Posts Tagged ‘Snellville’

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Grayson Energy Saving Tip: Common Causes of Drafts in Your Home

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

If you find your Grayson home’s heating bill is routinely too high, there is a common reason. Most of the time it is due to air leaks and drafts in your home that allow warm air to escape and cold air to enter. Here are some common causes of such leaks and what you can do about them.

Sources of Drafts in Your Home

There are obvious drafts and less obvious ones. Let’s start by looking at the drafts that are most obvious:

  • Outlets and Plates
  • Windows
  • Baseboards
  • Attic
  • Air Conditioners
  • Weather Stripping

You can probably do a quick inspection of your home by yourself to check for these potential air leaks and find whatever may be causing the problem. The easiest way to check for drafts is simply to hold your hand up to the space and check for a change in air flow. You can also get a portable thermometer and see if the air temperature is different in those areas than it is in the center of the room or by the thermostat.

Insulation Inspection

Insulation is probably already in your home, but with time it can thin, get leaks or tear. Look for gaps in insulation or drafts coming through. A professional can inspect your insulation as well and make sure that it is still holding as much heat in as it was originally rated for. If you know that your insulation values are too low or that the insulation is particularly old, it may be a good time to have it inspected by a professional.

Making Changes

If you notice easy to fix drafts in your Grayson home, fix them immediately and you’ll be shocked by how much energy you save. For larger leaks such as your insulation, loose windows or problems with your doors, consider calling someone who is an expert in closing up air drafts and keeping your home both comfortable and affordable to heat and cool.

For more information about how to make your home more energy efficient, give Triad Mechanical a call!

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Sugar Hill Heating Installation Question: What Exactly Are High Efficiency Boilers?

Friday, February 17th, 2012

You have already read plenty about how energy costs are rising. You know plenty well that heating your Sugar Hill home is a substantial expense, and that the cost of running a boiler is constantly on the rise.

But as technology has gotten better, so have boilers become more efficient at providing heat. It stands to reason that a more efficient boiler is one that costs less to run…but what does “efficient” really mean in the context of boilers? What makes a boiler “high efficiency”?

 What Is a High Efficiency Boiler?

All boilers are rated according to a standardized system of rating efficiency, called the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). Essentially, this rating tells you how much heat energy is produced by a boiler compared to how much energy it draws. The higher a boiler’s AFUE rating, the more efficient it is.

For a boiler to be called high efficiency, it must carry an AFUE of at least 90%. For basis of comparison, older systems carry an AFUE of about 70%, while mid-efficiency systems run at about 82%.

In addition, a high efficiency system has a second heat exchanger for capturing and condensing flue gases, as well as a closed combustion system.

These three things — an AFUE of 90% or above, condensing flue gases and closed combustion – define a high efficiency boiler.

The initial investment in a high efficiency boiler can be costly, but the savings over time in heating bills make it well worth the expense.

If you would like a high efficiency boiler installed in your home, give Triad Mechanical a call today!

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Snellville HVAC Equipment – 25 % Off Purchase!

Friday, February 10th, 2012

Your HVAC equipment can make a big difference in your Snellville home’s energy consumption and comfort level. The little extras you can get, like an air purifier or humidifier, can make your system more effective and as well as keep your family safe and healthy. And if you want to make your home more energy efficient, an energy recovery ventilator is a great investment. An energy recovery ventilator will transfer the energy leaving your house to the air entering your house, which will give you the benefit of having fresh air in your home without losing all of the energy in your conditioned air to the outside world.  This is an easy way to make your home a little greener and cut down on your utility bills. If you want to treat your house to a few upgrades this year, we are offering a great deal to our Value Care Club members: 25% Off a Purchase!* Get some great new equipment to make your home more comfortable, your whole family will thank you!

*Excludes equipment replacements

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Easy Ways to Lower Your Heat Pump’s Energy Bill in Atlanta

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

One of the biggest advantages of having a heat pump in your Atlanta home is that it is highly efficient for both heating and cooling. There is always room for improvement, though, so here some tips to lower your energy bill even more:

  • Get it checked. It’s been said many times before, but it’s always worth saying again: consistent maintenance is one of the biggest keys to keeping any appliance running efficiently. Get your heat pump inspected by a professional at least once a year. This will keep it in good shape and provide an opportunity to make small repairs, before they have a chance to turn into big problems.
  • Keep it clean. When it comes to HVAC equipment, a clean unit is an efficient unit. Check and replace the filters regularly, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the coils and fan clean. This will also be part of the annual maintenance, but you can – and should — do touch up cleaning on your own.
  • Install a thermostat. A programmable thermostat is a great energy efficiency tool for any home heating and cooling system, not just a heat pump. A thermostat will keep the temperatures lower during the day or any time no one is home, so that you are not wasting heat.
  • Let it run. It may seem counterintuitive, but turning off a heat pump to save energy may actually do more harm than good. Heat pumps operate most efficiently when they stay running on a regular basis. The components don’t need to take time to spin up, and the refrigerant stays warm so it can keep moving. Your best bet is to have your heat pump connected to a programmable thermostat, program it and then stop thinking about it. You’ll save a bundle over manual operation.
  • Protect the outdoor unit. The outdoor portion of your heat pump has to put up with a lot from the elements. Strong winds can damage them or negatively impact the efficient operation of the pump, so keep the outdoor unit protected from wind.

