Thursday, May 27, 2010
Take Good Care of Your Thermostat
The thermostat is perhaps the simplest piece of equipment involved in your home’s heating and cooling system, yet it’s so sensitive that it responds to even slight temperature changes. Though there are fewer mechanical parts in a thermostat to malfunction, it can still cause major problems if not maintained properly.
If a thermostat cover is installed improperly or bumped accidentally it can cause your furnace or air conditioner to fail to start. The thermostat base can sometimes slip out of balance, which causes faulty operation. Corrosion and loose wires can also affect your thermostat’s operation. Dirt and dust are perhaps the most common cause of improper thermostat function. Debris can work its way into the thermostat mechanism and interfere with its calibration. For example, if you set your thermostat for 70 degrees but it’s actually maintaining a temperature of 73 degrees, you’re wasting energy and increasing your monthly utility costs.
If you suspect that the calibration of your thermostat is off, follow these simple steps to check it and repair any minor problems.
First, you’ll need a few basic tools to check the calibration of your thermostat: tape, paper towels, a glass tube thermometer, a new dollar bill or a soft brush, a level, and a screwdriver. Gather these from around the house or hit your local hardware store.
Next, tape the glass thermometer to the wall a short distance away from the thermostat. Use the paper towels to pad the thermometer and keep it from touching the wall. Make sure doors and windows are sealed to prevent outside drafts from affecting the temperature reading.
Give the thermometer at least 15 minutes to stabilize, and compare the reading to the thermostat needle. If there’s a difference between the two of a degree or more, check the thermostat for dirt.
To clean your thermostat, take off the faceplate carefully. Blow off any loose dust inside. Never use a vacuum cleaner, as the powerful suction can damage fragile parts in the thermostat. If your thermostat has accessible contact points, use the new dollar bill to rub in between them. This will help brush away dirt. If your thermostat has a coiled element, use the soft brush to clear away debris.
If the thermostat has a mercury vial, use the level to ensure the unit is straight. If it’s crooked, try loosening the mounting screws and move the thermostat until its level. Don’t forget to retighten the screws.
Once you’ve cleaned the thermostat, repeat steps one and two using the glass tube thermometer. If there’s still a difference between the thermometer reading and the thermostat temperature, you’ll probably need to replace the unit.
Replacing a thermostat is a fairly simple procedure that you can do yourself quickly and inexpensively.
Be sure the new thermostat has the exact same voltage as the unit you’re replacing. Mismatched voltages can cause dangerous power shortages and continued system malfunction. The thermostat must also be compatible with your home’s heating system. If you can’t match your old unit with a new one brand for brand, consult a sales representative at your local hardware or home improvement store for recommendations on comparable models.
Also, be sure to keep electric lamps, TVs, stereos and and appliances away from the thermostat. Heat from these items can cause your air conditioner to run unnecessarily and cause the thermostat to malfunction.
Related Information...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Heating and Cooling on Demand with Zoned Systems
For many years, whole house central heating and cooling was about the only choice consumers had. But today it doesn't have to be an all or nothing situation thanks to zoned heating and cooling.
Zoned heating and air conditioning systems provide on-demand temperature control where and when you want it. Forget about cooling empty rooms or over-heating one area of your home just to feel comfortable in another.
Zoned heating and air conditioning works a lot like a light switch, turning your home’s HVAC system on and off based on your preferences. Dampers inside your home’s ductwork open and close according to each zone’s individual temperature settings. Once a zone reaches its pre-selected temperature, the appropriate dampers close. This helps save energy and utility costs, and makes your home more comfortable.
So how do you know if zoned heating and air conditioning is right for your home? If there is a lot of variation between temperatures in your home from room to room or from level to level, or if you find that you’re constantly adjusting your thermostat to reach an optimal temperature, a zoning system might be the solution you need. Homes with multiple levels, with a sprawling ranch or multi-wing design, lots of windows, large square footage, or large open areas like spacious foyers or vaulted ceilings can also benefit from zoned heating and cooling.
A zoned heating and air conditioning system can make all areas of your home more comfortable in both winter and summer. You’ll also save energy and money because your heating and cooling system won’t have to work as hard to regulate the temperature inside your house. By adding programmable thermostats, you can save even more.
