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Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning - Furnace & HVAC Repair St. Louis

Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning - Furnace & HVAC Repair St. Louis

thermostats

How to Fix Hot and Cold Spots in Your Home

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Checking for possible causes of hot and cold spots in your house may not be entirely possible without the right equipment and expertise.

st. louis man adjusting thermostat

Ideally, your HVAC system should be calibrated to provide a nice, constant temperature and airflow in every room in your home. Sure, when you live with other people, they might have different preferences for their room, which is why many systems come with programmable thermostats for separate areas of the house.

However, when your house has hot or cold spots that you can’t control, this becomes a problem that may require some investigation. Here are some possible causes of hot and cold spots in your house.

Airflow Issues

When one of your rooms is hotter than it should be while the others may get too much cold air from the air conditioning system, the problem is likely with the air ventilation network. The hot room is simply not receiving enough cold air, which in turn goes to other areas of the house. The result is an uncomfortable mix of hot and cold.

Here is what to investigate first:

Are Your Air Ducts Properly Sized?

If the air ducts are too narrow, then the airflow is restricted to certain areas and you’ll get hot spots. You might need to adjust the duct size in certain rooms, so that more or less air comes in, depending on the type of size discrepancy.

Is the Ductwork Damaged?

A leak could be the cause of your hot and cold spots. A damaged air duct can easily disturb the balance in your climate system. An HVAC professional is able to evaluate your ductwork and see if there is any problem with it.

Poor Insulation

If a faulty duct system didn’t cause the problems with the airflow, then poor insulation may be the reason behind the temperature fluctuations. Again, a professional would be able to test this with special equipment. Poorly insulated areas can be too hot or too cold at certain times of the year, or all the time.

Air Leaks

Even if your home’s insulation is ok, it might be compromised by air leaks that let the temperatures go up and down. Gaps and cracks in the house can let in cold or hot air from the outside, sabotaging your HVAC system. If airflow and insulation turn out to be ok, but you still have hot and cold spots, that would be the next step to investigate.

Checking for possible causes of hot and cold spots in your house may not be entirely possible without the right equipment and expertise. Speak with an experienced HVAC technician to look into the problem and avoid frustration and too much trial-and-error testing. They will be able to suggest the best options to solve your issue.

Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 471-7625!

5 Reasons to Switch to Energy Efficient HVAC Technology

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Save money and utilize a variety of other advantages by choosing energy efficient HVAC!

If you’re in need of a need HVAC system, you’ve probably considered going with a green option. The trade-off in doing so is that the upfront cost is a bit more expensive than conventional counterparts. However, you can actually save money with a green system and also utilize a variety of other advantages. Here’s how.

st. louis couple happy over energy savings

Lower Bills

Perhaps the top benefit of switching is the fact that your energy bill will be lower. The reason is that green technology uses less electricity to do the same job as your old system. This increase in efficiency leads to you saving a bit of money.

Possible Tax Breaks

One thing the government does to subsidize green technology is offer tax breaks for its adoption. While it is not a guarantee, you might end up with a lower tax bill when choosing an environmentally friendly system.

Bans on Old Equipment

Unlike most of the other points on our list, this one might require you to make a change. The reason is that the government sometimes bans old equipment, the most common reason being the refrigerant that they use. If you have a system that is in danger of being made illegal, it is time to update.

Cleaner Air

Excess energy use might pollute your surroundings. You might think that your contribution is only a drop in the bucket, but so is everyone else’s. Rather than expecting someone else to keep your air pure, you can do your part with greener machinery.

Making the Switch is Not as Hard as You Think

What many do not realize is that going green often doesn’t take too much time, energy, or cost. Instead, there are a variety of green enhancements you can add to your existing system. The following are a few you can look into.

  • Smart Thermostat – This piece of machinery will let you adjust your thermostat from your smartphone. Having the ability to control it from anywhere and at any time allows you to avoid costly mistakes.
  • Zoned System – This type of system allows you to heat and cool specific areas, rather than the entire house at once. The result is you saving energy on a portion of your home that you aren’t occupying at that moment.
  • Economizer – Wouldn’t it be great if you could pull cold night air from outside and use it to cool your home? That is precisely what an economizer does for your home, and it helps your system expend less energy in the process.

As you can see, there are quite a few reasons why you might want to go green with your HVAC system. Even better, you can do so in a variety of ways. Not only are there low-cost enhancements you can add to your current system, but you can also explore larger switches like solar power, geothermal heat, ice-powered AC, and more. No matter what, the best way to go green is by talking to your local HVAC provider about what services they can carry out for you. Give Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning and Heating a call 24/7 at (314) 471-7625!

