Lower Your Thermostat

Ok, I know 68 degrees is not comfortable to most people, but it can be! Just add an extra sweater, thicker socks, or maybe a fleece throw. Setting your thermostat under 70 degrees can reduce your energy bill dramatically.

Install a Programmable Thermostat

Programmable thermostats allow you to reduce your home’s temperature at night and during the day, and still have the home warm when you wake up or come home from work. Some programmable thermostats can save you upwards of $200 each year on your energy bills!

Change Furnace’s Air Filter Monthly

Clogged air filters lower the heater’s efficiency by preventing proper airflow through the furnace. Low-cost air filters are available from us, just contact us! Check your air filters monthly to see if they need changing.

Close Storm Windows and Doors

Storm windows installed over your primary windows are as good as double-pane windows for reducing heat loss. However, they only work if they are kept closed. Be sure that all your storm windows are properly closed when cold weather arrives.

Let Sunshine in South Facing Windows

Open drapes on the south side of your home during winter days, and close them at night. The angle of the Sun is low during the winter, which allows for substantial solar heating through your windows.

Have furnace “Tuned Up” Annually

Having your furnace cleaned and tuned annually helps the heating system operate safely and efficiently. Tuning may involve resetting the fuel-air mixture for proper combustion, as well as cleaning the blower and burners to ensure maximum airflow and complete combustion. Even new furnaces need to be cleaned and tuned up!

Many heating and air companies are now offering, and in most cases recommending, digital thermostats. However, many homeowners aren’t sure if there is an actual benefit to having a digital thermostat, or if it’s just a sales pitch.

No one can tell whether or not you “need” a digital thermostat. While AirPro usually recommends them, we realize they’re not for everyone. Hopefully, this article will help you make your decision, whatever it may be, with confidence.

What is a Thermostat?

For those who may not know, a thermostat is any device that regulates temperature. In our case, the thermostat is the part of your heating and air conditioning system that you use to adjust the temperature in your home by turning the system on or off. Usually, your thermostat hangs on the wall, in a hallway, or central place of your home.

What’s Wrong with the Old Thermostat That I Have?

Old style, non-digital thermostats are made up of several moving parts, including a small glass vial that
contains mercury. In fact, These types of thermostats contain the highest amount of mercury found in ordinary household products!

Health risks aside, the sensitivity and accuracy of these type of thermostats depends on the moving parts inside. Any harsh movement, including accidentally bumping it too hard when trying to adjust the temperature, can cause these parts to move. If this happens, your thermostat will no longer function correctly, and your unit will not turn on or off when it’s suppose to, or at all. This usually requires you to pay a technician to come and recalibrate your thermostat.

Another problem with these thermostats is that they are notoriously inaccurate. Even when properly calibrated, these thermostats are usually not 100% exact. This can result in your heating and air system running longer than it needs to, wasting energy and money in the process.

The Benefits of a Digital Thermostat

For the customer, there are several benefits of having a digital thermostat. Most importantly, digital thermostats contain no mercury. Not only is this safer for you, it also helps the planet by eliminating a part of the six to eight tons of mercury that end up in landfills each year (EPA estimate.)

Another benefit of digital thermostats is that they contain no moving parts. This eliminates the worry of needing a technician come and recalibrate your thermostat.

Digital thermostats also have the ability to save you money! Energy Star estimates that you can save upwards of $200 each year on your energy bills just by having a digital thermostat installed. This is because the levels of precision and accuracy are incredible in digital thermostats. The thermostat knows exactly when to turn your air conditioning unit on or off in order to be the most efficient. No energy — or money — is used that doesn’t absolutely have to be.

For maximum efficiency, you can even get a programmable digital thermostat that can be set to automatically control your heating and air system. For example, you could program it to automatically turn the air conditioner off right as you leave for work, and then have it turn back on a shortly before you return home, so that the house is not stifling hot upon entry.

Is a Digital Thermostat Right for You?

It’s only fair to tell about the few drawbacks to having a digital thermostat installed in your home. First off, some people either can’t or just refuse to change. We understand this, and we agree that your 95-year-old great grandmother probably doesn’t need a new digital thermostat installed.

There may be a slight learning curve involved. While digital thermostats have gotten much easier to use over the past years, there is still a bit of learning that is required. Modern digital thermostats are pretty intuitive, but gone are the days of simply sliding a plastic “knob” to the desired temperature. Programmable thermostats will require even more studying. The good news is that most professional heating and air companies can program your digital thermostat for you, if needed (this could possibly cost extra. Be sure to ask!)

One last thing to note is that digital thermostats usually cost a little more to purchase and have installed. This is true of many things, especially “digital” things. The difference here is that, in most cases, a digital thermostat can pay for itself in about a year!

Let AirPro Install Your New Thermostat (Digital or not!)

If you are ready to start saving money, or if you just want the coolest thermostat in the neighborhood, then give AirPro a call! We can even replace your old thermostat with a new, non-digital thermostat if that’s what you choose.

Let AirPro Install Your New Thermostat Today

What is Superheat?

Technically speaking, superheat is the temperature of a gas or vapor, above the boiling point for that liquid.

Let’s take water, for example. Under normal conditions (at sea level, etc) water will boil at about 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When we heat water to this temperature, it results in a physical change of state in which the water turns from a liquid into a gas (steam). If we continue to heat this gas — the steam — it will cause it to go above water’s boiling point of 212 degrees. This increase in temperature, above 212 degrees, would be the superheat. In other words, if we increased the temperature from 212 to 215 degrees, we would have superheated the steam 3 degrees.

How does Superheat Apply to Air Conditioning?

Given the above example, where water boils at 212 degrees, you may have wondered what this has to do with air conditioning. One of the key things to making your air conditioner work is the liquid refrigerant inside of it, often called freon. This refrigerant, unlike water, has an extremely low boiling point. Where water boils and turns into a vapor (gas), at 212 degrees, most refrigerants boil at a frigid negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or colder!

Inside of your air conditioning system, liquid refrigerant is pumped through copper tubes into a piece of equipment known as an evaporator coil. At the same time, a fan passes hot air from inside of your house through this same evaporator coil. Since the air from your house is much hotter than the refrigerant’s boiling point of around -40 degrees Fahrenheit, as it passes through the evaporator coil, the refrigerant starts to boil and is converted into a gas. As this happens, the gas “absorbs” the latent heat from the air, resulting in the air being cooled down before being delivered back into your home.

Why is Superheat Important to Me, the Customer?

As a customer, the main thing you should know is that superheat is the only truly accurate way to measure the refrigerant (freon) levels in your air conditioning system.

Having the precise amount of refrigeration that your air conditioning unit requires is crucial. If you don’t have enough, your system can’t function correctly. If you have too much, there is a risk of liquid freon being transported back to the compressor, resulting in permanent damage!

By measuring the superheat of your air conditioner’s refrigerant, a skilled technician can ensure that your system has the precise amount of refrigerant needed to operate correctly.

Let AirPro Inspect and Service Your Air Conditioner Today

Letting AirPro check your superheat and service your air conditioner is a great way to ensure that it’s running safely, and at peak efficiency. Don’t wait until it’s too late — schedule to have your air conditioner inspected and serviced today!

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