Your Best Strategy for Three Big Gains

A lot of us in the technical trades would really enjoy being able to explain the ins and outs of air conditioning systems to anyone who will listen. Oh, we could fill your afternoon with tales of the forced-air distribution system and explain for your listening pleasure the difference between the evaporator component on the inside and the condenser component on the outside.

If you’re like most of our customers, however, you’re not into the full-length description of how your system works. But I can promise you, you’ll like knowing how your system can perform better.

So I’ll save my technical jargon for my coffee break with the techs. And for you, let me offer up the most important factor for increased energy efficiency, improved performance and lengthened operational life for your air conditioning system.

Regular maintenance.

Experts will tell you, your air conditioning system loses about 5% of its efficiency for every year that it goes without regular maintenance. And that’s just one way that skipping the maintenance routine can turn into a costly habit.

Boy, Does It Feel Good Outside!

You can’t beat this weather! It feels too good outside to not be anything but happy and thankful for such a pleasant Summer.
It did get me thinking, though. How can we take advantage of these cool temps? What can we do to save money on our energy bills?
A good place to start is to get rid of any “energy vampires” you may have in your home. These are TVs, lamps, appliances and whatever else you leave plugged in all the time, but rarely use. They are using energy and costing you money even though you are not actively using them.
So, put your TVs on a power strip and turn them off when you are not at home and while you are sleeping. Also, unplug lamps and kitchen appliances that you don’t use on a regular basis.
While this is valuable information that everyone should take advantage of, you should also find out how to save energy and money on your home’s biggest energy burner – your air conditioner. There are “high-efficiency” air conditioners that can save you between 24-40% on your usual utilities.
That is definitely worth investigating!
For more information on lowering your energy consumption and putting more money in your wallet, take a look at this info, The Definition of Insanity.

How Do You Know If It's Time to Replace Your Air Conditioner?

Sometimes it seems like our homes are a moving target. Just as soon as you get one part of the house just like you want it, something needs tending to in another area. So, for most of us, we're always on the lookout for the next big thing that's going to show up – invited or not – on our "home maintenance" to-do list.

Now, when "air conditioning system replacement" comes up on that list, that's quite a significant situation. Home comfort systems are a sizeable part of your home investment, so it's never something to take lightly. But when it's time, three things should be on your evaluation list:

System Age – If your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, you could save up to 20 percent on cooling and heating costs if you replaced it with a unit that has earned the Energy Star label.

Repair/Energy Costs – A home comfort system has what's called "operational" costs. If your system is racking up repair bills and guzzling up your energy dollars, you may be overdue for an efficiency upgrade.

Uncomfortable Environment – A home comfort system is supposed to create a comfortable home environment, right? Well, if you're not comfortable, take note. Are some rooms too hot or too cold? Does your home have humidity problems? This could be a sign of poor or improper equipment operation.

To learn more about improving energy efficiency in your home, take a look at this info, What Does Heat Have to Do with Cold.

How a 1987 Treaty Changed AC in 2010 How a 1987 Treaty Changed Air Conditioning in 2010

Ever heard of the Montreal Protocol? Like many things that happen among and between nations, even if you haven't heard of it, we're talking about an event that could affect your life – or, in this case, your home comfort.

Offered up in 1987 for nations to sign and adopt, the Montreal Protocol was an international treaty that focused on a concern for how chemicals and other things in the atmosphere were depleting the ozone layer that was protecting life as we know it on earth. The treaty was amended in 1992 to set a timetable for phasing out chemicals known as HCFCs – which includes in this list a refrigerant that has been used in air conditioning systems since the early '70s.

Now, fast forward to today and what this means in practical terms for you: Air conditioners manufactured after 2010 can no longer use the refrigerant R-22 (also known by the brand name Freon) as the coolant of choice. While this refrigerant can still be produced and used to service existing equipment for the time being, in 2020, the production and import of R-22 will end, and it will only be available through recycled and reclaimed processes.

That means simply this: any air conditioning that uses R-22 is looking at a time limit. As you face repairs with any pre-2010 system, we'll be glad to talk with you about the best ways to extend the life of the equipment (hint: regular maintenance!), and when the time is right for replacement, we'll give you our best guidance there too.

In the meantime, to learn more about what's going on, take a look at this info, What Every Homeowner Should Know: Government to Take A/C Refrigerant Off Market.

