Thursday, October 27th, 2011
I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly been noticing the dropping temperatures over the last couple weeks, and I’ve been rather tempted to turn the heater on. Our heaters doesn’t get a lot of use through half of the year, and frankly, don’t get a lot of thought, either. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does start getting troublesome when we start to forget the central heating maintenance. Not only does the heating and air system start to work less efficiently, the indoor air quality starts to decrease too, even having the potential to be worse than the air outside.
Central heating and air conditioning systems are just like our cars, in the sense that they require regular maintenance to ensure they’re running at their best. When the maintenance is neglected, overall performance starts to go down and the level indoor air pollutants start going up. Over time, a good deal of build up accumulates in the air ducts that carry air throughout the home; including dust, debris, mold, and even germs and bacteria. The only way to clean this stuff out is to go in and clean it out. It’s probably a good idea to have a professional come out and do it for you, since the process can get rather complicated and messy if you aren’t using the correct tools.
Another great place to help increase your indoor air quality and overall central air and heating systems is to check and clean the air filters roughly once a month. The air filters do exactly what they sound like, they filter air, and as a result, they start to get clogged with the stuff that they filter out. Once they’re clogged, they stop working and cause your system to work harder to push through the same amount of air, which in turn increase your utility bills.
One of the easiest ways to help keep quality level of the air inside your home high is by opening windows throughout the house. This may seem a bit counter intuitive, since it is winter and we’re using our heaters to keep out the cold air, but the air outside is typically clean and healthy and could be better for you than the air inside your home. The E.P.A. did a study a few years back that showed the that the average home has an indoor air quality that can be upwards of five times worse than the air outside.
All in all, there are a few different ways to get the best indoor air quality in your home this winter, but the best way of all is through the use of regular central heating maintenance. Making sure your heating system is running in top shape is the best way to ensure that the air it’s pumping is clean, healthy, and best of all, running at a high energy efficiency.
Tags: central air and heating, central air and heating systems, Central heating and air, Central Heating Maintenance, indoor air pollutants, indoor air quality
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Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
It’s getting colder, and every the changing seasons is a sign of upcoming holidays and family gatherings, longer nights and cold mornings. The winter seasons tend to be busy for most of us, and, honestly, a little stressful as well. You can help ease that season stress with a little preventative heating maintenance, ensuring that you’ll save some money this winter on your heating bills as well as have the peace of mind that comes with a nice warm home on a cold winter day.
We’ve gone over a couple different ways to improve your homes heating power, but they’ve been scattered throughout various posts, so we decided that since we’re on the cusp of actually needing to turn on our heaters again, we would go over some of the best ways to get the most out of your heater this winter without having to break the bank every month in the process.
The best thing you can do is to ensure your furnace and/or boiler is as energy efficient as it can be, which would mean that it would have had to been manufactured sometime in the last couple years. Since not everyone can afford to replace their main heating components at this time, let’s start with what you can do around you home to optimize your current heating system. Although, as one of the most trusted names for Riverside heating and air, both county and city, we would be able to get you setup with a new furnace or boiler, ultimately saving you money in the long run.
Make sure your windows are doors are properly sealed. Gaps below doors or between the door and the door jamb can let the hot air your heater has been working so hard to heat up out into the cold winter air. Needless to say, we want all the hot air we pump into the house to stay pretty much where we put it, so sealing up any gaps in windows and doors is a great place to start.
Another great place to start is ensuring your furnace filters are clean. Like your air conditioner, your heater pumps air through your home that first goes through an air filter. Idealistically, these air filters should be cleaned every month during the cold seasons. Unfortunately, most people forget to check the air filters and some aren’t even aware that there are air filters to be changed. A dirty air filter causes the whole system to work harder to pump air through your home, increasing utility costs and wearing down on the equipment itself, ultimately decreasing the entire systems overall life cycle. Keeping your air filters clean is a good practice for both your central heating and air conditioning systems.
A great little trick I like to do every winter is switch the direction my ceiling fans in reverse. Simple thermodynamics states that warm air rises and tends to pool at the ceilings. By reversing the rotation of ceiling fans from counter clockwise to clockwise will push air down instead of pulling it up, forcing the warm air that has accumulated at the ceiling back down to where people tend to be. Running your ceiling fans in reverse can help save you as much as 10% on your monthly heating bills.
