If you’re reading this article, you may have quite a bit to gain by upgrading to high-efficiency air conditioning in your Twin Cities area home. After all, you’re online researching these units for some reason, and the most likely is that you aren’t happy with your current cooling equipment.
These days it seems like the Internet touches every aspect of our lives in some way, including home thermostats. The latest models of smart thermostats utilize Internet interfacing and computerized technology to give you control of home comfort, energy efficiency and all compatible home-comfort systems at the touch of a smartphone app or the click of a mouse.
It’s easy to take your home’s ductwork for granted—after all, it’s out of sight and seems to do a good job delivering heat and air conditioning to your rooms. But did you know that a typical house loses about 20 percent of its conditioned air before it ever gets delivered? Many homes’ ductwork has holes, bad connection points, or other spots where air leaks out. Don’t pay money to heat and cool your attic. Have your ducts sealed and enjoy long-term reductions in your utility bills.
It can be difficult to decide whether repairing or replacing your air conditioner is the best move for your home. Here are some signs that it’s time to stop paying the repairman and invest in a new, more efficient system for your home this summer:
If you plan on upgrading your air conditioner this summer, two of the most important factors to consider are its size and installation. Many people don’t know that sizing an air conditioner is not as simple as going by their current system and that installation may require modifications to your home.
Before you head out on vacation this summer, take some time and effort and prepare your home comfort system for your absence. Unless you plan to turn the system off, running cooling equipment that hasn’t been maintained recently can lead to problems while you’re gone. You can do some of these tips yourself, but a thorough system check and servicing from an HVAC contractor will give you peace of mind and lower your cooling bills. Things you can do yourself:
If you suffer from allergies, the months ahead may present some challenges. Unfortunately, there’s not much anyone can do about the conditions outside. What you can do is follow these five simple tips to reduce summer allergies inside your home:
If you are experiencing air quality issues in your home, or your energy bills seem higher than those of your neighbors, the culprit may be your home’s ventilation. Understanding ventilation strategies that will help get the air moving properly in your home is as important as knowing about the different types of circulation systems available. In fact, understanding how the air flows, or doesn’t flow, through the rooms in your home has a big impact on which system or systems to employ.
Is your air conditioner more than two or three years old? If so, it almost certainly uses R-22 refrigerant (sometimes referred to as the brand name Freon). R-22 is being phased out due to its ozone-depleting properties, and as supplies dwindle over the next several years, its price will continue to skyrocket. Some experts expect that R-22 refrigerant prices this summer will be three times what they were a year ago.
If it seems that your home remains hot or stuffy even while your air conditioner is running, you may have a problem with inadequate return-air ducts. No matter how hot it is outside, there’s no reason that your climate control system should not keep your home sufficiently cool. When your home becomes uncomfortable, it’s probably a good time to ask an HVAC professional to undertake a ductwork evaluation.
