling Specific Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment. Check your central air conditioner's refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment. Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent. Heating Specific Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.

These suggestions should be followed with extreme caution and I can't mention enough: if you are even the littlest bit uncomfortable, CALL A contractor! Actions To Do Yourself Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.

HOT Tips

Summer is Here! (Or at least it's well on its way), It is going to be a HOT one, so make sure that you are prepared.

Here is a list of tips originally posted at www.flexyourpower.org, http://www.fypower.org/res/summersavings/

The Best No Cost or Low Cost Tips to Prepare Your Home For Hot Weather Setting your air conditioner 5° higher will save up to 20% on cooling costs.1 Use fans to make indoor temperatures feel cooler, most ceiling fans use less energy than a light bulb. Have your air conditioning unit serviced to cut 15% of cooling costs. 2 Don't try to cool the great outdoors — Seal cracks, gaps, leaks and add insulation to save up to 20% on home cooling costs.2 Keep windows and doors shut and shades closed during the day, to keep your house cool and reduce air conditioning needs. » Get more energy-saving tips. The Best Investments for Summer Energy Savings Have your heating and cooling ducts professionally sealed to save up to $190 per year. 3 Install a programmable thermostat and only cool the house when you're home — It can save up to $180 per year and pays for itself in 6-9 months. 3 Replace incandescent light bulbs with CFLs to save on lighting AND cooling bills. 90% of the energy used by old incandescent bulbs produces heat, not light. If your old air conditioner breaks down, consider a high efficiency replacement. Replacing a 10-year-old central AC unit with an ENERGY STAR qualified model can cut 20-40% off your cooling costs. For more tips on keeping cool this summer see Flex Your Power's air conditioning tips.

Find more tips and suggestions on their website!

May Home Maintenance

Maintaining your home has a lot to do with how well it's components function throughout the year. With such a hot summer looming on the horizon, May is the perfect time to prep your air conditioner (and the rest of your home) for summer cooling practices.

This article comes from MSN's real estate pages: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=19522018>1=35000 The first area their suggestions touch on is your air conditioning unit. They recommend "babying" it. How's that? Replace or clean your filter before your unit is going to be in demand. This both helps efficiency, but also ensures that clean air is being cooled and circulated in the home. Other air conditioning tips they provide include utilizing May sunshine (which is warm, but not too warm) to kill any bacteria that might have been growing through winter. Air conditioning, since it uses refrigerant/coolant to provide the cool air to your home has a fair exchange of moisture. When you're running your air conditioning (and especially in older units) there may be some build-up of that moisture...in the forms of extra condensation, or sometimes mold and/or mildew. --> THESE THINGS are not good. (like mold in your home is ever good...) so it is best to have these particular concerns looked at by a professional. <--

Second, they recommend washing your windows. I'll copy and paste here, because they say it well.

Wash windows Cleaning all the windows and window coverings in your home is a big, satisfying and several-hours-long project. Choose a sunny day and, if possible, get someone to work with you. Remove curtains and blinds if you can. Clean windows and window trim, inside and out. Start by brushing (with a dry broom) or dusting the trim. If it's really dirty, wipe it down with a rag and soapy water. Outdoors, use a hose to rinse off the soap. To clean the glass, use a good-quality squeegee, the tool of professional window washers (for a demonstration, watch this instructional video on YouTube). Before purchasing a squeegee, check the width of your smallest windows. Assemble a pole (unscrew the handle from a broom) that fits your squeegee's handle, a microfiber cloth and a bucket. Use a few drops of liquid dish soap or a teaspoon of TSP in a two-gallon bucket of warm water. Many professionals like TSP, or trisodium phosphate, a powdered stain remover and degreaser found at hardware stores, for a streak-free finish. (Caution using TSP: In a hot solution, it can remove or take the gloss off paints and can darken aluminum or wood.) Apply the cleaning solution with a rag or mop. Immediately squeegee it off, wiping the blade between strokes to minimize dripping. Do one window at a time. Use the squeegee on the pole for hard-to-reach places. Consider engaging a professional to do second-story windows.

