1.  You have a leaky duct system.  No matter how energy efficient your furnace, heat pump, air conditioner, or thermostat are, none of them can save you any money if you have a leaky duct system.  Some of your conditioned air will escape through those leaks before it makes it into your home, causing the home to have less comfort and taking longer for the thermostat to get to the correct temperature.  This is the number one reason why programmable thermostats end up not saving a homeowner money.

2.  You have improperly programmed the thermostat.  So many factors can play into this, but you will want to make sure that you have programmed it for energy savings for long periods of time, 8 hours or more, while you’re away from the home or asleep.  That will allow the maximum savings possible.

3.  You have set the thermostat to 85 to heat your home or 40 to cool your home.  And yes, those might be extremes, but they don’t heat or cool your home any faster.  All they will do is cause your unit to run constantly trying to reach those impossible temperatures, which in turn puts stress on the unit and shortens its life expectancy.

4.  You override the programming on a consistent basis.  The programming is there to save you money, but it can’t do its job if you won’t let it.  If you find yourself adjusting the thermostat by a degree or two every day and using the hold function to keep it there, re-program your thermostat for the temperature that you find yourself preferring.  That way you will have more comfort and can still save money.

5.  Unless you did the work yourself, one thing you may not be able to help is how your thermostat was installed.  Improper placement within the home or on a wall, as well as the settings that were programmed during the installation, can affect energy savings.  If you are doing everything right and suspect that the installation of the thermostat is off, you will need to get a licensed heating and cooling company to check it out for you.

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However, there is a wild card that affects how swiftly your furnace or heat pump can recover in the mornings when you wake up.  Most people don’t think about it, but the duct system that carries the air from your furnace to the individual rooms of your home has to be in good condition to rapidly heat the home back up.  If the duct work is not properly sealed and insulated, then we recommend not setting the thermostat back as many degrees at night, simply because it will take much longer to recover in the morning.  If you think about it, a lot of heat is lost from duct work that has holes or minimal insulation, so the heat that should be getting to your house is instead heating your crawl space or attic.

During extremely cold weather, we strongly advise you to keep the temperature constant both day and night.  If a furnace or heat pump is trying to recover in the morning during a cold snap, it will have a difficult time getting to the temperature that you want it to be at.  The reason is because not only are you heating the air in the home, but you’re also heating the walls, furniture, floors, and all other objects in the home.  Once those items get cold, the heating system is going to have to constantly run to warm them back up again, which will end up costing you more money in the end and will provide less comfort within the home.

Lower the thermostat

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Most energy companies will advise homeowners to set the thermostat to 68 degrees. This will prevent the heating system from overworking. Turn it down 5 degrees when not at home or at night, and an additional $70 can be saved each year. Also remember to keep the thermostat constant. Continuously adjusting the thermostat can cause inefficiencies and higher costs.

Set the water heater

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If the water heater is adjusted to 120 degrees, it won’t have to work as hard as it would at a higher temperature. Each time the temperature is lowered 10 degrees Fahrenheit, 3 – 5 % can be saved on water heating costs. If the temperature control settings only offer low, medium, or high: use whichever setting will keep the water warm enough for home use.

Sunlight

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Just because our days are shorter, doesn’t mean the sun can’t offer help. Take advantage of Mother Nature and open window coverings on south-facing windows to warm your home. Remember to close them at night to retain heat. Close the window coverings in rooms that receive no direct sunlight to insulate from cold window drafts.

Cold water

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Not only does washing clothes in cold water prevent colors from bleeding, but according to Energy Star, using cold water to wash clothes can save about $40 a year with an electric water heater and about $30 with a gas water heater.

Insulation

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While these first tips were all no-cost suggestions, insulation is a smart way to keep big bills away. The easiest and most cost-effective way to insulate the home is to add insulation in the attic; however unfinished basement walls and crawl spaces can also be insulated to help trap heat. When insulation is correctly installed and the home is completely weatherized, the average savings can amount to up to 20% of the total heating and cooling costs.

Dress in Layers

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Long sleeve shirts have many benefits. Not only do they keep your arms and torso warm, they also fit easily under sweatshirts, which is important to remember to ensure you won’t end up looking like the kid from  A Christmas Story. Keep in mind that your legs can use layers as well. Long socks, leggings, tights, and insulated socks are all great ways to keep warm.

Eat Warm Foods, Drink Warm Beverages

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When we’re sick, we’re told to drink lots of fluids. Hot tea, gingerale, and soups are just some of the comfort foods we eat when battling illness. However stews, soups, chilis’, and casseroles will warm your body from the inside out. Just start the slow cooker in the morning and when you arrive home you’ll have a delicious, warm dinner. Before going to bed, enjoy a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate.

