With always advancing technology you can choose from wireless or wall mounted thermostats; basic digital thermostats, programmable thermostats and now All Comfort Heating and Cooling can offer you smart (self programmable) thermostats.

Basic Digital Thermostats

These HVAC controlling thermostats offer just what you need to run your heating and air conditioning system.  They have the basic functions such as on/off, heat/cool, and fan on/auto. If your looking for simple and easy to use this is the one for you.

Digital Programmable Thermostats

These thermostats allow you to set timers and temperatures.  This is convenient when you have a weekly schedule that never changes.  If you always leave your home at 8 am you may want to program your thermostat to move the temperature up a few degrees (during the summer) and then set it  to cool back down for you before you get home at 5 pm. This will save you money on your energy bills. We all know saving money is good, right!

Smart (self programmable) Thermostats

Nest thermostats are one of the most advance heating and air conditioning thermostats available to you today.  All Comfort Heating and Cooling service technicians have attended Nest training and are fully certified to properly install your Nest thermostat.  We will also walk you through set up and understanding the functions and  programs available to you on your smart phone, tablet or PC.

Nest thermostats offer the best in convenience and comfort to you by: self programming , providing you with energy usage reports, sensing your humidity levels, and they can be controlled at any time from any where you are through your smart phone, tablet or PC.  For more information about what Nest thermostats can do to increase your home comfort, contact All Comfort Heating and Cooling today.

There you have it 3 types of thermostats that will serve you in 3 different ways. What is your favorite type of thermostat?

According to research, it’s been proven that, despite smoke and outdoor pollutants, indoor air quality in homes is actually often much worse than outdoor air quality.  This isn’t good news if you suffer from allergies or hay fever, since indoor air is recirculated and any indoor contaminants will tend to be recycled through your home again and again. We hope that this article will inspire you to want to improve indoor air quality in your home.

Improving indoor air quality is a challenge that involves several ways to insure improvement in allergy symptoms, overall breathing quality and reduction of respiratory diseases.  So how do you get rid of these indoor pollutants in your home? Below are 5 ways on how you can improve indoor air quality this spring.

1. Ventilate Your House

It’s important to properly ventilate your house when you are painting or cooking. It’s not just that the fumes smell bad – these are air contaminants and need to be vented outside and replaced with fresh, clean air.

2. Have Your House Inspected

If you want improved air quality, take better care of the air. Have your house inspected for any potential sources of contaminants or pollution, and then correct these problems.  You might want to check some of your appliances for gas bleed-off and check for asbestos in the home.

3. Keep Your Home Clean

You need to clean up often inside your home. It is a simple way of improving indoor air quality but very effective.  Cleaning can drive away dusts and dirt which are the carriers of bacteria. Use a damp cloth to wipe away dirt on furniture and other objects, and a mop to keep the floor clean. For those who have carpet, a thorough vacuuming routine should be done, usually about once a week.

4. Invest in an Air Purifier

Purify the air often. An air purifier clears away air pollutants such as dust, bacteria, and smoke. It gives clean and purified air through out your home blocking and filtering pollutants.

5. Have Your Air Ducts Professionally Cleaned

The air ducts should be professionally cleaned if evidence is found of visible mold growth on the interior of the ductwork. Every time your heating or cooling system kicks in, it circulates pollutants throughout your home. You’re breathing contaminants the entire time you’re inside your home.

Your home should have a greatly improved indoor air quality, after following all of our recommended ways on how to improve indoor air quality this spring. In a few months of breathing this improved air you’ll probably notice your overall health has improved as well.

Now let us hear form you. What tips do you practice to improve indoor air quality in your home?

Cut Down on Dust

As dirt and debris becomes circulated through the home, you’ll notice you have to dust more often and that the air in your home has a dingy smell. Having your ducts cleaned will eliminate this problem and remove the excess build up of dust and dirt that will otherwise circulate throughout the air system in your home.

Protect Loved Ones

Duct system inspection may be even more important to people with respiratory illness, with compromised immune systems, with severe allergies, and people concerned about the air in a newborn baby’s room, because the quality of indoor air may affect these inhabitants’ health.

Find & Prevent Rodents

If there is any indication of rodents and animal feces inside the duct work, there is a larger problem at hand that must need to be resolve. Inspecting you duct work will lead you to find and solve these issues.

Prevent and Fight Mold

A duct system which is ignored for a long period of time can produce molds, tears in flex lines can turn into full disconnects and household debris such as dust, pet hair and dander, and dirt.

Prevent Fires

Running an inefficient system might result to fire. The last the you wan to do is put your family in harms way. Especially if it could have been prevented by you.  Inspecting these situations and finding them early can resolve these problems and prevent accidents.

The primary function of duct system inspection and cleaning is to transport clean air to the various rooms of your home. After having your ducts cleaned, you’ll find there is less dust in your home, easing the load of regular house cleaning.  . If you’re concerned about the cleanliness of your indoor air, consider getting your air ducts inspected by a professional.

Facts About Space Heaters

• Electric heaters can easily overload your electrical outlets.
• It consumed high electric power. A typical electric space heater uses 1,500 Watts of power.
• Portable space heaters need to be check daily.
• When left unattended, it raises the temperature above what is really needed. This wastes energy.
• Space heaters are known to cause thousand residential fires in US ever year.
• Accidental contact with space heater could result in serious shock or burns.
• It is practically expensive. If you tend to buy the cheap one, you are sacrificing the quality and this is one of the major causes of disaster.
• Warranty for these products are short compared to the others.
• Some people claim that instructions included in larger models are a little vague.

