Get Your House in Shape for Summer

Key Points

• Programmable thermostats help to match cooling needs to your family’s schedule. 
• Fans and dehumidifiers help to increase comfort by reducing humidity levels and maintaining steady airflow.
• When replacing cooling equipment, choose ENERGY STAR certified, high-performance models.

While air conditioning is often critical to the comfort of you and your family in summer, the higher energy costs can sometimes put a strain on your family budget. Do not despair, there are a number of things you can do to conserve energy and improve the energy efficiency of your home and your air conditioning system, including the following:

• Set your thermostat to a higher temperature in the summer.
• Match cooling needs to your family’s schedule by installing a programmable thermostat. They typically offer savings of 10% to 15% without compromising comfort.
• Replace the filter on your air conditioner at the start of the cooling season and each month thereafter. Dirty filters restrict airflow and cause the system to work harder, increasing energy use.
• Plug air leaks in your home; weather strip and caulk leaky doors and windows and install foam gaskets behind outlet covers.
• Check insulation levels. If necessary, add insulation in attics and crawl spaces. This will help conserve energy and improve indoor comfort.
• Landscape for energy efficiency. Leafy trees and shrubs placed on the south and west sides of your home provide cooling shade during peak daytime heat.
• Reduce heat buildup by keeping blinds and curtains closed on windows that are exposed to direct sunlight. 
• Fans and dehumidifiers use less energy than air conditioners and can help to increase comfort by reducing humidity levels and maintaining steady airflow.
• When replacing air conditioners or other cooling equipment, choose ENERGY STAR qualified high-performance units. ENERGY STAR air conditioners are 15% more efficient than standard models.

This article previously appeared in the Richmond DPU The Gas Advantage newsletter, and is used with permission.

Living Lean and Green

Reducing energy waste can provide homeowners with significant long-term financial benefits. After all, the typical U.S. household spends $1,000 to $2,000 per year on energy bills. In addition to saving money, reducing energy use is also good for the environment. Home energy

Two Common Summer Repair Calls

This week, since we will likely see our first 90 degree day in Richmond,  we’ll take a look at two of the most common air conditioning repair calls we get in the summer and how you can take a few steps to take care of these problems before you need to call an AC repair technician out to your home. The issues we’ll be looking at are clogged drain lines and a frozen indoor ac coils.

Some signs that you may have a clogged drain line:

• No condensation is running outside from your condensate drain line that comes off the indoor ac unit.
• Your digital thermostat display is blank.
• Water is leaking from your indoor ac unit.
• There is a visible blockage in the condensate drain line trap.

If there is a visible blockage in the drain line trap you may be able to clear it up with a long brush. Another method is to pour bleach into the drain line to try to dissolve the clog. Consider having an EZ-Trap installed if you have problems with drain line clogs. This type of trap makes it easy to spot and clear blockages.  We can install a Safety switch on your system to prevent damage to ceilings and floors.

A frozen indoor coil is more difficult to notice, but can easily be prevented by changing your filters routinely and having regular maintenance by your HVAC company. When a filter gets very dirty it will cut down on the amount of airflow through the indoor unit and cause the indoor coil to freeze up.

Symptoms of a frozen indoor coil include:

• Very little airflow from your vents.
• Excessive condensate drainage.

The easiest way to thaw a coil is to turn the system off and let it melt by itself. This can take some time, depending on how long the system has been frozen. If your system is frozen, but your air filter is not excessively dirty, this may be an indicator of other problems in your system which will require a diagnosis from your heating and cooling company.

Saving Money on Cleaning

Last week we talked about some basic lawnmower maintenance to get ready for the upcoming Spring season. This week I’d like to talk about saving you money on household cleaners. If you’re getting ready to start your Spring cleaning, you might think that you need to spend money on several different types of cleaners to get everything clean in your home. But, you probably already have a wonderful cleaner you can use already sitting in your kitchen cabinets and don’t even know it. I’m talking about distilled white vinegar. Vinegar is a great cleaner, and is antibacterial. How can you use white vinegar to save money while cleaning this Spring?

• Use a 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water mixture as a window cleaner.
• Get tough stuck on food out of your microwave by boiling a 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water mixture in the microwave. Let the steam sit for a few minutes, then wipe clean.
• Remove detergent buildup in the dishwasher by running it with just a cup of vinegar inside.
• Use undiluted vinegar to help keep ants from crawling inside your home.
• Unclog a drain by pouring 1 cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar.
• Vinegar makes a good counter top cleaner, but don’t use it on marble.

If you’re looking to save money on your energy bills, and your current heating and cooling system is 10 years old or more or needs frequent repairs, it’s time to start thinking about replacing that system. Now, you may think that you’ve missed out on any tax credit opportunities if you didn’t get the opportunity to take advantage of them in 2010, but there are still some federal tax credits available.

• $50 for qualifying air circulation fans. These are often variable speed.
• $300 for qualifying heat pumps or air conditioners.
• $150 for qualifying furnaces.

If you’re ready to talk with someone about putting a new heating and cooling system into your home, or just have questions about the available tax credits give the friendly experts at Weather Crafters a call.