With heating and cooling accounting for roughly 50% of your home’s energy consumption, things that decrease your monthly energy costs or help your HVAC to be more efficient are the best investments you can make.  Here are the 5 best ways to optimize your HVAC investment:

1.  Adding Attic Insulation

Close to 30% of your energy costs are due to heated air rising and escaping out the attic (during cold weather), and warm air coming in causing your air-conditioning to work harder (during warm weather). Laying insulation is an easy DIY project which can be done in a weekend with fairly inexpensive materials. It is the one most cost-effective thing you can do to improve comfort and lower your bills year-round. Tip: When laying insulation, don’t forget the attic access door, including weather stripping!

2.  Upgrade Your Thermostat

Using a programmable thermostat is one of the best investments you can make to your HVAC system. By automatically setting the temperature down a few degrees when you are away and while you are sleeping, you could save up to 10% per year on energy costs year round, without sacrificing comfort. Upgrading your thermostat can be a DIY project, with companies like Honeywell and Nest offering installation tutorials on their websites, and it takes only minutes. Some new thermostats can be controlled using a smartphone or voice control, and can learn your habits or sense when you’re home, and adjust the temperature accordingly. Tip: Check out our posts on the new crop of thermostats here: Smart Thermostat Comparisons, Giving Away Smart Thermostats, Honeywell Wi-Fi Thermostat Case Study, Smart Thermostats, and Results of Our Smart Thermostat Poll. Let us know if you need help installing one!

3.  Get Your HVAC Serviced

Money Magazine states that regular HVAC system maintenance is one of the best investments you can make.  A professional inspection twice per year can find and fix minor problems before they turn into major ones, and makes sure your system is tuned up to operate most efficiently. Get your system checked before air-conditioning season in the spring, and before heating season in the fall. The bottom line is that regular HVAC maintenance saves you money!  Tip: The easiest thing you can do to help maintain your system is to change out the filters on a regular basis. See our posts: Air Filter Fundamentals, Selecting an Air Filter, Are More Expensive Air Filters Better?

4.  Replace Your HVAC System

If your system is more than 10-12 years old or has become a maintenance hog, you’re best served by investing in a new HVAC system. Since the R-22 refrigerant used by older systems has become increasingly expensive and scarce, an upgrade to a new unit that uses R-410A coolant makes sense. Plus, a new HVAC unit will offer greater efficiency, making your monthly bills much lower (see our post What’s Your SEER?). If you are buying or selling a house, there is no doubt that an up-to-date HVAC system is an attractive value – and an old HVAC system a significant deterrent. On the fence about replacing your system? See our posts Repair vs. Replacement, and Repair/Replacement – What’s the Real Question?

5.  Beyond the HVAC System

Some of the best HVAC investments are things you can do which will lessen the need for your HVAC to work so hard.  Using ceiling fans will allow you to raise your thermostat 4 degrees without sacrificing comfort. Replacing windows with energy-efficient ones, and using caulk and weather stripping around windows and doors will save energy year-round. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with LED lights, which generate less heat. Use curtains or blinds inside and landscaping (trees) outside to lessen the amount of sunlight into the home, particularly on south-facing windows. This can save you up to 25% on summer energy costs. Despite what you may think, closing vents actually strains an HVAC system, resulting in more energy use, not less, so keep them open! Need to section off an area of your home? Consider zoning (see our post Is Zone Control for your HVAC the Answer?).

Let Interstate AC Service help you make wise investments when it comes to heating and air-conditioning. If you live in the Nashville or surrounding area, give us call at 615-802-2665.

Do you find the second level of your home stays too hot while the first floor stays too cold? Tired of fighting over the thermostat or lugging a space heater from room to room? Do the large windows or vaulted ceilings in your home cause pockets of hot and cold air?  It is not uncommon for even a well-maintained central HVAC system to have difficulty maintaining a comfortable, consistent temperature throughout a home. Zoning can solve a variety of these problems, plus offer up to 30% increased efficiencies, which translates into lower energy bills for you. A zoned HVAC system is a cost-effective alternative to having dual air systems (2 central HVAC units) that need separate furnaces and air conditioners for different areas of the home.

