The Top HVAC Replacement Signs

Even the best HVAC equipment will need to be replaced over time. So how do you know it's time for a new HVAC system? Watch out for the following top HVAC replacement signs.

Age

Generally, HVAC systems last 10 to 15 years before requiring replacement. As they get older, they tend to become more prone to breakdowns. If your unit is older than 10 to 12 years old, chances are good that you'll need to replace it soon.

HVAC Problems Are Occurring More Frequently or Are Costly to Fix

If your system has needed HVAC repair service three or more times in the past few months, it's probably time to think about replacing it. The repairs you've paid for are prolonging the unit's life for only short periods. Rather than getting caught in the vicious cycle of repair — one of the key HVAC replacement signs — it's likely to be more economical to purchase a new system.

It's also advisable to invest in a new system if your older system needs an expensive repair, such as a new compressor.

Rising Energy Bills

Your HVAC system may need replacement if your energy bills suddenly shoot up inexplicably. The system may have worn-out and inefficient parts that need more energy to do their work. An HVAC technician can check the system to determine whether there's an issue with your thermostat or ductwork, or your unit could be nearing the end of its life span, which is one of the major HVAC replacement signs.

Your System Uses Freon

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) phased out R-22 refrigerant, commonly referred to as Freon. That helped ensure that new HVAC systems utilized more eco-friendly refrigerants. Freon is becoming more and more challenging to find, which has led to a spike in costs. Therefore, even routine maintenance of an air conditioner that runs on Freon can be a significant expense. If your system uses Freon, it's highly recommended that you consider replacing it.

When you notice these HVAC replacement signs, you can contact a trusted HVAC professional to assess the overall state of your system. For more helpful advice on replacing your HVAC system, contact Air Assurance. We provide HVAC repair, replacement, and maintenance services to Broken Arrow homeowners.

Be Sure You Know the Average Gas Bill in Winter

The fluctuations in your energy usage during the year may make it difficult to predict how much you'll spend on your monthly bills. The price of utilities can also vary by region. Let's break down the average gas bill in winter.

What's the Average Gas Bill in Winter?

According to the American Gas Association's most recent findings, U.S. households spent $712 (on average) in natural gas to fuel and heat their houses. In Oklahoma, the average residential gas bill was $670. However, several variables affect your gas consumption, so your bill could be higher or lower.

For example, your monthly gas bill will likely be higher if you use gas to power all your major appliances, such as your furnace, dryer, water heater, and stove or oven. The size of your home also impacts your monthly gas bill. You'll pay more monthly if you have a big house.

A better way to understand your usage is by assessing your yearly consumption and comparing your monthly bills.

Lowering Your Gas Bill

If your gas bill is making a nasty dent in your finances, you can take several steps to lower it. Winter heating is a common cause of high gas bills. You could lower consumption by nudging down your thermostat. Boosting your home's energy efficiency will also help you reduce the gas you consume each month. You could achieve that by installing multi-pane windows and more insulation.

Other tips to help you reduce gas consumption include:

• Turn the water heater temperature down to 120 degrees.

• Insulate your hot-water pipes to retain heat.

• Shorten your shower time.

Remember that the little changes you make could add up to significant energy savings. For more information on the average gas bill in winter, contact us at Air Assurance. We've helped Broken Arrow-area homeowners keep their homes comfortable and energy-efficient for more than 35 years.

Use Ceiling Fans to Improve Cooling Efficiency

Your residential cooling system shoulders most of the burden of keeping your indoor living spaces comfortable. This can lead to some significant utility bills, however, as your air conditioner or heat pump works to keep up with cooling demand. By using ceiling fans in rooms where you and your family gather most often, you can reduce those bills and increase cooling efficiency.

Why Use a Ceiling Fan?

Ceiling fans provide a way to increase air circulation in the rooms where they are used. This helps move cool air that has settled near the floor, recirculating already conditioned air and giving it a second chance to reduce the temperature in the room.

The drafts of air from ceiling fans also provide direct cooling when they make contact with your body. The air from your ceiling fan helps perspiration evaporate on your skin, which carries away heat and keeps you cool. This effect makes the room feel cooler than it actually is, allowing you to run your air conditioner at a lower level while still maintaining consistent comfort.

Considerations When Using a Ceiling Fan

• When using a ceiling fan, remember that the drafts created by the fan must make contact with your body for the cooling effect to take place. A ceiling fan doesn't cool a room. It cools a person.

• Fan blade rotation should be adjusted to allow the fan to send down into the room below. This is most effective at directed drafts where they are needed. In the winter, you can switch fan blade direction to boost heating system performance.

• Make sure there is enough clearance between the fan and the space below it to allow safe operation. Fan blades should be mounted at about seven feet or higher, and there should be 18 inches of space between the walls and blade tips.

