An Easy-to-understand Guide To All Your HVAC Questions
Maintaining a comfortable living environment at home is essential to feeling happy, and having a poor HVAC system can really make your life miserable. Not only will you incur higher costs, it will make your body feel very uncomfortable if it too cold or too hot. Below you will find many good tips on how to make sure that your HVAC system stays as good as new.
Look for discounts wherever possible. HVAC systems can be rather costly, so you'll want to seek out whatever discounts and deals that may be out there. When shopping around, ask about any current specials running, and look for discounts that are related to ENERGY STAR compliance. Both can save you a lot of cash.
When seeking a new contractor, ask loved ones for referrals. They'll often have already had someone in for similar work and will know who to trust and who to avoid. If your family hasn't used anyone, ask co-workers or other people you trust in your community for some references.
Look for deals and rebates on the HVAC system you are having installed. Many ENERGY STAR units come with huge rebates either from your local utility company or the government itself. Investigate your options as it could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the installation costs.
Outdoor condenser units need to be cleaned regularly. Excess debris can really affect your system's quality. Also, you are risking your system overheating.
To save money on your HVAC system, turn the air conditioning down at night and let your home warm up a bit. To keep yourself cool, use a chilling water-filled pillow to cool down your head and your whole body as a result. This combined with a fan will keep you from overheating while saving on your utility bills.
Place your HVAC unit in the shade to boost efficiency. Your air conditioner won't have to work so hard if the air is sucks in is already cool.
Try finding online A/C sizing calculators to figure out the ideal size for a unit for the house or a room. If you make the mistake of purchasing a unit that is too large, it will not cool efficiently. Look at the manual to figure out the manufacturing rates the unit for accurate cooling information.
An investment in a smart thermostat is truly going to save you money. You can program it to turn on and off at certain temperatures or times, allowing you to ensure that your air conditioner or heater isn't running when it doesn't need to be, saving you a ton.
Look for calculators online to help you determine the size of unit you need for your home. If the unit is too large, it won't cool more than a smaller unit, just less efficiently. Always look through the manual as well.
If you have a window air conditioner, be sure to check and see if it has an Energy Saver button. If so, use website it! This turns off the fan when the unit isn't actually cooling the air, which can save you as much as 30 kwh over the period of a month!
Before you get into the hot summer months, make sure to schedule a tune up for your current HVAC system. This is very important to keep issues from popping up with your system. It's a small cost to pay compared to the large bills to fix issues that could arise.
Do you want to make sure your HVAC unit works for you like it should? It is important to have your unit maintained on a regular basis. Any reputable technician will know exactly what you mean if you call them and ask for a maintenance service on your system.
Do not let the heat build up inside your home. Lighting, electronic devices and appliances are all common sources of heat inside the home. To prevent this excessive heat, do not put televisions or lamps close to your a/c's thermostat. These appliances make the a/c think that the house is hotter than it really is, causing the system to run longer than needed and wasting energy.
It is important that you know the measurements of the area you need to cool. You will need approximately 20 BTU per square foot, so calculate the necessary size based on that formula. When several rooms must be cooled, determine the square footage of each room and then add the numbers together.
Make sure that the HVAC contractor you plan to hire does not use subcontractors to do their work. Many people use this as an excuse to shirk their responsibility in the event that something goes wrong when your system is being worked on. Only allow this if there is a note in the contract about what will happen if there is an issue.
For your outdoor HVAC unit, make sure that your foliage is cleared around it. Two feet distance between the HVAC unit and shrubs is a good amount to remember. If you let the foliage creep up on the unit, it can cause all sorts of issues with debris and growth into the system.
Is your home's electrical set-up ready to handle a new air conditioning unit? Most homes have 115-volt circuits in place, but larger air conditioners need 230-volts to be used. Some smaller units may need their own dedicated circuit as well to ensure your home doesn't go dark when you turn them on.
If you are going to use the Internet as a source for good HVAC contractors, you need to be very careful. You never know who is behind the glowing reviews that are posted all over the Web. There is a chance that the contractor is posting their own reviews or paying others to do so.
Only choose a contractor to repair or install your HVAC unit if they provide a 24 hour hotline in case of emergencies. They should be there when you need them, no matter what.
HVAC systems are a must if you want to remain comfortable in your house, no matter what the weather outside may be like. However, before you have one installed, you need to do some research. Use the information that you have read here to help make the right decision for your needs.
'Over 150 calls just from freezing pipes': Plumbers scramble to help homeowners on Vancouver Island
TOP PLUMBER TIPS:
Heat exterior walls where waterlines enter your home or business
Keep water movement in your pipes. A last resort can be allowing a bathtub to run overnight at a low drizzle
Insulate exterior hose taps. Hardware stores supply insulation product, or even wrap a dry cloth around the hose bib
Know where your water shutoff valves are. If you start to see flooding shut them off immediately
Even the City of Victoria was caught in a soggy position Thursday morning.
An exterior pipe burst on the Pandora Street side of City Hall early Thursday causing water to spill onto the street below, according to city officials.
Crews quickly located the broken pipe and repaired it. The city says no interior damage has been found due to the leak.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aPtc6NECGxbLP-wpZEG0k3o0zCyyXmaz3nqzCM8y_N8/edit?usp=sharing