Energy Savings Equals Greater Profits

One of the largest expenditures for many industrial businesses is energy costs. Every penny that is spent on electricity, gas and other energy expenditures directly affects your bottom line. One of the largest energy drains in manufacturing and warehousing is climate control. Finding ways to reduce energy use through your HVAC system can minimize your overhead and equal more profits every year.

There are a few ways you can cut down on energy used for heating and cooling your business. If you have an older commercial HVAC system, it is most likely less efficient than the options now available. While upgrading your system does require an initial investment, the savings in the long run can pay for the initial cost and add up to yearly savings off your energy bill. Some upgrades to consider for your HVAC system include:

  • Replacing with a new efficient HVAC system. If your HVAC is ten or more years old, the efficiency of the new systems available can make a replacement worth the cost.
  • A retrofit of your existing system. Updating your existing system with a retrofit through a quality commercial HVAC service company can improve the efficiency of your system without the higher cost of complete replacement.
  • Upgrading to an automation system can help manage energy costs; your system can be controlled remotely and the automated system can minimize energy use.

Don’t let your profits go out the window with high energy bills. Talk to your local commercial HVAC experts to find ways to improve your energy use for climate control in your business. A simple upgrade to your HVAC system can save thousands in energy costs that directly affects your profits.

Posted on behalf of:
JS Thomas Service, Inc
4085 Nine McFarland Dr
Alpharetta, GA 30004
(770) 475-2600

HVAC Systems and Allergies

When the spring and summer months arrive, so do many of the most common allergens that plague many people. From the pollen and grasses to the molds and dust, allergies can become a nightmare. One place that should be a haven for those with allergies is their home. With a good HVAC system in place, closing the doors and windows should create a mostly allergen-free environment. However, to create this escape from allergens, there are a few HVAC maintenance tips you should consider.

  • Air filter. For those who suffer from allergies, a high quality air filter for your HVAC system is a must. You want a HEPA filter that will clear dust, pollen, dander and mold spores from the air. These filters can need to be replaced as much as once a month during peak allergy season.
  • Duct cleaning. Ducts can be a source of nasty allergens, spreading more dust and mold throughout your home. A thorough duct cleaning in the spring is a good way to ensure you are not spreading more allergens around your home.
  • Dehumidifier. If you live in a region that has high humidity during the summer, the combination of heat and humidity creates a hot bed for mold in your home. Adding a dehumidifier to your HVAC system can help keep these harmful mold spores from sprouting inside your home.

Spring is a good time to schedule your HVAC maintenance to create an allergen-free zone for allergy sufferers during the summer months. Call your local HVAC service specialists to schedule an annual tune-up and discuss filter, duct cleaning and dehumidification options to improve the air quality inside your home, while keeping it cool and comfortable during the hot summer months.

Posted on behalf of:
ClimateSmith, LLC
Buford, GA
(770) 475-9528

Is the Air in Your Home Making You Sick?

There’s almost always more in the air that you breathe than just the oxygen we need to live. Moisture, dust, mold and many other micro-organisms are also entering your lungs every time you take a breath. In a confined area, like your home, the air can become unhealthy when too many of these contaminants are present in your air, making you and your family sick. 

Controlling the Quality of the Air in Your Home

There are several ways the air in your home can become unhealthy. Dust and allergens can be recycled through your home, collecting more each time the air is circulated throughout the house. Humans and animals create dust, plus excess moisture can cause mold spores to grow and enter the air. All these contaminants can stress allergies and cause health issues. To control these factors, you need a system in place to regulate the air quality within your home. 

Most HVAC systems will have some type of filtration for the air that it controls. However, the filters range greatly in what contaminants they are able to remove. Talk to your HVAC service professional about the level of filtration your HVAC filter is providing, and what additional options are available. 

Humidity is another factor that can compromise the air in your home. Too much moisture can lead to mold growth, which can cause both health issues and damage to your home. Consider investing in a whole home dehumidifier, which can control the level of moisture to reduce the likelihood of mold growth. 

You want the air in your home to be clean and healthy for your family. Schedule an appointment to have your air quality tested by your HVAC professional. Your HVAC service company can offer solutions to ensure the air in your home is efficiently filtered, and at the right moisture level to keep your family healthy.

Posted on behalf of:
ClimateSmith, LLC
Alpharetta, GA
(770) 475-9555

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality is extremely important to the health of the occupants of any commercial or residential building, especially those with respiratory issues, such as asthma and allergies.  Pollen, mold, dust, fumes from building materials and animal dander are all some of the items, which can negatively impact indoor air quality.  There are a number of means to improve indoor air quality including filters, humidifiers and properly introducing outside air into the ventilation system. 