To avoid the high cost of gas heat many families will use electric heaters to keep the house warm and the thermostat lower. One may find a heater in each bedroom and living areas of the home plugged into extension cords. This unfortunately is a bad idea and has a serious potential to cause an electrical fire.

Take some time and consider what your options are going to be when you are looking for a space heater or central heat? Feel free to contact us and we can go over some practical options you have to keep your home warm!

Good Reason for doing the A/C Check-up in Spring:

* Saves you money and time

* Ensures that you are comfortable and cool during the summer.

* It helps help save on the electric bill if tuned up and working properly.

* Makes the hot summer months something to look forward to, instead of dreading the heat.

* Eliminates the issue of being put on a long waiting list and getting a much higher check-up rate.

Things to Do Before Using your A/C:

* A thoroughly cleaned air conditioning unit will operate efficiently. Remove all leaves, grass, and other debris from around the unit surface. This will help to ensure the proper air flow to the unit, making it run more properly.

* Be sure the thermostat is set in the cooling mode. If set to a low temperature, it will keep the house warm instead of cooling it.

* Hire a professional A/C technician. Not only they check the mechanical issues, but they can clean them as well. Hiring a professional that truly knows what they are doing can ensure that you don’t get hurt in the process.

* Before turning on your unit, be sure the condensing unit outside is not covered up. If the unit is covered it will not get the air flow needed to operate the machine. It is very important that nothing is covering it.

* Run your air conditioner a few minutes before you need it. Running the unit ahead of time will let you know if there might be something wrong with the unit. This will allow to get it fixed before the summer heat sets in.

* Change your filters regularly. Not only will this help the air conditioning unit to work properly but it will also eliminate the dust in the air supply. This makes the air that you breath in is clean and fresh.

We hope these tips have helped you see that an an HVAC unit needs a spring check up. Now in the comment section let us know what you do around the home to get  ready for spring.

Your HVAC system has been idle for a while, so it needs to be up and running before spring and summer set in. To do this, we have 5 simple tips listed below to  prepare your HVAC system ready for the up and coming months

1. Clear all debris from around the condensing unit. Condensing units condenses air to liquid form for cooling effects. They should be free of debris or any substance causing blockage to the entrance of air for effective circulation.

2. Replace or clean the filter. The filter prevents dust from entering the system hence it shouldn’t be blocked with dust as this will slow down the cold airflow. It should be clean or replaced to allow clean air to enter and exit the cooling system.

3. If the condensing unit is in direct sunlight, the overall cooling effect inside the house is reduced as hot air will enter the system. Building a shade over it will allow more cool air to enter the system.

4. Lubricate the motor. Do this while the system power is off and access it from the side by removing the grill. Lubrication ensures it’ll rotate well with less friction hence more operational efficient.

5. Schedule an A/C Clean and check with a trusted HVAC company as they will provide quality service. Your unit will be fixed properly regardless if you need an electrical repair, replacement parts, or a simple maintenance check-up. Routine maintenance keeps your HVAC system well operational. Applying these tips will prep your HVAC Unit for Spring

Taking these steps to clean and maintain your HVAC system will guarantee you that it will last a long time and runs at a very high efficiency. At the same time you are able to save money and your family will stay comfortable during those hot summer days

In a nutshell:  R-22 Freon is being phased out for use in the USA.  New HVAC systems now use R-410A Puron.  What this means to contractors and to homeowners is the cost of R22 will continue to rise as the manufacturing of R-22 falls. 

The price contractors pay for R-22 almost doubled overnight in late January/ early February 2012.   Heating and air conditioning companies have increased their prices of R-22 per pound to their clients to cover this this increased cost.  Unfortunately many HVAC companies increased their sales price by up to 3 times! 

How to identify price gouging of R-22 Freon:

1. Your heating and air conditioning contractor charges an extremely higher amount for the first pound and then a significantly less amount thereafter.  This raises concern as many systems lose up to 10% of the refrigerant capacity yearly as normal loss, typically .7 – 1.5lbs.   Hiking  up the price on the first pound is not logical as contractors do not pay more for a single pound verses the rest of R-22 when they purchase a jug from the supply house. They may be banking on the fact that a large amount of systems will need at least 1 lb of R-22 yearly. 

2. If your current heat and air company charged (for example) $25/lb in January and now charge $75/lb you can see they included the price increase they incurred ($50/lb would keep the profit the same)and opted to profit an additional $25/lb.  Understandably the profit margin will be slightly higher with a more expensive product, but the profit increase example is extreme.  Don’t be afraid to ask your current HVAC contractor how much they charged for Freon in January 2012 versus today.

“First, as everyone knows, the use of R-22 is slowly, but actively being phased out by the EPA under the Montreal Protocol. About every five years, the manufacture and import of R-22 is stepped down under a program http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/phaseout/hcfc.html designed to phase out the production and use by 2030.”  ACCA.org Feb 2012

For more details concerning the increase in R-22 prices, we encourage you to read The Montreal Protocol.