Winter is cold. We get it. Winter is also the time of year where oftentimes it gets incredibly dry in your home. With humidity leaving the air and instead turning into a nice bit of precipitation called snow, plus heating our homes, we’re left with dry air in many of our homes. If you suffer from static shock, dry skin, or even nosebleeds during the winter, you may suffer from the effects of winter’s dry air. If you’re sick of your clothes sticking to you or your hair sticking to your clothes or even dry, itchy skin, it may be
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Why Give Your Home’s Old Heating Equipment the Heave-Ho?
As winter approaches, many homeowners start thinking about the cost of heating their homes and ways to offset some of this considerable financial burden. Not only is heating your home costly, but inefficient systems can contribute to environmental pollution, raising the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide levels. The answer? A more efficient, cost-effective heating system.
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Filter Fall Allergies Out of Your Home
After a long, hot summer, many of us welcome the cooler temperatures and brisk air associated with the arrival of autumn. Unfortunately, fall finds a number of people struggling with seasonal allergies. Luckily, your HVAC filters can help filter fall allergies out of your home. This is great news, especially in light of allergy statistics researched and published by Johns Hopkins University, “Allergies affect more than 50 million people in the United States. Pollen allergy (hay fever or allergic rhinitis) affects about 8 percent of adults in the United States. Allergies are the sixth leading chronic illness in the United
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Can a smart thermostat help my business?
While we know that smart thermostats can help the homeowner regulate their home’s temperature and save their home from potential catastrophe, many business owners are still using old-style thermostats and don’t give much thought to using smart thermostats. Should businesses use smart thermostat systems for their business?
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Strategies to Help You Save on Summertime Cooling Costs
For those of you who have already received whopping electricity bills this summer, thanks to the merciless mercury levels on the thermostat, we have four strategies to help you save on summertime cooling costs. All in Favor of Fans Sure, it might seem obvious, but a few well-placed stand up, desk, or — better yet — ceiling fans work wonders to circulate air throughout your house as well as keep down your summer electric bill. Combining forces between fans and your AC unit helps regulate temperature without pushing your AC unit, or those bills, to the max. Get with the
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How Smart Landscaping Supports Your AC System All Summer
Landscaping is more than just for looks. Strategic choices, regarding what to plan on your property and where, can seriously enhance your home’s energy efficiency – stretching those hard-earned dollars spent on cooling your home. Shrubs and bushes can help you beat the heat this summer, provided you understand proper placement for optimal, cost-effective cooling. Here are a pair of smart landscaping moves, a one-two punch, to get you started and support your AC system all summer… Position Plants Carefully It’s no secret that dark colors attract the sunlight. If you have a dark-colored roof, your home is absorbing a
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Ditch the Window Unit: How to Choose an AC System this Summer
Depending on the size of your home or office, relying on a window air conditioning unit this summer might not be adequate. In that case, ditching the window unit and choosing a new AC system might be your best bet. Here’s a quick look at some common AC window unit issues and the case for central air conditioning. AC Window Units Woes Good in a pinch, air conditioning window units can prove problematic for the following reasons: they can be noisy and have a tendency to emit less than pleasant odors into your home. Moreover, dust and debris that build
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Freon R22 and its Replacement, Puron R410A
You may know that air conditioners need refrigerant to make cool air, and you may know that this is sometimes called freon. It’s actually known as R22, and the name “Freon” comes from DuPont’s name for R22. Freon is considered a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), which contributes to ozone depletion in the upper atmosphere. Since 2010, new air conditioners have been manufactured with new standardized R410A, also known as Puron. What does this mean? It means, hopefully, better news for the environment, for one. R410A does not contain chlorine (and instead has fluoride), which will reduce the damage to the ozone if
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Should you buy a basement dehumidifier?
We’ve told you there’s plenty of signs that can crop up that show you that you might need a dehumidifier. Sometimes a dehumidifier can be placed in the actual home, but many people place dehumidifiers in the basement (if they have one) and it solves many issues for them. Why (and how)? When a basement is moist — and most basements are, let’s face it, they’re basements — this can translate to real moisture problems inside of your home. While everyone knows that heat rises, so does moisture. Think about the water cycle and the evaporation portion of it. Moisture
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Average HVAC Costs for Homeowners
Whether you’re a new homeowner or you’ve had a home for a long time, you may dread calling your HVAC technician when you have an issue. You just don’t know if this is the time you may be needing a furnace repair or some other big dollar problem. You may be Googling your way through the internet right now to try to get an idea of how much your repair would costs at best and at worst. Never fear! We’ve collected some of the average HVAC costs for homeowners courtesy of information provided by HomeAdvisor.com Keep in mind that every
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