Category Archives: Design Build HVAC

HVAC design build services in cincinnati ohio

How To Choose A Commercial Design Build HVAC Contractor

July 2, 2018 Kim Sykes

Design, architectural and construction projects can be a big undertaking. Taking a design-build approach to your HVAC installation can help accelerate your project timeline and help save your budget. This is important in both new builds, as well as remodels, where options can be limited due to pre-existing structure and conditions.

Choosing the right design-build HVAC contractor can save you time, money and stress on the project. It can also ensure you’re satisfied with the eventual outcome of the project!

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avoid costly mistakes in your home_greater comfort newport hvac

Air Conditioning, Cincinnati Heating and Cooling, Commercial HVAC, Design Build HVAC, Plumbing, Water Line

Don’t Make This Costly Mistake with Your Water Heater

September 9, 2017 Kim Sykes

We all know that utility bills can add up quickly. It’s easy to find a home or apartment and think that the mortgage payment or monthly rent will be the bulk of your expenses. Although we wish it was, that’s not always the case.

Utility expenses can spike up to $200, $300, or sometimes even up to $500 each month. Yikes!

You might typically take caution in your electricity or AC usage when you’re trying to save, but do you ever consider the effects of your heated water usage? It might come as a surprise to you that water heating can make up roughly 12 percent of a home’s utility expenses, which is the largest block behind area heating and cooling (3).

Luckily, we’re here to help you cut down on that. Continue reading →

Air Conditioning, Cincinnati Heating and Cooling, Commercial HVAC, Design Build HVAC, Furnace, Heating, Heating & Cooling, Indoor Air Quality

How to Landscape for Shade (And Lower Your Energy Bills)

September 3, 2017 Kim Sykes

Is your yard looking a little…well, boring? You might want to consider adding some shady dimension. In addition to jazzing up the look of your area, it will also keep you cool on those hot, sunny days.

However, landscaping a few shady spots outside your home can do more than just add beauty to your yard and cool you off. It’s also a sneaky way to save some money by fighting off sunlight and thus lowering your energy bill.

Here are a couple different landscaping tricks that can save you a few bucks. (Thank us later!)

1. Shade Your Outdoor AC Unit

If you place your AC unit directly out in the sun, it will heat up quickly. This constant heat will cause your system to work harder.

Luckily, some landscaping can help alleviate some heat from the sunlight. Because your unit needs sufficient room for airflow, you don’t want to suffocate your unit with bedding plants. However, it is a good idea to plant a tree or shrub nearby to add some shade (1).

2. Make the Breeze Come to You

Did you know that you can redirect outdoor airflow to cool down your home? Trees and plants can provide shade and usher in cool breezes. Shrubs planted underneath windows can bring air upward with the help of a nearby tree. Rows of trees and shrubs on each side of your home can allow cool air to enter your home as well (1, 4).

3. Add Some Greenery to Cover Your Roof and Walls

As you might guess, your roof absorbs the most solar heat because it takes in the most direct sunlight. But did you know that tall shady trees that block this sunlight can cut your energy bill by nearly 20% in the summer? That’s quite a bit!

The best way to do this is by planting tall trees on the south and west sides of your home. Deciduous trees with broad leaves and high, spreading crowns are an excellent pick if you’re looking to improve your energy bill for two reasons: they’ll shade your home in the summer, and they’ll allow sunlight to heat your home in the winter once the leaves fall. Win, win.

If you’re too impatient to wait for trees to grow, a great alternative is to opt for a pergola or trellis, draping it with fast-growing vines. Although this won’t provide as much shade for your roof, it will certainly provide ample shade for the walls of your home (and it will look nice!) (1,2).

4. Cool Off with a Splash

Okay, so this one doesn’t add any shade to your yard, but it does help cool down your area. Adding a water feature adds some fun dimension and can help lower your energy bill. If you have room for a fountain or pond, the evaporation from the water can actually help cool your yard (1).

5. Play Around with Bushes and Shrubs

In addition to adding a little style to your yard, bushes and shrubs strategically placed around your walls and windows can reduce some of the solar heat that creeps into your home. Try planting some alongside the walls of your house, switching up the heights and type each plant for lots of shade. Get creative with this! (3)

Give us a Call for Your HVAC Needs

We’re pretty well versed in the world of HVACs; that’s why there’s more where this article came from. In addition to helping you save on your energy bill through some neat landscaping tricks, we can help you save in lots of other ways.