Air Assurance provides top-quality heating and cooling services to customers in and around Tulsa. Contact us today for more information on how you can use a ceiling fan to boost cooling system efficiency and keep your indoor living environment more comfortable.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “eak_kk/Pixabay”

Appliance Use Drives Up Energy Costs: Here's a Method for Monitoring

Appliance Use Drives Up Energy Costs: Here's a Method for Monitoring

While the appliances and devices in our homes seem indispensable, appliance use does drive up energy costs. Any appliance that deals with heat, either creating it or removing it, uses more energy than others. The Department of Energy reports that these are the most energy-hungry appliances in your home in the order of the amount they consume:

• Heating and cooling system;

• Water heater;

• Range/oven

• Clothes dryer;

• Swimming pool pump;

• Refrigerator and freezer;

• Desktop computer;

• Television;

• Microwave;

• Dishwasher; and

• Clothes washer.

With the exception of the larger appliances, like your HVAC system, you can estimate appliance use by looking at the tag on the cord, examining the packaging or the appliance itself to find its consumption in watts. For example, a computer monitor may use 150 watts, which means that it will use a kilowatt (kW) in 6.7 hours. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts and likely how your power company notes usage on your bill.A cooling system can use many kWs per hour, since it requires a lot of electricity. Their energy use is measured in amps, but you can multiply the amps by the volts they use (typically 220) to find their kW consumption. For example, a 20 amp air conditioner using 220 volts consumes 4,400 watts, or 4.4 kW.It's difficult to monitor the precise amount of energy your appliances use to estimate costs because electric rates vary, but there are things you can do to reduce consumption, like keeping the HVAC system and water heater clean and professionally serviced at least once a year.Keeping the air filter for the air handler clean lowers the amount of energy your HVAC system uses, as does hosing off the outdoor condenser occasionally. Draining off a quart of water from the water heater every few months takes out the hard water sediments at the bottom, improving efficiency.If you'd like to learn more about how maintenance reduces energy consumption for appliance use, contact Air Assurance. We've provided outstanding HVAC services for the Broken Arrow area for nearly 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Landscape That Leads To Energy Savings: Why Strategically Placed Shade Makes Sense

Because cooling costs are high, homeowners are looking for solutions to lower their energy spending. It is true that there are a wide variety of energy-efficient air conditioners being manufactured today, however, there are other measures that you can take to help boost your system's efficiency and effectiveness even further. Though it may not have occurred to you previously, taking the time to strategically landscape around your home can go a long way in promoting energy savings.

Problem

As the sun beats down on your home, its heat can be radiated and absorbed through your home's windows and your roof, which increases the temperature inside your house. The warmer the air inside becomes, the higher of a demand will be placed on your air conditioner for cooling purposes. This will raise your utility bill while putting extra strain on your cooling equipment.

Solution

Utilizing your home's landscaping and shrubbery to your strategic advantage will increase your home comfort and improve your overall energy savings. You can handle this in a variety of ways including:

• Trees - The trees around your home can reduce surrounding air temperatures greatly. The shade and the ability of a tree to move and release water vapor can bring these temperatures down by as much as 9 degrees. Because cool air has a tendency to stay near to the ground, the temperature of the space located under a tree can be up to 25 degrees cooler! Planting the right kind of tree at a location where its shadow will prevent heat from radiating through large windows or your roof can greatly boost your energy savings.

• Shrubbery - Smaller plants and shrubbery can also help promote energy savings. When planted near your front or back patios, these plants can provide shading that will lower the temperatures of the asphalt or concrete surfaces around your home. The cooler temperatures surrounding your home will prevent excess heat from being absorbed inside.

For more expert advice on utilizing your landscaping to boost energy savings, contact the professionals at Air Assurance. We've been serving Broken Arrow since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Energy-Saving Tips That Help Keep Summer Bills Low

Summertime brings allergies, high temperatures, A/C running on full-blast and, unfortunately, higher energy bills. As you're trying to keep yourself cool, we don't want your summer energy bills burning a hole in your pocket. With a few simple energy-saving tips, you can keep your home cool while saving money.Here are a few inexpensive and easy solutions to stay cool this summer:

• Make sure your HVAC equipment and air filters are well-maintained. Replace or clean your air filters as needed. Don't forget to have your air conditioner unit serviced before the hot weather hits every year to make sure it runs more efficiently.

• Don't let cool air escape. If your A/C is running all day, but your home doesn't feel much cooler, there could be air leaks in your home. You should add weatherstripping to your doors and windows, and caulk any cracks in the walls to keep cool air from escaping.

• Properly insulate your attic. If your home has an attic, you should install modern insulation to help lower cooling costs in the summer. On warm days, temperatures in the attic can rise upwards of 140 degrees. Proper insulation and ventilation can help lower your attic temperatures.

• Unplug electronics and appliances when not in use. Something as simple as turning off your electronics when they're not in use can help lower your energy bills. Keep in mind that electronics such as computers also give off heat, so it's a double-whammy in the summer.

• Buy Energy Star products. From air conditioners to refrigerators, the federal Energy Star program ensures that products meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines that help protect the environment and save you money.

