Boehmer Heating & Cooling Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Energy Savings’

Is it Time for an Energy Audit on Your Home?

Monday, April 8th, 2019

cardboard-house-cutout-being-held-against-blue-skyHere’s the thing about homes today—if yours was built in the last decade or so, it was constructed tightly. What does that mean? Well, it means that everything is tightly sealed to allow no air from going out and no outside air from sneaking in. This is great news for your HVAC systems, as it allows them to work as efficiently as possible. This isn’t, however, fool-proof

The fact of the matter is, over the years your windows and doors can develop drafts. Your ductwork can degrade to the point that you have conditioned air leaking into unused spaces such as your attic or crawlspace. You may have an aging HVAC system that’s performing inefficiently, or aging insulation that’s not keeping your home warm or cool, depending on the season. Fortunately, there is an answer to these obstacles—a home energy audit!

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Spring Energy Audits Mean Year-Round Savings

Monday, March 12th, 2018

money-saving-home-performanceAt the beginning of spring, Pittsburgh residents can expect chilly weather well into March and April. Soon, though, you’ll be perfectly comfortable sitting in your home even without hearing the heater running. This is what’s called the “shoulder season” when you work in the HVAC industry, an off-period when the rush of repair and installation calls come to a stop.

These services may not seem so important in the spring, but this season should be used as a time to prepare your home for the harsh weather to come. Hot, humid summers are followed by another cold winter season means you pay quite a bit for heating and cooling. But you can take the time now to prepare your home with an energy audit.

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High Energy Bills? A Few Mistakes You May Be Making

Monday, May 8th, 2017

CFL-bulb-moneyIt’s time to take control over your monthly spending. You’ll find a lot of advice out there on the internet about how to reduce your bills and cut out unnecessary spending—cancelling unused subscriptions and memberships, for one—but unless you reassess the amount of energy used in your home, bills will remain high. This is especially true as we move into another hot and humid spring and summer, so it’s time to take action.

From simple mistakes to structural problems within the home, there are a few issues around the house that may be causing an unnecessary spike in your monthly bills.

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Insulating Your Home for Warmth and Savings

Monday, February 13th, 2017

save-money-home-insulationIt’s been a cold one this year, and you might not have felt the relief you wanted from your home comfort system. It could be that you have noticed hot or cold spots around the home or never felt quite warm enough at all. And that may be something you thought you’d have to put up with for a long time to come.

But often, these types of problems do not necessarily indicate that you need to replace your furnace or boiler. Instead, you might need to rethink the insulation in your home.

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Tips to Save Money This Winter

Monday, October 12th, 2015

The cold weather isn’t here yet, but there’s a definite chill in the air. Winter can be a very expensive season between heating costs and other winter-related expenses. While you can’t heat your home for free, you can reduce your costs by taking some simple steps ahead of the heating season. Here are some tips from the heating and cooling experts at Boehmer Heating & Cooling.

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Pittsburgh AC Tip: Quick Tips to Save Money on Air Conditioning

Monday, July 16th, 2012

You’ve probably heard once or twice that the cost of running your Pittsburgh air conditioner is more than that of any other single electrical device in your house. That means you’re money each and every year to stay cool. It’s well worth the investment, but there must be ways to cut the costs, right? With careful attention to how your AC operates and when you use, there are some things you can do to slash those costs. Here are a few of the easiest:

