Tag Archives: heating system

Fast Ways to Lower Your Energy Bill

June 2, 2017 Kim Sykes

cincinnati HVAC

Try these quick and easy tips to start seeing energy and cost savings in the near future.

Make Your Landscape Work For You

Look outside the home to save money on costs inside the home. Radiant heat from the sun can be working directly against your air conditioner when your shades and blinds are raised. But if you plant a 6-8 foot deciduous tree near your home, it will start shading your windows as soon as the first year.

Depending on the type of tree and the height of your home, it could start shading your roof in as little as 5-10 years. That’s a quick return on investment, and creates a nice improvement to your landscaping.

Why deciduous? A deciduous tree blocks solar heat in the summer, but since it loses its leaves, will let sunlight and heat into the house during the winter months. Compare that to evergreens, which provide continuous shade, and won’t provide you with a benefit in the cooler months (1,2).

Make The Switch To LED

Have you switched to more energy efficient lighting? Making the switch to this modern option is one of the fastest ways to lowery our energy bill. For example, just by replacing your home’s five most frequently used light fixtures with Energy Star bulbs, you can save $75 per year.

LED bulbs save you the most money. You’ll save at least 75% by switching to this model compared to the traditional incandescent bulbs of the past that are no longer on the market. Even compared with halogen incandescents, LEDs use 25-30% less energy and last up to 25 times longer. For a small investment now, you can enjoy the cost savings on your energy bill for years to come (3).

Fix Air Leaks

For just a few dollars and an hour or two of your time, you could save 10% or more annually on your energy bill. Air leaks can waste energy and money quickly, both in summer months by letting hot air inside, and in winter months with resulting chilly drafts. Patching these leaks is one of the quickest and best money-saving tasks you can accomplish.

Your goal is to caulk, seal and weather strip any cracks or large openings that lead outside the home. When purchasing your caulk, keep in mind that you will likely need about one cartridge to complete the seal on two windows or doors. These tubes of window and door caulk range between $2 and $10.

Don’t forget to pick up a caulking gun to squeeze out the product and ensure proper application. This job will be done in just an hour or two, but you will enjoy the results immediately (1, 4).

Consider Storm Windows

Replacing old windows in your home with new, energy-efficient windows will provide the best return on investment, but will be a costly initial investment. A great alternative for a less expensive option is to use storm windows. Storm windows can still help you save a significant amount: approximately 12-33% on HVAC costs. They work by reducing the air movement into and out of existing windows (5).

Take Advantage Of The Weather

Did the weather man predict a cool night? Take advantage of “natural ventilation”. This type of ventilation relies on the chimney effect to keep a home cool. It works best if your evening forecast includes a cool night and a bit of a breeze. All you need for this quick energy saver is a good memory, the use of your windows and a cool summer night.

Turn off your cooling system and open your windows while you sleep, allowing the fresh, cool air to transfer into your house and giving your AC unit a break. Just don’t forget to shut the windows and blinds when you wake in the morning to capture the cool air inside the house (1,6).

Schedule A Professional Energy Audit

Before you write this off as another unnecessary expense, consider this: The goal of an energy audit from Greater Comfort is to provide an overview of how your home uses energy and find ways that you can reduce consumption without incurring large additional costs.

In other words, we want to help your system work more efficiently so that you can save money. We will determine if your home or building needs upgrades or other specific actions to improve efficiency. You will be given a list with specific action steps and can select those which make the most sense to you.

Call Us To Schedule Your Energy Audit Today

Call the experts at Greater Comfort today to ensure you’re getting the most savings as quickly as possible: 859-491-4915.

Sources:

https://twitter.com/energysaver
https://energy.gov/articles/energy-saver-101-infographic-landscaping
https://energy.gov/energysaver/lighting-choices-save-you-money
https://energy.gov/energysaver/projects/savings-project-how-seal-air-leaks-caulk
https://energy.gov/energysaver/storm-windows?utm_source=nrgsvr_fb&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_campaign=generalpost&utm_content=1
https://energy.gov/energysaver/spring-and-summer-energy-saving-tips

Furnace, Heating

10 Surprising Furnace Facts

December 11, 2016 Kim Sykes

furnace-facts-that-you-need-to-know

As the temperatures drop, most of us are ready to spend less time outdoors and more time inside where it’s cozy and warm. Thanks to our furnaces, we’re able to do just that.

