Ductless Mini-Splits: St. Louis Winter Efficiency

November 19, 2022

How a Ductless Mini-Split Will Impact Your Bills This Winter Ductless mini-splits are growing in popularity in St. Louis as an energy-efficient heating and cooling option. The upfront price of a new ductless mini-split system could be higher than that of a traditional HVAC system. However, it promises to lower your energy bills monthly for years to come. Four ways a ductless mini-split may lower your energy bills include inverter technology, improved air circulation, heat transfer versus heat generation, and zoned HVAC. Exploring these four factors should give you a better idea of why a ductless mini-split uses less energy and how it can better keep your home comfortable. The Power of Inverter Technology An easy way to understand inverter technology is to think about how cruise control works in a vehicle or autopilot functions on an airplane. While driving on the freeway, your vehicle consumes less gas because you are not starting and stopping. When you have your car on cruise control or when a plane is on autopilot, the vehicle makes minor adjustments to keep the car traveling at a steady speed. This is how inverter technology, with variable-speed motors, works for your mini-split during the winter. A...

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Do Geothermal Heat Pumps Use Gas?

November 9, 2022

Do Geothermal Heat Pumps Rely on Gas? Here in Saint Louis, MO, geothermal heat pumps offer an environmentally friendly and economical HVAC option for homeowners and businesses. Since the technology’s relatively new to the area, however, plenty of people don’t quite understand how it works. At , we field questions about geothermal heat pumps all the time. One of the most common among them is whether or not geothermal heat pumps use gas to operate. To answer that question, here’s an overview of how geothermal heat pumps work that explains exactly how they heat and cool the buildings they serve. What Powers a Geothermal Heat Pump? To get right to the point, geothermal heat pumps don’t use gas. They operate exclusively on electricity. However, they don’t use the electricity itself to heat or cool a building. This is the point that tends to confuse people who have no experience with geothermal technology, and for good reason. Traditional heating and cooling methods are energy-intensive. Gas or oil-powered furnaces burn fossil fuels to generate heat. Most of them also rely on electricity to power the fans that circulate the heated air around your home. Conventional air conditioning systems also use electricity to...

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Tips on Staying Warm This Winter Without Breaking Your Budget

November 2, 2022

12 Tips for Staying Warm This Winter Without Breaking the Bank The winters in St. Louis can be brutally cold, and this can make keeping your home warm an expensive proposition. The good news is that there are a variety of fairly simple ways that you can reduce your heating costs without sacrificing your comfort. 1. Schedule a Heating Tune-Up This is by far one of the best and most important things you can do. Your furnace and heating system really need to be professionally maintained every year to continue functioning properly and heating your home efficiently. During a heating tune-up, our HVAC technicians will inspect your furnace and the rest of your HVAC system to ensure it is free from any issues that could limit its effectiveness. They will also fully clean your furnace, blower fan and all other components to further improve the efficiency of your furnace. In this way, you can be assured that your heating system is working properly and not contributing to energy waste and higher utility bills. 2. Insulate Your Attic and Crawl Space Many older homes have little to no insulation in the attic and crawl space or basement. Without sufficient insulation in...

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Which Parts of Your Home Need the Best Ventilation?

October 18, 2022

Which Parts of Your Home Need the Best Ventilation? Ventilation is the process of exchanging air in an enclosed space with fresh air from the outside. It’s vital for keeping your home healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient. Each area of your home requires adequate ventilation for different reasons. In some areas, ventilation is especially important to help control moisture, reduce odors, or remove contaminants from the air. Let’s take a close look at the areas of your home where ventilation is most important so you can make informed decisions about your home’s air quality. The Kitchen The kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in your home, and it’s also one of the most important areas to ventilate. The reason for this is twofold. For one, kitchens produce a substantial amount of moisture from cooking activities like boiling water and steaming food. This excess moisture can lead to condensation on surfaces like walls and ceilings, which can contribute to the development of mold. In addition, kitchens are also full of potential contaminants like smoke, grease, and food particles. These contaminants can build up in the air over time, leading to poor indoor air quality. If you have a gas stove, these...

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8 Ways to Reduce Your Air Conditioners Electricity Costs

October 13, 2022

8 Ways to Reduce Your Air Conditioners Electricity Costs The St. Louis area is famous for having hot, extremely humid summer weather, and this puts a lot of strain on your air conditioning. Keeping your home cool throughout the long summer months means paying high energy costs as your AC needs to run almost constantly. This leaves most people searching for ways to lower their costs while still remaining comfortable. With that in mind, here are a few different ways that you can reduce your annual cooling costs without having to sacrifice your comfort. 1. Schedule a Yearly AC Tune-up Regular maintenance is the best way to ensure your air conditioning system is functioning at its peak efficiency, and this is why you should always schedule an AC tune-up each spring. During the tune-up, an HVAC technician will fully inspect every component of the system for any possible issues. Even seemingly small problems can have a major impact on how well your air conditioner cools and how much energy it uses. If any issues are detected, the technician can repair them to improve efficiency and prevent further damage. They will also make sure that the system is properly calibrated, the...

