Going Green: The Ultimate Guide
The environment is a hot topic in the HVAC industry today. With the amount of discussion about green technology and the abundance of green and eco–friendly products on the market, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. If you find yourself asking what steps you take to be little greener, here are some helpful and easy guidelines.
1. Save Energy: Purchasing energy efficient appliances is a great way to reduce your environmental impact. If this is not an option for you, don’t worry. There are plenty of small changes you can make to cut back on your energy consumption. Unplugging appliances when they are not in use, replacing your old incandescent light bulbs with CFL or LED models, and drying your clothes on a line or drying rack are all simple ways to reduce your home energy use.
2. Conserve Water: It’s easy to overuse water when we have it conveniently available at all times. Look at your water use habits, and then see where you can cut back. It can be as simple as taking shorter showers. Low–flow shower heads and faucet aerators are simple, inexpensive and effective devices to help with your water conservation. Even remembering to shut off the water while you brush your teeth can make a difference.
3. Use Less Gas: There’s no better way to save money and go green than to reduce the amount of gas you use. When available, take public transportation to work or school, or get exercise while you are helping the environment by walking or riding a bike.
4. Insulate Your Home: If you’re heating or cooling your home, make sure that your windows and doorframes are sealing properly. Gaps in the frames make it easy for heat or cooled air to escape outdoors. As an added bonus, good insulation will allow you to trap cool air in your home. Open up your windows when it cools down at night and close them before it heats up again.
5. Cut Down on Disposable Items: The convenience of single serving items, paper towels and plastic utensils are nice, but you can go green by trying to reduce your reliance on such products. Bring your own mug to the coffee shop or work, and switch to cloth napkins and towels. Washing them will make much less of an impact than throwing out disposable alternatives, especially if you let them air dry.
The best way to go green is to be creative. This guide should get you started, but remember, you don’t have to make huge changes. A lot of little steps can add up to great savings and a great impact.
Most common AC repairs in the summer
The summer is a great time to get outside and enjoy the nice weather. However, we all like to come inside and enjoy the cool air from our AC. All the use your air conditioning system gets during the summer can cause it to break down. There are a few common repairs that tend to happen with AC systems. Check out this quick list of a few of them. If you’re having any problems with your air conditioning system make sure you call your local air conditioning repair contractor immediately.
Air Conditioning Blowing Warm Air
Does your air conditioning system just blow hot air into your home? This problem is, unfortunately, very common. It can sometimes be caused by a bad thermostat in your home that is telling your AC that you don’t need any more cooling. However, the problem can sometimes be much worse. It could bet that your AC’s compressor isn’t working well or that the fan motor is broken. All of these issues require the services of a professional air conditioning technician.
Not Enough Cooling
This is another common problem with air conditioning systems: your AC is blowing cool air but not enough of it. This can be frustrating because only certain portions of your home might be getting cool but not the rest. Broken thermostats could be the cause of this issue as well. But in many cases this issue is caused by a clogged air filter or a bad fan motor. If the fan motor is the problem it means that the fan isn’t turning fast enough to push the air through your home. A clogged air filter would be restricting the flow of air into your home.
Unusual Noises
Strange air conditioning noises is a very common issue that homeowners have. When your air conditioning system starts to break down it can sometimes make a new noise. Squealing, gurgling and hissing are all very common noises that homeowners should listen for. Squealing is usually a sign that your fan’s belt is old and needs to be replaced. Hissing indicates a refrigerant leak and gurgling can sometimes indicate that you have low refrigerant in your system.
Clogged Air Filter
Probably the most common cause or air conditioning issues is a clogged air filter. Your air conditioning system likely has an air filter located somewhere near the return air vent. This air filter is there to keep dirt, dust and debris from damaging the moving parts of your AC. If the filter isn’t changed regularly it can get clogged and restrict the flow of air through your air conditioning system. This will lead to a number of different problems including not enough cooling, inefficient operation, increased wear and tear and many other problems.
When you need air conditioning repairs make sure that you call your local contractor. Your air conditioning system is a critical part of your home’s comfort and any services that you need should be handled by a pro.
