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Archive for the ‘Saving Money’ Category
December 9th, 2009 by Melissa Doyle
Here at AC Doctor, we keep pushing you to go green. The benefits are just so great. Aside from the decreased energy bills, studies are also showing that a green office will increase productivity! The University of San Diego and the CB Richard Ellis Group (they are a commercial real estate group) surveyed 2000 tenants in 154 green buildings and found that employees took an average of 2.9 fewer sick days. That’s a savings of relatively $1,200 per employee! Productivity also increased 5%, creating another $5,000 in profit per employee. Sixty-one percent of tenants said they believed that the healthier working environments helped retain their staff, while 74% said the green offices increased their reputations with their clients. They also reported a 21% decrease in energy bills. Rent for a green office is increased to an average of $30 a square foot versus $27 for regular offices, and there are fewer vacancies. Just a few more money-saving reasons to go green on your next building project!
Posted in AC Doctor News, Saving Money
November 6th, 2009 by Melissa Doyle
As I get older and start looking into buying my own home, I have begun researching what I want in a house. While I prefer the older, more classic looking houses, modern looking houses are all the rage right now. The easiest way to modernize a house is with a flat roof. But before taking this step to give your home a modern appearance, look at the climate you live in. Flat roofs are slightly pitched to rain water and debris can roll off, but in a part of the country that rains a lot, that is not enough of a pitch. The water can wear away at the roof and cause it to sag, retaining water. In the more arid parts of the country, they are just impractical. A steeper pitch creates more attic space, which creates more room for hot air to rise up out of your living spaces. Just don’t forget the insulation. It will keep out the cold in the winter and the heat in the summer! Living in Houston, this is especially important to me. Our summers are scorching and our winters are mild, sometimes edging into warm. Giving all that hot air a place to go helps cool the house without the use of the air conditioner, saving energy and money! Whether you’re buying, building, or renovating, keep your climate in mind. Whoever thought architecture could help you become more energy efficient? I know I had no idea!
Posted in AC Doctor News, Energy Efficiency, Insulation, Saving Money
October 20th, 2009 by Melissa Doyle
In today’s day and age saving money is sometimes more important than making money. With that in mind, we’d like to give a shout-out to Honeywell who is helping consumers and businesses across the globe save money by saving energy. With programmable thermostats, diagnostic circuitry, and basic upgrades Honeywell is helping 150 million homeowners and 10 million businesses cut energy bills. Their diagnostic circuitry monitors AC units so that when one malfunctions, it can be diagnosed and repaired immediately. Programmable thermostats kick on at a specified time so that homes are comfortable when people are there, and not being heated or cooled when the house is typically empty. Some of the upgrades include installing compact fluorescent lights instead of incandescent lights and installing variable-speed fan controls on heaters and attach them to programmable thermostats. Small changes like these can cut 20% off electric bills. Novar (which is owned by Honeywell) installs smart-meters that can check if electronics are left on after hours, turn on a few lights when employees arrive before business hours, and alternate which lights are turned on to increase bulb life. These smart-meters have saved companies 15% on their electric bills, paying for themselves in just a couple years! Honeywell understands that the cost of retrofitting your home or business to be more energy efficient, but the upgrades do pay for themselves with the decreased energy bills. This is definitely an investment to look into, I know I am!
Posted in AC Doctor News, Energy Efficiency, Saving Money
October 7th, 2009 by Melissa Doyle
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is predicting lower heating bills this year…Yay! According to the EIA, homeowners should expect to spend about $100 less this winter than they did last year due to lower fuel prices and milder weather. It’s not a huge decrease, but we all know that every little bit helps.
Of course, factors of this decrease are the size of your home and the size and efficiency of your heating system. Keep in mind that a system that is too small for your house has to work harder. High efficiency furnaces help reduce spending, as well.
The EIA is also expecting the winter season to be 1 percent warmer. One percent is not a drastic change, but that slight increase could be enough to avoid freezing temperatures in some areas. There is a huge change in comfort level when the temperature drops into freezing levels…any of us that go from a brutally hot summer to a seasonably warm winter with just a snap of cold for 2 weeks in January/February can appreciate that. I’m in Houston, so I understand just how brutal freezing temperatures can be when you’re not used to them.