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Potential Reasons Your AC Unit Is Short Cycling

October 1, 2022

Potential Reasons Your AC Unit Is Short Cycling A short cycling air conditioner can quickly lower your indoor comfort and skyrocket your energy costs. Short cycling issues can occur at any time but are more likely during the hottest summer months when you’re frequently using your air conditioning. Ensuring your AC unit is functioning efficiently protects your family and your future budget. Here are a few reasons your AC unit may be short cycling. Understanding AC Unit Short Cycling Most modern AC units run for about 20-minute cycles. This allows them to efficiently cool your home without excessive system strain or energy use. If you notice your air conditioner is turning off before the temperature in the home has changed, it’s likely short cycling. This issue can be caused by a variety of internal problems that will worsen over time if not corrected. You’ll quickly struggle to maintain your indoor comfort and temperature control. Issues with your AC unit may also impact the system’s lifespan, leading to a premature replacement. It’s essential to determine what’s causing the issue before the damage spreads and impacts other areas of your HVAC system. These are the most common AC unit issues that can...

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Poor Indoor Air Quality Problems and Solutions

September 19, 2022

Poor Indoor Air Quality Problems and Solutions Most people think that indoor air is cleaner and purer compared to outdoor air. However, without proper measures in place to clean and purify indoor air, the quality of indoor air can be much worse than the air outside. This is because there are many items and features within your home that may release particulates and other forms of impurities into your home’s atmosphere. This includes water heaters, fireplaces, furnaces, ovens, stoves, and space heaters, among others. We have prepared a guide below on everything you need to know about the air pollutants that compromise indoor air quality and how to upgrade and clean the air within your home. Check it out below. What Are the Effects of Indoor Air Pollution If you want to know whether your home has poor air quality, it’s important to watch for health-related signs of bad indoor air. You may have observed that you or the people living in your home suffer from the following symptoms frequently: Dizziness Fatigue Headaches Eye irritation Throat irritation Nose irritation The long-term side effects of living in a home with poor indoor air quality include: Respiratory diseases Heart disease Cancer Although...

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Is It Possible to Change the Fan Speed on an Air Conditioner?

September 12, 2022

Is It Possible to Change the Fan Speed on an Air Conditioner? Adjusting an air conditioner’s fan speed is no easy feat. Although 400 cubic feet per minute (CFM) is the standard fan setting, each AC make and model may require slight variations. There are also factors that are unique to your St. Louis, MO home that also play a role in determining the ideal rate of air flow. Thus, although it’s possible to make these changes, this is never a job you should attempt to do on your own. Read on to find out why. Fast, Forceful Air Doesn’t Mean More Efficient Cooling Often, when homeowners want to adjust their AC fans, it’s because they want to speed them up. Many consumers believe that faster and more forceful airflow will make their homes feel much cooler. In reality, this is rarely the case. In fact, in most instances, speeding the AC fan up can actually make your living environment feel both hotter and more humid. To understand why this occurs, it’s important to understand the standard cooling process. Rather than “creating” cold air, air conditioners extract warm air from the building’s interior and then cool it down. As warm...

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What to Know About UV Light Indoor Air Quality Products

September 5, 2022

What to Know About UV Light Indoor Air Quality Products According to a recent survey by Velux, one in every four Americans spends nearly their entire day indoors. For this reason, it’s important to ensure that the air you breathe inside your house is clean and healthy. If you suspect that the air circulating inside your house is filled with biological contaminants, UV light indoor air quality products should be on your shopping list. These products usually work as air purifiers by removing particulates, allergens, viruses and germs from indoor air. One of the best things about UV light indoor air quality products is that they’re very effective in deactivating the DNA found in organisms, fungi and bacteria. This makes such bacteria and organisms incapable of replicating or reproducing. UV light indoor air quality products have created a lot of buzz in the HVAC market, but how exactly do they work? And, most importantly, are they safe? What Is Ultraviolet Light? Ultraviolet light is basically a type of light that appears on the light spectrum between visible light and X-ray. Generally, violet is the highest known frequency of visible light. Since UV light is beyond violet, it is invisible to...

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Why Is Water Dripping From Your AC Vents?

August 20, 2022

Why Is Water Dripping From Your AC Vents? When you start to see water dripping from your air conditioner’s vents, it can be quite alarming. As a homeowner, your imagination begins to run wild. You immediately worry about how much this is going to cost and if it can be repaired at all. Water that drips from the AC vent is a serious concern, but if you contact right away for help, you can avoid property damage, mold growth, and other costly repairs. Understanding what could be causing the dripping water will also help relieve your anxiety. Dirty Air Filters Your air conditioner absorbs moisture from the air as it cools your home. This moisture becomes condensation that should drip into the drip pan. From there, condensate lines drain this water out of your home. If the air filter in your AC gets dirty, the airflow will be blocked by the dust and debris that has built up on it. This also keeps the condensation from being able to go into the drip pan. Instead, that water freezes around the evaporation coils and creates a thin layer of ice. Once the air conditioner is turned off, that ice begins to...

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