Just like it doesn’t make sense to have all the lights in your home controlled by a single switch, it seems pretty silly to control your home’s heating and cooling system with a single thermostat. Zoned heating and air conditioning is like installing several temperature controls throughout the rooms of your house—like having multiple light switches to control lights. It lets you turn down the heat in unused rooms during the day or cool bedrooms on an upper level just before bed.
For new home construction, zoning systems are easily integrated into most modern central HVAC systems. You can save money on installation by putting in a zoning system while your contractor still has easy access to ductwork; costs go up significantly once ducts are covered by walls and ceilings. Zoning saves money on utilities, too, making your new home more affordable to live in.
For existing homes, zoned heating and air conditioning can reduce the frustration caused by wild temperature fluctuations from room to room. Even if your ductwork is covered by drywall or plaster, there is such a variety of zoning systems available that chances are good your contractor will be able to match your home with an affordable system. Since most of the installation work will be limited to the area around your furnace—usually found in a mechanical closet, attic, or crawl space—there will be minimal disruption of your daily routine.
What’s more, a new zoning system will pay for itself in a very short time thanks to the savings you’ll see on your monthly utility bills during both heating and air conditioning seasons.
Your Horizon Services Comfort Consultant can provide more information about zoned heating and air conditioning systems and will help you find an option that fits your home, your budget, and your heating and cooling needs.
Related Information from Horizon Services...
Monday, May 17, 2010
Step Up to Whole House Performance
Whole House Home Performance is gaining popularity in the home improvement industry, as more and more homeowners search for ways to upgrade their home's’s energy efficiency. It is a systematic approach to home improvement in which a certified professional uses state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and testing to identify the cause of some of the most common household problems that impact energy-efficiency, indoor air quality, and comfort. Following these recommendations can make your home healthier and more comfortable, as well as significantly reduce your monthly utility bills and even increase your home's value.
The following are some of the most frequently identified areas where Whole House Home Performance improvements can make a difference.
Sealing Leaks and Ductwork:
Repairing leaky ducts and sealing drafts can reduce your heating and cooling expense by 30 percent or more. If ducts, windows, and doorways are not sealed properly, all the energy used to heat or cool the air inside your home is wasted.
Sealing ducts with mastic, durable duct tape, or an aerosol sealant, insulating duct work in attics and crawl spaces, and weather-stripping windows and doors will help improve air flow throughout your house.
Adding Insulation:
Inadequate insulation in ceilings, basements, attics, and exterior walls can allow warm air to escape your home in winter and cold air to escape in summer. This forces your home’s heating and cooling systems to work harder than they have to, which increases energy usage and utility costs. In cold regions, insufficient insulation can also lead to ice dams, which clog gutters and cause roof leaks and pipe bursts.
Improving the level of insulation in these areas ensures that both warm and cool temperatures are stabilized throughout your house, making for a more comfortable dwelling that’s more affordable to heat and cool.
Upgrading HVAC Equipment:
Older air conditioners can use 30 to 50 percent more energy than newer models. Replacing an old device with a new machine that has a high energy-efficiency rating can cut your summer cooling costs in half. The same can be said of heating systems.
Before you decide to replace your central air or heat system, be sure to have a professional check the ductwork. If ducts are in disrepair, buying a new system won’t help you save any money; all that energy-efficiency will simply leak out through the cracks and tears.
As well, regular service and annual furnace tune-ups and air conditioning tune-ups are a great way to guarantee that your heating and cooling system stays in fine working order, lasts a long time and continues to perform at peak efficiency levels.
Upgrading Lighting and Appliances:
Lighting and appliances account for about half of the average home’s total energy costs. Perhaps the simplest change you can make is to replace the bulbs in your home with energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting and to swap older appliances for Energy Star rated models. Dishwashers, refrigerators, washers and dryers, and other major appliances that are more than 10 years old are significantly less efficient than newer models. Furthermore, replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents can drastically reduce your monthly utility bill. And you’ll save even more money because compact fluorescents last 10 times longer than traditional bulbs—you won’t have to change a light bulb for four or five years.
Related Information...
