Energy Efficient

The maintenance of your air conditioning unit is paramount for the appliance to work efficiently, but many homeowners only focus on the indoor and outdoor units and tend to neglect their ductwork. Air ducts are a very important part of your HVAC system. Here is what to look for when checking for certain symptoms of a malfunctioning air conditioner. 

Air Duct Insulation Is Crucial for Your AC’s Efficiency

The air that is processed by your air conditioner travels through the duct system before getting into your house again. No matter how efficient your AC is, if the ducts are not properly insulated, the air will get heated on the way. This will make your AC work harder and lead to higher energy bills or even faults in your AC units.

As most houses have the duct system in their attic, it’s important not only to insulate the attic and check for any leaks from the roof or windows but also to have proper insulation over your duct pipes. This job can be done by hiring a professional team to inspect the duct pipes and repair any damage to the insulation of the pipes.

Why the State of Your Air Duct System Directly Impacts the Quality of Your Indoor Air

Other problems that may arise from a poorly maintained duct system are contamination with toxic substances or with organic debris. The problems that can appear range from mold, bacteria, fungi, and dust to toxic substances or even fecal particles that can come from your duct system into your indoor air.

Checking for clogs, leaks or moisture in your duct system is very important for your health as well as the efficiency of your AC unit. Signs of contamination can be black mold found around the vents, strange smells when the air conditioner is turned on, etc. Again, you need to call a professional team for a check-up.

Maintaining Your Air Ducts

If your HVAC system can be maintained at home when it comes to the air filters, the condenser unit or clogged drain pipes, the duct system needs a bit more attention. Damage can be hard to identify and locate, and ducts are usually out of sight and out of reach, requiring the use of special equipment for evaluating, cleaning or repairing. 

HVAC professionals have industrial, specialized vacuum cleaners, unique tools and the expertise needed to properly maintain such a huge part of your heating/cooling system. Regular maintenance will not only prolong your AC unit’s lifespan, but it will actually save you money by preventing many potential repairs that could get expensive. 

Call for a professional evaluation at least once a year or any time you notice a decrease in your air con’s efficiency and other unusual symptoms.

A home that doesn’t heat or cool properly can be incredibly frustrating. Even worse, it is difficult to figure out what the problem is without the help of a local St. Louis HVAC specialist. What you might find after that professional investigates your home is that your windows are letting out too much air and bringing in too much heat. This scenario may motivate you to replace your old windows. We tell you the benefits of doing so in the following passages.

Lower Electricity Bills

One of the most significant issues that you run into when you have old windows is air escaping through them. What happens as a result is that your HVAC system needs to run longer to get the same heating or cooling result. This increased usage will lead to higher electricity bills.

Extend the Life of Your HVAC System

Higher electricity bills are a drawback that anyone can recognize. One that is less obvious is the toll that old windows take on your HVAC system. As we explained above, your machinery will have to work harder and longer to attain the same results. Doing so for many years could wear the system out earlier than expected.

Better Aesthetics

No matter who you are, you probably like your home to be somewhat clean and put together. This desire comes from the inherent appeal of a beautiful space. Old windows can get in the way of that by being dirty, broken, or unsightly in some other way.

Add Value to Your Home

No matter how much you love your home, you might sell it one day. When you do, you’d be shocked at what factors raise or lower the price of it. One of the ones that flies under the radar is the quality of your windows. Having modern looks and functionality will go a long way in raising the value of your home.

Peace and Quiet

Another benefit of functional windows is noise cancellation. Just like with air, ones that are old and dysfunctional let in all of the sounds surrounding your home. Updating your windows can help make your space much more peaceful.

Home Security

New windows often come with more versatility and better locks. The result is heightened home security. You can also pair your new windows with a security system for even better results.

High-Efficiency Replacements

One option you have when getting new windows is choosing high-efficiency models. Their primary function is increasing your home’s insulation through effective sealing and chemical coatings, which you will benefit from in both warm and cold weather.

You have three basic options when it comes to your old windows. You can leave them be, get them repaired, or replace them entirely. Each option has its benefits and costs, so it is usually best to get an expert’s opinion. If you end up choosing a replacement, you should lower your energy bills, extend the life of your HVAC system, have better home security, and attain all of the other benefits mentioned above.

If you are running your ceiling fan around the clock, even when no one is occupying the room, you are wasting energy.

