How to Efficiently Heat Your Home in the Winter Months

Before you know it winter will be upon Northern Arizona; you’ll be shoveling snow, the kids will be sledding and hopefully you’ll all be able to enjoy the winter wonderland inside your warm and toasty home. Energy Savings Heating and Cooling has compiled a list of the best ways to save energy during the winter months in the Northern Arizona area.

Replace your filters. A clogged filter reduces airflow which reduces the output of heated air and puts an undue strain on your heating system. A standard filter should be replaced every 30 days.

Use the sun to heat up your living space. During the day open curtains and blinds that face the south.

Seal the fireplace when not in use. Be sure the damper is in good working condition and is able to seal tightly to keep the heat in your home.

Make sure your duct system is tightly sealed. If heated air is escaping into your attic or crawl space, it’s not making it into your
home.

Only use exhaust fans when needed. Exhaust fans pull heated air out of the house at a rapid rate, requiring your heating system to work harder to make up the air. Exhaust fans also cause negative pressure which can pull in uncomfortable drafts around windows, electrical outlets, and can lights.

Install a programmable thermostat. This will allow you to lower the temperature set point while you’re out of the house. Keep the temp within five degrees of your normal setting; any more may be counterproductive requiring additional energy to be used to stabilize the temp back to your original temperature.

If you have more than one floor consider installing a zone system so each floor is controlled independently for higher efficiency and consistent comfort. Also, you can partially close the vents on the higher floors, this forces more heat downstairs.

Let your ceiling fans do the work. Because hot air rises you can set your fans in the reverse position on low which will help push warm air downward.

Maintain your heating system. Contact the professionals at Energy Savings Heating and Cooling for your regular service needs to keep your heating system running at its fullest capacity.

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Tips to Stay Warm While Reducing your Heating Costs This Winter

Chilly temperatures in Northern Arizona are just around the corner. Wondering how you and your family will stay toasty warm all winter long? Energy Savings Heating and Cooling is bringing you the best tips to winterize your home, learn from the Pro’s:

Don’t Skip the Prep Work
Start with your doors and windows; check the current state of the caulking and weather stripping around doors and windows and replace if needed, this will seal out cold air and help save on heating expenses. Installing more insulation in your home will also save energy costs. Don’t forget the fireplace damper! When your fireplace is not in use, make sure the damper is set to the closed position. An open damper is just like having a window or door open allowing heated air to escape the house. Limit the use of your fireplace in colder climates as experts agree that a typical fireplace loses more heat than it generates. If you are a fireplace enthusiast during the winter consider installing an insert which will make better use of the heat generated in your fireplace.

Get the Right Help
Most Utility Companies offer a home energy audit for free. It’s best to schedule an appointment before winter to make sure your furnace and appliances are running as efficiently as possible.

Reconsider Your Utility Plan
Switch to a Utility company budget plan. A utility plan will average-out your monthly payments. You will still spend the same amount per year, but you won't get hit with any huge winter heating bills.

Turn Up the Tech
Install a programmable thermostat and you can automatically lower temperature settings, especially at night when you're sleeping and during the day while at work. The Department of Energy says that setting the thermostat 5 degrees lower for just 8 hours per day can save up to 5% in energy costs. Used properly, it can save you up to $200.00 per year.

Invest When It’s Important
Yes, a high efficiency furnace, boiler or heat pump can cost you upfront but investing in energy efficient equipment will actually save you money in the long run. Also consider purchasing a maintenance plan so that you can have peace of mind that your equipment will work when you need it most. If you can’t afford a new system or maintenance plan, at least have your existing system cleaned and serviced before each heating season.

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WHY ‘GOING DUCTLESS’ MAY BE RIGHT FOR YOU

How often have you walked into a room in your home only to be disappointed by its inconsistent temperature? Does the room feel like the streets of Phoenix in the summer or the Snow Bowl of Flagstaff in the winter? Ductless cooling and heating systems are the perfect solution for hot and cold rooms, additions/renovations, enclosed patios, homes without space for ductwork and larger, multi-zone living spaces. Now you don’t have to be let down by your homes’ current heating and cooling system, let us at Energy Savings help you create the perfect temperature for that finicky space so that you can enjoy every room in your home. Ductless cooling and heating systems are energy efficient, environmentally friendly and completely customizable.

