It costs you more money and uses more energy to heat and cool your home than any other system in your home. Typically, 44% to 50% of your utility bills pays for heating and cooling your home.
* Use of "passive" solar energy* Keep lamps and TV sets away from your air conditioning thermostat.Take a Holistic Approach to Total Home Energy Conservation* Vapor Barriers in wallsans in individual rooms. Make sure you set the fan of your central air system to shut off at the same time of your cooling unit (compressor).* Set the fan speed on high, except in humid weather. When it's humid, set the fan speed on low.Properly removing an ice dam can be quite dangerous if you don't know how. In the past some members of the media suggested hiring a contractor to pull the gutters off your home so the whole ice dam process would be solved. This suggestion was well intended but wrong. Contractors that started removing gutters caused significant damage to roofing and guttering systems, then when the snow melted it dropped next to the homes foundation and caused the basements to flood.Our main commercial and residential services include:* Consider ceiling fans to help spread the cooled air more effectively through your home without greatly increasing your power use.One of the great benefits of whole house fans is that they will cool your house to a lower temperature than an air conditioner will when the temperature outside at night drops lower than the temperature that your air conditioner is set to. Thus, not only will it suck the hot air out of your house, but it will also suck some of the heat absorbed in the walls, floors and ceilings out of your house out too. Then in the morning, when the temperature is the lowest, close all of the windows in order to keep the heat of the day out. In this way you will start the day with a nice cool house that can absorb a fair amount of heat as the temperature climbs outside before the interior starts to become uncomfortable. The more thermal mass such as masonry or plaster walls, concrete, hardwood and/or tile floors that a house has, the more heat it can absorb during the day and be exhausted by the fan at night.For more information on ice dams and other articles we have written, please see our website at http://www.henryshousework.comUse an Air Conditioner with a high Efficiency RatingBigger Is Not Necessarily Better - A bigger room air-conditioning unit won't necessarily make you feel more comfortable during the hot summer months and will most likely perform less efficiently and less effectively than a smaller, properly sized unit. Room units work better if they run for relatively long periods of time as opposed to being constantly switched on and off. The longer running time an air conditioner is allowed to maintain, the easier it is for the unit to hold a more constant room temperature. Running longer also allows air conditioning units to remove more moisture from the air, which reduces humidity and increases the comfort level in the room. Check specifications carefully when choosing the right air conditioner for your space. Central air-conditioning systems also require proper sizing. Professionals, however, should perform the sizing of your central air system. Also, do not use the system's central fan to provide circulation. Instead, use circulating f!What is an ice dam?Select a room air conditioner that has an A rating or 10 or higher.If you�re building a new villa, or considering a major remodel or system upgrade, consider an Integrated Systems approach. It may cost a little more now, but will undoubtedly save you a bundle over time. Our skilled engineers and technicians will look at the big picture when designing a solution for your home.How can I remove an existing ice dam?Two precautions that you should take are to and to seal all of the holes and cracks between the house and the attic and to make sure that you have adequate ventilation form your attic to the outside. There should be about one square foot of clear vent space to the outside from the attic for every 750 cfm of fan volume. If these precautions are not taken the fan will push hot dusty air right back in to your house.Make sure your Air Conditioner is properly sizedThe two possible downsides to a whole house fan are the noise of the fan and the introduction of allergens into the house. The fan we had growing up provided a constant hum that just became a nice background noise and actually helped to put me to sleep. Many of the fans available today are quieter than those made in the past, and many of them have a low speed setting so that they operate even more quietly. With respect to allergens, if someone in the house has a problem with seasonal summertime allergies then you probably shouldn't consider a whole house fan.* Turn off the air conditioner if the house (or air-conditioned rooms) will be unoccupied for an extended period. Use a programmable thermostat to turn Air off and on automatically when you know the house will be unoccupied.* Use of curtains and other window coverings to prevent heat lossComplete power washing services including roofs, siding And more!* Heat loss around doors and windowsGutter Cleaning, Gutter Repairs, Gutter Installation, and Gutter Guard Systems.Immediate action: Remove snow and ice dam from the roof this will eliminate the main ingredients necessary for the formation of another ice dam and will usually stop the water from coming in within an hour. Using a roof rake and push broom (not water) remove the snow by carefully pulling it down the slope of the roof line. Never pull snow across the roof or it may break off the shingles and other damages. Then carefully chip away a channel through the ice dam so the water will be able to flow through, just make sure you stop when you get close to the roofing. It's not necessary to remove all of the ice in the gutters or the ice dam itself if you have removed the snow from the roof, it will melt when the temperatures rise.The place to begin when evaluating your home�s overall energy efficiency and deciding how to reduce consumption and costs is with a Home Energy Audit. This takes into consideration much more than just your heating and cooling systems, and will give you a benchmark from which to make decisions and measure your energy saving progress.Conduct a Home Energy Audit* Shade air-conditioning units by planting trees or shrubs, but make sure you do not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses up to 10% less electricity than one operating in the sun.Ice dams are usually caused by heavy snowfall and improper ventilation in the attic. This causes warmer areas in your attic then the snow begins to melt, even when the outside temperature is well below freezing. When the accumulated snow on your roof starts melting it runs down your roof underneath the snow until it reaches a "colder" section like the soffit's, valleys or in gutters then it begins to freeze again, this process of thawing and refreezing is what causes an ice dam.* Integrity of ductwork �� Any leaksIce Dam RemovalPerforming ice dam removal is risking severe personal injury and damage to the roof if not done properly. Never walk on a snow covered roof and make sure if your using a ladder you follow the proper safety procedures. I highly suggest contacting professionals with the proper equipment and roofing experience to carry out this job.* Set your thermostat as high as comfortably possible. By maintaining a minimum difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, you�ll lower your overall cooling bill.What causes ice dams
Select a room air conditioner that has an A rating or 10 or higher.
Author: Chris Blackburn
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