SEER Ratings Air conditioning systems have evolved. Today’s homeowner has the benefit of choice among many wonderfully efficient AC systems. The yellow EnergyGuide sticker on each unit now shows the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (“SEER”) rating, which lets you know the cooling output to expect per watt. After 2005 the law began requiring SEER ratings of 13 and higher on home air conditioners. Today, you can replace an old unit with a system rated anywhere up to 23. Your Reward for Making an AC Upgrade: Cash Back Replace your old AC unit, and let the savings in energy and money begin. Imagine you go ahead and upgrade a decades-old AC unit that only has a SEER rating of 9. You decide to replace that old unit with a new system that carries the EnergyStar® label. To earn that label your new air conditioner must have at least a 14 SEER efficiency rating. So, you decide to replace that 9 SEER unit with one that’s five levels higher in efficiency. After you’ve made the move from a 9 to a 14 SEER (or go from a 10 to a 15), expect to save 35% on your electric bill. Upgrade from an...
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Does Rain Damage My Heating and Cooling System Your heating or cooling system spends all its time out in the elements and deals with temperature changes and other environmental hazards. You probably wonder how it affects your unit, and if you need to take steps to protect your investment. Your Unit Is Built To Withstand the Elements St. Louis has every kind of weather. Being in the Midwest, you may have warm weather one day and snow the next. Fortunately, outdoor HVAC systems are built to withstand any normal weather they may experience. From rain to snow to gusting winds, your unit should be fine. The electrical components are carefully sealed so they are protected from outside moisture, and regular airflow should dry out the unit even after a hard rain. Attempting to protect your unit by covering it will do more harm than good. Flooding There are some kinds of hazards that Mother Nature brings that can damage your unit. Rain itself won’t harm your unit, but flooding probably will. If you think your HVAC unit may be flooded, cut the electrical supply off immediately. This is a good idea for any electric appliance that may be facing a...
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5 Common AC Issues Let’s face it, air conditioning has become essential to our lives. Let us inspect your AC unit and make sure it’s going to be reliable through the summer season. We can make repairs with genuine parts and dependable expertise that will have your AC ready for the season or back up and running when things go bad. Early Warning Signs Your AC Needs Attention Air conditioners rarely fail without warning. Recognizing the most common problems early can prevent bigger breakdowns, improve efficiency, and keep your home comfortable. Below are five frequent issues homeowners see—and what you can do or check before calling a technician. Dirty or clogged air filter: Restricted airflow forces the system to work harder, can cause evaporator coil freezing, and reduces cooling performance. Regular filter replacement is one of the easiest preventative steps. Refrigerant leaks or low refrigerant: Without the correct amount of refrigerant, your AC can’t transfer heat effectively, leading to weak cooling and potential coil freezing. This requires professional detection and recharge. Frozen evaporator coil: Often a downstream effect of airflow issues or low refrigerant. When the ice melts, the system blows warm or damp air and performance drops. Turning the...
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Air Filtration Systems Although most people tend to think that air filtration is a new thing, the fact is that air filters have been around for more than two centuries. What started out as simple protective masks for the fireman has evolved and transformed to become a powerful system that can protect you and your family from a wide range of airborne pollutants. Today, allergies and asthma affect more than 50 million Americans, and that is why the concern for safe indoor air quality has rapidly increased. Homeowners in St. Louis and all over the country are looking for cost-effective ways of improving their indoor air quality, and air filtration system seems to offer the most viable solution. Allergens such as mold spores, pet dander, smoke, pollen, and bacteria can cause a wide range of health complications such as respiratory diseases. What is An Air Filtration System? An air filtration system which is commonly referred to as an air purifier is a simple device that removes pollutants and other allergens from the air so that you don’t breathe them into your lungs. The fact is that there are millions of invisible particles that float in the air around you. With...
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Air Cleaners Don’t be surprised when you go to the doctor for some medication for a respiratory or eye infection and come away with orders that include: get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, take all your antibiotics and hire a certified HVAC professional with an air cleaner to remove harmful vapors and debris in your indoor air. Wait. What? What is an air cleaner, and what does it have to do with seeing my St. Louis, MO doctor about chronic respiratory infections? Your Home or Office Could Be Making You Sick Poor indoor air quality often causes frequent sinus infections, allergy symptoms, and red, swollen eyes. Contaminated air is one of the most common sources of frequent colds, headaches, allergy flares and red, puffy eyes. There have been reports of severe lung disease and cancer developing in people who live or work where the air contains high concentrations of chemical particulates, dangerous mold and other If you have never had your home air cleaned, it might be time, especially if you and your family suffer from frequent respiratory problems. Do You Need an Air Cleaner? Industry experts who study indoor air quality recommend residents and business owners proactively...