Here are 10 facts you might not know about furnaces, including where the name “furnace” comes from. Continue reading →

Cincinnati Heating and Cooling

Buying a Home? Here’s What to Look for to Ensure Ultimate Comfort

April 11, 2016 Kim Sykes

HVAC in greater cincinnati greater comfort

We’ve talked about – both in the short-term, and the long-term – how to take care of your HVAC as you prepare your home to sell. But what about when you are on the opposite end, and you are looking to buy a home? What are the things to look for in a heating and cooling system when you’re considering buying a home?

Here we breakdown a list of some of the top things to look for, and steps to take as you look for a new home.

1. Find out the system’s warranty and/or protection plan.

Many leading brands offer warranties on their systems. First, you want to check that the homeowners have done all they can do so that this warranty is still valid. Second, eventually you want to see the details and some sort of proof of that protection plan or warranty so you know what kind of potential costs or what type of system plan you’re inheriting.

2. Ask for the system history.

While this might not always be available, many homeowners will keep track of their system’s history – in part because they know they may one day sell their home. (That tells you it might be a good idea, as a current homeowner, to keep an organized account of all the ongoing maintenance you perform on your system, assuming you one day intend to sell your home.)

While maintenance doesn’t necessarily mean you will avoid emergencies or costly repairs, it does tell you that certain necessary maintenance has been performed on your system – and that’s great for peace of mind.

Many homeowners will be happy to share with you the regular maintenance they have performed on their home and/or any repairs done on the system. They keep track of that because they want to show you the system has as much as value as possible; for you, as the potential home buyer, it’s good to see more information that helps you better value the current state of the system.

3. Take note if there are carbon monoxide detectors in the home.

A lack of carbon monoxide detectors does not impact your purchase decision – but it is something to look for. Keep in mind if these aren’t present in the home, you’ll likely want to add them.

4. Don’t forget your home inspection.

It’s hard to believe you would forget it, but be sure not to! Once you’re serious about potentially purchasing a home, you’ll want to do a home inspection – not just to take a look at the heating and cooling system, but to look at many of the other potential issues within the home. These experts are trained to look for things that the current home owner may not want to disclose, or that the current home owner may simply not even be aware of.

While more and more people see this is a critical part of the home purchase process, you still hear stories of people who neglected to have an expert inspect a home before purchasing it. While it’s mandatory for many people getting a loan, be sure not to forget this part of your home buying process.

When a certified technician takes a look at your potential furnace, they are able to tell you the condition of it, and they can give a better idea if long-term maintenance really has properly and consistently occurred. No matter what an owner tells you, an expert is there to tell you what they believe will happen in the future in terms of necessary repairs or even replacement.

If your home owner inspector tells you that you’ll need to repair the system in the very near future, you’ll want to take that into consideration before purchasing the home – or in the eventual purchase price of the home, it should be reflected. Most homeowners recognize the value of a furnace – just like how most home buyers recognize the value as well.

If your home inspector tells you that expensive repairs or that replacement is needed, give us a call so that we can help you be more informed and know more about your options. Even if you don’t anticipate buying a new furnace in the near future, any time you can plan ahead it makes the entire process easier.

Ensure Ultimate Comfort in Your Next Home

There are quite a few factors that go into the purchase of new home – the size, the location and other critical components of the property are just a few of the factors we tend to focus on. Don’t forget the importance of finding out key details that relate to your heating and cooling system, which can keep your family safe and comfortable in your new home.

If you consider these 4 tips you’ll have greater peace of mind, and greater comfort, in your next home. Give the experts at Greater Comfort a call today at 859-491-4915 if you need help finding out the potential costs of a new system.

Furnace

The Basics: What to Know About Your Furnace

March 5, 2016 Kim Sykes

greater comfort heating and cooling

Any homeowner knows that you want your heating system to be working properly. In the winter months it can become a complete emergency if we have to go without heat due to a problem or breakdown with our furnace.

