Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Fresno’

Your Furnace: How Efficient Should It Be?

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

Of course, efficiency matters when choosing a new furnace for your Fresno area home – but there are trade-offs to think about. Highly efficient heating systems (with 90-97 percent efficiency ratings) have a higher purchase price. Since you won’t be relying upon home heating like someone from the Northeast U.S. would, paying a premium for super-high efficiency may not be your biggest concern. As an educated consumer, you’ll want to weigh the following factors regarding a new furnace:

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Furnace Installation: Three Important Factors to Consider

Tuesday, February 18th, 2014

Furnace Installation: Three Important Factors to ConsiderAn impending furnace installation for your Fresno area home brings with it some important decisions for you to make. Right from the beginning of your research, consider three key points to discuss with your reliable HVAC contractor. 

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Gas Furnaces: How Long Will Yours Last?

Thursday, February 13th, 2014

Gas Furnaces: How Long Will Yours Last?There are many factors that contribute to the lifespan of gas furnaces, including the quality of the furnace, installation quality, how hard it works, and regular maintenance as per the manufacturer’s recommendations. On average, a furnace will last somewhere between 15 and 20 years. Unfortunately, many furnaces simply give out at the end of their lifespan without a great deal of warning. Therefore, if your gas furnace has passed the 15-year mark, it is a good idea to begin researching replacement options.

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When There’s No MERV Rating on Your Filter Packaging: What to Do

Tuesday, February 11th, 2014

When There's No MERV Rating on Your Filter Packaging: What to DoYou’d think that MERV, which stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, would be a common rating on practically any HVAC filter’s packaging. Devised by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as a helpful way to analyze and compare air filtration media performance, most companies rate their filters based on the MERV system.

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What’s Fenestration? Why Windows, Doors and Skylights Are Key to Energy Savings

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

What's Fenestration? Why Windows, Doors and Skylights Are Key to Energy SavingsFenestration, a collective term for the doors, windows and skylights that penetrate a building’s exterior, is a key element of your home’s design, providing attractive natural lighting, ventilation and access. With proper design and maintenance, fenestration can enhance your home’s energy efficiency. However, even in our mild climate here in the San Joaquin Valley, bad design, improper installation and neglected maintenance can lead to unnecessary energy losses. 

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When Dust Invades Your Home

Thursday, January 30th, 2014

Ordinary house dust is anything but ordinary, consisting of infinite combinations of particulate from within your Fresno area home and around the globe. While the production and accumulation of dust is inevitable, there are several steps you can take to reign it in and gain control.

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Signs Your Ductwork Is Too Old to Do the Job

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

Signs Your Ductwork Is Too Old to Do the JobIs your ductwork beginning to show its age? That often happens much sooner than homeowners expect, since price often takes priority over quality in builders’ minds when it comes to air ducts. Since a deteriorating air duct system can reduce your home’s energy efficiency, it will increase your energy bills, and can cost you in terms of home comfort and indoor air quality as well. So how do you know whether your ductwork needs replacement?

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Mold and Mildew Growth: A Real Indoor Air Quality Issue for Homeowners

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

Maintaining good air quality in your home is crucial to protecting your family’s health. Among the common threats to the clean air in your home are mold and mildew. These organisms may be lurking in your home in places unseen, and endangering your family’s health, but you can take a few simple steps to protect yourself from this threat.

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Redirecting Your Home’s Air by Closing Vents May Not Be the Best Solution

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

Redirecting Your Home's Air by Closing Vents May Not Be the Best SolutionThere are a lot of suggestions for saving household energy these days, especially as utility costs increase. Some of these work better than others do for your Fresno area home. One common suggestion is to close off registers in unused parts of your home. This used to be true, but with modern HVAC systems, it can actually create more problems, and end up making your utility bills go up instead of down.

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Determine Where Your Home Is Wasteful With a Professional Energy Audit

Thursday, January 16th, 2014

A home energy evaluation, also known as an energy audit, is an excellent way for Fresno area homeowners to determine the effectiveness of their home energy system and uncover where energy is being wasted. This audit evaluates how well your HVAC system performs, the effectiveness of the building’s thermal envelope, and which improvements should be made to better your system.

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