Because AAA Heating & Air Conditioning cares about helping our customers save money and improve the environment, we wanted to help you make sense of the ENERGY STAR® program and what it means for your heating or cooling system. This is Part 2 of a 9 part series on the subject that is published every other Thursday. If you missed our previous posts, you can find them here: AAA Heating & Air Conditioning ENERGY STAR blog posts
Dirt and neglect are the top causes of heating and cooling system inefficiencies and failures, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Performing routine maintenance is key to ensuring that your heating or cooling system runs efficiently at a lower cost to you, as well as extending the life of the unit.
We agree with the EPA and strongly recommend changing your filter on a regular basis, approximately every 2 months. We also agree that having a trained technician perform maintenance on your heating system once a year and cooling system once a year is also crucial to the health and efficiency of your units.
The EPA recommends the following checklist for the overall system maintenance. At AAA Heating & Air Conditioning, we do all of this and more:
- Check thermostat settings
- Tighten all electrical connectiosn and measure voltage and current on motors
- Lubricate moving parts
- Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioniner, furnace, and/or heat pump
- Check system controls to ensure proper and safe operation
- Inspect, clean, or change the air filter
- Inspect the flue piping
- Check all gas connections, gas pressure, burner combustion, and heat exchanger
- Clean indoor and outdoor coils
- Check refrigerant charges and adjust as necessary
- Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow
Give us a call at 253-630-9224 if you want more information on the importance of maintaining your system or to schedule an appointment with one of our specially trained technicians.
Next week in our series on ENERGY STAR: Sealing Duct Work
Source: www.energystar.gov
Can you believe this weather? This January we have seen some record breaking highs in temperature. We’ve seen temps in the 50’s and even saw it reach 60 degrees! According to Cliff Mass, a University of Washington Professor of Meterology, we are set to have the warmest January on record. The whole western half of the country is also experiencing record low pressures, and Washington has certainly received its fair share. What a crazy winter we have here! If you have been holding off on doing a Precision Tune Up on your furnace or heat pump, now is definitely the time to get that taken care of. Heating companies, ourselves included, are slower than normal this January due to the weather, so you would be able to take advantage of special pricing and get your yearly tune up done quickly. Call us at 253-630-9224 if you want to get that scheduled.
Because AAA Heating & Air Conditioning cares about helping our customers save money and improve the environment, we wanted to help you make sense of the ENERGY STAR® program and what it means for your heating or cooling system. This is Part 1 of a 9 part series on the subject that will be published every Thursday.
Did you know that the average household spends more than $2200 a year on energy bills? And almost half of that is going towards your heating and cooling costs! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has created the ENERGY STAR program to help consumers make smart decisions about their heating and air conditioning systems that will help save energy costs, improve overall comfort at home, and help fight global warming.
Here’s another shocking fact for you: The energy used in the average house is responsible for twice as many greenhouse gas emissions as the average car.
You CAN make an impact to bring down the amount of greenhouse gas emissions your household creates. You might consider making a change if any of the following statements apply to you:
- Some of your rooms are too hot or cold.
- Your home has humidity problems, excessive dust, or rooms that never seem to get comfortable.
- Your equipment needs frequent repairs and your energy bills are going up.
- Your heating and cooling equipment is more than 10 years old.
- You leave your thermostat set at one constant temperature.
Stay tuned for upcoming articles about changes you can make to save your family money, increase your comfort, and do your part to help the environment.
Next week in our ENERGY STAR series: Maintaining Your Equipment
Source: www.energystar.gov
If you have a heat pump or air conditioner, make sure that you keep the area around it free from debris like grass and bushes. If vegetation is allowed to grow too close to the unit, it can impede its operation.
Did you know that typically 43% of your home’s energy bill is going to your heating & cooling systems?
In the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) world, sometimes it’s easy to get confused about what all of those abbreviations mean. You hear them bandied about in the media, but it’s hard to always know what they are talking about. Below you will find some common abbreviations that we think are important for you to know.
SEER- Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. This is applied to any unit that has cooling. All Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners have a SEER number, and the higher the number, the more efficient the unit.
HSPF- Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. All Heat Pumps have this rating, and again, the higher the number, the more efficient the unit.
AFUE- Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. Gas Furnaces carry this rating and just like the rest of them, the higher the number, the more efficient the unit.
If you’re curious about what ratings your heating or cooling units carry, give us a call at 253-630-9224 and we can give you that info.
