I just found a cool site still in Beta testing that lets you see what energy usage your home has.  Microsoft’s new Hohm program allows you to see what you’re using, what people in your area are using, and what you can do to improve the amount of energy you use.  They give some great tips on everything from weather stripping your home to reducing your heating and cooling bills to how much energy your hair dryer uses.  I bet you’ve never actually stopped to think about that, have you?  I know I haven’t.

Hohm is actually a pretty cool site.  I went on and compared the houses of a couple of my friends and it was interesting to be able to report back to them who “won” the challenge.  If nothing else, it’s fun to spy on your neighbors, right?  It’s ok, we all do it.  Check out Hohm at http://www.microsoft-hohm.com/

Even though our weather is abysmal and dreary right now, we are about to head into the most glorious of seasons in Western Washington– the summer.  Soon we will have some hot weather coming our way and you will want to be prepared.  And I mean more than just rolling out the lemonade.  I’m talking about air conditioning.  We’ll discuss it more as the warm weather starts to arrive, but for the moment I wanted to pass on a fact I found interesting.  So many people in our area have the perception that air conditioning is rare in homes, but the U.S. Energy Administration reports that in reality, the percentage of homes with central air-conditioning has more than doubled since 1980, with nearly 60% of homes having a central system.  Some food for thought as you are pondering “To A.C. or not to A.C.”  (I know, sometimes I make really lame jokes.  Wait, you didn’t think it was funny?  It was, I promise).

Do you know what’s exciting?  Stumbling across the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s website filled with facts about the usage of energy in each individual state.  Oh wait, it’s just me who is happy at the discovery?  Admittedly, I am a bit of an information nerd, so sites filled with facts fill me with joy.  Let me synthesize the info on Washington State for you so that you can find the same thrill that I have in my heart.

• Power to us for our massive amount of renewable resources!  (Get the pun?)  Washington state is the largest producer of hydroelectric power in the nation.  And get this– In November 2006, Washington adopted a renewable energy standard that requires all utilities serving at least 25,000 people to produce 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.
• If you’re thinking of leaving on a jet plane, you’re not the first.  Washington is among the highest users of jet fuel, mostly due to the military bases in the area.
• Your South King County heat pump might just be run on power from the Columbia Generating System, which generates 1/10th of the state’s power.  And you might also have a gas furnace like 1/3 of the state who uses gas as their primary source of home heating.

While I have provided you with some scintillating facts, I’m sure that you will want to read even more yourself.  Head on over to the U.S. Energy Website for more thrills.

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 7 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

Become one of the millions of people who are taking part in the ENERGY STAR pledge.  They are pledging to reduce the amount of energy that they use both at work and home.  Whether its your lightbulbs or your heating system, take a look at the ENERGY STAR Pledge website for more information about how you can save energy too.

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 8 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

Did you know that you can get a $250 Puget Sound Energy rebate and up to a $1500 Federal Tax Credit just for putting in a new ENERGY STAR Heating or Cooling system?  You can read more about it here on our website:  Tax Credits for HVAC Equipment

Next week in our series on ENERGY STAR:  Take The ENERGY STAR Pledge

Source: www.energystar.gov

Did you know that incandescent bulbs, the original lightbulb created by Thomas Edison that we still use today, generates only 10% light, with the other 90% being heat?  Crazy!

Which makes us wonder… how many bulbs would it take to heat your house without a furnace?  That would be an interesting study to do.  Anyone up for trying it for us?

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 7 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

Replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with new energy-efficient equipment is guaranteed to save you money on your utility bills.  However, you need to make sure that the company that is installing your new equipment is doing it properly.  Improper installation can reduce system efficiency by up to 30%!  Make sure you ask the following questions before committing to a company:

• How did you size the equipment for my home?  If the system is too big or too small, it will work harder than it should and shorten the length of its life.  You want to make sure that a heat loss calculation has been performed on the house by your contractor to determine exactly what the right size of equipment is for you.
• Do I have any leaks in the duct system?  The contractor should evaluate the duct system to identify leaks and then seal them.
• How do you ensure a proper refrigerant charge?  If your cooling system has an improper refrigerant charge, it can cause failure of components, which results in costly repairs.
• Do you have a Quality Installation Checklist?  A contractor that has a checklist to ensure that the installers are doing the install correctly is definitely a company you should look for.

Next week in our series on ENERGY STAR:  Rebates and Tax Credits

Source: www.energystar.gov

KOMOnews.com is reporting that Puget Sound Energy has been granted a rate increase by state regulators.  KOMO’s website reports:

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission announced the approval of the increases on Friday.  The decision will allow PSE to raise electric rates by 2.8 percent and natural gas rates by 0.8 percent.  The new rates will kick in on Wednesday.  PSE’s basic charge for electric service will also go up a quarter to $7.25 a month.  The basic charge for natural gas service will remain the same, at $10 a month.

If you’re concerned about how the rate increase might affect your heating or cooling bills, you might want to consider a heat pump.  Much more efficient than an electric or gas furnace, a heat pump will lower your energy bills and bring you year round comfort.  If you are interested in finding out how much energy you can save with a heat pump, call our Kent Heating and Air Conditioning office at 253-630-9224 to get a free analysis for your home.

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 6 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

If you are looking to replace or install new ENERGY STAR high-efficiency heating or cooling equipment, you need to find a good company to work with.  Reputable companies will:

• Perform an on-site inspection of the work you want completed and provide a detailed proposal in a timely manner
• Demonstrate to you that the company is licensed and insured to repair and install heating and cooling equipment
• Have many years of experience as a business in your community
• Provide examples of quality installation of energy-efficient heating and/or cooling equipment work, with names of customers you can contact
• Complete and submit warranty information on your behalf
• Leave all equipment manuals and provide documentation of installation procedures, such as an AHRI certificate
• Clearly explain the benefits of regular maintenance and help you set up a schedule to keep your system operating at its best

Next week in our series on ENERGY STAR: Energy Star Quality Installations

Source: www.energystar.gov

Look at these crazy facts we just came across comparing the cleanliness of various forms of heat.  The chart below is from burningissues.org and illustrates just how dirty heating sources such as wood boilers, wood stoves, and oil heat are.

If you take a look at the numbers of how much pollution is being produced, it is staggering.  The typical gas furnace produces 0.00005 pounds of pollution an hour.  Compare that to an oil furnace at 0.001 pounds an hour, a pellet stove at 0.127 and all the way up to a wood stove at 0.825!  The numbers show that gas furnaces reduce pollution emissions significantly.