Air Conditioning Tip of the Week:

When replacing your old air conditioning system make sure to look at all your energy savings equipment options - what you might save on "up front", could cost you in the "long run"!

See what the US Department of Energy recommends by clicking on the link below:

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12310

Air Conditioning Tip of the Week:

Your air conditioner's evaporator coil (the ‘inside’ portion) and condenser coil (the ‘outside’ portion) collect dirt over their months and years of service. A clean filter helps prevent the evaporator coil from soiling quickly, however in time, the evaporator coil will still collect dirt. This dirt reduces air flow and insulates the coil, reducing its ability to absorb heat, thereby decreasing the efficiency of your unit and causing it to work harder than it was designed for.  To avoid this problem, check your evaporator coil every year and clean it as necessary.

Outdoor condenser coils can also become very dirty if the outdoor environment is dusty or if there is foliage nearby. You can easily see the condenser coil and notice if dirt is collecting on its fins and/or spines.

You should minimize dirt and debris near the condenser unit. Your dryer vents, falling leaves, and lawn mower are all potential sources of dirt and debris. Cleaning the area around the coil, removing any debris, and trimming foliage back at least 2 feet allows for adequate air flow around the condenser unit.

The aluminum fins on evaporator and condenser coils are easily bent and can block air flow through the coil causing all kinds of problems with the unit.  If bent, try to straighten these fins back into nearly original condition (they don’t have to be “perfect”, just open them up to air flow again).

Air Conditioning Tip of the Week:

Especially during extreme hot and humid conditions, it's best to run your furnace blower in the "ON" position on your thermostat rather than the "AUTO" position. This will help to keep the air "mixed" within all parts of the house, helping to eliminate hot and cold spots (it will also extract more "cooling" from the evaporator coil that is normally left when the indoor blower shuts off).
A great example of the effects of 'blower air', is to observe a bottle of vinegar and oil salad dressing. When the bottle has set for a period of time the ingredients separate, when you shake the bottle up the ingredients are mixed fairly evenly within the bottle - very similar to the air in your home!

Air Conditioning Tip of the Week:

Now that the heat and humidity is causing plants and landscaping to grow very quickly, it is important to check to make sure there is nothing blocking the sides or top of your air conditioner; restriction of air flow around the air conditioner unit can cause increased utility bills and possibly cause failures to occur because of overheating!

Out with the old, in with the new.

Here are a few pics of customers getting ready for a hot 4th of July by replacing their old furnace and air conditioner systems, with Trane high efficiency units.

Avoiding power outages.

During a utility power outage, an automatic standby generator provides numerous advantages over a portable generator:

• The American Red Cross recommends permanently installed standby generators as a safer way to provide backup power to a home than a portable generator.
• With an automatic standby generator properly installed outside, your home is protected from deadly carbon monoxide poisoning that is a much greater risk with portable generators.
• Running on the home's natural gas or LP fuel supply, it is less expensive to run than gasoline and does not need to be refilled.
• They start automatically within seconds of a power outage, and eliminate the need to haul a portable generator outside or run extension cords throughout your home.
• They provide protection 24/7, whether you're home or away, and they turn themselves off when utility power returns, so there is no need to monitor the unit during an outage.

Air Conditioning 'Tip of the Week'

Airflow in your duct system is extremely critical in the operation of your air conditioning system. Check air registers to make sure they are not blocked. Also, placing furniture on top or in front of your air registers can dramatically decrease the effectiveness and performance of your system.