Category Archives: Blog

Heating and Cooling an Older Home

When you bought your dream home, heating and cooling might not have been at the front of your mind. Simply put, older homes aren’t as energy-efficient as newer ones, partially due to an aging HVAC system, unless a recent owner sprung for an upgrade.

Today’s air conditioners, furnaces and boilers come with energy efficiency ratings, and upgrading to an Energy Star model can drastically reduce energy consumption and utility bills. However, it’s costly. A reputable HVAC technician will tell you whether you have a lot of life left in your current system, or if it’s better to replace it.

Another issue with older homes is the architecture. Energy efficiency just wasn’t a priority years ago. The windows and doors might not offer much insulation, and the home may have air leaks and drafts. Those soaring vaulted ceilings and that ample attic space probably seemed like a bonus when you bought the home. Now that winter’s creeping in, you’re left wondering why you’re trying to heat empty attic space and a room with 20-foot ceilings.

Luckily, you can reduce energy usage in a number of ways.

This Old Home …

Don’t regret your decision to purchase your vintage charmer. It’s lovely and full of character ― it just needs a little help in the energy department. Try out these tactics to help your furnace or boiler be more efficient this winter:

Get a maintenance check ASAP: When’s the last time you had your HVAC system serviced? Just a few repairs or small part replacements can make a huge difference. For example, clogged vents can make your system work overtime. Schedule inspections every autumn and spring, starting right now.
Optimize your home’s insulation: If your home has its original windows (or cheap upgrades), you’re losing a lot of heat at these exit points. You can slowly replace windows with energy-efficient models, but in the short term, adding an insulating film or caulking around the edges (if they leak) can work wonders.
Adjust your thermostat: If you’re walking around in shorts and a T-shirt while decorating the holiday tree, something’s amiss. Unless you live in Hawaii, you should be bundling up a little indoors during the winter months. Your heating system isn’t supposed to make you think you’re in the tropics, but rather keep you reasonably warm while you still wear long sleeves and fuzzy socks.
Block off unused space: One of the bonuses with many older homes is all that space. However, if you have a sprawling five-bedroom, mid-century, modern home but only one or two people live there, why are you heating the whole house? Close off rooms that aren’t used.

To schedule your inspection and for more heating and cooling tips, call Complete Heating & Air Conditioning today.

Furnace Repair Cost Saving Tips

Want to spend less on furnace repair costs? What you do — or don’t do! — now can make a huge difference in your future repair bills.

For instance, sticking with an annual or bi-annual inspection and maintenance check can drastically reduce the need for future repairs. Unfortunately, a lot of homeowners don’t call an HVAC technician until something is wrong. Your furnace may sound warning bells for weeks or even months before it breaks. Regular inspections can catch problems before they get out of control.

Another means of saving money is to shop around if and when you need a repair or replacement. Check reviews, testimonials, and the Better Business Bureau when considering an HVAC technician. Ask for recommendations, and see how long your local furnace repair expert has been in business. If they just opened their doors last week, do you really want to be their guinea pig?

Get Proof

Depending on the state you live in, a furnace repair technician may need different licenses and/or certifications. You also want to make sure they’re insured in case of an accident. Without workers’ compensation insurance, for example, you may be held liable if a furnace repair tech is injured on your property.

It’s not enough to just ask about certifications. Get copies for your records. Hopefully you’ll never need to use them, but these can be lifesavers in case of an accident, lawsuit or other debacle.

Consider Upgrading

No furnace lasts a lifetime, even with fantastic maintenance — the average life span is 15-25 years. However, you may want to replace and upgrade your furnace even if you can still squeeze a few more years out of it. A model that’s 20 years old simply isn’t going to be as energy-efficient as a newer one.

You may even get a tax credit for choosing certain Energy Star appliances, so check with your CPA before upgrading to maximize your savings.

Cost Savings All Around

Lowering your furnace repair bill is just part of the equation. You also want to lower your utility/heating bills whenever possible. Again, this has a lot to do with the efficiency of your furnace itself, but you can help. For starters, make sure to close off any rooms that aren’t being used (like guest rooms). Optimizing the insulation in your home, adding film to windows or putting towels down to stop drafts can make a huge difference. Smart home technology like Nest can learn your heating habits and make auto adjustments to save on energy consumption.

Make 2015 the year you lighten your carbon footprint and reduce energy consumption for good. Contact Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule your appointment for furnace repair, installation or a routine maintenance check.

Utah’s Heating and Cooling Challenges

Are you struggling with heating and cooling in your home? Whether your problem is high utility bills or wasted energy, it’s definitely more of a challenge to achieve ideal heating and cooling efficiency in a region like Utah, as opposed to Hawaii or Southern California, where temperatures are fairly moderate year-round.

Depending on your location, you may rely heavily on both the heating and air conditioning aspects of your HVAC system, which of course means the venting is also critical. Luckily, with routine maintenance and upgrades on a scheduled basis, you can save energy, money and be more comfortable in your home.

According to USA Today, what buyers want most in a home is energy-efficient windows. You can have the best HVAC system in the world, but if you have an older home (or one that was made on the cheap with poorly insulated windows), that cooled or heated air is going to escape.

Older homes are common all over the United States, and even though that historic charmer might be your dream home, you don’t want to stick with its historic windows. Consider adding an insulating film until you can replace the windows entirely.

Utah’s for the Birds

A state renowned for natural beauty and winter recreation is bound to have a lot of vacation rentals. It’s a popular spot for winter birds, and many landlords have property in Utah. However, if you’re renting out a home to vacationers, you’re probably still in charge of paying for heating and cooling. December renters won’t think twice about cranking up the heat, especially if they’re from a warmer region or just spent the entire day skiing. The only way to save money in a situation like this is to make sure your heat stays inside, with your tenants.

Getting your furnace or boiler routinely inspected in the early autumn is the best way to conserve energy and make sure everyone in the home is comfortable. The same goes for A/C, but those maintenance checks should be done in early spring. It doesn’t matter if you’re a landlord, renter or you own the property. Living in a state with four distinct seasons and the occasional storm or severe weather episode means you need an HVAC system that’s well maintained.

Size Matters!

One of the most common causes of poor heating and cooling is using the wrong-sized system. You can’t expect an A/C system designed to cool a studio apartment to keep a sprawling ranch with vaulted ceilings cool. Don’t assume that whoever owned the home before you, or whoever installed the system, selected the right size. Ask an HVAC technician, and if you need a larger or smaller size, it might be well worth the upgrade or downgrade.

Take control of your home’s comfort. Call Sandy Heating & Air Conditioning to help with your heating and cooling needs before Utah’s infamous winter weather arrives.