The Once-a-Year Step for Everyday Comfort

You've probably heard of Poor Richard's Almanac even if you have never read it. This was a work by Ben Franklin back when the country was young, and it had a calendar, weather predictions and some wise sayings.

Well, if Ben Franklin were writing weather predictions for Kingsville, TX, he'd say, "It's going to be hot this summer." Seems to me, it happens every year around that time, and this year, we'll be true to the calendar again.

Yet, if only Franklin had had central air conditioning, I think he could have added some updated helpful advice like this:

"If you want something to last, you take care of it. If you want something to do its job, you make sure it's running well. If you want something to protect you in the night, you make sure it doesn't have any hidden dangers."

Why do I think that? Because here's what Franklin actually did say: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

You've heard it, I've heard it, and we all know it's true.

So what ounce of prevention can you bring to your home comfort this spring? One simple step of a preseason checkup on your system can make a world of difference in your comfort all summer long. To learn more about the value of routine maintenance, take a look at this info, The Nutty Way to Solve a Problem Before It Happens.

Is Your Home At the Center of An Energy Loss Vortex?

That's not quite as far-fetched as it seems. See, your home comfort system worked very hard to keep you cozy all Winter. Now with Summer around the corner, you sure don't want system wear and tear to create a black hole in your wallet. I think we all know how expensive space programs can be!
This might sound funny to say but right about now, we usually hear an increase in complaints. Oh, I probably wouldn't be telling you this if these complaints are about us (they're not!). What I mean is, right about now, we start hearing complaints about high energy bills.
Now, it's not like we're physicists. Yet, we actually can have an impact on the energy costs in your home. When operating properly, your home comfort system will work more efficiently and save energy – which can mean lower monthly energy bills.
That's why each spring, we get calls for system tune-ups that effectively increase the efficiency of home systems – and help prevent untimely breakdowns of your home comfort system.
Hope we'll be heading to your home soon. If you didn't have us out last year, you may not realize how much better your system could have been protecting your personal comfort, your energy bills … and more. But don't make that mistake this year.
Learn more about how proper equipment operation affects energy costs. Take a look at this info, Attention: Seasonal Energy Alert.

Weather Alert: It’s Cold

There’s an app for this, there’s an app for that. There’s hardly anything we do or enjoy that can’t benefit from a little technological assistance, right? As a matter of fact, I recently heard of a “winter wake up” app, which combines the functions of an alarm clock with online weather forecasts. The result is that if your app determines that wintry conditions are going to create delays in getting to work, it’ll wake you up a little early so you’ll have more travel time.

Well, you don’t need an app to know the conditions your heating system is facing. Cold temperatures are going to make it work extra hard. Plus, if you haven’t had it serviced before the season begins, you run the risk of having an undetected carbon monoxide leak that could cause serious risks for your family’s health.

That’s why we’re so big on recommending routine maintenance on your system. It’s just a good idea any way you look at it, and this helpful report illustrates some of the benefits.

Why Your Heater Could Give You the Cold Shoulder

Does your home heating really have to be so sensitive? You ignore it – intentionally neglect it, even – for six months. Then when you have a real need, you ask, “How about a little heating help?” Then your system practically coughs in your face. If that.
Sounds like the two of you could use a little professional help. I’m actually not kidding about that part. Before you ask your heater or furnace to keep you toasty warm for Winter, you should give it the resources it needs to do the job right. That means getting your system professionally serviced so you won’t have to worry about it breaking down during freezing temps – and you can rest easy knowing it’s operating safely for your family.
To learn more about a terrific offer on system service, take a look at this info, Prevent Costly Winter Heating System Repairs.

I’m Glad You Asked…

“But why?” you may ask. “Why should I get my furnace tuned up when it seems to be working fine?” Well, I was hoping I’d get a chance to answer that question. It’s just something you might call “taking care of business.” There are certain things we do that may be inconvenient at the moment – but they keep us from having to take care of something much worse down the line.
It’s like going to the doctor for a checkup each year. Maybe nothing’s wrong, but if something is starting to develop, we want to find it quickly before it gets worse. Our health matters to us, so this makes sense. The same is true for going to the dentist. No one enjoys the ritual of cleanings and dental checks, but they keep our teeth “tuned up,” you could say, so we can keep enjoying our favorite foods.
Now that we’re headed into a Kingsville, TX winter, our furnace or heater will matter to us even more. So we want to do a preventive checkup to make sure it’ll be in good shape on the days and nights when we’re counting on it for our comfort and safety. Would you like to learn more? Take a look at this free report, What’s the Big Deal About Tune- Ups?

