FAQs

It’s recommended that you set your thermostat to between 68 and 71°F when you are at home, and to lower your thermostat to around 62°F when you are away, or at night while you are sleeping.

68°F is a moderately comfortable temperature if you are moving around. It can feel quite cold if you are not. For this reason, plan on wearing thermals and sweaters to stay comfortable.

Also 68°F feels much warmer in a home heated with radiant heating, than central heating. This is because the warmth is rising from the floor so there aren’t any cool drafts or cold spots.

Sleep studies have proven that you sleep better in a cooler room, so dropping the temperature to between 62 – 64°F at night will keep you comfortable while saving you energy.

Turning the heat down any time you plan on being away from home for more than four hours will save you money. It’s recommended that you have a programmable thermostat installed. That way your home is already comfortable when you return. It doesn’t take that much energy to bring the temperature back up 6 – 8 degrees, but it does take a lot more energy to maintain that extra 6 – 8 degrees.

Heat pumps operate a little differently and take a lot longer to raise the temperature. It’s recommended that you purchase a programmable thermostat that is designed to specifically work with heat pump systems.
If you need assistance with installing a programmable thermostat, call you’ll need an HVAC contractor. They’ll also help you find the right thermostat for your system and your personal needs.

When a heating system is designed to run on more than one type of fuel, it is called a dual fuel system. The most common dual fuel system involves combining a gas furnace and electric heat pump. Heat pumps are efficient during mildly cold weather, but begin losing their ability to heat a home as temperatures drop. If the home is equipped with a dual fuel system, the gas furnace can kick in and take over heating.

Generally, fireplaces draw more heat out of the home than they create?unless a special fireplace insert is installed that acts more like a wood-burning stove. It is important to use an insert that has a radiant glass door, as it increases the heating efficiency of the insert by up to 90%. When a blower is included, the heating efficiency goes up 74 – 92% as compared to a fire in a standard fireplace.

Both wood-burning and gas burning fireplace inserts are available. Call a heating contractor if you would like to explore this option. An expert can help you choose the right option for your home.

It’s okay to close a few heating registers, but be careful not to close more than 1/3 of the total registers in your home. A forced air system is designed for the size of your home, and when too many registers are closed off, it allows pressure to build up in the ducts. The blower fan has to work harder to push air through the registers that are open. This kind of wear and tear will cause the blower fan to wear out long before it should.

Leaking ducts can cause more energy loss in a heating system than anything else. A duct inspection that pressurizes the duct system to identify if it has any leaks could be one of the smartest investments you could make. Making sure your ducts are sealed, connected and free from leaks can drop your energy bill anywhere from 5 -17%.

Clean your ductwork every three to five years. Make sure they are cleaned upon completion of any renovations on the duct system.

Ducts collect dust, bacteria and molds that are then transferred into the air as it moves through the rooms of your home. Routine cleaning can reduce allergy symptoms and some other unexplained symptoms, including as headache and fatigue.

HVAC contractors use Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) Manual J to calculate the correct size of air conditioner for your home. This manual may be purchased and you can do the calculations manually by following the instructions, or they can be calculated by software that uses the formulas from Manual J.

For the best results, you need to take complete measurements of your home. (A blueprint is enough for new construction.) This includes both width and length of each room, as well as height. You need to know the cubic volume of your home, because this is the amount of space that must be cooled.

The first thing you should check is to see if the air conditioning unit is dirty. It is very important to keep the outside coils clean so the heat pressure doesn’t rise too high. This could cause the pipes holding the coolant to burst, compressor failure or electrical overload. Fortunately, just cleaning the coils is often enough. You’ll need to be extra vigilant when contaminants like cottonwood are floating through the air. They can clog up an air conditioner’s air intake very quickly.

The inside coils are also very important. When they become dirty, they tend to ice over. This stops air from flowing through the coils, reducing and eventually stopping cooling entirely. The best way to prevent problems with the inside coils is to change the air filters regularly, though eventually it will be necessary to vacuum the coils out. Don’t use a high pressure blower as this can flatten the coil fins or break them off.

If addressing these issues doesn’t resolve the problem, it’s time to call a professional.

Preventive maintenance is one of the smartest things you can do. It’s recommended that you keep both the outside coils and inside coils of your air conditioning system clean at all times.