If you have questions about your HVAC, or would like to schedule a regular maintenance visit, don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. Call the experts at Greater Comfort today to ensure that your home is as comfortable as possible this summer: 859-491-4915.

Sources:

Design Build HVAC

Your Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Design Build Contractor

February 6, 2017 Kim Sykes

When People Say “Design/Build,” What Are They Referring To?

Design build is the name given to a project in which the design and construction parts of the project are done by a single group. That’s why you typically hear someone say “a design builder” or even “a design build contractor.” In previous year, sometimes the design and the construction part of this process was completely separate or done with completely separate firms.

Knowing it’s just the term given to the specific structure of how a project is completed, there are several phases to be familiar with:

Selecting your design build contractor
Assessing the project from a construction and design perspective
Design
Construction
Post-construction and project hand-off (1)

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Design Build HVAC

Why You Should Hire a Design-Build HVAC Contractor For Your Next Project

June 4, 2016 Kim Sykes

design build HVAC contractor cincinnati ohio greater comfort Looking for design and build services?

What makes our services unique from so many others is that we can both design and build your systems from scratch as needed – all with our more than 28 years of experience in doing so.

Energy costs are the largest ongoing expense of a home or commercial building – besides, in some cases, taxes. A system that provides total comfort efficiently is a major feature that every owner wants but at the same time, construction costs are always important to take a look at as well. But that’s part of why you want to build an entire system designed, built and matched to work as efficiently as possible for the very specific demands you will place on it.

The question remains: when – and why – should you use an experienced, HVAC design-build firm to design and construct your HVAC system?

1. Experienced professionals with your best interest in mind.

When you need a team that can be completely devoted to your project, you need a design build HVAC team. With a team of experts, you know that you are getting a solution from a team that’s seen similar projects (and challenges) before.

The heating and air conditioning industry is robust, offering a number of solutions for home and business owners in almost every region, and certainly the Tri-State is no different!

2. The ability to build from the ground-up.

Only a select few can both design and build your HVAC system from the ground up – knowing the limitations and challenges that inevitable come with projects that they’ve been a part of, similar to yours. From measurement of the square footage in your home requiring heat, to fabrication of your ductwork, and development of a ventilation system that allows in fresh air without wasting valuable heating and cooling, our designers strive for the perfect balance of comfort and cost efficiency.

This special combination of services allows us to be a leading expert in all forms of heating and air conditioning installation, maintenance and repair – all of which you want from your HVAC expert team.

3. Accountability to you.

Many people and business owners are concerned with timeline and costs incurred – which is very understandable. Also, many times, the longer a project goes on, or the more delays a project has, the more costs are incurred, but it’s our responsibility to make sure not only are efficiency and budget needs met but, both that those are met with installation and ongoing operations.

Design build HVAC professionals can be your advocate to make sure timelines are followed – as well as budgets! Think of them as the team that helps hold everyone accountable, which an invaluable resource when it comes to getting the project done, on time and on spec. That’s the real expertise that you need in the design-build method.

Call Greater Comfort For Your Design–Build Engineered and Certified Drawing Services

In recent years, design–build contracts have become a significant trend in the home construction and HVAC industries. Under the standard design–bid–build approach, the design and construction of a home or commercial building is separated, which means you end up paying for separate services. This can increasingly add to your bill by the time the project is complete.

By having one of our engineers design your construction and home comfort or commercial HVAC systems, there is only one contract and one price for the overall project. Want to learn more? Give the experts at Greater Comfort a call today at 859-491-4915.

Air Conditioning, Cincinnati Heating and Cooling, Commercial HVAC, Design Build HVAC, HVAC

The Dog Days of Summer: What Did People Do Before Air Conditioning?

June 29, 2015 Kim Sykes

One of the major reasons we are able to spend so much time indoors is our A/C. Ask anyone used to living or working with air conditioning how uncomfortable it is to go without modern day cooling, and they will acknowledge it’s hard to imagine living or working without it.

But What Did People Do in the Hot Seasons Before We Had Invented Air Conditioning?