If you’ve been avoiding thinking about your furnace, or if you wish you knew more about the inner working of the heating component of your system, the time to learn more is now. Here we break down what you should know about your furnace.

How Your Heating System Works: Efficiency and Comfort in Your Home

Although every unique furnace model will vary, your HVAC system typically is made of 4 components: the indoor part of the system such as the furnace or air handler; the outdoor unit such as the air conditioner or heat pump; the thermostat; and the air quality component such as humidity control components or your air filtration.

Other factors to be aware of include:

Heating capacity: depending on your home’s unique needs, this refers to the overall capacity that your furnace has.
Ventilation: how your air is passed through the home and ventilated is
Exhaust: if it were to build-up without ever being cleaned, exhaust that is a byproduct of your furnace can pose a risk to your health and safety.
Electrical: not to be forgotten is the key that your electrical plays in keeping things running.

A single-stage furnace is one with one speed—meaning you have full heat (maximum speed) that provides you with warm air. In simple terms, your system will then “wait” for the air to cool down, which then triggers your furnace to turn on again. This is how conventional furnaces work to heat your home in the winter. You can see how this “off or on” furnace setup is not as efficient as furnaces that have adjustable and adaptable furnace capacity.

With a two stage furnace, you have greater control and consistency as you heat your home, versus an “off or on” setup. Having the ability to be more precise means you can control the heat output of your furnace on an ongoing basis, even as the temperature outside changes throughout the day.

With a variable speed furnace, the fan moves at various speeds in order to control the amount of heat that is dispersed throughout your home. An increase in airflow means you have a more comfortable home, including improved air quality.

In the end, single-stage furnaces will inevitably result in constant variation of temperature. Those homes with two stage or a variable speed furnace are more adaptable in real-time, and in most cases, they allow you to keep a more constant temperature in the home.

What Else Should I Know About My Furnace?

As much as we try to keep things simple here, it is true that your heating system is a complex, complicated system—but also one of the most important parts of any home! Here is what else we can help you better understand:

Humidity in your home: you can benefit from a humidifier and dehumidifier in the home, as they help control your humidity level. Some systems are built into your system, but also we can help if you want to add a separate dehumidification or humidity system to your current setup.

The benefit of flexible solutions: conventional heat pumps would force heated air through ducts. Compare this to ductless systems, which work to deliver air directly into various zones of the home.

The reason ductless systems are popular today is because they can deliver this heat on a room-by-room basis. This is why you will hear people talking about the idea of zone-based heating—in this case, they are speaking of ductless systems. Many people choose this as an option for heating and cooling because of overall cost savings.

You have more, efficient options than ever: Ultimately, your HVAC deals with heating, cooling and ventilation. The US Department of Energy reports that modern heating systems can achieve efficiencies as high as 97 percent. That means higher efficiency, increased savings and greater comfort with a modern furnace that has the potential to covert nearly all that fuel to useful heat (1). In this post, we have covered the heating component. Stay tuned for more on what you should know about the rest of your system.

Call The Experts at Greater Comfort

Now that you know a bit more about your furnace, you are better equipped to make future decisions about your home’s air quality and heating/cooling. Give us a call today to learn more—especially if your furnace is not heating right, is louder than normal, only runs for a few minutes, or if the furnace blower is showing signs of not working consistently. Other signs you should give us a call can include excessive dust in the home or humidity-related issues.

If you’re doing research or considering new heating and cooling equipment, give us a call at 859-491-4915 to learn about your energy-efficient options that are best suited for your home.

Sources/References

http://www.hgtv.com/remodel/mechanical-systems/types-of-hvac-systems

Heating

How to Protect Your Furnace From the Cold

February 7, 2016 Kim Sykes

hvac in cincinnati greater comfort

Your furnace works hard to keep you warm and cozy by both heating and circulating air throughout your home in the winter. On top of this, your filtration system rids the air in your home of impurities.

Your furnace really does a lot to take care of you during the cold months. Believe it or not, you can return the favor: maintenance by an experienced professional, light cleaning and simple measures to keep your furnace from working too hard can greatly impact how efficiently your unit will run—and how long it will last. (1).