Filters work by trapping the unhealthy materials in a filter media as the air passes thru the filter.  Available filters include a variety of HEPA filters, as well as electronic air cleaners.  In order to function properly, the filters must be replaced or cleaned on a regular basis.  Properly used humidifiers will improve air quality by introducing moisture into the air, which makes the air less dry and easier to breathe.  The downside to humidifiers is that the possibility of introducing mold into the air if the wrong type of humidifier is used or the humidifier is not kept clean.  The introduction of outside air into the building is an excellent means to improve indoor air quality, as the HVAC is conditioning fresh air and is basically continuously changing out the air in the commercial or residential structure. 

While each system is effective, the best way to determine how to improve indoor air quality is to have the indoor air quality tested.  Once the items negatively impacting the quality of the air are identified, the best solution or combination of solutions can be implemented to improve the quality of the air.  In some cases filters may be the answer, while in other cases, filters, humidifiers and outside air may be the best solution.

Posted on behalf of Find Local HVAC

Properly Placing Your Programmable Thermostat

When you’re building a new home or remodeling an existing one, you will almost certainly have a detailed picture fixed in your mind of what everything will look like when the work is finished. Unfortunately, when it comes to the placement of your programmable thermostat, your professional HVAC contractor may be forced to adjust that mental picture a bit. 

Regardless of what your internal interior designer is looking for aesthetically, a programmable thermostat’s location is vital to proper functionality. If it’s too close to a heating vent or cold air return, it will affect the temperature in the area in a way that may not accurately reflect the temperature throughout your home. Remember: your thermostat only knows what the temperature is in the area surrounding it. That’s why placement is so integral to functionality. 

Installing your thermostat near an exterior door can dramatically affect how it works, as the opening and closing of the door will change the ambient temperature in the immediate area, regardless of temperature in the rest of the house. For the same reason, it’s not recommended to place a thermostat near windows. This is only one of the reasons why, when it comes to HVAC installation and maintenance, you will need the guidance of a professional who’s able to draw upon years of experience and training. 

Before you paint a picture of how your home will look upon completion, down to the placement of thermostats and light switches, you should contact an HVAC contractor in your area. Together, you can work out a plan that ensures peak performance of your central heating and air conditioning system while keeping the look of your home satisfying and aesthetically pleasing.

Installing Gas Appliances and Gas Grills

Any serious cook will tell you that they prefer a gas range to an electric one. The temperature control with a gas flame is much more precise than you could ever achieve with any kind of electrical surface. Gas is a great choice for other appliances as well. You can find dryers that are gas operated instead of electric; gas water heaters are popular for their quick heating ability. If outdoor grilling is a popular cooking option for your family, having your grill connected to your natural gas line can be much more convenient and economical than using propane tanks. 

If you need gas appliances installed or want to convert from electrical appliances to gas, who do you call? When you think gas, think heat. Gas furnaces are installed by heating contractors and your heating contractor should be the person you call for the installation of any other gas appliance as well. 

HVAC contractors are the gas appliance experts. They can safely install new gas piping to a range, dryer, hot water heater or an outdoor grill. When they connect your appliance to the gas line, they will test the connections and burners to make sure there are no leaks and that the appliance is operating properly.

If you do not yet have a carbon monoxide detector in your home, your HVAC contractor will certainly recommend that you install one. Every home should have a CO detector, but homes with gas appliances of any type are particularly susceptible to dangerous CO levels developing due to a malfunction. Your HVAC contractor can install a carbon monoxide detector and other HVAC accessories. If you do have a CO detector installed, be sure that you have it tested to be sure that is working properly.

Carbon Monoxide – The Silent Killer

Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of leading causes of death by poisoning in the U.S.  This remains true even with the increase of public awareness and the addition of CO detectors into many building codes across the nation.

Carbon monoxide is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because there is no odor from the gas and the symptoms can be so gradual and commonplace that individuals don’t realize that there is a problem. Many times people simply fall asleep and don’t wake up. Even when the levels of carbon monoxide are fairly low, they can be making people sick and can be especially detrimental to small children, infants and pregnant women when exposed over a significant period of time.

All of this demonstrates the importance of having carbon monoxide detectors in your home, that they are properly placed and that they are periodically tested to be sure that they are working properly. Just like any piece of equipment, not all CO detectors are created equal. CO detectors can also lose their effectiveness over time; that is the reason for periodic testing. There are also certain recommendations for placement of CO detectors for optimum effectiveness.

