Your ductworkcould be costing you a lot of money. According to Energy Star, a typical house may lose 20 percent of its heating and cooling energy through leaks, holes and improper duct connections. Your home will benefit from a professional inspection of the ductwork, but you may be able to take a preliminary look yourself at any ducts that are easily …
Options In Standby Generators Give You Precisely What You Need When The Power Goes Out
Electrical power outages are a big problem these days — a roughly $80 billion-per-year problem, according to one government study. You might think that our advances in technology would be making blackouts less common, but the opposite is actually the case: the increasing number of electronic gadgets in each home puts more strain on our electric transmission grid, while the …
Why NATE Certification Matters When You’re Hiring An HVAC Contractor
There are many contractors who advertise that they are qualified to service HVAC units. Unfortunately, many homeowners have experienced service call or installation dissatisfaction as a result of shoddy work, exorbitant charges or both. As homeowners, how do we ensure that we are getting the level of service required to not only repair equipment, but that also meets the terms of the …
Five Ways To Allergy-Proof Your Home During Peak Pollen Season
About one out of five people living in the United States experiences symptoms of allergies in their home. If you have regular sneezing fits, bouts of stuffy nose, itchy eyes, or shortness of breath, you could benefit from these five tips during peak pollen season.
How Your Contractor Will Tailor Your New Air-Conditioning System To Your Home’s Unique Requirements
In the middle of the Kansas summers you’re hot, and in the middle of the Kansas winters you’re cold. Is that your body’s inability to regulate your temperature, or is it due to an improperly-sized HVAC comfort system? Chances are it’s the latter, and so you need to have your contractor tailor your new HVAC comfort system to your home’s and …
Degree Days: How They Figure Into Your Energy-Use Calculations
By calculating degree days, you can project your future energy use and also compare it to past months and years. It’s a relatively simple formula that uses 65 degrees Fahrenheit as a baseline.
Sizing Your New Water Heater
Having a water heater that’s large enough is important for meeting your home’s hot water needs, but water heaters that are too large actually prove less efficient. What this means is that you need to properly size your unit before you start shopping for water heaters. Here are some tips for correctly sizing different types of water heaters.
Maintenance: What You Can Do, And What You Should Leave To The Pros
When it comes to taking care of your HVAC system, some steps can easily be performed by homeowners, while others should be left to the professionals. While most heating and cooling systems don’t require very much maintenance beyond twice-annual professional check-ups, there are still tasks every homeowner can do to keep their equipment functioning properly and efficiently. For advanced tasks, …
Going On Vacation? Program Your Thermostat Before You Leave, and Spend Your Energy Savings On The Trip
Is it possible to lower your heating and cooling costs without making your house feel cold in the winter and hot in the summer? To make changes in our home’s temperature and not even notice it? These things are possible when you purchase a programmable thermostat, which can help you save as much as 33 percent on your heating and …