Maintain your equipment to prevent future problems and unwanted costs. Keep your heating system at peak performance by having Mainstream Heating & Cooling do semi-annual check-ups. To remember, you might plan the check-ups when the time changes in the spring and fall.
Our Energy Savings Maintenance check-up includes the following plus much more…
Tighten all electrical connections and measure voltage and current on motors. Faulty electrical connections can cause unsafe operation of your system and reduce the life of major components.
Lubricate all moving parts. Parts that lack lubrication cause friction in motors and increases the amount of electricity you use.
Check and inspect the condensate drain in your central air conditioner, furnace and/or heat pump (when in cooling mode). A plugged drain can cause water damage in the house and affect indoor humidity levels.
Check controls of the system to ensure proper and safe operation. Check the starting cycle of the equipment to assure the system starts, operates, and shuts off properly.
Cooling Specific…
Clean evaporator and condenser air conditioning coils. Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
Check your central air conditioner's refrigerant level and adjust if necessary. Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment.
Clean and adjust blower components to provide proper system airflow for greater comfort levels. Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent.
Heating Specific…
Check all gas (or oil) connections, gas pressure, burner combustion and heat exchanger. Improperly operating gas (or oil) connections are a fire hazard and can contribute to health problems. A dirty burner or cracked heat exchanger causes improper burner operation. Either can cause the equipment to operate less safely and efficiently.
Actions To Do Yourself…
Inspect, clean, or change air filters once a month in your central air conditioner, furnace, and/or heat pump. Your contractor can show you how to do this. A dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage your equipment, leading to early failure.
Check thermostat settings to ensure the cooling and heating system keeps you comfortable when you are home and saves energy while you are away.
Certain telltale signs indicate it's time to consider replacing heating and cooling equipment, or improving the performance of your overall system. It may be time to call Mainstream Heating & Cooling for a free estimate if:
Your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old. Consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the ENERGY STAR label. Installed correctly, these high-efficiency units can save up to 50 percent on heating and cooling costs.
Your furnace or boiler is more than 15 years old. Consider replacing with an ENERGY STAR qualified furnace, which is 15% more efficient than a conventional furnace. If you have a boiler, consider replacing with an ENERGY STAR qualified boiler that is 5% more efficient than a new, standard model.
Your equipment needs frequent repairs and your energy bills are going up. Your cooling or heating equipment may have become less efficient.
Some rooms in your home are too hot or too cold. Improper equipment operation, duct problems or inadequate insulation could be the cause.
No one is home for long periods of the day and you do not have a programmable thermostat. Install an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat or have Mainstream Heating & Cooling install one and instruct you on its use — to start saving energy and money while you’re away or sleeping.
Your home has humidity problems. Poor equipment operation, inadequate equipment, and leaky ductwork can cause the air to be too dry in the winter or too humid in the summer.
Your home has excessive dust. Leaky ducts can pull particles and air from attics, crawl spaces and basements and distribute them throughout your house. Sealing your ducts may be a solution.
Your heating or cooling system is noisy. You could have an undersized duct system or a problem with the indoor coil of your cooling equipment.
Articles you may have missed from the Spring Newsletter...
Are you worried about big summer cooling bills? Making sure you get the most for what you pay for is important.
Duct leaks in forced air systems are a major energy waste in both new and older homes. Supply leaks allow air that you have paid to cool to dump into your attic or crawl space. The leaks in the return are even more costly than you would expect. You pull air straight to your unit causing it to bypass the filter, if your return ductwork is located in a damp location you may actually overload the dehumidification capacity of your unit. The end result is you feel clammy and have to turn your thermostat even lower to feel comfortable, costing more money!
We have a state of the art duct leakage test to determine where you could save money, and get the best performance from your unit. Just give us a call to take advantage of our $24.95 special!
The indoor air in your home or office can be a cause of many health symptoms. As most of us know, allergies would place high on the chart. Next, would most likely be a mold or mildew! The filtration methods you use have the most impact on these items. We have methods to measure the size, as well as the amount of particles in your space and compare to ISO9000 standards to identify problems. With modern technology it is possible to filter your home air to healthy levels. No need to wake up with a stuffy nose again!
Just like the change from leaded to unleaded gasoline in the 1970’s, the Federal Government is changing the rules to require a more environmentally friendly gas in your air conditioner. R-22 has been the refrigerant of choice for residential heat pump and a/c systems for more than four decades. Unfortunately for the environment, releases of R-22 that result from leaking contributes to ozone depletion. In addition, making R-22 results in a by-product that contributes significantly to global warming.
As the production of R-22 is phased out over the coming years, manufacturers of residential a/c systems have developed systems that use ozone-friendly refrigerants called 410A. After 2010, companies may still produce R-22 to service existing systems, but not for use in new equipment. By 2020, R-22 refrigerant, including recovered and recycled refrigerant, will be allowed to service existing systems, but chemical manufacturers will no longer be able to produce R-22. It is expected that reclamation and recycling will ensure that existing supplies of R-22 will last longer. Given this schedule, the transition away from R-22 to ozone-friendly refrigerants should be smooth.
Homeowners can help the environment by purchasing a highly energy-efficient system. Products with EPA’s Energy Star label can save homeowners 10% - 40% on their heating and cooling bills every year. Equipment with the Energy Star label must have a minimum seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the equipment.
Although there is no EPA requirement to change to 410A refrigerant when purchasing a new system. You can speed the transition away from ozone-depleting R-22 by choosing a system that uses this ozone-friendly refrigerant.
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