Zoned systems have become very popular on new home construction, but they can also be added to existing homes. Just about any forced-air system can be retrofitted for zone control.  In this post, we’ll talk about what’s involved in retrofitting your single HVAC unit into multiple zones.

How Zoning Works

Multiple electronic thermostats – one in each zone – are wired to a control panel, or they may communicate with the control panel wirelessly.  Electronically-controlled dampers are installed in the ductwork and wired to the control panel.  Each thermostat continually reads the temperature in that zone and if it’s too low or too high, it sends a signal to the control panel to close or open the damper to that zone, thus regulating and controlling air flow to that  zone.

Saving Money

Not only is system zoning helpful for houses with inconsistent room temperatures, but it’s also great for saving energy by not heating or cooling areas of the home where it’s not needed. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, system zoning can save homeowners up to 30 percent on a typical heating and cooling bill. Maybe you have a whole area of your house that is seldom used now that your son/daughter has gone off to college, so why pay to heat and cool it? Maybe you’re having to turn your current system way up just to keep the lower level warm enough, while the upper level is sweltering. System zoning allows you to save money by running temperature-controlled air to rooms only when it is necessary.

Planning the Zones

The number of zones your home needs will affect the way you set up the system. In a two-zone system, with the zones being fairly equal in size, each zone’s ductwork must be capable of handling up to 70 percent of the total CFM (cubic feet per minute) of air produced by your HVAC system. In a three-zone system, the zones need to be as close in total area as possible. In this case, each zone’s ductwork should be able to handle up to 50 percent of the total CFM. Retrofitting more than 3 zones in a home may require ducts to be enlarged and/or to install a static pressure relief damper (also called a bypass damper), which will make retrofitting much more costly. So, when retrofitting, you’ll typically want to keep it to only 2 or 3 zones. Of course, if it’s a new install, the sky’s the limit, and it’s not unusual to have each room as a separate zone.

Not a DIY Project

Adding zoning to an existing HVAC system is not a DIY project, so you’ll want to consult an HVAC professional.  Depending on your duct layout, you may need to re-work the ducts to add a second zone.  But, before spending money on a zoning retrofit system, there are several things you can and should do which may help address many of these uneven heating and cooling issues, and may even eliminate the need for zoning.  We’ll talk about these in an upcoming post.

If you live in the Nashville or surrounding areas and have questions about whether zoning is an appropriate solution for you, give us a call at 615-802-2665. We’re here to answer your hardest questions and to help make your home a little more comfortable.

The cold months of winter arrive this week. After the deep freeze we experienced last week, it looks like Middle Tennessee may be in for a challenging winter in 2017. During these long, cold winter months your furnace will work much harder and will require more energy than any other time of year. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take now to make your HVAC more energy efficient and save you money during the winter months!

1. Change the filter.

This is one of the easiest ways to make your furnace more energy efficient. If your filters are dirty the furnace will have to work harder to heat the home. Here’s a helpful resource we put together for choosing the right air filter for your home. We recommend filters with MERV ratings between 8 and 11. They seem to be the most cost-effective.

2. Locate and take care of drafty areas in your home.

A good exercise is to get near a drafty area, close your eyes and imagine dollar bills leaving your home along with the heat. In our previous blog post, 4 THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW TO PREPARE FOR WINTER we took you through some of the most drafty areas of your home and provided some tips on sealing them to prepare your home for winter. Managing your drafts can result in energy savings during the winter months

3. Lower your thermostat while sleeping or away from home.

If you do not yet have a smart thermostat you will need to do this manually. There’s really no need for your HVAC unit to work hard when everyone is sleeping or no one is home. The Department of Energy says You can save as much as 10% a year on heating and cooling by turning your thermostat back 7°-10°F for 8 hours a day- a normal workday!

There are further steps you can take to continue to reduce energy costs in your home but just starting with these 3 will get you off to a good start!

If you need help and live in the Nashville and surrounding area, please call on us at 615-802-2665. The professionals at Interstate AC Service are here for you.

Here at Interstate AC Service, we have a passion for green products and saving energy and thought you too would enjoy keeping abreast of the latest “green” gadgets. Water heaters account for 17% of your home’s energy use, which is more than all other household appliances combined, so saving energy here can make a big impact on the environment and on your budget!