During the colder seasons the thermostat can either be our best friend or our worst enemy. Everyone likes a warm home, but dropping the temperature down by two degrees or so goes a long way in monthly utility savings. Your home doesn’t need to be warm enough to encourage it’s occupants to wear shorts. Warm and inviting, yes, but it doesn’t need to be hot and uncomfortable. Personally, I like the keep the heat at about 75 degrees.
There’s a lot you can do to help keep your home warm this winter without having to break the bank doing so. While you can have as much insulation and take as many steps to maximizing your home’s heating power, the best way to ensure that you don’t get racked by monthly utility bills this winter is to have a central heating system that runs and operates at its best. We all know that cars need regular tune ups to work properly, and the same is true for your air conditioner and central heating. Give us a call today so we can come out and give you any necessary heating maintenance to ensure you’re running at peak efficiency. If you’re furnace or boiler hasn’t been inspected or maintenanced in the last year, than it’s definitely time!
Stay warm this winter, but don’t break the bank doing it.
Tags: Central heating and air, Heating Maintenance, Riverside Heating and Air
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Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
There’s a lot of us out there that get cold easily, some no matter what the weather is like outside. With winter coming up in just a few short months, we’re going to be seeing more and more cold nights and foggy mornings, and we’re going to be tempted just that much more to turn on the central heating. There’re ways to heat your home and stay warm this winter without spiking the utility bills higher than the fog level, and today we’re going to go over a couple of them.
Everything starts with a foundation, and your central heating system is no different. The most effective way to keep your heating bills down this winter is to have a high efficiency furnace design in your home. Since the furnace is the heat center for the entire system, it’s important to start out with one that’s going to use as little energy as possible for the heat it generates. If you find yourself with the option to replace your older, less efficient furnace out with a more energy efficient one, our heating service technicians will be able to get everything installed and taken care of in time for the cold months.
Another great place to start saving on heating bills this winter is the thermostat. If the temperature is lowered by a degree or two you can see a drastic reduction on your heating bills, regardless of the energy efficiency rating of your furnace. The temperature doesn’t need to be up high enough for you to feel the need to wear shorts or want to turn the heat down. It’ll be winter, so wear some sweat pants and bundle up with a blanket – your wallet will thank you for it.
Another great way to save some money on your winter utility bills is to have a bit of heating maintenance performed on your system before starting to ramp it up. Getting a tune up now while it’s still relatively warm will help you save the most money this winter, as well as give you the peace of mind of knowing that your heating system will work all winter long.
The last great tipi we’ve got for you today is to install a timer or have a programmable thermostat. With the timer or programmable thermostat, you’ll be able to set times of the day for the heater to run. For instance, the heater doesn’t have to be running all night while everyone’s asleep. In the beginning, sure, but not all night. A timer set for 3 AM will turn your off, saving you money without disturbing your sleep.
All in all, there are a lot of ways to save money this winter on your utility bills, you just have to know where to look. Luckily, you have us here to help. We can because we care – it’s not just our slogan, it’s our philosophy.
Tags: Central Heating, Heating Maintenance, Heating Service
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Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
October is here and soon we will see small children running around in costumes looking for free candy and other delicious sweets. The holidays are here and there is no better time to get your holiday heating service check list taken care of. Think of it as Spring Cleaning, only it’s in the fall and it’s for your heating system.
We all use our heaters in the fall and winter – that’s how we get by the cold holiday season without having to wear a half dozen or so layers simply to stay warm indoors. We’ll do what we can to keep the temperature inside comfortable, but at the same time nobody wants to have their utility bills go out of control. We expect it to go up, yes, and most of us are perfectly fine with this, but did you know that you could be paying more each month on your utility bills than you have to?
Any heating company can tell you that an under-maintenanced furnace and heating system isn’t running as efficiently as it could, causing your utility bills to steadily climb upwards and the energy efficiency rate lowers. You can prevent this by keeping up to date on simple and routine maintenance once or twice a year.
Residential heat isn’t something that can just be installed and forgotten about, never expecting to have to maintenance the machinery or never having to take a look at it. Somehow, good portions of us simply assume that the system will run the way it was intended to indefinitely. A better way to look at it would be the same as your car – it needs regular maintenance every so often to help ensure it runs well for years to come. The same is true for your heating system.
Now is the best time to get somebody out to make sure your heating system is up to par. The seasons are changing and you won’t need either your heater or your air conditioner for a month or so. Why not take this slight down time for your climate control equipment to make sure they’ll run smoothly and cheaply throughout the winter? Sounds like a pretty good use of time to me.
Tags: heating company, Heating Service, Residential Heat
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