- Home Performance with Energy Star
- USGBC Expert Advocates Whole-House Approach to Home Performance Audits
- The Maryland Home Performance Program
- Pennsylvania's Special Financing Program for Energy Efficiency Home Improvements
- Home Performance with ENERGY STAR in Pennsylvania
- Delmarva Power Offers Customers New Home Energy Savings Program Options
- Horizon Services System Analysis
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Effective Kitchen & Bathroom Cleaning Without Harsh Chemicals
Advantages of Water Vapor for Cleaning
The average American spends about 70 percent of his or her time at home. This makes it very important that the indoor air quality inside our homes is free of germs, allergens, pollutants, harsh chemicals, and air-borne debris. Steam cleaning with high-pressure water vapor can reduce or even eliminate everything from bacteria and viruses to fleas and dust mites. With steam cleaning, dust mites, fleas and their eggs are killed on contact, while allergens, pollen and pet dander are instantly removed.
Just as steam is used to sterilize medical instruments, baby items, and clean clothes, it can be used in your kitchen and bathroom to effectively and gently disinfect most surfaces. If you or anyone in your home are sensitive to allergens, have asthma, or a condition in which the immune system is weakened, steam cleaning is an attractive alternative to traditional chemical cleaning.
Those living with babies or small children are also sure to appreciate the power of steam cleaning as well as the reduction in the number of poisonous materials around the kitchen, bathroom and rest of the house.
Cleaning Grout with Steam
Many kitchen and bathroom cleaners are simply too harsh to clean grout, and specialty grout cleaners can be expensive. Using steam to clean tile grout is a gentle but effective way to get rid of mold, mildew, soap scum and dirt. However, steam cleaning machines can be bulky, making it inconvenient to drag them to the kitchen or bathroom several times a week. To maintain your grout in between deep steam cleanings, most experts recommend spraying grout with hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, or baking soda and water.
Spray the grout after every use, and be sure to open a window if you are using one of the harsher materials like vinegar or alcohol. Steam cleaning just once or twice a month is sufficient to kill mold spores, mildew, bacteria, dust mites, and other organisms that may be hiding in tile grout. Your kitchen or bathroom will look like a million bucks!
Beyond the Kitchen and Bathroom
The same water vapor that can be used to disinfect and clean your kitchen or bathroom can also be used throughout your home to improve overall cleanliness and air quality. Mobile units available for purchase vary in size and price; small machines cost around $100, while larger ones can cost upwards of $1000. Carpet steam cleaners can be purchased at nearly any discount or home improvement store, or can be rented at many supermarkets. Use steam to clean everything from carpets, clothing, toys, and sports equipment to sinks, wallpaper, doors, and glass.
Benefits for your Plumbing and Drains
Steam cleaning is also a wise choice if you want to keep your plumbing and drain system in fine working order. Over time, chemicals from cleaning products can corrode pipes and damage plumbing fixtures. Sediment from cleansers can also accumulate in drains and contribute to clogs. Steam cleaning, on the other hand is gentler on kitchen and bathroom surfaces and won't harm pipes, faucets, drains and plumbing fixtures.
Where to Find Steam Cleaners
You can find quality steam cleaning equipment at most hardware and home stores as well as online at websites like Amazon.com. Commercial home cleaning services can also provide a thorough steam cleaning of your kitchen, bathroom and whole house for those who are all thumbs in the clean-up department.
Related Information from Horizon Services...
Friday, May 7, 2010
Energy Efficient Home Financing Options 2010
Most of us want to reduce our impact on the environment and are interested in ways that we can lower our monthly utility costs by making our homes more energy efficient. The one thing holding us back is the high initial cost of many of these greener alternatives.
Thankfully, there are several emerging options to help first-time buyers and established homeowners finance energy efficient initiatives.
Some government-sponsored loans and private lenders now offer special financing packages for energy efficient new construction or existing structure improvements. Many states also have special programs for qualified residents. It’s a good idea to check with the U.S. Department of Energy or your state’s energy office for more information about available programs and eligibility standards.
Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs) are among the most popular home financing options available today to consumers. EEMs are divided into two categories: new home construction and improvements or upgrades to an existing home. An EEM allows you to buy or refinance a newly-built home that already adheres to certain energy efficiency criteria, or to buy or refinance an older home that will be in compliance with energy efficiency guidelines following renovations and upgrades.
