There Are No Free Rides - Really!

     It is sad that we live in a time and economy that we are careful about every dollar we have and at the same time squander money by not being smart about our homes and appliances. A case in point is regarding Service Calls made at our request and then trying to figure out a way not to pay them. Yes, we do not want to pay more than we should, but we don't want to squander money on poor, or NO service.
    Recently we had two experiences here in Boise that demonstrate peoples total lack of regard for a company. THEY, the home owner, called to have a service tech come out and diagnose what was wrong with their air conditioner and why it wasn't cooling.

     In one instance, the problem was a simple wiring issue, that the tech fixed. The company charged the homeowner for a service/diagnostic call, and for a "level one" minor repair. The home owner was furious because he expected the tech to show him how to fix the problem himself, and because it took very little time to repair, didn't want to pay for the call.
     Come on folks! Who does not expect to pay for a Tech just to show up, let alone pay for the service rendered? Lets face it, the company the tech works for has to pay him, and has to pay for gas, a truck, wear and tear on the truck, Workman's Compensation insurance, uniforms, tools, and equipment to make the diagnosis and repair, plus, etc, etc,. There are no free rides, really!!  Everyone in the service industry has a  fee for a service call and that does not include a fee for the repair, no matter how minor. 

I know we live in tough times, but sometimes we have to bite the bullet and have a professional service tech to our homes for repairs of all descriptions. Personally, @comfortguyjerry has had service men come out to repair my clothes dryer, my garage door, my sprinkler system, my refrigerator, and by the way, we chose not to repair the refrigerator but I still had to pay for the service call of $89.00. That's just the way it is in the real world. Read more of my blogs at www.hvaccomforguyjerry.blogspot.com.

Three Ways to Lower you A/C bills

So far, it has been kind of on the cool side here in the Boise, Idaho area. But, we who live here know it will soon be a "hot time in the old town". It's coming, and will be here before we know it. By next week we'll be in the 80's and we will be turning on the A/C to keep comfortable.
     Are you prepared? There are simple things we can do to keep our electric bill from running a muck this summer. Unlike central heating, which we can shut off, or at least turn down at night, air conditioning is often left on at night to keep us from sleeping too warm. So our A/C runs 12 to 18 hours a day and our electric meter keeps on a humming. What can you do?
      Sign Up For Energy Saving Programs
A lot of electric companies offer energy-saving programs that we sometimes don't think will mean that much, or we don't want to be bothered. Trust me. They help and are worth the time. Idaho Power Company has a device that is retrofitted to your central air system. It monitors the power usage and powers down the compressor at select times during they day and allows the fan to continue circulating the air in your home. You won't even know the difference, comfort wise. But your electric bill will.
     Use a Programmable Thermostat
It's really a simple way to save on energy consumption. Why keep your home cool during the day when you are at work and the kids are in school? Programing it to be off, or at least setting it so the A/C does not come on unless it reaches 80-85 degrees inside will really help. You can also set it so the A/C comes on an hour before you come home, so by the time you arrive the house is comfortable.
     Raise the Thermostat and Supplement With Fans
Raising the thermostat just a few degrees can make a big difference in your cooling bill. In many cases just turning you thermostat up from 72 to, say, 76-78 could save you over a $100! You are probably saying 76-78 is too warm, so now is where ceiling fans, or fans of any kind can be a real benefit. Even if the air is warm, it feels cooler when it is circulating. When the air from the fans reaches your body it cools the skin and we are more comfortable. Also if you wear lighter weight clothing, shorts, shirts, etc you will also add to your comfort.
Try these tips and see if it don't make a difference. Read more of my blogs at www.hvaccomfortguyjerry or go to our website at www.greensheating.com.

"Mini-Splits" Are Not A Small Banana Split!

     Now that I have your attention, I want to talk about electric ductless heat pumps and cooling systems. These are often called 'mini-splits' because there are actually two parts to the system. There is an outdoor unit or compressor, and a indoor unit that mounts on the wall that is the evaporator/fan blower. There is no duct work involved. The ductless heat pump can both, heat and cool your space. A cooling only option is available in ductless units also.