What is a Tankless Water Heater?

Tankless water heaters as the name implies, heat the water instantly as it’s needed, without the use of a large “storage tank.” By eliminating the need to keep a whole tank of water heated round-the-clock, just in case it’s needed, you eliminate energy waste. You also reduce the air conditioning energy that is required to remove the waste heat around the water tank. A tankless water heater can be powered by electricity, natural gas, or propane, and can be 8-34% more efficient than traditional water heaters. Plus, because of their small size (about the size of a small suitcase), they can be installed anywhere, even a crawl space or attic.

Never Run Out of Hot Water Again

In many homes, running the dishwasher, laundry, and trying to take a shower at the same time is almost impossible without exhausting the capacity of the typical hot water storage tank. Tankless water heaters provide an “endless supply” of hot water because it is being made on-demand. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. Either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water. As a result, tankless water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. You don’t need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water. A tankless water heater is best located near the place you want to use hot water, such as in the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. That way, little energy is lost getting the hot water to the point of use.

Caveats

A tankless water heater’s output limits the flow rate to 2 5 gallons per minute, with gas-fired tankless water heaters having higher flow rates than electric ones. In a large household, even the largest, gas-fired model cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in different areas of the house (for example, taking a shower and running the dishwasher simultaneously). There are two ways to deal with this: install two or more tankless water heaters in parallel, or install a separate tankless water heater near each appliance that uses hot water. Installing a separate tankless system near each appliance achieves the greatest efficiency (up to 50%).

Installation & Payback

Proper installation and maintenance of a tankless water heater will optimize its efficiency. The initial cost of a tankless water heater is more than a storage-type water heater, and you’ll need the skills of a variety of tradespeople. Tankless water heaters require reconfiguring the existing water piping, installation of a new 120-volt electrical receptacle, and for gas-powered units, installation of a double-walled vent pipe through a side wall as well as a larger gas line. Thus, the installation costs are much greater: $2K-5K for a tankless (costs are dropping) vs $900-1300 for a traditional water heater. Plus, for tankless systems, yearly maintenance is required by a qualified technician, so that calcium build-up does not decrease the unit’s efficiency.

ENERGY STAR® estimates that a typical family can save $100 or more per year with an ENERGY STAR qualified tankless water heater, depending on water usage and energy costs (gas or electric) in your area. And tankless water heaters have a much longer life – more than 20 years – compared to conventional water heaters, which typically last only 10-15 years. But, because of the higher purchase and installation costs, payback periods are generally on the order of 20 years or more for a tankless system.

Is a Tankless Right for You?

Studies reported that the majority of homeowners who switched to a tankless water heater were very happy with it. As long as you realize the upfront cost, you’ll definitely save energy, and have unlimited hot water with a tankless unit. To help offset the upfront costs, there are some Federal Tax Credits (available until December 31, 2016 on gas-powered units only), and manufacturer’s rebates offered. Plus, if you’re going for LEED certification for your commercial or residential building, tankless water heaters may help you get there.

You may be familiar with a space or room humidifier, but did you know you can get a whole-house humidifier? This is a device that gets mounted to your furnace’s hot air supply. Warm air is sucked into the humidifier, where it absorbs moisture. Then, the now moisture-rich air is passed back through the vents of your home.

Benefits

Whole house humidifiers offer several advantages compared to room humidifiers:

Convenience: They condition the whole house evenly with a single unit, so you do not have to have space in every room to plug in and setup a separate room humidifier. Plus, furnace humidifiers are typically plumbed directly to a water line, so there is no need to constantly clean and refill a water reservoir, as is required with a room humidifier.

Maintenance: Maintenance is easy with a furnace humidifier: just have it checked and filter changed once at the start of each heating season.

Safety:  Because there is fresh water plumbed into a furnace humidifier, water doesn’t sit around to accumulate mold.  Also, with room humidifiers, there is always the danger of someone tipping the unit over and splashing water everywhere.