  • SEER Matters – What is this magical acronym you hear so much? SEER refers to how many BTUs your air conditioner can produce with a single watt of electricity. A low SEER device therefore uses a LOT more electricity to produce the same volume of cooling as a high SEER device. Since current devices offer SEER of 13 or higher (some are up to 20+), just about any upgrade will save you money relatively quickly if your current air conditioner has a rating of 8 or lower.
  • Program Your AC – If you have a single point analog thermostat, you’re wasting a LOT of electricity. You’re either paying to cool your house while it’s empty or you’re coming home to a roasting hot living space. Purchase a programmable unit and set the system to 85 degrees when you’re not home. With timers in most digital units, you can tell it when you’ll be home so that you walk into a cool, comfortable space without having to keep it cool all day long.
  • Use the Landscape to Your Advantage – Instead of relying solely on your air conditioner to keep the house cool in the summer, plant some trees and shrubs around the house to block the sunlight. Simply adding some shade to your property can directly reduce how much heat your home absorbs throughout the day and reduce how much your AC unit needs to work to keep you cool.
  • Ventilate Your Roof – A good third of the heat in your home is absorbed directly through the roof. To keep this heat from affecting the rest of your home, install a roof fan that ventilates the excess energy and keeps the attic at a steady temperature. Less heat up top means less cooling needed down low.

A good Pittsburgh air conditioning system is effective no matter what the temperature does, so it’s easy to forget how big your bill will soon be. To avoid an overblown bill, keep an eye on your cooling and follow these simple tips to cut back on use. For more ideas about how to keep your home cool this summer, give Boehmer Heating & Cooling a call!

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Pittsburgh Air Conditioning Tip: What to Do About Cool Spots

Monday, June 4th, 2012

Sitting on your couch watching TV should be an enjoyable experience, especially after a long day at the office. But, if your Pittsburgh air conditioner deposits an abnormally high volume of cold air directly onto your couch, making you shiver despite the 90 degree heat outside, you may have a cool spot.

Cool spots are an unfortunate side effect of modern air conditioning technology. They occur when HVAC systems are improperly sized or ductwork is improperly installed. Other factors like insulation, vent configuration or window placement can also contribute to the presence of a cool spot (and possibly some hot spots). So, what can you do about it? There are a few options, starting with a quick inspection of the space.

Checking for Common Problems

Your inspector will check a number of things. Most importantly, they’ll measure the size of your HVAC system and compare it to the dimensions and particulars of your house. Usually, in the case of cool spots, the problem is directly related to an oversized system. When it turns on, even for a few minutes, it produces more cold air than is necessary, flooding your home with cooling. The thermostat recognizes this and the system shuts off soon after turning on. As a result, you’ll feel fluctuation between cold and warm as the system fails to properly condition the space.

Modern systems are sized for your house at 100% capacity. So, when the system turns on, it should stay on for a substantial period of time, keeping your home cool. Turning off and on frequently is bad for the system and wastes energy (plus it produces those pesky cool spots). Keep in mind that hot spots can also occur if the system isn’t powerful enough.

Your inspector will also look for vent placement and duct configuration. Improper placement of vents can lead to pooling of cool air that creates cool spots. By checking for potential problems in the layout of your Pittsburgh  HVAC system, an inspector can determine if new vents or ducts are needed to solve the problem.

Fixing the Cool Spots

For now, you may just want to move to another part of the house. Cool spots rarely affect the entire space – they tend to cluster around vents and outlets and can usually be fixed by resizing or adjusting your system. However, only your Pittsburgh air conditioning contractor can tell you for sure what the best solution will be for your air conditioning issues so make sure to schedule an inspection.

Call Boehmer Heating & Cooling today if you are concerned about cool spots in your home!

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Chose ENERGY STAR For Your Air Conditioning Installation

Friday, June 1st, 2012

Energy Star | Pittsburgh | Boehmer Heating and CoolingLooking to replace your air conditioning system? You should think about buying an ENERGY STAR labeled model. A high efficiency air conditioner can make a huge difference in your energy bills if you are replacing an older model. Central air conditioners need a SEER rating of at least 13 get the ENERGY STAR label, and many older systems have a SEER that is 6 or less! You can get models with a SEER of 20 or higher, so talk to professionals at Boehmer Heating and Cooling to find out what the best AC system for your home is.

Looking for more ways to save with your air conditioning system? Call Boehmer today to learn about zone control, programmable thermostats, and more advice on energy saving practices. Boehmer Heating and Cooling provides services in Pittsburgh, and the Greater Pittsburgh area.