Take these 5 simple steps to save yourself time and money this winter—and to keep your furnace running as efficiently as possible, for as long as possible.

1. Change your filters.

Want to know one of the easiest ways to maintain your system? Your furnace is already working hard to keep your home cozy, but a clogged filter will force it to work harder to heat your home. Make sure to change your filter regularly: you can usually tell when a filter needs changing just by looking at it—but you can always ask us how often to change out your current unit’s filters. Keep in mind that replacing furnace filters costs far less than the damage caused by neglecting them (1, 2).

2. Clear the area around your external intake pipe.

Have a high-efficiency, modern furnace with intake and exhaust pipes outside your house? If so, your intake is subject to obstructions and debris like snow, ice, soot buildup, or even animal nests. This can causes lower efficiency as well as carbon monoxide buildup so it is important to remove anything that could keep your chimney from properly ventilating your home. Ask us about any questions you have in terms of getting rid of debris (3, 4, 5).

3. Move objects near your furnace.

Within your home, you want to remove items around your furnace or water heater—especially anything flammable. Not only are household items and clutter around your furnace a fire hazard, they make it difficult to perform maintenance on the unit. As a result, you want to make sure to clear the area around your vents in addition to the area around your furnace. Furniture in front of a vent will prevent warm air from spreading throughout your rooms to properly heat your home (4, 6, 7.)

4. Take advantage of your programmable thermostat.

Programmable thermostats keep your furnace from running when you don’t need your home heavily heated. Give your furnace some time off during the day while your family is at work and school and there’s no one around to appreciate the heat. A programmable thermostat will allow you to run your furnace at lower temperatures while you’re away and warmer temperatures when you come home.

Also make sure you check your thermostat! It’s very easy to overlook the importance of checking your thermostat, but it’s a very quick way to make sure your furnace is running properly. Always make sure your thermostat is set to the correct heating settings and remember if it’s working properly it will respond immediately when you turn it on (4, 5, 8.)

5. Schedule your maintenance with us before the cold winter hits.

Make sure to prepare for winter months by scheduling an inspection before the cold weather hits. (This is usually in October, and when it comes to your A/C, you want to see us in April.) Reduce the chance of breakdowns and help your machine last longer by preparing your unit before it has to switch modes. Not only will inspections keep your unit working as efficiently as possible, it will keep your family warm and comfortable all winter, they will keep you safe. A professional can find and fix carbon monoxide leaks, which will save your family from experiencing negative physical side effects of this colorless odorless gas in the air (9).

Regular Maintenance Is Critical for Your Furnace’s Long Life

Call us today at 859-491-4915 or toll free at 844-491-4915 to learn more about our preventative maintenance agreement.

References/Further Reading

Furnace

Emergency Furnace Repair in Northern Kentucky

March 13, 2015 Greater Comfort

Emergency furnace repair in Northern Kentucky is just a phone call away. Greater Comfort Heating and air conditioning is dedicated to ensuring you and your family stays warm this winter. If you are having problems with your furnace, Greater Comfort can help.

Knowledgeable Repair Specialists

Our heating repair specialists are factory trained and dealer authorized to work on every major brand of heating system. We can get yours back in top condition quickly. Whether your system is not producing enough heat for your home or you notice an increase in the cost to operate your system, we can fix the problem.

Emergency Furnace Repairs

We offer 24-hour emergency service for furnace repairs in the Northern Kentucky area. No matter what time of the day or the night, one of our highly trained service technicians is available to come to your home and help resolve any issue you may be experiencing with your furnace.

Advantage of Choosing Greater Comfort

Our reputation – Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning is one of the oldest heating and cooling companies in the Northern Kentucky area. We have been providing HVAC service to the tri-state area for over 60 years and we are dedicated to offering you the best customer service and expert care around.

24-Hour Repair Service – We understand that your heating and cooling system works outside normal business hours. You can’t always schedule when you need maintenance or repairs. For this reason, we offer customers like you the advantage of 24-hour emergency furnace repair in Northern Kentucky.

We Service A Large Area – We service the entire Tri-State area. Whether you are from Northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati or North-Eastern Indiana, we can provide you with excellent furnace repair and service.