Since carbon monoxide gas can develop from a faulty furnace, HVAC contractors are well trained in the installation and testing of CO detectors. These professionals will also be aware of local and state codes regarding their installation. Of course, detection is only one aspect of preventing carbon monoxide poisoning. The other is prevention. Having your HVAC system inspected annually before each heating season is a worthwhile investment in your family’s safety. Provide your family with adequate protection by investing in both the professional installation of CO detectors and an annual inspection of your heating system.

Save Big This Summer With A Programmable Thermostat

With record high temperatures across the country and summer just getting under way, you may be seeing record high electricity bills for running your air conditioner.  You can save energy and money without sacrificing comfort by having your HVAC technician install a programmable thermostat.

Programmable thermostats are also referred to as “setback” thermostats because they set the thermostat temperature back while you are away from home during the day or asleep at night.   Programmable thermostats allow you to set a cooling schedule that adjusts the temperature to a warmer setting while your home is unoccupied or at night while you are asleep.

For example, the thermostat could be set to cool your home to 78 degrees in time for you to wake up in the morning, automatically increase the temperature setting to 85 degrees after you leave for work, cool your home back to 78 degrees by the time to return home for the evening, and allow the temperature to climb to 82 degrees overnight.  The next morning the cycle will start over again.

You can achieve the same effect and savings by manually adjusting your existing thermostat, but a programmable thermostat has at least two advantages over the do-it-yourself method.  First, a programmable thermostat relieves you from remembering to change the setting throughout the day.  Since it works automatically, it never “forgets” to adjust the temperature setting and maximizes your energy savings.

In addition, a programmable thermostat adjusts the temperature so that your home is comfortable as soon as you wake up and when you return home from work.  If you turn the temperature setting down when you get home from work or wake up in the morning, you will have to wait for the temperature to reach the desired setting.

Thermostat Placement

If you are installing a new programmable thermostat, make sure find a good location where it can accurately measure the temperature inside your home.  Similarly, if your current thermostat has problems keeping the temperature in your home even throughout the day, check its placement.  A thermostat only knows what the temperature is where it is located and if it is placed in a location subject to temperature swings, it will not read your indoor air temperature accurately and you may experience uneven heating and cooling.

A thermostat should be mounted about 5 feet from the floor to get a good average reading from floor to ceiling.  Warm air rises so temperatures in your home will naturally be warmer toward the ceiling and cooler at the floor.

The thermostat should also be located where it is not affected by heated or cooled air blowing from the registers.  Locating a thermostat too close to a register will cause your system to cycle on off too frequently and some areas of your home will never reach the appropriate temperature.

Also, keep light fixtures several feet away from your thermostat.  An incandescent light bulb can raise the nearby air temperature several degrees and affect your thermostat’s temperature reading.  The same is true for the sun.  If your thermostat is located where it receives direct sunlight for more than a few minutes, it will cause the thermostat to read high on sunny days.

Finally, mount thermostats well away from exterior doors and windows and away from kitchens to avoid inaccurate readings.  An interior hallway often makes an ideal location for a thermostat.  If you think you need to move your thermostat, talk to your local HVAC contractor or an electrician.

Can You Benefit From a Programmable Thermostat?

Installing a new programmable thermostat is a great way for many homeowners to save energy and money by reducing the amount of energy used for home heating and cooling.  However, not every home can benefit from a programmable thermostat so before you make the investment, make sure a programmable thermostat would be good energy saving device for your home.

Programmable thermostats save energy by automatically adjusting your temperature setting to an energy saving setting while you are asleep at night or away from home during the day.  It is possible to get similar results by manually changing the setting on your thermostat, but programmable thermostats work well because they automate the process so you don’t have to remember to change the setting when you go to bed or leave for work.

In addition, programmable thermostats increase your comfort because they can be programmed to return to the more comfortable setting shortly before you return from work in the evening or get out of bed in the morning. The temperature in your home will be at a comfortable setting and you won’t have to wait while your home heats up or cools down.

The biggest savings are experienced by families who are out of the home during the weekday.  If a family member is at home during the day, your energy savings will be limited to the overnight hours.  Also, savings are best in climates that use both heating and air conditioning.  If your home is located in a climate where you rarely use the air conditioner or furnace, your savings will be reduced.  Finally, programmable thermostats don’t work well on heat pumps running in heat mode.

Heat pumps rely on inefficient electric heating strips to make large temperature adjustments and your savings from the energy saving setting will be offset by the energy used bringing your home back up to the comfort setting.   Your local HVAC contractor carries a wide selection of HVAC accessories and optional components like programmable thermostats or you can fine one at your local home improvement center.