If you want to reduce your home’s cooling and heating load — basically, the amount of heat that must be removed or added to your home to make it comfortable — start with a careful search for air leaks and energy waste throughout your home.

Start with your windows, checking for drafts. If you’re unsure, hold a long-stemmed lighter up to the window to see if the flame moves in your direction. Seal drafts with caulk, weather stripping or shrink film that comes in window insulation kits found at most hardware stores. And consider hanging thermal-backed window treatments that cover the window opening and a few inches beyond the frame to block outside air from entering your home.

Next, turn your attention to the insulation in your attic and crawl space. Proper insulation throughout your home makes all the difference between a comfortable home and an uncomfortable one — and makes a major difference on your utility bills. Insulation prevents the transfer of heat into your home in the summer, helping to reduce your cooling load and save energy dollars.

Other proactive steps will help you save energy dollars:

• Seal up drafty leaks around electrical switches, register covers and outlets.
• Close the doors to rooms that you rarely use and shut the dampers in those rooms, so you don’t spend money air-conditioning them.
• Close the damper as soon as you’re done using the fireplace, or install heavy glass doors so that you can leave the damper open and not worry about air escaping through the chimney.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs.
• Install a programmable thermostat, which you can set to heat and cool your home when people are home and then turn down when your home is empty.

Reducing your heating and cooling load will take a load off your mind, not to mention a load off your energy bill. For more great ideas, contact the experts at Conditioned Air today. Serving Southwest Florida, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Sealing air leaks image via Shutterstock

When you’re making a heat pump upgrade, keep the lifetime costs of your investment in mind as well as the sticker price. In the long run, operating costs will outweigh your upfront expense — so it’s important to weigh energy efficiency heavily when you’re choosing a new heat pump. The heat pump you buy will affect your household’s finances for years to come.

There are a couple of efficiency ratings to consider in particular when considering a heat pump upgrade:

• HSPF, or “heating season performance factor.” HSPF measures the energy efficiency of both the pump’s compressor and electricity-resistant elements. The heat pumps that are most efficient in this area will be rated from 8 and 10 on the HSPF scale — anything lower means you’ll be using up more energy during heating mode.
• SEER, or “season energy efficiency ratio.” This rating measures how efficiently a heat pump uses energy during its cooling mode. Heat pump upgrades that are higher on the SEER scale are usually more expensive upfront, but they pay off in long-term energy savings. If you can afford to invest in a higher efficiency pump now, you’ll probably recoup much of that cost down the road. The most cooling-efficient heat pumps out there are rated from 14 and 18 on the SEER scale.

In a warm region such as Southwest Florida, SEER is the more important factor, as you’ll rely more on the pump’s cooling mode. If you have questions or could use help weighing your options when it comes to heat pump upgrades, contact the experts at Conditioned Air. We’re proud to help keep Southwest Florida homeowners comfortable — while helping improve energy efficiency, too.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Heat pump image via Shutterstock

Buying a new HVAC system is not like getting a new pair of shoes — you can’t just pick the features you like and get the same size as before. Even if your contractor did a careful calculation the last time you purchased home comfort equipment, you should not assume that your needs have not changed.

Getting a professional load calculation done before you purchase and install new HVAC equipment is essential for maintaining good energy efficiency and keeping your home comfortable.

A common mistake that homeowners make when upgrading a heating and cooling system is simply getting a newer version of the the same sized equipment. Even if your existing equipment was properly sized when it was installed, the load calculation can change. Factors that may affect the heating or cooling load of your home include:

• Installation of a new roof
• Sealing leaks in ductwork
• Adding insulation to the attic or other areas
• Getting new windows or doors
• Adding new rooms or extensions
• Finishing a basement or attic

Doing a proper load calculation requires much more than just determining the square footage of your home. Your contractor will also account for the following factors:

• The climate in Southwest Florida
• The layout of your home, not just its size
• The amount of insulation in your home
• The type of windows you have and where they are located
• How much air infiltrates your home through leaks
• How many people live in your home and their ages
• Your home comfort preferences
• The appliances in your home the emit heat

All of these factors are combined to determine the heating or cooling load of your home so you can select the proper HVAC equipment size.