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West Mifflin Heating Tip: Simple Steps to Prevent Heat Loss

Friday, February 24th, 2012

There are two fundamental ways to make your West Mifflin house warmer. One is to generate heat, which is the job of your furnace or boiler. The second is to keep the warm air in — and thereby keep cold air out — which is the job of your system of insulation.

The idea that the physical structure of a home can be a component of the HVAC system is one that is often overlooked, but when you think about it, it makes sense. The insulation, windows, doors and building materials that comprise your home are designed to keep the place warm against the cold and vice versa.

So, when bolstering your HVAC system to promote efficient heating, it is important to also consider heat loss and how to prevent it. This is a process that can get out of hand if you go overboard, so it is important to prioritize. Let’s look at the top 3 places to start when trying to prevent heat loss.

  1. Doors and Windows:  If you have older doors and windows, they could be a source of heat loss in your house, even if they are always closed. Replacing your windows and door with Energy Star rated ones will make sure that you are not losing heat to the outside AND still getting all the heat energy from the sun. Installing storm windows or putting up heavy curtains in winter can also help cut down on your heat loss.
  1. Seal off drafts. If any opening to your house, such as windows and doors, is improperly sealed, improperly installed or if the surrounding construction is deteriorating, you can lose a lot of heat. Check any drafts that you notice that might indicate a problem, and also if your vents and air ducts are leaky.
  1. Start at the top. If you want to go farther in sealing your house up against the cold, it is time to work on the insulation. When installing new insulation, remember that heat rises, so you get the most bang for your buck by starting at the top. If you only have the budget or time to insulate one space, make it the attic. You can work down from there.

These areas should be your top three priorities on your mission to prevent heat loss in your West Mifflin home. If you start here, you will get the best gains with the least effort. For more information on how to improve your home’s heating, give Boehmer Heating & Cooling a call today!

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Upper St Clair HVAC Contractor Tip: The Energy Star Label

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

The Energy Star program is a joint program of the US environmental protection agency and the US department of Energy. The program’s goal is to help consumers, including Upper St Clair homeowners, save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.

The best-known aspect of the Energy Star program is the Energy Star label, which is awarded to appliances and other items that are significantly more efficient than average. Energy Star efficiency guidelines vary depending on product category, but in general, Energy Star products use 20%-30% less energy than minimum federal standards.

The Energy Star guidelines were designed both with energy efficiency and performance in mind. While low energy use is one of the most important criteria for selecting Energy Star appliances, product performance, features, warranty, safety, and durability are also taken into account. Price is also a factor: if a product costs significantly more than other products in its category, it will only receive the Energy Star label if the up-front cost will be recovered through savings in operating costs within a reasonable amount of time.

The first Energy Star labels were given to computers and monitors in 1992. Now labels can be found on many other products, including:

Energy Star products can be found wherever appliances and electronics are sold. Look for the blue and white Energy Star label. You can also look for the yellow EnergyGuide label that is affixed to most heating and cooling systems and household appliances. This label is created by the Department of Energy and shows a product’s annual cost of operation compared to similar models. It will often indicate whether a product is Energy Star.

It’s important to note that while an Energy Star label indicates that a heater, air conditioner, or household appliance is more efficient than the minimum guidelines, it does not always mean that you are getting the most energy efficient option on the market. If you are making a major appliance purchase, use the Energy Star label to be sure every model on your “short list” is energy efficient. Then, look carefully at the EnergyGuide label to compare the efficiency of the models you are considering.

The EPA has also extended the Energy Star label to cover new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. To qualify for the Energy Star rating, a new home must use at least 15% less energy than standard homes (built to the 2004 International Residential Code). Energy Star homes usually include insulation, high-performance windows, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, appliances, lighting, and water heaters.

The Energy Star standards and label have been recognized in many other countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union.

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