We Service All Makes and Models – Due to the advanced training our heating repair specialists receive, they are able to repair your furnace regardless of the make or model.

Emergency Furnace Repair in Northern Kentucky

When you need the help of an HVAC company during an emergency, you can depend on the quality of service you receive at Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning. We also offer routine maintenance on your heating and cooling system to ensure you don’t need repairs as often. Call today and let Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning take care of your furnace repairs.

Uncategorized

Good Energy Saving Tips For Winter

March 6, 2015 Greater Comfort

Greater Comfort heating and Air Conditioning is dedicated to help you and your family stay comfortable all year long. With the cold temperatures we’ve been experiencing this winter, you may be wondering just how to keep your family comfortable without spending a fortune on home heating bills. When it’s cold out there are a few things you can do to save energy. Here are some good energy saving tips for winter that will help you all year long.

Keep Heating Costs Down

Typically your heating system will account for up to 40% of your energy usage in winter. If you set your thermostat to 68° or lower you can save quite a bit of energy. For every degree above 68°, your furnace will use up to 5% more energy. Set the thermostat to 58° when you’re out of the house. If you’re gone 8 hours a day, you can save up to 15% on your heating costs.

Reduce Drafts and Air Leaks

You can save a lot on your heating costs by making sure you have good weather stripping around doors and windows. If your windows are older, you should consider replacing as many as you can with Energy Star® rated windows. They are designed to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. Your home’s insulation is another area where you can save. Attics that are sealed and insulated properly will save you money on your heating bill. Walls, crawl spaces and basements are other areas where a good seal and insulation is important.

Replace Older Appliances

Older appliances like washing machines run less efficiently than newer models. Each year newer models are designed to save energy and water use. You can also save energy by washing your clothes in cold water. When you dry your clothes, remove them promptly when they are dry. Many dryers have sensors that can detect when the clothes are dry and shut off. Also clean the dryer lint trap after each use and make sure the air is flowing out freely.

More Energy Saving Tips For Winter

Check you heating system or furnace even if you think it is running properly. If your furnace is older than 10 years you can take advantage of new more energy efficient models. You HVAC company can also look for leaks in the ducts and vents to minimize heat loss. Call Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning for a complete energy audit and get more advice on tips for saving energy.

Heat Pumps

Winter Heat Pump Repairs in Northern Kentucky

January 30, 2015 Greater Comfort

When you go to bed at night, you expect your heat pump to keep the house warm all night long. So what happens when you wake up and it seems the heat pump is working hard and just can’t seem to keep up? We’ll give you some possible reasons why this may be a problem. Calling your HVAC company in Northern Kentucky to troubleshoot and fix the problem is normally necessary.

What Is A Heat Pump and How Does It Work

A heat pump is equipment that moves heat from one location to another location using mechanical means. There are two common types of heat pumps: air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps (geothermal). They each keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The difference is where they pull the air from. An air-source heat pump uses air from the outside in the winter and from the inside in the summer. A geothermal heat pump extracts heat from the indoors in the summer but when it’s cold outside it uses air from the ground.

A heat pump uses a refrigeration system with a compressor and two coils made from copper tubing surrounded by aluminum fins. The coils look similar to your car radiator. Like in your refrigerator, refrigerant flows continuously through pipes, back and forth from the outdoor coils. They will transfer the air into gas and back again and they can change the direction of the flow for cooling or defrosting the outside coils.

Air-Source heat pumps work well in milder climates where they can generate 3 ½ times more heat energy than the electrical energy they consume. This is possible because a heat pump moves heat instead of converting fuel.

Ground-source heat pumps are energy efficient central heating or air conditioning systems that pumps heat to and from the ground. Because the ground is an even temperature most of the year, you can expect to save money using this source.

Why Your Heat Pump May Not Be Working Right

As you can see, there are many potential places for your heat pump to begin malfunctioning. The most common problem is a dirty air filter. If changing the filter doesn’t help, there could be other causes. Most heat pumps have an emergency or back up heating system that operates automatically on the coldest days of the year. You may find your heat pump running fine but not keeping you warm enough on cold days and nights. When this happens you could have a problem with the thermostat, the heat pump, condenser, refrigerant, your backup electric heater or the wiring somewhere in between.