The amount of financing offered for energy efficient homes depends on the home’s energy rating. The higher the rating, the more money you may qualify for. Energy ratings generally involve extensive inspection by a certified professional who is accredited on the state or national level in home energy rating systems (HERS). HERS depends on where the home is located and may be affected by other factors.
When it comes time for en energy ratings inspection, the examiner will look at all of the energy-related attributes of the home: insulation, windows, HVAC systems, air leakage, drafts, and more. Following a comprehensive inspection the rater will provide you with a detailed report that clearly states your home’s energy rating, as well as information regarding your family’s average annual energy consumption and costs. The report could also include recommendations for improving energy efficiency, estimated costs of these improvements, and a breakdown of potential savings or return on the initial investment.
Once the energy rating report has been submitted by the inspector, it must show that the structure is already sufficiently energy efficient or that any suggested improvements are cost effective—that is, any improvements will eventually save you more money that you have to borrow to implement them. The energy rating will determine how much a lender is willing to extend in financing. A favorable rating will incline the lender to add the cost of improvements into the mortgage or may extend your debt to income ratio, helping you qualify for a better interest rate.
Energy efficiency is having an increasingly strong impact on the real estate market. For sellers, energy efficiency financing lets you make improvements that add value to your home and will make it more attractive to potential buyers. If you’re in the market for a new home, choosing energy efficient amenities can help you get more for your money, as lower utility bills mean you can afford to expand your mortgage budget.
Related Information from Horizon Services...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Put Up Curtains to Bring Down Heating & Air Conditioning Costs!
In these tough economic times, we’re all looking for ways to tighten our budgets and save a little money. At home, one of the most effective ways to cut your energy costs is also one of the least expensive: insulated curtains.
Insulated curtains keep drafts out and cut down on heat exchange -- the process by which heated or cooled air leaves your home and warm or cold air comes in. This is the number one cause of energy loss in most homes. By reducing heat exchange, insulated curtains help keep the temperature inside your home constant without taxing your heating and air conditioning system. You’ll save on electricity usage and monthly utility costs.
There are various types of insulated curtains, each with a different degree of protection against warm or cool air loss. However, most include several layers meant to help regulate your home’s temperature. There’s an outer decorative layer to match the décor in your room, an inner lining, a layer of high-density foam that blocks sound and heat exchange, a reflective vapor barrier that prevents moisture build-up, and another reflective layer that holds air in the room. Many insulated curtains also have a magnetic strip sewn into the edge seams that help form a tighter seal around the window, adding another layer of protection against heat exchange.
There are many benefits to using insulated curtains.
In warm weather, keeping insulated curtains closed during the day blocks the sun’s heat. You’ll use less air conditioning because you’ll be letting less heat into the house. In winter, keeping the curtains open during the day will let in heat from the sun. Closing curtains at night traps that heat in your home, and you’ll be able to turn the thermostat down and use less heating. Both of these methods reduce the strain on your home’s heating and air conditioning system, saving significant energy and money.
Another benefit of insulated curtains is that they provide superior soundproofing for your home. Outside noises stay out, and inside noises stay in. Though they probably won’t prevent the neighbor’s blasting stereo noise from entering your home, for annoying ambient sounds like lawn mowers, barking dogs and loud passing vehicles they do make a great addition. You’ll find insulated curtains especially useful in bedrooms or kids’ rooms where a little extra quiet tends to come in very handy.
Insulated curtains come in a variety of patterns, fabrics, colors, thicknesses, and durability. They can be easily purchased at most home goods, discount or department stores or from online specialty shops. With so many options it’s easy to find a style that’s sure to suit your taste and room décor. Most can be hung from any standard curtain rod, though heavier curtains may call for a sturdier hanging device. Taking care of insulated curtains is no more difficult than caring for regular window treatments. Regular light vacuuming will keep them free of dust and looking like new. Tough stains wear may require occasional dry cleaning.
For significant energy savings without the substantial investment of replacing or upgrading your home’s heating and air conditioning system, give insulated curtains a try. You'll have it made in the shade!
Related Information from Horizon Services...
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