It’s also recommended that you install your air conditioner in a shaded area. If it’s too late for that, you should try to shade the unit in some way that won’t restrict the airflow it. Direct sun on an air conditioner’s outside condenser coil can cause it to overheat and create too much pressure. If this happens, the unit will shut off.

Another trick that can be used on extremely hot days is to place a mister over the back coil on the outside of the air conditioner. If your air conditioner has already cut out, let it rest for 20 minutes, then spray the coil with water before attempting to turn the air conditioner back on.

Willis Carrier, a graduate of Cornell University’s Masters of Engineering program, built the first air conditioning unit for a Brooklyn printing plant. The resulting even air temperature made it possible to print in four colors without misalignment of the inks. It wasn’t until 1924 that Carrier’s idea caught on for making movie theaters and department stores more comfortable in the summer months.

Yes, it shortens the life of the air conditioning system components. Applying a lubricant on a weekly basis during the summer months and covering it when it isn’t in use is recommended.

Most air conditioners are noisier when the air conditioning condenser unit first starts. This is because the compressor needs to build up pressure to operate. If the noise lasts more than 10 seconds, call a technician. HVAC techs will check for low refrigerant levels, compressor oil levels and other issues that might be occurring.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a term used to describe the quality of the air inside a building. It usually doesn’t include factors such as temperature, humidity, and air movement, though in some situations, an IAQ professional could consider these factors. For example, excessively dry air (low humidity) can result in nose bleeds, dry eyes and other unpleasant symptoms.

Generally air quality focuses on particulates and gases that can be present in the air. Gases can include radon and formaldehyde. Particulates include things like airborne particles, mold spores, viruses and bacteria. All of these elements in the air can cause adverse health effects on the occupants of a building or home.

Usually outdoor air pollution will be reduced by between 10 – 90% as a result of absorption by the building itself and the building’s ventilation filtration system. This means that a filtration system that isn’t maintained properly can eventually lead to indoor pollution. Regular maintenance is recommended for both commercial and home heating and cooling systems, as both systems depend on drawing air into the building from outside.

Up to 30% of all commercial buildings suffer from serious indoor air quality concerns. Indoor home air tests across North America found that 96% of the homes tested had at least one indoor air quality problem. 86% of the homes tested had high levels of dust, pollen and viruses. 71% tested positive for potentially harmful chemicals and gases.

The seriousness of an indoor air quality problem depends on the specific problem. If Legionnaires’ bacteria begin to multiply in the cooling system, the results can be deadly. The presence of radon gas can cause lung cancer. Long-term exposure to mold spores can cause lung damage, brain damage, cancer and even death. Combustion products such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide can cause headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion, depression, memory loss, and if exposure lasts long enough, death.

Other indoor air quality concerns might seem far less important, but can still prove fatal if not attended to. The presence of bioaerosols (pollen, viruses, bacteria, insect parts, animal dander, etc.) can aggravate asthma and even precipitate a fatal asthma attack.

Indoor air quality is extremely important. Testing and installation of carbon monoxide detectors is recommended in homes that use natural gas or oil for heating and/or cooking.

If you and those around you feel ill while inside your home or office, but feel better when outside or elsewhere, you probably have an indoor air quality issue. One of the first things you should do is check the air filters on your HVAC system. Clean filters, especially HEPA filters, help to remove many particulates from the air.

Using bleach or some other home cleaning product to kill microbial contaminants is only a partial answer at best. Even though these biocides will kill molds and spores, they are toxic themselves.
A qualified HVAC technician will provide air and surface sampling. Both types of sampling are necessary to detect different types of toxic compounds that may be present in the air. Only then can you know what you are really dealing with and whether serious measures are needed.

A qualified indoor air quality expert uses both non-culturable air sampling and culturable air sampling to take a complete and accurate count of how many spores and other particulates are present. This also gives the expert an idea of how many of these particulates are able to reproduce. Surface sampling is used to detect mold on dry surfaces.

Tankless water heaters are rapidly gaining in popularity these days. They are efficient and effective at providing hot water in a variety of settings and are a great alternative for many people. But tankless water heaters are certainly not for everyone either and figuring out if one is right for you can be a complicated process.