Winter Heat Pump Repairs in Northern Kentucky

When you notice your heating or cooling system just isn’t doing the job right, you can call the professionals at Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning. They will be happy to fix the problem and make sure your comfortable all year long. Call Greater Comfort today for fast, professional service you can depend on.

Commercial HVAC

Commercial Heating Services in Florence Kentucky

January 23, 2015 Greater Comfort

Commercial Heating services in Florence Kentucky provide you with new installations, repairs and maintenance for your commercial HVAC unit. Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning offer a wide range of heating and cooling services to meet your needs and keep your building comfortable all year long.

Expert Service You Can Trust

Commercial heating repairs are inevitable. Commercial heating services in Florence Kentucky requires a greater level of expertise than servicing residential heating and cooling systems. Commercial heating equipment is much larger, and designed to handle more intense use and heavier heating loads. Commercial HVAC systems are often more complex and are often designed to handle more zones than your average residential system. At Greater Comfort, you can depend on qualified technicians who can handle the complexity of your Commercial HVAC system.

Commercial Heating Services In Florence Kentucky

Emergency Heater Repair and Service

Heating repairs often occur on the coldest days of the year. You can rest assured you’re in good hands at Greater Comfort. We are available for emergency heater repair 24/7 to get you and your business warm in no time.

Frequent breakdowns or an aging unit could be the signs you need to replace your heating system. At Greater Comfort you will get professional advice on replacing or repairing your system so that you have an efficient heating system that works with your budget.

Heating equipment is complicated and when one component malfunctions it can affect the entire system. You can rest assured Greater Comfort technicians are experienced in most heating systems and have the expertise to troubleshoot the problem quickly and get your system back up and running; fast and efficiently.

HVAC Maintenance

You can take advantage of Greater Comfort’s HVAC maintenance program to make sure your heating and cooling systems are in top shape. Avoid frequent repairs and protect the life of your heating and cooling systems by investing in routine maintenance.

New Installations

You can depend on the design services at Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning. We are dedicated to providing you and your building team with the best in technology and service. We are experienced in designing all size heating and cooling systems so that your building maintains the correct temperature in a cost effective way. We also handle air quality concerns. We will collaborate with your contractor to ensure our services are done on schedule and within budget.

For all your Florence Kentucky commercial heating services, call the HVAC specialists at Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning we look forward to working with you and your company to provide you with the professional commercial HVAC services.

Uncategorized

Heater Repair in Northern Kentucky

December 5, 2014 Greater Comfort

If you need heater repair in Northern Kentucky, you can depend on Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning to offer you quality service from experienced technicians. Now is the time of year heaters are working their best to keep up with the demands of heating your home or business. Older heating systems and systems that are not functioning properly or efficiently will often need repairs.

Heater Maintenance And Prevention

At Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning we believe that doing yearly maintenance to your heating or cooling system will help you avoid a need for furnace repair in Northern Kentucky. When your HVAC system is dirty or poorly maintained, it works longer and harder to produce the temperature you desire. This leads to an overworked system that requires more repairs. We offer maintenance agreements for your home or business that will ensure your HVAC system is running at its peak efficiency with less down time. Regular maintenance will increase the longevity of your HVAC system as well. It’s important to remember that you can depend on Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning to provide you with peace of mind knowing your furnace is in good hands. By diagnosing issues quickly and resolving potential problems you can prevent major heater repair in Northern Kentucky from occurring. You can take advantage of our HVAC maintenance and enjoy lower energy bills because your system is clean and running properly.

Heater Repair in Northern Kentucky

Our team of highly-trained, service technicians have the expertise to ensure we find a safe and quick resolution to your heater repair in Northern Kentucky. We carry many of the parts you may need on our trucks to ensure we can provide you with the quickest service possible. We are committed to serving our customers with quality, reliable service to help keep you warm this winter. When you need furnace repairs or if you have questions about your HVAC system, Greater Comfort Heating and Air Conditioning is here to help. We are also available 24/7 in an emergency. Contact us today!