When it comes to HVAC systems, there are a lot of ways people use their systems that they accept as the “right” way when, in fact, they are spending money needlessly.

The following are mistakes, or common misconceptions, many homeowners make when it comes to running their HVAC system that end up raising their energy bills.

Mistake One: Using a ceiling fan will cool down the room

If you are running your ceiling fan around the clock, even when no one is occupying the room, you are wasting energy. The truth is that a ceiling fan does not cool down the temperature of a room. They might appear to make you cooler, but that is due to something called the wind chill effect.

As a fan runs air, it works to evaporate the sweat from the surface of your skin. When sweat evaporates, it helps the temperature of your body decrease. So, the truth is that a fan does nothing to cool a room down. If no one is present in the room and your fan is not working to evaporate sweat, then the only work it is doing is running up your electric bill.

Mistake Two: A clean air filter is just about air quality

Yes, air filters that are clogged circulate allergens and fine particles in the air, which can lead to a decrease in your home’s air quality. But, it is important to change your air filters for another reason. When you have dirty air filters, it decreases the amount of air flow.

Poor air flow makes your HVAC system work harder and can lead to costly repairs and inefficiency of your unit. In turn, that can reduce the longevity of the unit itself. So, to make sure that you are getting the most from your HVAC system, be sure to change your air filters.

Mistake Three: You only need to call an HVAC technician when you need a repair

Unfortunately, searching the Internet about how to perform maintenance on your HVAC system does not make you a professional technician. If you are maintaining your own system, or not maintaining it at all instead of calling a professional for regular maintenance, you are taking a risk. A technician will know if your system is well oiled and working correctly.

Only a professional will know what to look for to ensure that nothing faulty will end up costing you a whole lot more than regularly having your system cleaned and checked.

Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning & Heating

These mistakes can have costly effects over time. The only way to know that everything is running as it should is to know the facts and call to have someone evaluate the way your system is working on a regular basis.

At Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning & Heating LLC, we know that keeping your home cool and comfortable in the summer months is very important. In the St. Louis area, air conditioning is a necessity. Having your cooling system regularly inspected and serviced is vital to your systems performance and reliability. Call us today at (314) 471-7625 to schedule a free estimate.

There are a few ways to beat the heat and the cost of cooling things down during the hot summer months.

There is nothing better, as a homeowner, than being able to shut down your heating systems after a long, expensive winter and feel the reprieve of the warm spring air rushing into your home. As anyone who pays utility bills knows, however, that relief is very short lived in St. Louis.

If you are just about ready to turn your HVAC system from hot to cold, then you might be looking for ways to reduce your cooling costs throughout the summer months. There are a few ways to beat the heat and the cost of cooling things down during the summer months.

1. Replace your old air conditioner

Sometimes replacing an air conditioner is a hard pill to swallow. The good news is that gone are the days when you only had two options, either a window unit or a whole house air conditioner. Today there are many more to choose from.

If your air conditioner is not the right size, if you have renovated your house, or if your system it isn’t functioning well, it might be time to bite the bullet and replace it for a more energy efficient unit. The average yearly cost that you can save by upgrading to a more energy efficient air conditioner, according to Energy Star, is about $115.

2. Upgrade your control

If you have a thermostat that you have to tend to manually, either by changing the temperature of the room by hand or by programming it, then it might be time to join the rest of the technologically advanced world.

New smart thermostats can be controlled manually by using your smartphone or mobile device. If you know you are running late or will be out, turn the thermostat up so that it isn’t cooling down people who aren’t there without being in your home.

3. Exert your energy saving power with weather stripping

If you want to make sure that you can keep the cold air where it needs to be and the hot air outside, then weather stripping might be your new best friend.

Although most commonly thought of in the winter time when things are frigid, addressing leaking air from windows and doors around your home is essential year-round to keep your home comfortable and heating and cooling costs low.

4. Take a good look at your roof

One of the biggest places where hot air escapes is through your roof. If you want to make sure that you aren’t inadvertently heating the atmosphere, you will want to insulate your roof or consider replacing it altogether.

The cost of replacing your roof might be substantial, but, over time, you will end up saving money as your new roof does a better job of keeping your house insulated.

As the hot air rolls into the St. Louis metro area, it is important to keep your cooling costs low. Try these excellent energy efficiency tricks to cut costs and chill out this summer.