These simple measures, in combination with a highly efficient heat pump, will help slash your energy bills. In addition, check to see if your heat pump is eligible for a federal tax credit, which can save you even more money.

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How to Get the Best Heat Pump in Berkeley Lake

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Everybody wants a good deal, especially when making a major purchase for their Berkeley Lake home. People want their money’s worth. They want to feel like they got the best they could for the money they spent.

But how do you decide what the best option is, especially when choosing a product that you know little about, like a heat pump? The average homeowner does not spend a lot of time studying his heat pump or reading heat pump magazines for fun, so chances are you are not a heat pump expert. That’s understandable…but it doesn’t help you when you are trying to buy a new one and you want the best.

Fortunately, there some things you can look for to get clues about the quality of a heat pump and how well it suits your needs.

Efficiency is among the most important factors in choosing a heat pump. Because heat pumps can be used for both heating and cooling, they have two different efficiency ratings, one for each mode.

The heating efficiency for a heat pump is rated on a scale called the heating season performance factor (HSPF). This rating is actually the result of a calculation. To find the HSPF for a heat pump, the unit’s estimated heating output is divided by its energy consumption. Simply put, it’s the ratio of heat put out by the unit to the amount of power it draws. The higher the HSPF, the more efficient the heat pump is. To give a frame of reference, all new heat pumps are required to have an HSPF of at least 7.7. The most efficient units available carry an HSPF of 10.

The rating system used to convey the cooling efficiency of a heat pump is the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). This is a simple numeric value that rates how efficient the unit is. Many new heat pumps carry a SEER of at least 12, while the most efficient models rate between 14 and 18.

While efficiency is important, it is just one factor. More efficient units are also more expensive, so you will want to consider the upfront cost. The most efficient units will pay for themselves in savings relatively quickly, but the purchase price is still important. Be sure to weigh all the pros and cons when choosing a new heat pump.

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The Beauty of Zone Heating: A Guide from Winder

Friday, October 14th, 2011

While it might not technically be a necessity, there are a lot of reasons why you might want to look into having a zone heating system installed in your Winder home. Whether you’ve been using the same home heating system for a long time or are looking to have a new one installed, there’s never a bad time to have a zone heating system put in.

Most people think that the only thing that affects their home heating and cooling bills is the energy efficiency of their furnace or heat pump. However, that’s simply not always the case. Certainly, the more efficient your furnace or heat pump is, the lower your energy bills will be. But that doesn’t mean they’re as low as they could possibly be.

After all, if you don’t have a zone control system installed, you’re paying to heat your entire house every time you turn on the heat. Depending on the size of your house, that could mean you’re heating anywhere from two to 10 rooms or more that are unoccupied at the time. In fact, you could be paying to heat an entire empty wing of your home. And while you’ll pay less than you would if your heating system was less efficient, you’re still paying more than you need to.

With a zone control system, you can heat your home much more efficiently because you can control which areas of the house get the heat and which ones don’t. You can set multiple different temperatures for the different zones of your home, which allows you to keep the occupied areas warm while not forcing you to waste energy to heat unoccupied spaces.

Aside from the economic benefits of only heating the areas of your home that you need, zone control systems also can put an end to some of those contentious thermostat wars that go on in so many households. If the members of your household can never agree on what a comfortable temperature is, they can simply each set their own temperature for their own area of the house.

That way, everyone is happy and no one has to suffer uncomfortably. After all, you paid a lot for your state of the art home heating system. It’s only fitting that you should be able to get the most possible out of it.

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9th Annual Pumpkin Festival

Friday, September 30th, 2011

If you are looking for something great to do this weekend, we have a great idea for you! Stone Mountain Park is having its 9th Annual Pumpkin Festival. Fun for kids and adults, this fantastic festival begins today! It is the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of fall. Don’t worry if you can’t make it this weekend, it runs on Fridays and Saturdays from September 30- October 30.

Some of the events offered include the Pumpkin Palooza – a game show in which families compete against each other for fun and prizes – and a family scavenger hunt. And if you are hungry, you can always enter the Pie Eating Contest!  There will also be The Great Pumpkin Puppet Parade, so you and your kids can march to show off your costumes!

For just the kiddies, there is a Trick or Treat scavenger hunt, a costume contest, and some spooky storytelling. No one will be asking to go home early! Your kids will be sure to have a great time in a safe environment.

All this and much more will be at the 9th Annual Pumpkin Festival, check out the Stone Mountain Park Website for more information!