If you are considering an HVAC system upgrade, contact the professionals at Conditioned Air first. Our professional load calculation will help ensure that you do not spend more than necessary on a system that is too large for your home. A properly sized system also operates more efficiently, saving you even more money over the lifetime of the equipment.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Home improvement image via Shutterstock

Thinking about an HVAC upgrade? Before you do, it’s essential that you examine – and consider improving – your home cooling and heat load. When you do, you’ll get the maximum value from your investment in a new cooling or heating system.

The cooling load of your home is a term HVAC experts use to assess how much heat gathers in your home, which your A/C system must remove. Your home’s cooling equipment has to then compensate for whatever generates heat inside the home – along with heat from the outdoors – to bring the home’s temperature to a comfortable level.

The heating load of your home is similar to the cooling load. It’s the amount of energy your heating system will consume to compensate for cold air in order to maintain a comfortable temperature. In this case, equipment throughout your home, body heat from people and solar gain from windows will add to the heat in your home.

Whether you are upgrading cooling equipment, heating equipment or both, the potential for maximum energy efficiency is directly related to your home’s load – for both heating and cooling. You can ensure efficiency by:

• Make sure that your insulation is effective. Your home’s insulation should stop the transfer of heat – from inside your home to the outdoors in the winter and from the outside into your home in the summer. Check for adequate insulation levels in key locations such as the attic, foundation and walls.
• Seal any air leaks that occur throughout the home. Air leaks let conditioned air escape, and they hinder home comfort and the efficiency of your HVAC systems.
• Upgrade ductwork efficiency by sealing your home’s ducts. When ducts lose conditioned air, they let valuable energy escape before it ever reaches the rooms in your home.

Get your home’s cooling and heat load under control for optimal energy savings – and you’ll see your comfort levels rise, too. If you need help reducing the cooling and heat load of your Southwest Florida home, give the energy-efficiency experts at Conditioned Air a call today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

It can be difficult to stay cool in Southwest Florida in the summer. It can be even more difficult to keep your cooling costs manageable. Fortunately, you can take action to improve energy efficiency and reduce your utility bills.

The following steps can help improve energy efficiency, especially when you combine more than one of them:

• Performing an energy evaluation. An energy assessment performed by an HVAC professional can help you determine exactly where conditioned air is being lost in your home. You may find air leaks that should be sealed; areas that need more insulation; and inefficiencies in your home comfort equipment.
• Change air filters. Changing or cleaning your air filters on a regular basis will improve airflow and increase energy efficiency. If you notice dust coming out of supply registers, you may also want to consider professional duct cleaning to improve indoor air quality and help protect your valuable home comfort equipment.
• Schedule semi-annual maintenance. The best way to keep your heating and cooling system operating efficiently is to invest in regular semi-annual preventive maintenance. Professional cleaning and tuneups will also help protect your home comfort equipment and lengthen its life.
• Install a programmable thermostat. If you do not already have a programmable thermostat, or if you are not properly using the one you have, you are missing out on energy savings. Raising the temperature a few degrees when you are not at home will significantly reduce your monthly cooling costs.
• Upgrade equipment. The most effective way to dramatically improve energy efficiency is to invest in an energy-efficient heating and cooling system, especially if you have older equipment. Investing in a new system now can dramatically reduce utility bills, and you enjoy improved home comfort.

The professionals at Conditioned Air are experts in improving energy efficiency in home heating and cooling systems. We’ll help you identify the solutions that make the most sense for your home and for your budget. Contact us anytime for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about energy savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between. Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!   