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Here are 4 common reasons your furnace is running constantly. If you have noticed that your furnace is constantly running, even as the cold weather is starting to ease up, it might be a sign that something’s lurking in your heating system. A heating system works by distributing warm around your home. If you hear the fan running constantly, you might start to wonder why. Here are 4 common reasons your furnace is running constantly. Incorrect Setting of Your Thermostat Temperature If you don’t have your thermostat set to the correct temperature, it can have your furnace running overtime. During the colder months, you will want the thermostat to be turned to “heat.” If you want to check that the furnace is working, you can turn the thermostat lower than the temperature of the room. If the heater is working correctly, then the fan should shut off when you turn the temperature down. If you have your thermostat set too high, you might be setting the temperature higher than your system can keep up with. Not Having the Right Fan Setting On most thermostats, you can set your fan either to “on” or “auto.” There are also some thermostats that...
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It’s almost time to turn off the heat and start thinking about keeping your home cool this summer. As the cold weather starts to warm up a little, residents in some regions of the country are beginning to feel a decrease in monthly heating costs. However, experienced homeowners know that there is usually a trade-off between energy costs. When the heating costs go down, the cooling costs start to increase. If you are looking for a way to minimize your air-conditioning bill this spring and summer, these are some great ways to conserve both your finances and your energy efficiency. There is a fine line to balance in reducing your energy costs. You want to be comfortable and not turn things down so low that you end up being miserable. The good news is that you don’t have to sacrifice your comfort to save on your air-conditioning bill. If Your Air-Conditioning Unit Is from Before 1990, Consider Replacing It If you have an air-conditioning unit that is older, you might be reluctant to spend the initial money to replace it – but you will definitely make up for it quickly. New energy-efficient air-conditioning units are up to 50% more efficient...
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Proper insulation can go a long way in increasing your home’s energy efficiency. The best way to build a home is to anticipate effective energy efficiency by making sure that your home is built with insulation from top to bottom. It isn’t just about keeping costs low when you are in the building phase, but also about considering how the moves you make can reduce your energy costs. If you didn’t put enough thought into insulation, or you are finding that what you did was not enough, the good news is that there still ways you can increase efficiency and decrease the wear and tear on your HVAC system. Here are three ways to insulate that can help to cut your energy costs and keep your home comfortable in both the summer and the winter. Injection Foam Fiberglass is usually the preferred way to insulate your home, rather than foam. Highly mold- and mildew-resistant, it is a great product to use when you are in humid conditions. However, if the fiberglass wasn’t enough, or if you failed to insulate sufficiently, then you can go back and use injection foam. It isn’t like blown-in cellulose, because it expands to cover the...
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Don’t wait until the last minute, and the first hot spring day, to ensure that your air conditioner is good to go. Is there anything worse than your heat going out on a cold winter night? It’s possible that the only thing would be if you turn your air-conditioning on that first warm day of spring – only to find that it isn’t working. Not only does that mean that you have to make an emergency call, but if it is the first hot day, you aren’t going to be the only person who is in the same boat. That can mean waiting for days for someone to come and fix it, which means hot and uncomfortable nights waiting on an HVAC professional to fix the air conditioner. How to Avoid that Scenario The best way to avoid such a scenario is to have an air-conditioning specialist come and inspect your unit now. Although it might have been a better idea to have them maintain your system before you shut it down for the winter and let the furnace take over, right now is actually the best time to have a technician come out and inspect your air-conditioning unit to...
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Since a tankless water heater instantly heats the water, you don’t have to pay when it isn’t being used. The standard way to heat water in your home was to have a water heating tank. It was designed to hold a reserve of heated water so that the water was ready when you needed it. The tank varied in size to accommodate the size of your home and the people in it, but the idea was that it would hold water in a reservoir until someone used it. A water tank is perpetually heating, even when not in use. So, the water in the tank is constantly being heated – kind of like it’s “waiting in the wings.” All the while, the water tank cost money to heat water that was just waiting to be used at some point. The tank was a great idea – after all, everyone likes hot water. But to keep it stored in a tank that’s continually being heated sounds like a whole lot of wasted energy – and with reason because it is. Like leaving lights or heat on waiting for someone to come home, traditional hot water heaters work when they really don’t...
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