The best thing you can do if you are trying to decide between tankless and tank water heaters is to consult with a professional who can help you evaluate your options. Tankless water heaters are great for low-demand households. However, they can have difficulty keeping up with demands from multiple locations in a home at once. If you think that this is a likely occurrence in your household, you may want to consider having multiple tankless water heaters installed, or you may be better off with a tank model.

Tankless water heaters do have many benefits, though. They use much less energy than tank models because they do not have to keep a reserve of water hot all of the time. They also take up much less space than tank water heaters, making them an excellent option in houses where space is at a premium.

Different types of water heaters come with different recommendations for the frequency of service they require. In general, though, a traditional tank water heater should be serviced about once a year. Many tankless water heater models do not require service this frequently, but it is a good idea to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations even if your water heater is brand new. There really is no substitute for proper maintenance service and it will likely save you a lot in the long run.

You should consider replacing your water heater if you have noticed persistent problems with getting hot water when and where you need it or if you are calling for repairs on a regular basis. Even if this is not the case, however, you may still want to replace your water heater if your current unit is more than 12 years old. This is about the average lifespan of a water heater anyway, and a model this old is likely much less energy efficient than the ones on the market today, meaning you’re spending more on monthly energy bills than you need to.

While it is true that water heaters are not a particularly complicated piece of equipment, it is not a good idea to try and install one on your own. Proper water heater installation requires knowledge of local building codes and the ability to attach your unit safely to the appropriate power source. This is delicate work and something best left to a professional. And if you have your water heater installed by an outside agency, they will take care of removing and disposing of your old system as well.

Most water heaters come preset to maintain the water in the tank at 140°F. However, if you would like to save a substantial amount of money on your monthly energy bill, turning the thermostat down to around 120°F is the way to go. This is still high enough to make the hot water you get out of your tap comfortable, but it will cost you much less in the long run and can reduce the wear and tear on your unit as well.

There are a number of varying estimates as to how much electricity the average person uses. Household electrical use generally ranges from 10,000 kWh to 13,000 kWh per year, which equals about 900 kWh per month or 30 kWh per day. The actual amount you use will depend largely on the temperature in your area in the summer (air conditioning), the size of your home and whether you use electric or fuel based heating. There are a lot of ways to cut back on your electrical use, however, starting with green lighting and energy star appliances. You can even replace much of your electricity use with solar powered electric panels.

Many homeowners try to install their own panel box, but it’s a very complex process and should be overseen by a licensed electrician with the proper permits. First, there is the issue of shutting off the incoming electricity supply. This varies depending on your municipality and usually requires a city permit.

Old wiring and connectors that are no longer safe may also need to be removed which requires an understanding of what impact each action has on the rest of the system. Replacing a panel box isn’t the same as putting in a new water pump or fan belt in your car. You can’t simply pull the old part out and replace it with another. Electrical upgrades and changes have a direct impact on the rest of your home.

You’ve probably heard that your panel box should have at least 100 Amps and 240 Volts serviceable for your home. This is generally necessary, depending on where you live, however you may find that 100 Amps is not enough for your home if you have a central air conditioning system or other large appliances in place. Additionally, you need a panel box and electrical wiring that is up to code, so an inspection of your current system is needed to check for fire risks and low quality wiring.

There are varying regulations regarding the number of outlets in your home, but a general recommendation is that no point in any room of your house should be more than six feet from an outlet. Each outlet should be 18 inches off the ground and they must be grounded. You also need to have GFCI outlets installed in your bathrooms and in your kitchen if the outlet is near a sink. Additionally, GFCI outlets should be used outside if you have outlets installed on your patio or in your garden or shed.

In many areas, homes are now required to have arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) for outlets installed in bedrooms if they are on branch circuits with 125V, single phase and 15-20 amperes. These AFCI outlets will shut off the circuit immediately if there is an arc.

Because these arcs don’t always trip the main breakers automatically, AFCI outlets are a much needed safety precaution for your home. A small surge or short can occur in your room and not trigger a flipped breaker, but could still start a fire. These AFCI outlets are different from GFCIs in that they reduce fire risk, while GFCIs reduce the risk of electrocution and shortages in generally damp areas of your home.