Going in the Right Direction with Home Comfort

Posted: January 30, 2017

This is the time of year when you want to stay comfortable, avoid problems and save money. To help you keep from getting lost, we offer a few tips.

tips to avoid a bumpy ride

We want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your heating system. Here are a few tips on how to keep it running safely and efficiently.

• Keep the area around your system as clean and clutter-free as possible. Never store anything flammable near your system.
• Keep registers clean and unobstructed to ensure maximum air flow.
• Change or clean the filters about once a month. Dust and dirt are the natural enemies of your furnace; a dirty filter compromises efficiency and can even result in a shutdown.
• Install carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in your home, following the manufacturer’s instructions about location and maintenance.

“I now have a smart thermostat that lets me know when it’s time to replace filters or schedule equipment maintenance. This means less things I have to remember.”

smooth road ahead for home comfort

Technology has brought us vast improvements in home comfort and energy efficiency, and you can expect to see even more exciting innovations on the road ahead. Just consider what’s happening right now.

• Home performance services continue to rise in demand because homeowners want to make their homes as energy efficient as possible. (Making recommended improvements after a home performance audit saves the average homeowner 30% on annual energy costs.)
• The emphasis on “green design” continues with a strong focus on indoor air quality throughout the design and construction of new homes. This includes a technique known as “demand controlled ventilation,” which reduces energy consumption while maintaining proper indoor air quality.
• Mobile, wireless programmable thermostats are becoming a common feature. Many people now use their smartphones to program their thermostat when they’re away from home.
• More homeowners are going green by installing energysaving, earth-friendly geothermal heat pump systems.
• The use of integrated controls — combining heating, cooling, and indoor air quality with electronic air filters and zoning — is also contributing to better home comfort and energy savings.

Remember, we’re here for you year-round! So don’t wait until it gets too warm this year before getting your cooling system checked and serviced. If you have an old system — and high energy bills — we’ll be glad to tell you about the latest options in high-efficiency cooling equipment that uses environmentally friendly refrigerant.

your destination: comfort and savings

With all that you have to deal with during the winter, the last thing you want is to lose sleep over concerns that your old furnace or heat pump is going to conk out and leave you cold.

When you purchase a new high-efficiency heating system, you’ll immediately eliminate those worries.

You’ll save a lot of money down the road too. A new system should help you save up to 20% on your annual heating costs. If you significantly improve system efficiency by upgrading from a really old system to a high-efficiency unit, your savings could be 40% or more! You’ll feel the difference in comfort. And you’ll also save on repairs, because you’ll minimize the potential of a breakdown, which is a common problem with older systems.

The high-efficiency heating and cooling systems we install use substantially less energy than the less efficient models from the past. These modern systems have gone a long way to making a home more energy efficient, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly.

breathe easy on your journey

Over the years, there has been a troubling rise in the rates of respiratory illnesses like asthma. At one point, it was believed that this could be traced to outdoor air pollution. But more studies confirmed that the real problem is indoor air pollution.

Today, there are sophisticated techniques for analyzing indoor air quality, including the collection of air samples and computer modeling of air flow inside a home. These techniques allow us to understand the reasons why the air inside a home is unhealthy and help us to offer strategies for improvement, including air cleaning systems, air purifiers and humidification systems. Stale indoor air can also be replaced with fresh, clean air from outdoors with a device called an air-to-air exchanger.

Please contact us if you would like us to analyze your home’s indoor air.