Most people look forward to their summer vacation all year. However, if you don’t prepare your home for the vacation, you may end up with high energy costs and other problems while you’re away. To give yourself maximum peace of mind and to reduce your home’s expenses while you’re gone this summer, take some of the following steps:
Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘heating and cooling’
Save Energy Dollars While On Vacation This Summer
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012Shopping For A Heat Pump? Terms You Should Know
Tuesday, June 26th, 2012
When shopping for a heat pump, you’re taking a trip into the world of heating and air conditioning engineering. A heat pump works like an air conditioner in the summer, and thanks to design technology, as a home heater in the winter. Heat pumps simply exchange heat from one place to another for both functions. The following terms will help you make the right choice:
An Attic Fan May Be The Answer To Your Attic Heat And Humidity Problems
Thursday, June 21st, 2012
Your attic requires natural ventilation, and a solar attic fan will help nature get the job done. On a summer day here in the San Joaquin Valley, attic temperatures can approach 150 degrees. That accumulated heat conducts through the ceiling into living spaces. It also saps coolness from air conditioning ducts routed through the attic. In winter, unventilated attics may accumulate water vapor rising from the living spaces below and provide a moist environment for mold and mildew. These unwanted particulates may later infiltrate your home, not to mention rotting the wood structure and degrading electrical wiring. Most existing home construction incorporates lower attic vent openings at the soffits — located under the eaves of the roof — and upper vents at the gables on either end of the roof. Natural ventilation depends upon the chimney effect of warm air rising out of the gable vents, pulling fresh air into the soffits.
The Basics Of High-Efficiency Air Conditioning — What To Look For
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
Given our long the cooling season in the San Joaquin Valley, choosing high-efficiency air conditioning systems for your home can increase your indoor comfort and lower your electric bill. The minimum SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ration) for new air conditioners and heat pumps stands at 13 in the United States. The SEER rating gives you a good idea of how efficient an air conditioner is over an entire cooling season. Some features of cooling systems increase the SEER number, including:
A/C Trouble? It May Be Time To Make A Repair Or Replace Decision
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012With the average daytime temperature in Fresno about to hit the 90 degree mark, you need your air conditioner to be reliable and efficient. If you experienced A/C trouble last cooling season, you may have a decision to make before things really heat up. Here are some tips to help make the decision to repair or replace a little easier:
Seasonal Heat Pump Maintenance Is The Key To Year-Round Comfort
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012If you want the best benefit in comfort and energy savings out of your heat pump system, you should perform seasonal maintenance to keep it in top working order. The best times for seasonal heat pump maintenance here in the San Joaquin valley are before the beginning of the heating and cooling seasons – spring and fall. As winter gets underway, leaves and debris can be a particular issue.
Want Signifiant Energy Savings? Try These Tips For Programming Your Thermostat
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
Having a programmable thermostat in your home makes it easy to enjoy energy savings with very little effort. Depending on your schedule, you can stick with what is preprogrammed or make changes to the default thermostat settings so they’re appropriate for you and your family. Neglect Won’t Increase The Lifespan Of Your Heat Pump, But Routine Maintenance Will
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
Energy-Recovery Ventilation: Exactly What Your Well-Insulated House Needs
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011Ventilation systems are ideal for homes that require a mechanical system to provide fresh air. In general, most ventilation systems provide an equal amount of supply air to return air, giving old, stale air a way out of the house and providing a means for fresh air to come in. Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERVs) offer a balanced supply of return air, while increasing energy efficiency.
The Ductless Mini-Split: A Neat And Tidy Solution For Some Cooling And Heating Problems
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011Whether you have recently added a new room to your house or just can’t get one of your rooms comfortable enough, ductless mini-splits offer a flexible and easy-to-implement solution for many of your cooling and heating problems. They provide many benefits over forced-air systems that rely on ductwork to deliver conditioned air.