Category: Cooling

The homeowner’s manual for giving your HVAC system a longer life is a short one. It can actually be summed up in just one word: maintenance. That’s the secret. Maintain your equipment by monitoring its performance and scheduling routine check-ups by a HVAC technician.
As a homeowner, your job is to create an environment that is conducive to extending the life of your system. A large part of that responsibility includes scheduling regular tune-ups from your local HVAC company. These tune-ups are critical in detecting potential problems and repairing existing ones. Your check-up takes care of three critical areas of maintenance.
Dirt Build Up – Your technician will remove dirt build up from the heat pump, furnace or central air. Any dirt build up leads to serious problems. Dirt on the coils slows down heat transfer and the unit’s ability to heat, cool and dehumidify. Dirt on the fan blades will create an imbalance and poor air delivery. All of these issues will cause increased energy consumption and higher utility bills.
Replacement –Worn parts can be replaced before wear and tear causes a complete break down. Technicians are trained to detect worn belts, low lubrication and rapid deterioration. Replacing worn components wards off system failure and ensures efficient system operation.
Air Filters-  Although some homeowners take care of air filter replacement routinely, a service visit can also ensure that the filters are clean and that the rest of the equipment is protected from airborne dirt. Scheduled preventative maintenance keeps you ahead of the game.
By maintaining your HVAC regularly you will energize your system and possibly extend its life span. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development given by manufacturers and industry experts, with good maintenance, you should expect the following from your system:

• Central Air 15 years
• Furnace 18 years
• Air Source Heat Pump 15 years

For a small investment, you can receive a huge return.
Invest the time to schedule your regular tune-up from your local HVAC company.
Call VanKleef Heating and Air Conditioning (812) 280-0510 for your furnace maintenance and repair. We serve the Southern Indiana and surrounding counties, and including Greater Louisville .

You would never consider going outside in the dead of winter in just a simple light-weight jacket. Instead, you pile on the layers to keep warm: coat, scarf, hat, gloves, several shirts, and boots. The same theory holds true for your home. If you want to keep your Louisville heating and cooling costs down, your home needs the proper protection against the elements.
Choosing the right insulation affects many aspects of your home including curb appeal, resale value, and the quality of the master bathroom shower. Most importantly, the proper insulation affects long-term efficiency and energy costs. If your home is not properly insulated, heat will escape and gravitate to colder areas like the basement and the attic. If you have cracks or leaks in any of these areas, the heat will find them and make a quick exit, leaving your home shivering cold.
If your home is struggle to keep warm, it may be time to check into re-insulating, especially in the attic area, which is the most heavily insulated area in your home. Insulation is measured in terms of resistance to heat flow, or an “R” value. Attics generally require an R35-45 rating for proper protection.
In the past, fiberglass insulated rolls were the only way to insulate. Today, there are many options including spray foam, foil-faced reflective paper, polyethylene bubbles and straw core panels. New construction is now made with concrete forms in which the insulation is built right in to the home’s structure. But if you aren’t building a new home, the best form of insulation for remodeling is the spray foam method. This version provides the maximum energy efficiency.
When selecting the insulation that’s right for your home, evaluate the appropriate R-value for your home’s needs. A home in Montana has different needs than a home in Florida. Take into consideration:

• The age of your home
• The structure make up of your home
• The location of your home

Although the needs are different, the goals of insulating are the same: to effectively resist the flow of hot and cold air. Protect your home against old man winter this season by bundling up with an extra layer of warmth.

What is a communicating thermostat? According to York, it’s thermostat that not only controls heating/cooling equipment, but also communicates with other devices inside and/or outside the house. How does this help you? This is one more example of how technology is driving efficiency. The more efficient your system is, the less energy you will consume and that always translates into savings.
York’s communicating thermostat receives important information from the actual devices like the furnace or air conditioner. This information can be used to make subtle changes in temperature settings to help reduce your heating and cooling costs. This is a step beyond simply having a programmable thermostat. You still have all the benefits of being able to program your communicating thermostat but, you also get many added benefits.
The communicating thermostat can gauge the diminishing efficiency of your units and may suggest or alert you to filter changing or maintenance needs. The thermostat and devices know what the ideal efficiency is so it can alert you to possible problems and solutions. The interface on these thermostats make programming them so much easier and understandable. If being able to program your thermostat can save you significantly, then making it easier to program is a big plus. You can also get comfortable faster. There is a feature that allows the thermostat to communicate to the devices to operate at its highest capacity to get you the desired temperature more quickly.
If you would like more information about the York communicating thermostat or other products, call us with your questions or schedule an appointment and we would be happy to help educate you on all the exciting products York offers. Here is a link from York describing the communicating thermostat.
Fun Fact: If you set thermostats back 10 to 15 degrees for 8 hours while you’re at work, you’ll save about 10 percent on your heating and cooling, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Ohio Valley has been compared to bowl. It is difficult to get the seasonal allergy irritants to blow away. If you have lived here long enough you know that there are significant fluctuations in pollen levels from one week to another. About the only thing we can control is the air quality inside our homes and businesses. When choosing an air filter during seasons you typically experience allergies, select a filter with a high MERV rating. The higher the MERV rating the better job it does at getting smaller allergens and particles out of the air. A simple air filter change goes a long way in enhancing air quality, but pollens are very fine particles that may require better filtration than most furnace filters provide.

I am tempted to open my windows on cool evenings and mornings to reduce electricity use but it can work against me by allowing those pollens right in my home. If you suffer from springtime allergies, keeping those windows and doors closed is the better choice. Limiting your time outside is a common sense decision but there are a few things you can do around your home to reduce the severity of your spring allergy battle. Vacuuming consistently, and cleaning surfaces routinely throughout your home really helps. Having your system routinely inspected and serviced is essential not only for efficiency, but also for the air quality in the home. When these steps are not enough, an air filtration system may be your best option. There are very effective Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) systems that can be installed in your home that can make an immediate and lasting improvement.

According to WebMD, Louisville, Kentucky is one of the top five cities for worst allergies. Making sure your HVAC system is the best it can be gives you a huge advantage of lessening the seasonal effects of pollens and molds.

• Keep windows and doors closed
• Upgrade your filter to a high MERV rated filter
• Routine system maintenance and cleaning
• Consider an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) system