Get Exercise

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The warm glow that everyone talks about feeling after a good workout isn’t a myth. Even though it’s winter and it’s cold, stay active. Bundle up and go for a walk, try sledding or ice skating, even winter chores like shoveling snow can get the heart racing and the blood pumping.

Close off unused rooms

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Many reports have claimed that closing off rooms that aren’t regularly used can help save on heating costs, and keep other rooms of the home warmer. They are all true! By closing doors or hanging blankets, you’ll actually see a difference in temperature from the closed off room and the rest of the house. Even though heat is still flowing through your home, it will remain in the areas that you use most.

Give your body time to adapt

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Our bodies are designed to adapt. The cold weather isn’t always bearable, but after some time, they will adjust to the cooler temperatures. Getting enough sunshine, water, vitamins, and social activity is crucial to keeping yourself comfortable through the cold months.

Once upon a time, people survived brutal winters without the benefit of a thermostat. So follow these recommendations and you’ll find yourself enjoying a happy and efficient winter season.

Keep it on a Timer

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Most home thermostats have a timer feature that you can program yourself. So, if no one is home during the day from 9am to 6pm, you can program the temperature to lower for those hours, and higher when you plan on being home. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to change the temperature of your home, even a few degrees, so by having a timer set, it helps keep a constant temperature and avoids wasting and overusing energy, which saves you money.

Be Sure to Upgrade

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If you’ve got an older thermostat that only has an “on and off” button, then you definitely need an upgrade. Not only are the older ones unreliable, but because of the lack of energy saving features, they can cost you big bucks even without getting the job done. Thermostats aren’t very expensive, and installing them only takes a few minutes, and once their in, they’re in. Newer thermostats are more clear about the temperature reading, settings, and programs they have to offer, giving you a lot of room for programming just the way you need it.

Have a Plan

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Before you set the thermostat, make sure to consult your family or roommates. How do they feel about the temperature? Make sure you can come to an agreement on the settings you will choose, as well as the timing. If someone prefers it a bit more toasty than others, program it to be a bit warmer whenever they’re around. But whatever you do, make sure no one touches that thermostat once it’s programmed.

Set it Reasonably

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Setting the temperature timer to extreme heights will not warm your home faster, it just consumes more energy and costs money. Be patient with the thermostat, or set it to go off 20 minutes before you plan on being home, so you’ve got a nice cozy place to look forward too. This goes for the timer changes, as well. If you’re planning on having an extreme temperature fluctuation, set it slowly so it has time to cool down, instead of a huge drop.

Ask Experts

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If you’re still unsure about the settings and procedures, don’t be afraid to ask a professional. Consulting a local heating company about it can be very beneficial to deciding what your particular heating needs are. Plus, they can inform you of other tips and tricks to help save money and energy through your thermostat.

Remember, the thermostat is your friend, and if programmed properly, can really save you a lot of money.

1. Open the doors

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As the summer comes to a close, the crisp mornings of autumn begin to terrorize elementary school students waiting for the bus. But while they’re freezing down the block, savvy homeowners just prop their doors open and let the air run it’s course through the house for a few hours. This is a great way to have the A/C off for a bit while maintaining a cooled house.

2. Raise the temperature

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As we all know, keeping the thermostat temperature at a constant and not messing around with it at out every whim is the best way to keep the energy bill low. But for the last few weeks of fair weather, a 71 degree home isn’t really necessary, comfortable, or cost effective. try raising it a few degrees every week until you can stand to keep it off.

3. Change the linen

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Making the switch over to a winter outfitted home starts on the inside, and once you get the thermostat in order, the next place to look is the bedding, curtains, and carpeting. This time of year is a great time to get the warm, cozy blankets out, the darker, heavier curtains and the extra rugs out and replace them with their scantier summer counterparts.

4. Check the Filters

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Your home’s air vents and filters need to be periodically checked and changed throughout the year, and there’s no better time to do this then during a seasonal transition. By changing the filters you open up your home’s air circulation by letting fresh, new air into the house. This step goes great with step 1 because not only are you replacing the vent filters, you’re also refreshing the air you breath inside the home.

5. Winterize Your Windows

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Insulation is a priority all year round, but one installation does not last forever, especially on windows. Cracks in windows are not uncommon, especially in older homes, but can be repaired quickly with insulation strips available at any hardware store. Homeowners can easily overlook the importance of good insulation until it’s too late and money, along with warm air, is seeping through the cracks.

Even though some are willing to suffer a lukewarm shower, a defective hot water heater can affect your entire home. Because some home appliances function on hot water, fixing the problem will ensure warm water for the shower, washing clothes or dishes, and ensuing that all appliances run properly.

The two main types of storage water heaters are either gas or electric. Both can be easily checked, so if feeling confident, before calling the repairman follow these guidelines to see if your issue can be safely resolved.