1. Flexible Solutions
Whether it is a home addition, new construction, condominium or apartment, Energy Savings can offer the greatest solution for your heating and cooling needs. We believe in the Ductless system because it’s the answer for those who desire a cost-effective way to replace inefficient window units, space heaters and eclectic baseboard heaters.

2. Take That to the Bank
Does the thought of investing in a new heating and cooling system cause you wallet anxiety? Well, you can rest assured that you will actually be saving money by installing a Ductless system! Ductless systems operate on less power because they are smaller than traditional forced-air systems, and because temperature-controlled air is delivered directly into a room, there is no loss in efficiency. Multi-split systems also allow homeowners to create “zones” in their home, which means they no longer have to cool or heat rooms that aren’t occupied. You may also be eligible for tax credits or utility rebates for the year the Ductless system was installed.

3. A Breath of Fresh Air
A Ductless system offers multi-stage filtration which can drastically reduce dust, bacteria, pollen, allergens and other particulates in the air – you can actually have higher quality air indoors than outdoors! A traditional HVAC system must be professionally cleaned on a regular basis and that cleaning can still leave behind dust and allergens.

4. Install Is a Breeze
Installing a traditional, ducted system can take several weeks and disrupts daily activities in the home. Ductless systems are far less invasive to install, and depending upon the number of indoor and outdoor units required, can be up and running in as little as one day.  Multi-split systems run on small pipes that require a mere three-inch hole. That means homeowners don’t have to worry about rebuilding walls or ceilings around ductwork and there is no loss of precious square footage.

5. Green Machine
Ductless cooling and heating systems follow ENERGY STAR guidelines, which means they are far more energy efficient than the minimum standards set forth by the U.S. federal government.
The small size of a ductless cooling system and its zoning capabilities allow greater energy efficiency.

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Tips For Getting Your Air Conditioning Ready For Winter

Whether you’re in the frigid chill of Flagstaff or the more temperate Yavapai County preparing your HVAC system for winter is essential.

Cooler weather in Northern Arizona is upon us and winter is just around the corner. Is your heating system ready for the cold weather? Here are a few tips to help you get ready for the cooler temperatures of Central and Northern Arizona plus an opportunity to add a few good years to your HVAC system.

Air Filters: If you aren't already, get in the habit of changing your air filters monthly. Just because you can't see the dust trapped in the air filter doesn't mean it isn't there.

Thermostat: Test your thermostat to make sure your heating system is working properly. On a cool morning, turn the heat on and set the thermostat to your preferred winter-time temperature. If your home never reaches that temperature or takes too long, you may have a problem.

Unusual Behavior/Noises: Unusual noises or excess heat or water coming from your system is a sign that something could be wrong. Don't wait around until it breaks as experience teaches us that it could cost more to fix. Contact Energy Savings Heating and Cooling for service and repair.

Programmable Thermostat: Consider having a programmable thermostat installed. It allows you to program preset temperatures for various times of the day so that your heater works less when you're away.

Vacuum: Vacuum any debris from your furnace blower compartment. If you prefer, one of our certified technicians can perform this task while servicing your unit.

Air Vents: To ensure air circulates properly, make sure nothing is blocking your fresh-air-supply and return-air vents. Furniture, bedding, toys and the like can obstruct air intake and make the heating unit work harder.

For ensuring the longevity of your heating and cooling unit, count on Energy Savings Heating and Cooling, we'll help improve your system's efficiency and test your system for safety. We can perform an inspection that includes searching for possible refrigerant leaks, electrical issues, and insuring proper venting. Be sure to contact us... “Some Bigger, None Better”...

Energy Savings Heating and Cooling serving Prescott, Cottonwood, Sedona, Flagstaff Show Low, Payson and everything in between!

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Lowering your Heating and Cooling Footprint

Today is a different world that we live in. Many Baby boomers are down-sizing and selling their large homes and moving into much smaller places. They are looking at lots of different ways to save money in the home. Many of these are the common with the building technology such as low e windows, better insulated doors and Extra insulation in the attic and walls. Many of the baby boomers miss out on a couple of very important issues that help lower the monthly operating cost of the home. One item is their leaky ductwork. Statistics show that the average home built 10 to 20 years ago has a duct system that leaks 25% of the conditioned air to the attic or crawl space. So it’s very important to have that system sealed. The best Technology is the Aero Seal technology because it seals 95% to 100% of the leakage in the duct work and is certified by most utilities as the technology to buy when sealing your system. In northern Arizona Home Depot has a service Provider that has this technology.