If you’re looking for a way to assess your home’s energy efficiency, you can use heating and cooling “degree days.” Degree days help you gauge how much energy you’ve used in a given time period.

There are two main kinds of degree days: heating and cooling. To help you understand what they are, we’ll use the example of calculating cooling degree days, which are used in summer.

The day’s temperature fluctuations are measured against a base temperature, which varies from day to day. Let’s say one day’s base temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you add the day’s highest and lowest temperatures and divide that sum in half, the resulting figure is the day’s average temperature. If that average is over 70 degrees Fahrenheit, subtract 70 from it. So, if the day’s average was 80 degrees, subtract 70 and arrive at 10. The day in question would have 10 cooling degree days.

Calculating heating degree days is similar, except that you reverse the figures in the arithmetic, subtracting the average temperature from the base temperature.

How can heating and cooling degree days benefit Southwest Florida homeowners? By helping you monitor energy use. On your cooling bill, find the dates when your meter was read. Then calculate the cooling days for that time period. You can find base temperatures and assistance with the process at www.degreedays.net.

Watching your energy consumption can help you understand how your home’s performance improves as you take steps to increase your efficiency. You can see the effect various changes you make have, such as:

• Raising your thermostat several degrees.
• Using ceiling fans to increase air circulation and comfort.
• Sealing air leaks in your ductwork and attic.
• Upgrading to high-efficiency cooling equipment.

While heating and cooling degree days can help you track how your home’s efficiency evolves, the best way to improve your performance is to have an expert energy evaluation. This can tell you exactly where and when you’re losing the most energy and provide targeted suggestions for improving your heating and cooling system’s performance. Contact Conditioned Air with questions or to schedule an evaluation today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about degree days and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between. Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

A household’s heating and cooling “load” is another way of saying how much heating and cooling the home actually uses. That’s useful information, because it’s directly related to your energy consumption — and your utility bills.

So how do you determine your heating and cooling load, and how can you use your findings to help you? When calculating your HVAC load, it’s helpful to know several things:

• Total square footage of the home’s living areas, including individual room sizes.
• Attic and basement sizes, including insulation.
• How many rooms are occupied regularly, and at what times of the day.
• Lighting and appliances used throughout the home (some lights and appliances add heat to rooms).
• Surface areas of windows and skylights.
• Your local climate data.

There are computer programs available that help you use this information to calculate the heating and cooling load in your home. You also can engage a trained HVAC professional to calculate your home’s heating and cooling load — a smart idea especially when it’s time to replace your HVAC system. But you don’t need the exact calculation to get to work on reducing your home’s load. A few tips:

• Close off areas of your home that aren’t regularly occupied, and don’t need as much temperature control.
• Weatherize and insulate so you don’t lose warm or cold air to the outside.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs, which give out much less heat than incandescent.
• Install window treatments that reflect sunlight in the summer and retain heat in the winter.

The heating and cooling professionals at Conditioned Air have been serving Southwest Florida residents since 1962. Please contact us anytime if you’d like help calculating your heating and cooling needs — or with any other questions. We’re happy to do our part in helping our neighbors reduce their energy costs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about your home’s heating and cooling load and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

Homes and businesses have varying structures: different in size, shape and materials. And different buildings are used in different ways. One size really doesn’t fit all. That’s why, before you get a new heating and cooling system installed, you’ll need a thorough inspection and load calculations performed.

Load calculations are critical to determine the exact needs of your home or commercial space as you’re considering an upgrade, and to avoid some of the most common pitfalls, such as oversizing. Oversizing means getting a bigger system than you really need, which eliminates the efficiencies of new equipment, costs more to operate, breaks down more often and contributes to big temperature swings.

It’s estimated that over half the HVAC contractors in the country don’t size air conditioning and heating systems correctly.