These energy-saving tips are just a start to help keep your home cool and your summer energy bills low. For more expert advice on energy-saving tips and other HVAC topics, contact Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality today!  We proudly service residents of Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Energy Savings Tips For When You're Away From Home

It is finally time for a much needed vacation. You have planned your trip to the last detail, and you cannot wait to get out the door and on the road to your vacation destination. But wait, you might not realize your electronics and appliances need a vacation, too. Here are some energy-saving tips that can ease your mind and lower your energy bills while you are away from home:

• Turn off your air conditioning unit or set the thermostat on 85 degrees. You can save approximately one percent per degree you raise the temperature, provided that temperature change lasts for eight hours or more. This tip can save you beyond your vacation, as you can use these energy-saving settings while you're at work each day, or even while you're asleep. Install a programmable thermostat, and you won't have to lift a finger to save energy.

• If your trip will last longer than three days, turn off your hot water heater. Just set a reminder to turn it back on when you return. It should only take a few hours to reheat the water. Consider lowering the temperature on your hot water heater to save energy all the time. Chances are you won't even notice the difference.

• Turn off all the lights. Security lights can be set on a timer if necessary.

• Unplug all of your electronic devices. Televisions, DVD players, computers and most coffee makers suck up to 10 percent of your total electric usage by using energy when plugged in but not turned on; this is known as phantom energy. Many gadgets like cell phone chargers and most appliances are also culprits.

• Close curtains to keep the heat of the sun out.

• Fill your refrigerator with full bottles of water. Refrigerators are more efficient when full.

• Turn off the hot tub, as well as water fountains and outdoor pumps.

Now you are ready for that much needed and anticipated vacation. You deserve it. Contact us at Air Assurance today for more expert advice about energy savings in the Broken Arrow area.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     

Want To Save Energy Dollars? From DIY Projects To HVAC Upgrades, We've Got Some Tips For You

Because your home is comprised of a series of systems that work together, when one system fails, it can affect the energy efficiency of the others. If you want to save energy dollars, there’s a host of projects you can do to upgrade your home’s overall energy efficiency potential.Consider which of these projects will help you to save energy dollars:

• Use a programmable thermostat – A programmable device helps save energy dollars because you can use it to preset energy-saving temperatures in your home that match how you use it. And you won’t waste energy cooling your home when you’re not present.

• Become energy conscious – Turn off appliances and electronics when you’re not using them. These devices draw energy even when they're not in use. So unplug your toaster, and shut off the lights when you leave a room.

• Find creative ways to reduce energy consumption – Choosing to air dry your dishes instead of running them through the system’s energy-consuming drying cycle helps to save energy. Air drying your clothes will accomplish the same goal. Additionally, only run your dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer when their loads are full.

• Find the right settings – Most water heaters, for instance, are preset to an unnecessarily high temperature. You can save energy dollars by dialing it back to 120 degrees.

• Use less hot water – Take shorter showers, and consider using low-flow showerheads and faucets.

• Seal your home – Reducing air leaks will keep more conditioned air inside and allow less outside air to infiltrate your home. You can use caulk to seal around windows and electrical wiring outlets, and apply weatherstripping around doors

• Upgrade your equipment – Possibly one the most effective actions that will save energy dollars, swapping out your old, inefficient water heater, furnace or air conditioner for a high-efficiency model can result in significantly higher energy savings.

If you’re not sure where to start, but you want to save energy dollars, contact the experts at Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality today for advice. We've been serving homeowners in the greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     

Heat Pump Maintenance -- What You Can Do And What To Save For A Professional

Heat Pump Maintenance -- What You Can Do And What To Save For A Professional

If you make heat pump maintenance a priority, you’ll maximize your investment in the system, ensure top energy savings and keep your home comfortable through every season.There are certain tasks homeowners can do, but others should be left to the professionals.Here’s what you can do:

• Check your filter every month or so, particularly when the heat pump is used on a regular basis, and change it when it looks dirty or dingy. This action will allow optimal airflow into the system and keep your indoor air cleaner.

• Inspect the coils on the outdoor unit when you inspect the air filter, and clean them with a soft cloth or use a garden hose (with a gentle spray).

• Keep the area around the outdoor unit clear, because debris like leaves and grass clippings can inhibit airflow.

• Check your home’s registers and grilles for dirt, and vacuum or wipe them down when dusty.

Here’s what an expert should do:

• Check the system for dirt buildup, and provide a comprehensive cleaning for components like the air handler and coils.

• Assess the ductwork’s performance, test the airflow, and seal any leaks.

• Test the system’s refrigerant charge, and look for leaks in the refrigerant lines.

• Check the electric terminals, clean dirty connections and tighten loose ones. Ensure that the nonconductive coating is at the appropriate levels.

• Inspect the motor, lubricating it to ensure smooth operations, and check the belt for wear and tear (on older systems).

• Assess the controls to ensure that the heat won’t cycle on when cooling mode is selected and vice versa.

• Ensure that the thermostat’s settings operate correctly.

• Conduct a comprehensive inspection of the reversing valve's operations.

If you perform these heat pump maintenance tasks every spring and fall, and schedule expert service in both seasons, you’ll ensure a top-performing system that lasts longer. To schedule a service appointment, contact Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality today! We've been serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!