Control:  A furnace humidifier can be controlled by a humidistat, which is a device similar to a thermostat that allows you to adjust or set the desired humidity output. This is a great way to avoid air that is too dry or too moist with a simple dial, panel or switch. Some units actually replace your existing house thermostat with a single, integrated humidistat/thermostat.

Types of Whole House Humidifiers

There are many types of whole-house humidifiers:

• Fan-powered humidifier units have their own fans separate from your heating unit’s fan – that add moisture directly into your ducts.
• By-pass humidifiers, on the other hand, work with your furnace’s existing system to deliver enhanced moisture throughout your home.
• Flow-through humidifiers are the most common, and operate by sending water directly through the unit to add moisture to the warmed air.
• A reservoir humidifier uses an actual reservoir of water that then gets gradually funneled into the air to reach the ideal level of humidity. There is a filter that water flows through and your furnace’s warm air blows through the filter.
• A steam humidifier, as the name suggests, incorporates steam into the air that is evaporated from water. It is the most expensive type of humidifier, but also the most effective and allows more precise control of the humidity. They come in cold and hot water forms, injecting hot or cold steam into your supply line.

Important Tip: If you have two HVAC units in your house one upstairs and one downstairs you only need a single furnace humidifier on your downstairs unit, since humidity rises.

Costs

Costs for a furnace humidifier range from $350-$500 including installation.  Although some are marketed as do-it-yourself, we recommend calling a professional, since a water line and electrical line may need to be run for the humidistat and fan. Call Interstate AC Service for help at 615-802-2665.

Winter is the time to worry about a lack of humidity in your home. This post explains how proper humidity levels improve your health and the health of pets, plants, and furniture, eliminates static shock, and decreases your heating bill.

In Middle Tennessee, we are all too familiar with the long, humid summers. But in the winter, the humidity is very low, and when indoors in heated space it’s even lower, so that should be a good thing, right?  Not so!  If your indoor humidity is below 30%, you could actually be causing harm to yourself and your home, and increasing your energy bills while decreasing your comfort.

Humidity Affects Your Health

Low humidity can adversely affect your health. It can make your throat feel dry, aggravate respiratory ailments, increase respiratory infections including colds and flu, cause itchy, dry skin and even nosebleeds. Many doctors recommend whole-house humidification for allergy and asthma sufferers.

Humidity Affects Your House

Dry air can adversely affect other things in your home, too. It steals moisture from your plants, your pets, your furniture and all the wood in your home. Hardwood floors separate at the seams, furniture shrinks and cracks, doors warp and no longer fit their frames, wallpaper and paint crack and peel.

Humidity Affects Electronics

Perhaps one of the most annoying effects of dry indoor air is static shock. Ever get “zapped” after walking across the carpet, or “zap” your pet or someone else? This static electricity can even wreak havoc on home computers and other sensitive electronic devices.

Proper Humidity Saves Energy

How does humidity save energy? Warm, humid summer air feels hotter than it actually is because of the moisture it contains. That same principle applies to your home in the winter. By keeping the relative humidity inside your home at an ideal level typically between 30-40% – you can turn your thermostat down a few degrees and actually feel more comfortable.

If you haven’t already, subscribe to our podcasts or our HVAC News posts so you won’t miss the next post in this series, where we talk about whole house humidifiers.

For a few months of the year, heat is essential in Middle Tennessee. Although central heating systems (a gas furnace or electric heat pump) are common, suppose you only need to heat a certain room or area of the house? Perhaps you’ve re-purposed a previously unheated space such as a garage, or you closed off part of the house in the winter and so only require heating in a smaller area. Maybe you have one room in your house that is just never warm enough, despite having central heat.  Well, there are many local heating options that can address these issues.  Local or room heating uses a separate thermostat for each room or area, and thus allows you to take advantage of adjusting just that area to the temperature you want, rather than setting one temperature for the whole house as you would with a central heating system.  Here are 5 local heat options to consider:

Radiant floor heat

This works by heating your floors from underneath, creating an environment that is heated evenly, quietly, efficiently, and without the drying effects of forced air. Check out our story “Say Goodbye to Cold Floors with Radiant Heating” for more. This is also a good supplemental option (used in conjunction with central heat) to increase your comfort level in areas where you may have cold floors, such as a bathroom, shower, or uncarpeted area.