At ConditionedAir we use the Manual J system in our sizing and load calculations, which is the most common process used in the United States, and the one approved by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. It’s a comprehensive examination of your home for all of the factors that contribute or mitigate your HVAC needs, including:

• The climate here in Southwest Florida
• The size and shape of your home, and its orientation
• Quality and amount of insulation
• The location and types of windows
• Amount of air infiltration
• And the type of light fixtures and major appliances in your home (which all give off more heat than you might imagine)

Load calculations also include an inspection of your home’s seals and examine the state of your existing duct system. You can often improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of your system by just reorienting and repairing your ducts.

There are a large number of factors that go into your new load calculations, so be sure and discuss all of the different data points with your contractor before work starts on your home or business. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for copies of the completed calculations when your contractor is finished, as it’s your only proof that the work was done correctly.

Still have questions? ConditionedAir is staffed with experts on load calculations. Feel free to contact us any time.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about load calculation and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

Lots of homeowners took advantage of the generous federal tax credits offered for heating and air conditioning systems in 2010. Those credits have been reduced, but you can still see some tax benefit if you are considering an upgrade in your heating and cooling systems. Now is the time to think about installing new air conditioning or an air-source heat pump.

Here’s what you need to know about the federal tax credits for these types of equipment:

• The credit is good for 10 percent of the cost up to $500, or a specified amount between $50 and $300.  Conditioned Air can help you determine which models qualify.
• The equipment must be purchased and installed before the end of 2011.
• The tax credit can only be claimed for your principal residence and the equipment must be installed in an existing home.
• Second homes, rental properties, and new construction are not eligible.

Air source heat pumps are an energy-efficient home comfort solution that provides both heating and cooling.  They work by moving heat, rather than generating heat, so they consume much less energy than a furnace or conventional air conditioner.  The professionals at Conditioned Air have years of experience installing air source heat pumps in southwest Florida, so we know which models work best for different situations.

If you are looking to install a new central air conditioning system, we can help you with that, too.  There are countless numbers of models available, but not all of them are eligible for federal tax credits.  The best way to determine the right unit for your home is to work with a professional to make sure the equipment you purchase is not too large or too small for your home comfort needs.  Contact us at Conditioned Air to learn more about which energy-efficient air conditioners are available.

Schedule time with us now, before your home gets hot and uncomfortable, and you will not miss out on this year’s federal tax credits.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about federal tax credits, energy efficient systems and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

The average Florida homeowner’s energy savings is affected by many factors, from landscaping to duct design. Perhaps you’ve sealed your air ducts, programmed efficient settings into your thermostat and invested in energy-efficient equipment, such as a heat pump. But it’s not easy to estimate the energy savings all your efforts are really producing. How efficient is your home when compared to others like it, and how could you increase your home performance even more?

Energy Star can help you answer these questions. Energy Star is a collaboration of the US Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. Their goal is helping U.S. homes achieve high performance to save energy and the environment at the same time. U.S. homeowners saved over $17 billion on utilities in 2009 alone with the aid of Energy Star.

The Home Energy Yardstick is a calculator created by Energy Star that compares your home’s performance to that of others like it nationwide, arriving at a relatively accurate calculation of how much energy savings you’re really achieving and where you might be falling short. Once you see how your home’s performance stacks up, Energy Star also has tips and advice for how to further increase energy savings.

Using the Home Energy Yardstick requires:

• The square footage of your home
• The information on your last year or month of utility bills
• Understanding the energy sources your home is run on
• Five minutes

You have the choice to input annual or monthly utility data into the Home Energy Yardstick. Also, keep in mind that Energy Star needs about a month to update meteorological information, so they won’t be able to give you accurate calculations for this month. Try using last month’s info.

After the calculations are made check out your home’s score. If you think you could have scored higher, Energy Star’s Home Advisor has tips and tricks for increasing home performance. You can also call Conditioned Air. We’re dedicated to helping Florida homeowners achieve energy savings while preserving the environment! The online tool is a good first step, but it’s no substitute for an expert opinion from a professional.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about energy savings and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.