Then, they recommend cleaning and replacing any torn screens. This can help prevent the amount of dust and allergens in your home and it's warm enough so that they dry quickly enough not to make this a week long project. Fixing a screen is also pretty easy, you can buy the screen material by the yard at hardware stores. Just make sure you have the measurements and replace a cut-to-fit piece inside the metal frame (or for wooden, it may require several small nails - or a staple gun...).

They also recommend May as a good time to schedule a paint job for the exterior of your home. If your house isn't in need of a paint job, just use the garden hose to make sure you get all the dirt/mineral deposits...etc. off of the paint to prevent deterioration.

Last, they recommend inspecting home irrigation: hoses, sprinklers...etc. Figure you're going to use them during summer, and if they break you're going to have to buy a new one when they are expensive. Just save yourself the hassle.

Now I admit, I am a bit biased. I think the most important one of these suggestions is to make sure that your air conditioner works (being hot is just no fun). It's really easy to change out your filter and even easier to pick up the phone and schedule a service to prep your unit.

AC lifespan

How long is an Air Conditioning unit actually supposed to work?

Well, cars...run for about 10 years without major problems, and so too do air conditioners. If your air system is well maintained, that lifespan can stretch to 15 years. Newer systems (those installed after 2006) should last around 15 years, maybe more with proper care and maintenance.

Why should you upgrade your unit if it is more than 10 years old?

1. There are MUCH more efficient systems on the market today! What does that mean? That if you upgrade, you will be (1)more comfortable (2) saving money on energy bills and (3) making less of a negative impact on your environment. For example, furnace (heating) units manufactured today have up to 95.5% efficiency. That means that there is only about 5% of the energy escaping as exhaust. Compared to a 60, or even 80 AFUE that is 5% waste compared to 40 or even 20% waste. That's a BIG difference! With air conditioning, it's measured in SEER - the current standard (set by the government is 13) but units are available up to 21. SEER is a little harder to understand, but the easiest ballpark way to understand it is to give each number over a SEER of 10, 10% more efficiency. So if you currently have a SEER 8 a 13 SEER would save you about 38$ off of every $100 you would previously been spending on cooling costs. That's bringing your theoretic bill down from 100$ to $60. I could think of somethings to spend that $40 on...
2. Repairs are costly! Like a car, at some point it becomes more expensive to repair the car than it does to replace the system. Especially if you already have ductwork, the change-out/upgrade process can take one afternoon. If your unit is constatnly breaking down or needing odds and ends replaced, you should really consider getting a new unit.
3. There are add-ons available with newer units. Not only are they more efficient, but they also take into consideration things like air quality and humidity control that older units don't. Humidity is what makes us feel "hot" and if your unit isn't doing a very good job of extracting humidity - you are still going to feel warm, and you are going to crank up your ac, run it for longer and spend more money in the long run. Also, if you have young children, or someone with a respiratory illness, improving the air quality in your home may make a DRASTIC difference in their comfort and medication needs.
4. TAX CREDITS & REBATES! Much of the stimulus package just passed has stipulations for increased energy efficiency. That means that if you upgrade your air system, there are a couple different places you can get money from! You can get a $1,500 tax credit for next year, Edison and the Gas company may also kick in some rebate money (depending on the SEER, small print etc. etc.) And your local city may also sponsor some upgrades that tie in with home values.
5. On that line of thinking, up to 92% of potential homebuyers are looking to buy a home with an upgraded, efficient air system. If your home has a quality system, that's one more point in your favor - and in this market, every little bit helps. It also helps to retain the value of your home if you plan on living in it for years to come.

These are just a few of the reasons...but I think saving money in energy costs is HUGE. Bringing your monthly bill downwards sounds like a great idea to me! If you are unsure of whether or not it will be worth it in your own situation, we can calculate a cost/benefit analysis for you showing how many years it will take to pay for your new unit in energy savings.

Maintenance

It is time to start thinking about the hot summer ahead. Presently, the weather is not too hot, not too cold, just right for Goldilocks to get her air conditioning all checked out and ready to brave the overload of the coming summer. So, Goldilocks calls her licensed HVAC contractor and they send a tech right over. She is then able to take advantage of an efficient system and spends the summer in complete comfort.