     In countries like Japan and China, upwards of 90% of homes use this kind of system, and have for decades. Central America uses them extensively in private homes and resorts. The U.S. Military uses them to cool the barracks and mess halls in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is just here in north America that we are slow to catch on to the idea.
     The most common question @comfortguyjerry gets regarding ductless heating and cooling is: "Will that one unit take care of my whole house?" The answer is, no. They are designed to provide comfort for a single space. That single space can be a 'great room', a bonus room or upstairs family room, room addition to a house, or a shop. It is also very effective for mobile or manufactured homes. I think you get the idea. To do an entire home would require additional outdoor units, and multiple indoor 'heads', depending on your needs and size of your home.
     You say, 'that sounds expnsive', and it can be, depending on what your needs are. The economy comes in during the monthly operation. They are so, so much more efficient, than traditional heating and cooling systems, and super high efficient central heating and cooling is expensive also. Ductless units are super quiet as well, being rated at just below a human whisper for many brands.

     Let me share with you what I mean by cost efficiency. In the Norhtwestern states of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. To heat with a wood stove will cost $24.31 to produce a million BTU. A propane furnace will cost $57.45, a natural gas high efficiency furnace (95% efficient) will cost $14.73. A ductless heat pump, aka, mini-split, costs only $8.20 to produce that same million BTU, and no pollution to the atmosphere. You do the math. They will pay for themselves in no time.
     Think of it this way. Why turn on every light in the house when you need to use the bathroom? That's what you do every time your furnace or A/C come on. With ductless you only heat or cool the rooms that you need to, or use. I am also convinced that Mitsubishi makes one of the best ductless units on the market today. So the next time you hear the word "mini-split", don't start to salivate for ice cream and banana's.
For more information go to my website at www.greensheating.com.

Going Green with HVAC

Usually when we start talking about going green we think in terms of buying a hybrid car, using recycled paper products, recycling, and the like. Literally there are numerous things we can do to be a little kinder to our planet. After all, we have no other place to live. @comfortguyjerry would like to explain the role of a new heating and cooling system, and how it can impact your life in terms of comfort, but also in terms of taking care of our environment. For instance, you might consider installing a Heat Pump instead of an air conditioner before summer. Their are several advantages to heat pumps, and they work well in most parts of the U.S.A. What is the difference between a air conditioner and a heat pump? First, a heat pump will heat your home, AND cool your home. Second, it will usually heat your home at a lower cost than gas, propane, or electric resistance heat like baseboard or ceiling heat. How can that be? Well, a heat pump uses either ambient air, water, or the ground to move heat and cold to and from the home. It requires less energy to MOVE air then it does to PRODUCE air. Furnaces manufacture or produce warm air from the get go. Heat Pumps, essentially pump or move cold air out of your home and replace it with warm air, using less energy. Now in most cases you will still need a back up heat source in the form of a furnace or air handler. Here is why. First you have to have a blower to deliver the air to the home, and your air to air heat pump will begin to lose efficiency at about 30 degrees above zero. So the thermostat is set so when the outside temperature drops below 30 degrees above zero, it will automatically switch over to your back up heat source, ie, gas, propane, or electric furnace. When you are using a gas furnace and a electric heat pump this is called a hybrid system. Its kind of like a car that runs on electricity and gas. So your heat pump will heat your home 90% of the time and the more expensive back up heat source will only run 10% of the time, therefore saving you money. What does that mean as far as going green? Well, your gas or propane furnace is putting less noxious gases in the atmosphere like carbon monoxide, etc.
     Of course in the summer when you're wanting cooling, the heat pump works just like an air conditioner, and as far as efficiency is concerned they are both rated at anywhere from 13 - 20 on the efficiency scale called a SEER rating. The higher the number, the more miles to the gallon, as it were. So if you want to save on electricity use as well, then you are smart to select the highest SEER rated heat pump you can afford. For more information on heat pumps visit our website at www.greensheating.com.

