Air conditioning keeps us wonderfully cool but uses a great deal of energy when accomplishing this. The challenge to homeowners and their families this summer is to save money on their energy costs by developing an effective and responsible energy savings plan. The best place to start is with effective and efficient use of home central air conditioning systems combined with the use of ceiling fans in the rooms which family members use the most. There are sound fiscal and energy saving reasons to include the use of ceiling fans in your home. Home Energy Costs of central air conditioning run approximately $130 each month, according to a report in the New York Times. Per hour, central air uses three kilowatts of energy at a cost of 36¢. Air conditioning uses between 15 to 50 percent of the total energy consumed by a house in the summertime. Compare those energy and monetary costs to these […]
Deciding Whether Your Central Air Conditioner Needs Charged
When your air conditioning system is on the fritz, it can affect your quality of living, making enjoying your home difficult. There are many reasons an air conditioning system may not be operating as it should, and figuring out the cause of the problem is the first step in enjoying a comfortable home. Check for Damaged Parts In many cases, a non-working central air conditioning system is the result of a blown motor. In order to determine if this is the case, you will have to inspect the exterior unit. Turn the thermostat down to 65 degrees or lower, then go outside and check to see if the fan blades are turning in the exterior unit. If the fan blades are not turning, the motor in the system may need to be replaced. If, in fact, the fan blades are turning in your exterior unit, the next step is checking thermostat to see if it […]
Changing The Air Filter: The Best Way To Care For An HVAC System
If you want to ensure that your HVAC system works well all year, the best thing to do is to make sure that you are changing the air filter on a consistent basis. Almost nothing else that a homeowner can do is going to have the same impact on the system’s overall health and ability to function as desired. Best of all, no matter what types of filters you need, they are not going to be expensive and they are very easy to change. Why Could You Have a Clogged Air Filter? The reason why you need to check your air filter’s condition is simple: The air in your home is not perfectly clean, especially near the floor. This is where the cold air returns usually are, and they are an integral part of the system, bringing air to the furnace. It is the filter’s job to clean that air before it is exposed to […]
Furnace Tips To Get Through The Winter
Most of us have at least 5 weeks left of cold, snow and ice. There are some basic maintenance steps to take to make sure your furnace will continue working through the winter. Just think of the furnace as your car and how you routinely do maintenance. It is easy to forget about the furnace since it is not something you see in your day to day life. The most common type of heating system is a gas furnace. If you did your preseason check, the follow-up maintenance should be relatively quick and easy. Probably the most important thing to check is the carbon monoxide detector. It should be located near the furnace and free from any obstructions. Check the battery and do the test beep. Make sure the furnace has room to breathe. There should be nothing stored near the furnace or leaning up against it. This can be a fire hazard especially with […]
Governors Play A Critical Role In Advancing Energy Efficiency
The challenges of reducing energy consumption in a nation as large as the United States and as dependent on technology as we have become are massive. From school campaigns with students that encourage all to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to municipalities that institute odd and even grass watering days, everybody tries to do something. But for real change to increase energy efficiency, it takes not only the individual, but the state. As the leader of the state, the governor has the most crucial role to place to advance energy efficiency. A paper newly released by the National Governors Association (NGA) describes how our states have played an essential role in the progress with using energy efficiently that the United States has made in recent years. The governors play the leading roles in the progress. That makes perfect sense, when you consider the unique position they occupy and the people and businesses they have the ability to […]