You’ve Been Breathing WHAT?

Quick question: what’s the worst thing you’ll breathe today? Yeah, I know. It’s an odd thing to ask, but you might not be aware of the odd things that end up in your indoor air.

For example, have you ever heard of something called a Volatile Organic Compound? Well, whether you’ve heard of it or not, there’s a chance you just breathed one in. That’s right. Just while you were sitting there, you may have just breathed in a Volatile Organic Compound.

Believe me, this is something that’s very common. That’s because VOCs are gases that are emitted by a wide array of common products, including paints, varnishes, cleaning supplies, printers, glues, permanent markers and so forth. And the VOCs that fill our airtight homes are a part of what’s led to the declining quality of indoor air in recent years.

If you’d like to learn more (and I hope you do), take a look at this free report, Why Is Indoor Air So Much Worse than Outdoor Air?

Now or Later? And the Big Impact that Small Question Can Have

At some point any of us will say, “I’ll deal with that later.” There is, after all, only so much our “now” can hold. Whether limited time, limited money, limited mental energy, limited physical energy or a mix of all of those at once, the “now” that’s right in front of us for handling issues has to be well managed.
So you want to make good choices – the kind that looks past the now to what’s coming later. Maybe you’ll ask a set of questions like: In the future, will this action help prevent prospective problems that will cost me more time, more money, more inconvenience and be really uncomfortable at an unfortunate time?
That’s the sort of question you might ask yourself when you’re considering routine maintenance on your home comfort system. When you look at it in the context of “now or later,” it’s pretty easy to figure out the answer that makes the most sense. To learn more, take a look at this free report, Simple Math: How Routine Maintenance Adds Up to Be Well Worth Your While.

Uncovering the Mystery of Maintenance

Maybe you’ve invited a service technician to your home before (yes, we do think of this as “invited” because we’re glad to be chosen by you). But once he got there, you started hearing clicks and clanks and simple expressions like, “Hmmm.” So you start wondering, “What in the world is he doing?”
Well, I can sympathize. It isn’t fun to have a stranger in your home sort of doing his own thing, as if you don’t need to be involved. That’s why our techs explain what they’re going to do, and then when they’re done, explain what they did. It takes the mystery out of maintenance. It reassures you about what’s taking place on a very important piece of equipment in your home.
Maintenance involves specific steps, particular to the equipment. In fact, we can tell you now what kinds of things are going to take place to save you energy, convenience and comfort.

Lost in Translation

How about a quick language test? Ever hear of the terms SEER and EER? Well, if it’s near dinnertime, you might think that SEER sounds like something you do to a steak, and EER sounds like corn just off the stalk. So maybe I’m just hungry, but I’m not talking dinner – I’m talking comfort.

And therein lies the problem. If you don’t share a common language, it’s hard to understand what someone is trying to tell you.

This concept is true in all sorts of ways – whether it’s English vs. French, or text message acronyms vs. correct spelling in complete sentences, or industry terms vs. what words people actually understand.

All industries seem to have an “insider language,” where words and technical terms are thrown around as if they should make sense to everybody. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

We see that often as our customers are trying to choose the most energy-efficient solutions for their home, but sometimes they feel like things are lost in translation. If that could be you, you might appreciate this brief report on, “The Language of Energy Efficiency.”  Take a look.  

When Waiting Doesn’t Make Sense

Here’s one of my all-time favorite phrases: “I’ll deal with that later.” Actually, I misplaced my sarcasm font or I would have used it just then. But a lot of people I know really do like that phrase.

Sort of like “deferred maintenance.” This is a concept known by businesses and institutions with property, buildings and equipment that basically means, “We don’t have the budget to repair what’s declining as it is declining, so we’ll deal with it later.” It’s easy to sympathize with the approach of waiting until something is broken until calling for a repair. But it can also be a costly approach.

Homeownership isn’t really any different. We have to keep an eye on the systems and infrastructure that keep our home running. Your air conditioning system, obviously, is in this equation.

By investing each year in routine maintenance, you can save long term on the cost of repairs, extend the life of your equipment and avoid inconvenient breakdowns. It’s simple logic, and only takes a little bit of planning, which means – dare I say? – dealing with it now. But that doesn’t have to be scary. Read "Make Plans for Air Conditioning Maintenance" for quick tips for maintaining your system.