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The Room by Room Benefits of Ductless Splits AC: A Guide From Winder

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Ductless splits air conditioners are designed to eliminate the need for ductwork in your Winder home where space is at a premium. Usually homeowners with older homes – those built before the 1970s – have very little space to work with when it comes to installing the ductwork a traditional central air conditioning system requires. These homes are often heated with radiant boiler systems and have window units to provide cooling in warmer weather. As a result, cooling costs can be extremely high each summer and the house usually isn’t comfortable during these months.

Ductless air conditioning offers a solution to most of these problems. Not only does the technology not require ductwork to be installed; it allows for multiple in-room units on a single compressor and it costs significantly less to operate compared to window AC units.

Ductless System Specifications

Ductless air conditioning systems consist of two major components: a compressor which is placed outside and indoor evaporators. With the use of inverter technology, these systems can support multiple evaporators – usually as many as four to a single condenser. This means you can have a single outdoor unit supporting cooling four separate rooms of your home at the same time.

Each of those indoor evaporators acts as a heat pump, allowing you to both heat and cool the room year round. And because the only connection needed between evaporator and condenser is a single refrigerant line, the cost of installation is significantly lower than it would be for a ductwork based central AC system.

Room by Room Benefits

While the primary benefit of a ductless system is the fact that it allows you to install air conditioning in multiple rooms of your house without the need for ductwork, there are other benefits. Not only do you get a much higher energy efficiency rating than you would with traditional window units (many ductless systems are rated at 16 SEER or higher while window units are frequently as low as 10 or 11), but you can control each unit individually. So if a room upstairs doesn’t need to be cooled during the afternoon hours, simply turn off the thermostat in that part of the house and save money.

There are some factors to consider when installing a ductless system. How many rooms do you need cooled? How warm does it get in the summer? Will the system be used for heating in the winter? These are all things you may want to discuss in greater detail with your contractor when you call for an estimate.

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Common Types of Air Cleaning Devices: A Tip From Athens

Monday, September 12th, 2011

In recent years in Athens, you’ve likely heard dozens of warnings from newscasters, community publications and local contractors about the dangers of indoor pollutants. That’s a good thing – the air in your home, if left untreated, can be a significant health risk to you and your family. But, how do you choose an air cleaner that will get the job done? Let’s take a closer look at the options currently available and what each of them has to offer.

Air Filters

Air filters are the simplest form of air cleaning. They are designed to capture particles that stay airborne long enough to reach the filter. They don’t work well to capture all large particles, however, because they tend to settle before they reach the filter device. Proper air flow is necessary to supplement the process and remove more pollutants.

High efficiency filters with an MERV rating of 14 or higher are recommended, though HEPA filters (which have an MERV of 17-20) are preferred for their ability to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns. In-duct particle removal is a good upgrade as well because it filters moving air and captures more particles.

UVGI

UV germicidal lights are designed to kill pollutants like bacteria and mold. They are usually installed in the ductwork or air cleaner and while the effectiveness of either has yet to be properly measured there is a growing trend to include them in systems where homes experience a large number of allergic reactions or asthma symptoms.

Ozone Generators

There are still some systems that produce ozone as they circulate air back and attract it to a filter for removal. The results are mixed and ozone itself can be a significant irritant to the lungs, so it’s unclear whether these actually work very well (we would not recommend them).

Which Is Best?

It really depends on the pollutants you’re trying to remove. The best course of action is to discuss with a contractor the best combination of technologies to remove pollutants from your indoor air.

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Air Conditioners and Energy Use by Percentage

Friday, May 13th, 2011

It’s no secret that air conditioners use up a lot of electricity and can add substantially to your energy bills during those warm summer months. But did you know that they actually account for an estimated 11% of the total energy used in all buildings in the US each year? This is a staggering figure and makes it easy to see why it’s best to invest in the most energy efficient system possible.

Keeping Your Consumption Down

There are plenty of reasons to try and keep your energy consumption down. You want to save on your energy bills, and the less energy you use, the better it is for the environment. The best and most straightforward way to go about this is to purchase only highly energy efficient appliances and equipment, and that includes air conditioners.

Because air conditioner usage accounts for such a substantial part of the total energy used in this country, putting more energy efficiency models into use is the best way to cut that usage down.

Supplementary Cooling

However, there are other ways to reduce the workload of your air conditioner. For instance, you can use a ceiling fan to maintain good air circulation and keep your home cool. Using a ceiling fan with an air conditioner, even on the hottest days of the year, allows you to turn up your thermostat a bit to conserve energy while still enjoying a comfortable indoor environment. And because ceiling fans use so little energy to operate, you’ll come out ahead on your energy bill.

Passive Cooling

There are also several passive cooling methods you can employ to keep the temperature in your home down. Blocking out sunlight is the most important of these, so keep your blinds closed on any windows that receive direct sunlight, particularly in the early afternoon. Alternately, you can have awnings put up, which allow you to block the direct sun while still keeping the blinds open.

Shade is another effective passive cooling device. Planting trees around your home to block out the sun at the hottest times of day is a totally energy-free way of keeping your home cool and reducing the workload on your air conditioning system. The less your air conditioner has to work, the less energy it consumes and the lower your energy bills will be.

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