The other very important operating cost if not the largest is the heating and cooling system. Now is the best time to look at the HVAC system because the heating and cooling technology has changed dramatically. Systems cost very little to operate. They are very quiet and come with long warranties. There are inverted technology’s that have been used in the US that are supper efficient. The system converts ac power to dc power which allows the system to operate in a variable speed maintaining the comfort in the home with very little operating costs. These are great systems used in conjunction with Solar Systems because they don’t put a great strain on the solar components and storage side of solar. The inverted technologies are also now heating with very low outdoor ambient conditions which in Northern Arizona is a plus. So there are lots of things to consider when trying to lower your energy costs and HVAC should be a big part of the plan.

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AC Repair: You May Suddenly Need It!

Imagine this scenario, if you will: an unbearable heat wave has visible waves wafting off of the pavement, and everyone’s miserable.  You go home from a long day, and as the door opens, the cool gusts of air doesn't greet you.  Instead, it’s just the hot, stuffy air that’s been sitting there, baking your house with heat.  The thermostat says it's warmer inside than outside of the house, but nothing happens with the AC.

It’s a bit of a nightmare when your air conditioner is broken.  We’ve covered the importance of heating and cooling maintenance in another post, so today, we’ll give you some ideas on why you're in need of some sudden AC repair:

Coolant Leak

Freon (often known as coolant or refrigerant) is something that could be considered the blood of an AC system--it’s THAT important.  As it goes through the coils of your AC, going through a rapid evaporation process many times to draw the heat out of your home.  If it’s taking longer to cool your house than usual or your outside unit is covered in ice, there’s a chance you might have a leak. 

Clutter in the Unit 
A lot of things can get into your outside unit, if it’s persistent enough.  Leaves from a nearby tree might give it some problems with its sticks and leaves, a child’s toy could possibly get lodged in the system, or more commonly, dirt and sand could work its way in through a dust storm.  If this happens around certain parts, it could cause them to overheat and the entire system will shut down.

Damaged Parts

There’s a lot of parts in an air conditioner, and if the more important ones break, there’s one common symptom: the lack of cool air flowing into your home.  An initial thought might be that the air filters are needing to be changed out, but there’s more to worry about.  There’s fans that can be bent, capacitors that can overload and make your unit break down, motors that can wear out, and more.

 
If any of these happen, don’t panic, and contact a technician to repair your AC unit immediately.  They’re trained to track down the problem with the system and fix it as soon as possible.  Since the warmer months of the year are rapidly approaching, it’s also a good idea to schedule a technician so that they can take preventative care for your AC unit, so you’re not stuck without air conditioning in Arizona.

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Protect your HVAC Investment with Planned Maintenance

by Steve Voevosky

I hear this all the time, “My system is only 3 years old and I don’t need heating and cooling maintenance on it because it’s working fine and I routinely replace the air filter”. Well what most people don’t realize is that the majority of the mechanical contractors installing furnaces, heat pumps or air conditioning systems don’t take the time to commission the system after start up. What this means is that almost any system can be installed to run but if certain parameters are not met or set than the system will most likely have an early failure and quite possibly cause damage to the home or the occupants.

Let me explain; when a furnace is installed there are many critical items that need attention such as gas pressure, combustion air, venting, air flow, heat rise and so on. If the gas pressure is too high you are wasting fuel, if the pressure is set too low is will run hot and possible damage the heat exchanger. If the furnace doesn’t have enough air flow across the heat exchanger than that too will damage the unit. If their isn’t enough combustion air  than the furnace will most likely run too rich and soot up the inside of the heat exchanger and or have flame roll out. If the venting of the furnace is not sized correctly than this could cause carbon monoxide to come into the conditioned space and injure the occupants. The same goes for an air conditioning system or heat pump. These components run on electricity. If the refrigerant charge is not set by superheat or sub cooling than the air conditioner or heat pump most likely will cause a higher than normal electric bill and or not take care of the internal load it was sized for creating an uncomfortable home. The other situation it creates is an early failure of the system. If the system is slightly out of the refrigerant charge the occupants will not know about it for a couple of years and not realize that they could be saving a pile of money on their utility bills and prolonging the failure of the system.