Well, in an ideal world, we would all be able to make as many appointments necessary in a day and get everything that needs to be done, completed. However, that doesn't always happen and when air conditioners go out during a heat wave - you can imagine that you aren't going to be the only household suffering. During those times, you might need to wait a bit for some service.

BUT...if you have your unit serviced, it is WAY LESS likely to break down during a heat wave...which saves you the sweating, suffering AND the waiting.

Energy Star (provided on their website www.energystar.gov) are some basic home maintenance techniques as well as different things that should be checked for efficient running of the unit. Whether you are planning on braving this yourself (not recommended as air conditioners have many complicated and high pressurized parts) or paying someone else to do it, this list is beneficial to let you know exactly what the technician (or handy person) is going to be doing and why.

Their maintenance checklist can be found directly at: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_maintenance
This listing provides a checklist including aspects like to adjust the blower motor to ensure that air flow is moving how it is supposed to be. It also suggests to check the levels of refrigerant, as a lack of could provide warm air.
The list also gives homeowners some things to be aware of that they can complete themselves. Most importantly, homeowners are responsible for changing their filters when it is necessary. A dirty filter can drastically slow down air flow and sometimes prevent it all together. Plus, think of all the dust that should be trapped...but is being recirculated because it has sat in a filter for too long.
Before the summer sun hits, consider a tune-up for your air conditioning, just like you would for your car. It will cost less to upkeep your unit, than to replace it when it dies from misuse.

New Technology

Today's cars can send you an email letting you know it's time for service. What would happen if your air conditioning system could do the same thing? Or better yet...tell the technician (who is not even at your home) what's not working in real time over the internet?

A technology company out of Denver Colorado has come up with a product that does just that. Now, this new diagnostic equipment is being used at the present time for large buildings with a BAS (building automation system). The HVAC software plugs into this existing automation system and then controls the performance of the air systems. They can use the data collected from this system to not only diagnose any problems that may arise, but also to look at patterns in efficiency that can determine future needs.
Talk about anticipating a computerized takeover of the world?
However, this new technology could add countless hours of smooth run time. We have all been in that office situation where the air conditioning goes out in the heat of summer (or the heat in the freeze of winter) this software looks to eliminate those glitches. Technicians could fix problems without having to drive out there - virtually preventing the time that is wasted in waiting to get a large service scheduled.
Even better, as this new technology develops, this could be used for the air conditioning and heating units in residential homes. That way, you can be sure what's wrong with your unit and how much it will cost etc. to fix it. Saving time and energy, and assuring that your air system is operating at it's optimum efficiency.

Sources: http://www.optimumenergyhvac.com/products.html Under the heading OptimumHVAC and the article at: http://www.achrnews.com/CDA/Articles/West/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000457190

DIY Air Conditioner Maintenance

Source: http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-maintain-an-air-conditioner.htm The first couple of paragraphs explain the different parts of an air conditioner and where they are located. It is essential that the homeowner understands these things before trying to make any changes to their unit. Also, many air conditioning companies will clean your unit - or at least recommend someone professional who can. Also, it is important to note that all suggestions should be followed at the homeowners own risk and following manufactures instructions (that come in the owner's manual of the unit). Next according to howstuffworks.com they explain how to clean your evaporator. They suggest doing this about every year and checking the condensation pan in especially humid weather. The evaporator is located in the furnace or air-handler, this is also called the 'coil.'This should be cleaned very carefully, without bending or in any other way moving the pipes. The outside condenser should be cleared of any grass or leaves that may have decided to grow near it (this may prevent air flow). It is also important to check to see that the unit is still level by using (guess what?) a level. I wouldn't recommend doing any more of this yourself...DO NOT HOSE THE CONDENSER DOWN! bad, very bad things will happen. Sometimes (and I know this is difficult to tell some handy homeowners (my father included)) it is simply better (and cheaper) to have a professional do the 'dirty' work for you.