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June 2014 - ACS Absolute Comfort Heating & Cooling

Jun 24
0

Duct Sealing Saves You Energy Dollars Long Term

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duct sealingDid you know if your home’s ductwork leaks just 20 percent, it can force your HVAC system to work 50 percent harder? All of these numbers will add up to higher energy bills for you. The good news is that duct sealing is an easy but important way to save money on your utility bills.

How Duct Sealing Saves You Money

The ductwork in your home is a network of tubes that connect your forced-air cooling or heating equipment to all the rooms in your home. When you have leaking ductwork, it could mean that air you’ve paid to condition is leaking out into unheated or un-cooled areas of your home.

In turn, this means rooms in your house aren’t getting the cooled or heated air they need. Your home becomes uncomfortable with some rooms being too hot and some rooms being too cold.

In effort to make your home comfortable again, you constantly adjust the thermostat making your cooling or heating equipment work harder. When you have correct duct sealing done, it can save you as much as 10-20 percent on your utility bills.

Check for Duct Sealing Problems

Easy places to check for problems are duct connections, near the air handler, and near vents and registers. If your vents and registers aren’t attached tightly, use weatherstripping on the inside edge. This keeps air from leaking into the walls.

You’ll find most of your ductwork in the attic, garage or crawl spaces. Look for gaps, unsealed joints, or where ductwork has come loose. Ductwork problems in these areas can be difficult to access. If so, call the professionals to do the inspection for you. They know what to look for and won’t overlook even small leaks that are costing you big money.

Save Big Money With Proper Duct Sealing

Check your home once every year for duct leaks, and seal the leaks you find with mastic sealant or metal-backed tape. Avoid using standard duct tape, since the seal won’t hold over the long term.

Jun 03
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What’s Involved in Professional A/C Maintenance?

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professional A/C maintenanceLet’s face it: Houston is hotter than blazes in the summer, and your air conditioner works awfully hard to keep you cool in the sweltering heat. But an inefficient air conditioner will not only greatly increase your energy bills, but it will also lead the way to expensive repairs and inconvenient, uncomfortable breakdowns. Professional A/C maintenance is essential for your comfort and your pocketbook, and here’s why.

Your System Works Hard!

Over time, electrical connections and belts loosen, dust builds up inside the

Jun 02
0

Save Energy All Summer With These 5 Tips

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Dealing with the high costs of staying cool in the summer can be painful for families that are operating on a tight budget. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your home comfortable without seeing your cooling bills skyrocket. A professional air conditioning service is one way to help lower cooling bills. Here are five ways to save energy this summer to keep your home comfortable and efficient when the weather heats up.

Improving Efficiency With Fans

Many people feel that the ceiling fans in their home should only be used when it is not hot enough to turn on the air conditioning. These fixtures can actually be used in conjunction with other cooling methods to increase the efficiency of your home. You just have to know how to accomplish this goal without wasting energy.

The positioning and size of your ceiling fan is important when you want to increase efficiency in your home. It is estimated that using a ceiling fan when your air conditioner is on can allow you to raise the temperature on your thermostat by 4 degrees.

Keep the Oven Off

Using your oven during the summer hurts any efforts to efficiently cool your home because of the heat that circulates into the room when the oven is turned on. The best way to combat this reduction in efficiency is by keeping the oven off when the weather is hot. One solution is to opt for cold meals. Another way to avoid using the oven in the summer is by opting for the microwave instead. Not only will this reduce your cooling bills, but microwaves use substantially less energy than ovens. The cost savings related to cooling and energy can add up over the season.

Adjust To Higher Temperatures

Some people feel that they can only be comfortable in a building that has a regulated temperature of approximately 68 degrees. While this is considered to be a normal room temperature, most people are able to adjust their comfort level by acclimating to a higher indoor temperature. The most efficient thermostat setting in the summer that still allows you to cool down when you come inside is approximately 78 degrees. Consider adjusting to this temperature when the weather starts to warm up, and try to keep your air conditioning off when the indoor temperature hovers at or below this number.

There is a common misconception that an air conditioner should be set and kept at a steady temperature throughout the day. While it is recommended that you keep your air conditioner on when it is hot outside, setting it to 85 degrees when you are not at home improves efficiency and lowers your cooling bills.

Improve Air Conditioner Efficiency

Air conditioners need to be regularly maintained in order for these units to run efficiently. Homeowners should have their cooling system serviced annually to improve efficiency. Preventative maintenance appointments can be scheduled at the beginning and end of the summer to keep an air conditioner working as it should when the weather is hot.

Cleaning the system and replacing air filters when they become excessively dirty or damaged is one of the best ways to improve efficiency to keep costs down. Other tasks that are completed during a maintenance service appointment include inspection of the system, lubrication of connecting parts and safety checks.

Save on Laundry

Laundry can be washed in cold water to save on energy costs. Be sure to use a detergent that is specifically intended to be used in high-efficiency washers that can run an entire load on the cold setting. Additional savings can be enjoyed when the weather is particularly warm outside. Clothes can be hung outside to dry to reduce energy use by keeping the dryer turned off throughout the summer.

Get Help From ACS Absolute Comfort

Following these tips is the first step to reducing your energy bills this summer. You can save even more by investing in air conditioning repair when your cooling system is not running efficiently. Be sure to get your unit repaired as soon as you notice a problem to ensure that your cooling bills will not start to skyrocket. The cost of repair is typically much lower than the ongoing costs of using an inefficient air conditioner, and you will probably have to replace your system if you do not call a professional to perform maintenance.

ACS Absolute Comfort is a family-owned HVAC company located in Houston. Experienced technicians work to provide any air conditioning service that residents of Houston and the surrounding areas may need to keep their homes comfortable. Contact ACS Absolute Comfort today to schedule an appointment for air conditioning repair or preventative maintenance.