Mini-Split

This uses a wall-mounted unit, called a cassette, that provides both heat and air-conditioning without ductwork.  Find out more about mini-splits from our previous blog story here, and in our post about Panasonic’s Exterios mini-split which uses inverter and room occupancy technologies.  Mini-splits are available in different sizes and offer a variety of features, including remote control. They are quiet, since the “noisy” part is outside. Plus, compared to central heating systems, they are super-efficient because they eliminate ductwork, which is a source of heat loss.

Baseboard heat

These are typically electric metal heating elements that sit inconspicuously below windows along the baseboard around a room’s periphery. They heat through convection, not forced air.  They are quiet, since there are no blowers.  Because they are installed near the floor and heat naturally rises, and they use no ductwork, they are efficient, too.

Portable room heaters

These are space heaters you can buy at any big box or hardware store. They can be plugged into any wall electrical outlet and can be carried from room to room as needed. There are many kinds and sizes with different types of on/off, timer, remote control, and fan features, and there are a variety of technologies used: radiant, convection, ceramic, infrared, quartz, or oil-filled (sealed).

Fireplace or wood stove with blower

These burn wood, wood pellets, or other biomass fuel (corn, nutshells, switchgrass, etc.).  By installing a blower, a huge portion of the heat that would otherwise go up in smoke through the chimney is captured and sent back into the room. The blower requires an electrical outlet for the fan and can be thermostatically controlled. It is important to note that in addition to having access to wood or wood pellets which must be stored on-site, this type of solution causes creosote buildup in the chimney and thus requires yearly chimney cleaning.  It also creates more atmospheric CO2 than some alternative solutions.

Be sure to check out the pros and cons of each heating solution before making a purchase. Whatever you choose, we wish you and yours a warm holiday season.

It used to be that if you had central heat, you had either a gas furnace or an electric heat pump.  But with energy costs and environmental concerns playing a more prominent role in our energy choices, high-efficiency, clean or renewable energy sources have taken off.  Geothermal or ground source heating meets all these concerns!  So it comes as no surprise that from now (program was established in 2009) through December 31, 2016 (more than a year from now), homeowners who install EnergyStar-certified geothermal heat pumps are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit.

Energy Efficiency

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs) are among the most efficient and comfortable heating and cooling technologies currently available. EnergyStar-certified geothermal heat pumps are over 45% more energy efficient than standard furnace or heat pump options. Geothermal technology uses the earth’s natural heat to provide heating, cooling, and often, water heating, too! GHPs equipped with a device called a “desuperheater” can heat household water. During the summer, the heat that is taken out of the house is used to heat the water for free. In the winter, water heating costs are reduced by about half.

Clean Energy

Most importantly, geothermal is a clean energy technology you can feel good about. It does not burn fossil fuels, so it reduces our dependence on foreign oil. In fact, closed loop geothermal systems release essentially no emissions or toxic gases. Because there is an unlimited amount of heat generated by the Earth’s core, it is a sustainable energy source.

Ways to Offset Costs

The costs for installing a geothermal system are pretty steep, so it’s a good thing that Uncle Sam is willing to help out!  But, a geothermal system can pay for itself in 3-8 years and add significant resale value to your home. It may also be possible to include the purchase of a geothermal system in an “energy-efficient mortgage” that would cover installation costs and other energy-saving improvements to the home. When included in a mortgage, your investment in geothermal will produce a positive cash flow from the beginning. For example, the installation cost of a geothermal system may add $30 per month to each mortgage payment, but the energy cost savings easily exceed that over the course of each year.

Many Options

Besides the 30% federal tax credit, there are a multitude of other provisions and incentives available from federal, state, and local governments, power providers, and banks or mortgage companies. These include loan programs, rebates, property tax or sales tax incentives, and grants. Check these out at the  DSIRE website, or on the EnergyStar website run by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.

Tis the Season

The season for saving on geothermal goes through 2016. That means there are only about 270 shopping days left (excluding weekends and holidays)!  Get your 30% federal tax credit now and start reaping the cost benefits and environmental benefits every day.