Your Best Bet

How about taking a moment to reflect on one of my most favorite, most fun words in the whole world: maintenance.

Well, maybe it doesn’t sound like a “fun” word to you, like it does to me.

So why all the excitement? Well, I get excited about lower energy bills and fewer repairs – both of which are the results of maintaining your home comfort system. Not making sense yet? Think of it this way… 

Maintaining your car keeps it in its best condition. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle keeps you in your best condition. Maintaining a steady income provides for what you need. No matter how you look at it, maintenance is the best bet for good results.

And your home comfort system isn’t any different if you want it to perform at its highest efficiency for your best comfort.

If you’d like to know more about how maintenance helps and what it involves, take a look at this free report, “The Perks of a Well-Maintained Air Conditioner.”

Lost in Translation

How about a quick language test? Ever hear of the terms SEER and EER? Well, if it’s near dinnertime, you might think that SEER sounds like something you do to a steak, and EER sounds like corn just off the stalk. So maybe I’m just hungry, but I’m not talking dinner – I’m talking comfort. And therein lies the problem. If you don’t share a common language, it’s hard to understand what someone is trying to tell you. This concept is true in all sorts of ways – whether it’s English vs. French, or text message acronyms vs. correct spelling in complete sentences, or industry terms vs. what words people actually understand. All industries seem to have an “insider language,” where words and technical terms are thrown around as if they should make sense to everybody. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. We see that often as our customers are trying to choose the most energy-efficient solutions for their home, but sometimes they feel like things are lost in translation.

Decisions, Decisions…

Are you the sort of person who says, “I may be indecisive, but I’m not sure.” If given the choice between “Yes, No or Maybe,” do you look for the checkbox that says, “All of the above?” You have my sympathies… Making decisions is no laughing matter, and homeowners are faced with a slew of them. Some are smallish, like selecting new towels for the guest bathroom. Some are a little larger, like choosing a new bed for the guest bedroom. Some are even larger – like figuring out how to avoid in-law houseguests once they find out about your new towels and bedroom set! And believe it or not, some decisions get even more sizeable than that – like whether or not to replace a home comfort system. Well, if you’re in the “fact-collecting” mode for that last one, we’ve got some information that can help. With the summer we’re having in Kingsville, TX, your air conditioning unit is experiencing a heavy load. But is it up for the job?

Cause and Effect

You’re probably familiar with the concept of “cause and effect” and how it can lead to a whole bunch of trouble. (Not that I speak from experience. And not that I don’t!) But this basically means that some things happen not just on their own but as part of a set of events. As an example, let’s say you’re walking into your home when your phone starts ringing. To answer your call, you quickly drop your high-priced prescription sunglasses on the couch. You sense that’s not a good idea, but you tell yourself you’ll pick them up when you finish the call. Then you forget. Can you imagine what “effect” is coming? Yes, someone, maybe even you, will probably be sitting on those glasses in the near future. See the point (even if through crushed lenses)? Now let me apply it to something more in my area. If the air inside your home is making respiratory issues like allergies and asthma worse, there could be several causes that are leading to these effects – and several strategies that can help your family breathe a little easier.

Taking Care of Your Investments

No, this is not an article on financial planning, but this is certainly an issue that could affect your financial well-being. Your home comfort system is a big investment, no question about it. If you take care of this investment, it will take care of you – over a longer equipment life that is spent operating efficiently, saving you energy dollars and keeping you comfortable. Not a bad result for routine maintenance.

A Little Bit Here and A Little Bit There Makes a Difference

Save a little money here, save a little money there, and pretty soon it adds up, right? Well, one of the areas where we most like to see our customers save money is in your energy use. When the days are very hot, your air conditioning can account for up to 70% of your utility bill. So it makes sense that whatever you can do to improve energy efficiency at home can help you keep more money in your own pocketbook (and send less to your utilities). But the important point to make here is that you don’t have to take big steps to save energy. You can take small steps over time or make a few small changes in your habits. And you’ll find a lot of ideas for doing just that at the link below. If you’d like to learn more about how you can keep more energy dollars for yourself while enjoying more comfort at home, we’ve got a free report with 10 good tips on how to “Save Energy. Stay Comfortably Cool.”