That’s why preventative maintenance if done correctly will catch systems that were never commissioned and be able to put the system back on the right track. This makes the system last longer and perform at the manufactures specifications as designed by the HVAC contractor. It doesn’t matter if you live in Flagstaff or Sedona all systems need planned maintenance.

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Duct Cleaning

There are many reasons to have your ducts cleaned in Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Cottonwood and Sedona)

Depending on where you live it can be a very critical part in keeping your home free and clear of allergens and dust that causes many health issues. First let us explain how the dust gets into your duct system. There are two parts of the duct work for every Heating and Cooling System. The positive pressure side of the duct is called the Supply Duct. This is the one that blows air through the register and into the conditioned space. The other side of the duct system is the Return Duct which is the negative pressure side of the system. This is the duct that has your air filter incorporated into it.


What most of us don’t understand is how the dust and particulates get into the system to begin with. It easy to understand that when the system is turned on, the return side of the duct will pull that dust matter into the duct because it is under a negative pressure. It is compounding when there is a low return duct at the floor level verses a return grill in the ceiling. Dust is heavier than air and the majority of it is on the floor. If you have carpet, than there is a great deal of dust matter embedded into the fibers. If you have the carpets cleaned it still has a way of coming out and getting pulled into the return duct because most carpets are not cleaned to that level.


A good filter will keep the dust from coming into the rest of the duct system and should be replaced often. If the return duct is old there is a good chance that it has air leaks which can be a big problem. If the return duct has air leaks (Duct connections not sealed) than it will bring in dust, allergens and particulates into the duct system behind the filter which will not stop the matter from going into the rest of the duct system and eventually entering the living space.


There is a test for this problem and a good repair. See Aeroseal duct-sealing technology by Energy Savings Heating and Cooling. If you have air leaks in the supply side of the duct system you are not introducing more dust to your system but you are wasting a lot of energy due to the fact that you are not getting the air that is being conditioned into your home and a small percentage is being wasted.


Make sure that your duct system is air tight before you hire someone for a duct cleaning otherwise you will be wasting your money. It doesn’t take long for the system to get dirty again if the ducts are leaking. Another reason for keeping the ducts cleaned is for the health of young infants. Babies are usually crawling along the floor and are much more susceptible to inhaling the dust particulates and allergens than adults. Infants in this kind of environment usually need medical attention and are hard to determine the cause.


The last reason you would have your ducts cleaned is probably the biggest reason. If you get your ducts cleaned you will have a lot less dusting to do in the home.

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Cold Weather Energy Saving Tips

January can be the coldest month for all of us who live in northern Arizona. We can have some days in the single digit degrees which if you are not ready for it can be very disrupting to your normal way of life. There are many things that people can do outside of the normal wrapping of your pipes in order to keep and stay warm this season. Most of these ideas are very simple and we sometimes take them for granted.

If your home has a lot of windows there are some simple things you can do to prevent that cold convection that comes from the glass entering your home and robbing it from your heat. One of the most effective ways is to have some block out blinds installed on the inside of the window which act as another insulator. They work great and you can put them in where the greatest loss of heat is coming from in your home. You can put them down at night while you are sleeping and your heater won’t have to work as hard to keep your home comfortable.

Make sure that your fire place chimney flue is closed when you are not using the fire place. A lot of heat leaves the home when this damper is open.

Speaking of heat loss, check all of your doors that open to the outside. This is another huge air leak that infiltrates cold air into your living space. They are easily repaired and you can find most of those door sweeps and gaskets items at the hardware store. Windows have the same issues and can be addressed the same way. An easy way to check for leakage is to use smoke. Light a match and blow it out. Quickly place the smoking match next to the window seal and see if the smoke moves. If the smoke is still than you don’t have any leakage at that window. Move on to the next.

Another sign to look for in your home are the small spider webs that you see sometimes up the sky lights, window frames or any of the many can lights that you might have in your home. Spiders always build their webs where air is moving. This is an indication of an air leak and needs to be addressed. Simply change the gasket, use caulking to seal the crack or use drywall spackle.

As you inspect your home you will see many of these areas. As you fix each and every one of the leaks it will not only reduce your heating bill but make you home more comfortable and have less dust.

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Get the most out of your heater - schedule a duct cleaning today!