There Is A Difference!

Investing in a new Air Conditioner or complete heating and cooling system might compare to getting professional advice from your doctor when you have a major medical issue. GET A SECOND OPINION. Lets face it folks, heating and cooling systems are not getting any cheaper. And even if a company is trying to get you to buy 'right now' or because they bought a 'truck load' or 'business is slow', etc, it is smart to shop around and get other proposals that will compare apples to apples. @comfortguyjerry is here to tell you; there IS a difference between brands. Just check the Consumer Reports article in the May 2012 issue. That issue shows which brands of central air conditioners and central heat pumps that have the least repairs. Trane brand is one of the top three with the least repairs. So do your homework before you buy. Check out ratings and number of complaints for heating and cooling companies on the Better Business Bureau website. Don't get caught up with someone offering a 'free' furnace if you buy and air conditioner. We are smarter than that. There are no free rides. If someone was offering you a new Cadillac for half price, what would be the first thing you would say? You would say 'whats wrong with it?' Someone offering you a free furnace if you buy and air conditioner? Whats wrong with it?
There is also a strong correlation between number of repairs and the installation. I'm saying, even you buy quality equipment but have it incorrectly or poorly installed, your not going to get the efficiency you paid for and may have more repairs down the road. Personally I would rather justify the price than apologize later for the poor quality. Tweet me @comfortguyjerry. Like us on Facebook at Greens Heating and Air Conditioning or check our website www.greensheating.com.

Do More than Air Condition Your Home

The weather will soon begin to warm up in southwest Idaho and so we start thinking of how to stay cool. Comfortguyjerry says that air conditioning is NOT the only answer. There are several other factors to consider and things we can do to stay cool AND stay energy efficient.
Feeling comfortable in hot weather  requires two things to happen together. Obviously the first consideration is the temperature. The one we often don't think about is relative humidity or RH for short. The RH and the temperature have to both be low enough to keep you from sweating. Here in the Treasure Valley we live in what is called high desert and the humidity is fairly low all the time. The lower the RH the hotter it can be and we still feel pretty comfortable. Living here it can he 80 outside and we can handle it but if you live in Florida or North Carolina in it's 80 with humidity at 70% we are sweltering! So ideally we want to keep our humidity in our home at about 40-50% to be comfortable. In some areas people have to install dehumidifier's to deal with excessive humidity. We rarely if ever do that in Idaho. Traditional air conditioning units are good at removing excess humidity from the air. However there are other things we can do to help stay cool with out lowering out thermostats more and more.
FIRST: Dress for the weather. If its hot inside your home wear light weight clothing when at home and you may be able to adjust the thermostat up a few degrees and still be comfortable.
SECOND: Turn on a fan. Air circulating on your skin will make you feel cooler. So think about ceiling fans or circulating fans that can move the air toward you. If you are not having it blow on your skin then it is not going to do much good, so shut if off when your not in the room. Make sure your ceiling fan blades are turning clockwise in the summer and counter-clockwise in the winter for them to be the most efficient.
THIRD: Open the windows and doors when it 's cool at night or in the morning. Then before it gets too hot, close them all up, usually around mid-day or early afternoon. Use the air conditioner until it cools down enough that you could open doors and windows again. You will stay comfortable and also save energy. The trick to this is don't let it get too hot in the house before you turn on the air conditioner. It will take more time and energy to cool down the house to the desired temperature.
FOURTH: Sun shining on widows produces a lot of passive solar heat, heat, heat. Close the blinds and drapes on the south, west, and east of your house. You might even consider installing outside awnings or sun shades if you receive a lot of intense heat. Sun rooms are just that. Sun Rooms. They can turn into a real sauna and literally warm up the rest of the rooms adjacent to them and then your A/C will work overtime to trying to keep up with the demand at the thermostat. For more information follow us twitter @comfortguyjerry or like us on Facebook page at Greens Heating and Air Conditioning. Consult are website at greensheating.com Stay cool my friends.