4 Reasons to Install a Smart Thermostat

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Hundreds of consumers throughout St. Louis are making the switch to smart thermostats every day.

Though you might be hesitant to adopt this new technology, we’re here to tell you that doing so can positively impact your life. The icing on the cake is that you don’t have to struggle with completing the job yourself. We can help set it up for you! Here are four excellent reasons to have a smart thermostat installed in your St. Louis home.

smart thermostat in st. louis home

Lower Energy Bills

Two functions that you might gain when you switch to a smart thermostat are control over individual rooms and system function scheduling. The former will allow you to control the temperature in the areas that matter most, rather than your entire home. The latter lets you effortlessly leave your system off when you’re out of the house and have it kick back on when you come back. What both of these features do is make your heating and cooling processes smarter and more efficient. The result of this improvement will be lower energy bills.

Greater Comfort

More control doesn’t just lower your bills, though, as it also leads to greater comfort in your home. As an example, imagine we are experiencing an especially cold winter in St. Louis. You turn your heater off during the day to save money, but always come home to an incredibly cold space when you get off work. Though you may feel it is worth the cost savings, the discomfort is not ideal. A smart thermostat will let you turn your system on remotely or schedule it to start before you get home, both of which will eliminate this issue.

Remote Control

As we mentioned above, many smart thermostats allow for remote control through a smartphone application. This function allows you to have a significant level of control over the conditions in your home. You can turn your system on before you get back to the house, turn it off if you forget to before leaving, or check to make sure that it is programmed precisely how you want it to be.

User Friendly Software

One thing that keeps people away from smart thermostats is thinking that they are too complicated and not worth the adjustment that comes with switching. While this idea may apply to some products on the market, the vast majority of them are very easy to use. In fact, they often feature large buttons, extensive labeling, and visual aids to make sure you get precisely what you want out of your HVAC system.

Now that you understand the benefits of installing a smart thermostat, it is time to make it happen. The best way to do so is calling Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning & Heating and obtaining some information about the job. Once you do, you can choose which capabilities you want and the specific model that best suits your needs. Before you know it, you’ll have an intelligent system in your home and will start to reap the many benefits that come with it! Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 471-7625.

How Using a Programmable Thermostat Can Save You Money!

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It’s important to know how to use your programmable thermostat correctly to yield the best results.

St. Louis HVAC

According to Energy Star, you can save about $180 every year in energy costs by using a programmable thermostat properly. That’s not bad considering energy costs have been going up every year for the majority of homeowners.

The catch is that you have to not only have a programmable thermostat installed, but you have to use it properly to get the best results.

How to Use Your Thermostat

To yield the best results, it’s important to follow these steps:

  1. Keep the temperature set at its energy-savings set-points for a least 8 hours. You can do this during the day when no one is home, or at night during bedtime.
  2. You can temporarily make your home cooler or warmer without erasing the pre-set programming. However, you’ll use more energy if consistently hold or over-ride the programmed settings.
  3. Be sure to install your thermostat away from appliances, lighting, registers, doorways, windows, and areas that get direct light or drafts. It’s best to install it on a interior wall.
  4. Use a programmable thermostat for each zone of your house if you have several cooling and heating zones. This will help to maximize convenience, comfort, and energy savings throughout your entire home.
  5. When going away for the weekend or on vacation, set the “hold” button at a constant energy-saving temperature.
  6. If your thermostat runs on batteries, be sure to change them each year. Most units will indicate when batteries are low and need to be replaced.
  7. Remember that setting your thermostat to 90 degrees or down to 40 degrees will not heat or cool your home any faster.

The pre-programmed settings that come standard with programmable thermostats are intended to deliver savings without losing comfort. Each family is different, so depending on your schedule, you’ll be able to see significant savings by sticking with those settings or by adjusting them to the schedule that is appropriate for your family.

If you currently have a programmable thermostat but you’re not following these guidelines, it’s the time to start now! If you don’t have a programmable thermostat and are interested in having one installed, call Thomas Hoffmann Air Conditioning & Heating today.

St. Louis Full Service HVAC

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. An energy efficient air conditioner should give you the same service but use less energy to do so.

After more than 30 years in the residential air conditioning industry, we have hands-on experience working with the most popular manufacturers like Trane, Lennox, American Standard, Rheem, Carrier, York, Amana and Goodman just to name a few. Call us today at (314) 471-7625 to schedule a free estimate.