In part, people were a bit experimental. Throughout history, people commonly used hand fans to try to stay cool. Even back in second century China, an inventor named Ding Huan was working on a rotary fan made of 7 wheels.

In some areas, large ice slabs were actually used in order to cool buildings. They would take ice slabs from rivers and utilize them to cool the indoor temperatures. Even other areas used trees to try to block the sun as much as possible from exposure to a home or building.

One of the early concepts behind air conditioning was seen in ancient Egypt—a climate that is a dry desert. During this time, people would hang reeds in windows that had been moistened with water. It is believed that in Persia, people would take advantage of wind towers to cool building during the hot seasons. In ancient Rome, water from aqueducts would be circulated through walls in order to help cool homes. The Roman Emperor Elagabalus is said to have used snow from mountains and kept a stockpile outside his home.

Who Can We Thank for Modern Day Air Conditioning?

In the 19^th century, a large-scale electrical air conditioning unit was invented. The year was 1902.

Willis Carrier was the inventor and he was looking for a solution that could help solve the humidity problem that was hurting the printing process where he worked.

When Willis got his designs patented he called it the “Apparatus for treating air.”

In what was considered a huge risk at the time, he reported on his early success during 1903, saying, “The cooling coils which we sold this company have given excellent results during the past summer.” Modern air conditioning had been born.

Even though he isn’t necessarily a household name today, his invention changed the world. Not only did it enable people to work more comfortably (for more hours), it also encouraged the migration of people to the Sub Belt in the United States.

Later, the term “air conditioning” was coined from a man named Stuart Cramer. It is believed that Cramer, an entrepreneur himself, saw the “condition” of work and life being improved.

A/C may not have been invented for residential use, but people in mass have benefited since its invention. Not only can productivity and the hours we stay awake be naturally extended, but the invention has paved the way for a few things we might not even have given much consideration to: things like homes with multiple levels and skyscraper buildings.

The Other Benefits of Air Conditioning Today

There are quite a few benefits of air conditioning we may take for granted today.

Reduction of diseases
Air conditioning has cut back on the ability to certain diseases to spread and thrive. This is especially true in areas especially prone to warmer and humid conditions.

Cooler and more comfortable traveling
It’s not just movies or theatre showings that are much more comfortable! Today’s travel via plane or car is made much more comfortable with air conditioning.

Learn more about our A/C replacement, maintenance and repair services today: you can save money and be as comfortable as possible.

Sources

Wills Carrier: history

Gizmodo: Before Air Conditioning

Air Conditioning

Mental Floss

Modern Air Conditioning

Design Build HVAC, Ductwork

How Custom Ductwork Can Benefit Your Home

April 15, 2013 Greater Comfort

The ductwork in your home is one of the most important components of your heating and air conditioning systems. All of the air that comes from your heater or AC has to travel through the your ducts. If your ductwork is pinched or if there are unnecessary turns it could greatly reduce the efficiency and operation of your system. Call the Cincinnati ductwork design experts at Greater Comfort today. We provide complete ductwork design services that can have some pretty impressive benefits for our customers. Here are a few of those benefits.

More Efficiency

Ductwork comes in standard sizes which means that if your home has unique features on it then that ductwork might not fit well. The HVAC contractor that installed your ductwork would have had to just make do with what they had. This could mean that there are portions of your ductwork that are pinched, collapsed or shoved into place. Getting your Cincinnati ductwork custom designed for your home’s specific measurements is a great way to makes sure that your ductwork will allow the air flowing through it to move without any kind of hindrances. It will also help make sure that the air moving through your ducts gets to your rooms on the shortest possible path.

Less Work for Your Heater or AC

If your ductwork has collapsed, if it is pinched or if there are too many turns it could mean that your heating and air conditioning systems are having to work harder to push the air through the ducts. Not only does this reduce efficiency it could also cause your AC to work harder. This puts more strain on your equipment and might cause it to wear down faster. The Cincinnati ductwork experts at Greater Comfort will be able to design terrific ductwork for your home that will allow your AC and heater to easily push the air through to your home.

Give the Cincinnati ductwork professionals at Greater Comfort a call today if your energy bills have suddenly increased or if your home isn’t getting as comfortable as it should.