Are you looking to buy a home or just recently purchased one? If you purchased an older home, perhaps it had significant updates new kitchen appliances or countertops, for example –  but what about the heating and air-conditioning systems?  Repairing or replacing your HVAC units can be a major expense to a new homeowner, not to mention a potential hazard! Here are some important things to consider.

Age of Systems

An HVAC system generally lasts about 10-15 years.  If the systems are older than that, perhaps you want to negotiate a deal with the seller for an update allowance. It is generally not a good idea to force the seller to install a new system as a condition of the sale, because the seller will be inclined to purchase the least expensive unit, which may not meet your needs.

Warranty

If you’re buying a new house (new construction), check that your new home warranty covers the heating and air-conditioning systems. If you’re buying a pre-owned home with a recently-replaced HVAC unit, ask the seller for a copy of the warranty.  If the seller had the systems under a yearly maintenance contract, find out of there are future maintenance visits due.

Gas Heat

Smells

Sounds

Does the HVAC unit make harsh sounds when cycling on or off?  Is it really loud all the time while it’s running?  If you’re looking at the house on a nice spring or fall day when the air or heat is not actively running, you may be in for a surprise later!

Signs of Damage or Problems

By physically inspecting the HVAC unit, you can often see clues that something isn’t right.  Is there rust anywhere on the system, ductwork, or flue?  Are there any cracked, dented, broken or exposed pipes, flues, or ducts?  Is there water leaking out of any part of the unit?  Do you see evidence that there has been a condensation leak such as constant dampness?  Is the indoor or outdoor unit covered in debris?  When the heat or air kicks in, do the house lights dim?  All of these conditions require attention by a qualified technician.

Performance

Utility Bills

About half your yearly energy bills go towards heating and cooling.  Ask the seller to disclose their past utility bills.  This will give you an idea of how efficient the HVAC unit is, as well as how well the house is insulated.  If you’ve already moved in and find your utility bills vary drastically from what the seller had reported, this may be a sign of a problem as well.

What’s Your SEER?

Visually check the unit itself for the SEER rating and Energy Star stickers.  If the SEER is less than 10, a new unit might be cost-effective.  The minimum SEER rating of systems now is 14 or greater.

We hope you found these tips helpful. Let us hear of any other questions/concerns you have, and subscribe to our blog so you won’t miss out on useful tips that can save you money and help keep you and your family safe year-round.

Every year, many deaths are attributed to home heating hazards which cause fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other calamities. Here are some very important steps you can take to reduce or eliminate some heating safety hazards:

Steps You Can Take

First, check the area around your furnace. Is there adequate clearance all around the system?  Or are you using the area for storage, thus limiting the system’s air intake?

Next, notice any leaks or moisture sources near the furnace, or signs of rust in the furnace.  Something as simple as condensation dripping from a cold water pipe onto the furnace can cause rust.  Rust on the inside or outside, or along any of the vents is a carbon monoxide hazard.  Other potential carbon monoxide hazards include animal or bird nests obstructing the flue, soot build-up, improper venting, and damage or deterioration to any vents.

Carbon Monoxide Dangers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are an average of 430 deaths per year in the United States from unintentional, non-fire-related carbon monoxide  poisoning.  The older the furnace, the more likely there could be a problem. Carbon monoxide is a sneaky problem for many reasons.

• First, carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless… it’s not like natural gas which has the smell of rotten eggs!  Thus, it is difficult to know that you’ve developed a carbon monoxide leak. That’s why it’s nicknamed “the silent killer.”
• Second, your heat may be operating (keeping the house warm) so you do not know that your heat exchanger or vent is beginning to rust out and building up the deadly gas..

• Lastly, low-level carbon monoxide poisoning mimics the symptoms of common winter ailments – such as the flu, or an over-indulgent night out, or even seasonal depression – so many cases are not detected until permanent damage to the body has occurred.

Tips for Prevention

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, recommends these tips:

1. Have all fuel-burning home heating systems inspected and serviced annually by trained service technicians.
2. Install CO detectors with battery backup in hallways near each sleeping area and in the garage.  Test the CO alarms and replace the batteries every year.

Test your knowledge.

Following these important tips can keep illness or death from claiming your life or the lives of your loved ones.