Uncategorized

Save Money and Stay Cool

Date: June 26, 2017 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

Summer is here and the temperatures across the country have started to rise. For some of us, it is a welcomed change from the cold winter. However,  it also means that expensive cooling bills are on their way and the fights over the thermostat in your home and for some our workplaces.

When it comes to controlling temperature, even small adjustments can have big impacts. For every degree, you adjust your thermostat to, results in about a 3% savings. If your cooling bill is $200 during the hot summer months, that equals about $6 per degree per month. The key to adjusting your thermostat is to still keep the space feeling comfortable. This is where the use of air circulating fans come into play.

Don’t believe the myth that standard air circulating fans do not cool the air and that the only way air can be cooled is with some type of refrigerant added to the mix. What air circulators do is make your body feel like it is being cooled. Think of it this way. Imagine you’re outside on a hot day and there’s no breeze at all, it’s going to feel really hot. But if there’s a slight breeze, it will feel cooler. The air temperature has not changed, but the moving air passing across your skin gives your body the feeling that it’s cooler. There are scientific formulas that could explain this, but for this example, we need to agree that air blowing across our skin makes us feel cooler. By creating an artificial breeze in our homes or workplaces, you can set the temperature higher but still feel comfortable.

An added benefit of using fans is that they distribute the cool air from an air conditioner vent evenly throughout the cooled space. Almost all homes and workplaces have areas that are normally warmer than the other areas. Using fans will distribute the cool air more evenly from room to room within the space. This will take stress off your HVAC unit so that you will not have to run it longer than it needs to just to get that one area cool enough to feel comfortable.

Air circulating fans use electricity, so how much do I really save? Fans do use electricity, however, the amount it takes to operate a fan compared to an air conditioner is a great deal less. An average fan uses about 40 watts. A typical household air conditioner will use between 1000 watts for a single window unit that can cool 1 or 2 rooms to 3500 watts for a central air unit. If using an air circulating fan allows you to raise the thermostat 3 to 4 or more degrees that could mean your air conditioning units operates about an hour less a day, which can add up over the course of a month or over a hot summer.

Preparing an Outdoor AC Unit

Date: March 28, 2017 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

An outside air conditioning unit, often referred to as an HVAC unit, is a lifesaver during hot summer months. During the winter, you may want to winterize the unit to protect it against cold weather, snow and ice. Winterizing the unit also protects it against rust damage. A few protective measures can keep the air conditioning unit in your real estate investment in top working condition.

Find the air conditioning circuit near your unit. Usually, it has a plastic or metal lid that covers the electrical circuit. Open the lid and flip the switch to turn the unit off. This prevents the unit from turning on during an unusually warm winter day, keeping water out of the unit that could potentially freeze.

Wash the air conditioning unit with a hose to remove bird droppings, dead bugs, dirt and dust. Remove leaves, small branches and grass clippings from the unit. Allow the unit to dry completely.

Install foam pipe covers around exterior exposed pipes. Cut the foam to fit the length and diameter of the pipe. The foam covers insulate the pipes and protect them against freezing temperatures. Wrap duct tape around the foam covers to hold them in place.

Cover the HVAC unit with a plastic or vinyl cover. Choose a cover that is waterproof. Some manufacturers make covers that are specifically designed for air conditioners, but you can use any plastic or vinyl covering that fits over the unit.

Wrap vinyl ropes or bungee cords around the air conditioning cover to keep it secure. Make sure the cover is wrapped tightly so it doesn’t blow away in strong winds.

Check your air conditioner once a week to make sure the cover is secure. Brush water, snow and ice off the unit. Remove twigs, pinecones and leaves from the cover.

Tips on Reducing Heat Loss in your Home

Date: March 22, 2016 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

Tips on Reducing Heat Loss in your HomeSummer ends and winter is coming but you’re getting higher electric bills. Check this out and find your perfect tips for you that not costly in your part just to reduce heat loss at home. Save energy, money and time.

  1. Keep the door closed and sealed it up- It is the easiest way to prevent the warm air from getting out and doesn’t take too much effort on your part as all you have to remember is to shut the door.
  2. You may used heavy, lined curtains which extend below the window frame and make sure to close windows to keep the warmth in.
  3. Your walls comprise most of the outer surface area of your home. Many homes have cavity insulation in the walls, and upgrading to a material with a higher insulating value might reduce heating bills.
  4. Try to find any holes in the siding. These include cracks, rotten wood and gaps in sealing. Focus your attention to outlets and pipes. Insulation around them tends to decrease and damage over time, creating rift in your winter protection.
  5. Covering the windows and sliding balcony doors with clear plastic film can reduce that loss. The transparent film is inexpensive and you can find at home centers. The film is easy to place on and won’t damage your trim, and if you put it on correctly you’ll barely notice it.
  6. Putting insulation on your attic is also one of the effective way on reducing loss because hot air rises and escapes on your roof.
  7. Electric wall outlets and switches is notoriously drafty that can cause heat loss. To stop the leaks, remove the cover plates and fill small gaps around the boxes with acrylic latex caulk. And finally, don’t forget to close the damper in your fireplace when not in use. If you have glass doors in front of the fireplace, keep them closed as well. An open fireplace is a great escape route for hot air.

Tips for your AC

Date: March 30, 2015 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply

Spring is here and summer is on the way and that means you will want to keep nice and cool, right? Well if you are in the market for a new AC just know that buying a bigger AC doesn’t always mean you will be cooler. Getting a large AC to cool a smaller area won’t do it as efficiently as a smaller AC designed for the smaller areas. The reason for this is the larger AC will cool to the thermostat’s set point before the dehumidification can occur. Central AC units need to be sized by a professional.

Cooling tips:

  • Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible. The smaller the difference between the indoor temperature and the outdoor temperature the less your energy bill will be.
  • Try not to set the temperature lower than normal, it will not cool faster it will only work harder and cause unnecessary energy usage.
  • If you are using a window AC unit, consider a fan to go along with it to help circulate the cool air.
  • Avoid placing things that produce heat near AC units
  • If you are using an old AC unit consider replacing it with a more efficient Energy Star certified one, they can be up to 15% more efficient than other models.

Ten Spring Fun Facts

Date: March 23, 2015 Author: cdoelle Comments: Leave a reply
  1. spring timeThe first day of the spring season is called the vernal equinox, which is Latin for “equal night.”
  2. The idea that the first day of spring (the vernal equinox) is 12 hours of night and day rarely works, usually it happens before the vernal equinox.
  3. Benjamin Franklin proposed daylight savings back in 1784.
  4. The United States begins saving daylight on the second Sunday in March. The practice started in 2005.
  5. Spring fever is not just a saying, experts believe the body’s diet and hormone production change.
  6. If you stood on the equator you would see the sun pass directly overhead which happens only twice a year (during spring and again in autumn).
  7. Can you really stand an egg on its end today? Yes, but you can also do that any other day of the year if you have the patience.
  8. The first spring flowers are typically dandelions, lilies, tulips, lilacs, iris, and daffodils. (There are many more than that of course).
  9. The earth’s axis tilts toward the sun during the spring causing more daylight.
  10. The first day of spring in the southern hemisphere is the date of the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere, usually in September.

Happy Spring from The Cool Dude!