Electric Heaters

Electric water heaters use either 120 or 140 volt power to energize heating elements from the water. A common problem with failure in these heaters is that the elements will burn out. If your water runs warm and never gets hot, it is more likely that the top heating element has gone bad. However, if the water gets hot but then quickly turns cold, it is the bottom heating element that needs to be replaced.

If these two elements appear to be working fine, it could be the thermostat that needs to be checked. Sometimes the red reset button may need to be pressed or the temperature may need to be turned up. The circuit breaker switch controls power to the water heater and should be turned on, but double check to make sure that no fuses have been blown.

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Before attempting to resolve any electrical issue always remember to observe electrical safety by turning off power to the circuit or circuits being worked on and always replace any parts with the same wattage or voltage as the part that has gone bad.

Gas Heaters

The best way to begin is to the check the pilot light. Follow the instructions in the owner’s manual to relight it if it has gone out. Traditionally, steps will include turning the gas control valve to off for a few minutes before turning the valve to pilot. Then push down on it or the red button next to it. You should begin to hear the flow of gas through the pilot gas supply tube. The pilot indicator should light, however if you have to do it manually a barbecue lighter works best.

The thermocouple, a heat sensor that automatically shuts off the gas when the pilot goes off, will start to heat as you continue to hold the control button; only hold for about a minute, then release. Now turn the control to the on position. Depending on your thermostat control setting, the burner should ignite.

If the pilot light is still lit, and there is still no hot water, the issue may lie with a faulty thermocouple or gas control. Thermocouples need to be replaced as often as every three months or every one to two years. Higher temperature thermocouples need to be replaced more frequently when operating at higher temperatures. The gas control valve controls the pilot light, water temperature, and even has a safety limit to shut everything down. If you have already tried to reset the pilot and replaced the thermocouple, and there is still no hot water, the valve will need to be replaced with the exact same valve in order to wire up the rollout switch.

When dealing with gas water heaters, always check for the smell of gas. If you do smell anything suspicious, immediately turn the gas valve control to off and wait for the smell to leave before relighting the pilot. If the smell persists, make sure the gas supply valve is off and call a repairman for assistance.

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Checking your water tank for hot water issues can be an easy task and for the most part, many issues can be resolved with simple investigation. If taking on the job yourself, remember to follow all safety guidelines, practice patience, and the hot water will be flowing in no time.

Reduce, Reuse, Reprogram

Earth Day is April 22nd and we thought we’d give a friendly reminder on some simple things you can do in your own home to be more energy efficient:

• Don’t leave water running. That’s right, turn the faucet off while you’re brushing your teeth.
• Turn off lights and open the blinds to let in natural light.
• Recycle! Everything from pop cans to batteries to paper – it can all be recycled. You’ve probably made room in your garage after your spring cleaning. Save a space to collect those odds and ends and make a big trip to the recycling center.
• Reuse your plastic water bottles. (Think less dishes to wash).
• Reuse your plastic grocery bags - they make good trashcan liners, transporting things to the car, bringing home sweaty or wet clothes from the gym or pool, and trash bags for your car.
• Don’t purchase anything in styrofoam! Do you know how long it takes to biodegrade? 500 years! Let’s think cardboard!
• Set your air conditioning unit to 75 degrees, and  your  heating equipment between 66 and 68 degrees.
• Last, but not least, have a programmable thermostat installed in your home! The benefits include reduced energy costs, more comfort, and are environmentally because they are eco-friendly and do not contain any mercury.

With that being said, we’d like to offer you $20 off the installation of a programmable thermostat in celebration of Earth Day. Give us a call now, as this offer is only valid through April 22nd, 2011.

 Call and schedule your installation today!

Programmable Thermostat

Programmable thermostats are ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week.  Through proper use, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs.  The US Environmental Protection Agency recommends that you do the following to get the greatest benefit from your thermostat:

• Install the thermostat away from heating or cooling registers, appliances, lighting, doorways, fireplaces, skylights and windows, and areas that receive direct sunlight or drafts.  Interior walls are best.
• Keep the thermostat set at energy saving temperatures for long periods of time, such as when no one is home and at bedtime.
• Resist the urge to override the preprogrammed settings.  Every time you do, you use more energy and may end up paying more on your energy bill.  The exception to this would be if you were to go on vacation and put the system on “hold” at a lower temperature.
• Change your batteries each year if your thermostat runs on batteries.

You can always call us at AAA Heating & Air Conditioning to install a programmable thermostat for you.  The most popular kind we sell is the programmable touchscreen thermostat, and many of our customers who have made the switch tell us they are extremely happy with how easy it is to use and how it has made their lives easier and more comfortable.  You can reach us at 253-630-9224.

Next time in our series on ENERGY STAR: Choosing the Right Equipment

Source: www.energystar.gov