So keep an eye out for slightly higher temperatures and lower natural gas prices and watch your energy bill drop this winter.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Indoor Air Quality, Saving Money
September 22nd, 2009 by AJ Nahmad
We love seeing articles like this one on azcentral.com. It let’s us know that the power of energy-efficient HVAC is finally becoming a well deserved headline.
Arizona’s summer is long and hot, no doubt about it, so the importance of having a green home that can keep you cool at a price that’s affordable is all the more important. We love that the author of this article is letting the citizens of Scottsdale know that newer, more efficienct A/C units can save homeowners significant moola. Readers are encouraged to contact a contractor about getting a right-size system and programmable thermostat. It’s almost too easy!
So we praise you azcentral.com and we’ll be keeping an eye out for other articles like this from around the country to praise as well. It’s catching on…
Posted in Energy Efficiency, HVAC Installation Tips, HVAC Products, Insulation, Saving Money, Water Heating, Weatherizing Your Home
July 30th, 2009 by AJ Nahmad
Where do you draw the line between wasteful spending and money well spent? That’s a million dollar question these days. Well, we offer you this answer…spending money in order to save money is money well spent; using money to benefit your community, your country, and your natural environment is money well spent; and we’d hope you agree that spending money to make your family healthier and more comfortable is money well spent.
These are fundamental principles that can help us make smart decisions with our finances while times are tight. So where does that lead us?
Well, knowing that HVAC typically accounts for about 50% of the energy consumed in a US home, weatherizing your home and upgrading to a high-efficiency heating and air conditioning system with indoor air quality features is an extremely responsible way to spend hard earned money. These upgrades to your home will save you money on your utility bills, reduce allergens and pollutants in the air your family is breathing, and reduce your family’s impact on global warming. What other purchase can make such an impact?
The Federal Government will give you up to $1,500 for these energy efficiency upgrades; State and Local governments as well as Utility companies will often chip in hundreds of dollars too.
Really we’re talking about the mission of ACDoctor.com. We truly believe that when a homeowner upgrades his or her HVAC system it’s a win-win for their family and for the environment, and we want to connect homeowners with high-quality HVAC professionals that can help.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Saving Money, Weatherizing Your Home
July 8th, 2009 by AJ Nahmad
Like we’ve been saying, it is a great time to buy a new high-efficiency HVAC system. This is not a new message, but let’s get specific…here is the money available (a “back of the envelope” calculation) for a homeowner living in Florida, serviced by Florida Power & Light, to buy a 3-ton, 16 SEER system:
Federal Tax Credit via the Stimulus Bill: $1,500
+FP&L Rebate: $585
+Carrier Cool Cash Rebate: $1,200 or similar manufacturer rebate
=Total Dollars available: $3,285!!!
This doesn’t even account for the hundreds you’ll save in monthly energy bills as a result of using a high efficiency system.
So, it’s 90+ degrees in Florida, you’re system is ancient, you’ve got hot spots in your home…what are you waiting for???
That $3,285 is yours to use!!! Call a contractor and make your home comfortable today. (Oh, and tell them AC Doctor sent ya)
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Saving Money
June 24th, 2009 by Eric Benishek
Although I primarily write this blog to share ideas on how to reduce your utility bills through purchasing, installing, and properly maintaining high efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, it is critical to remember that your house may be wasting all that efficiency!
Sealing leaks around windows and doors, and improving your homes insulation are critical to your comfort and how long your HVAC systems have to run to keep you cool or warm. Consider that most homes built before 1980 leak 20-30% more air than today’s homes. And that’s just the start! Most HVAC ductwork eventually leaks…this can account for up to a 30% loss in the amount of conditioned air making it into your living space.
If your in the market to replace your HVAC systems…certainly ask for a high efficiency system…but while your doing this also have your home checked for proper levels of insulation and to seal any air leaks. For more information check out this website from the Department of Energy.
Posted in AC Doctor News, Energy Efficiency, Insulation, Saving Money
June 3rd, 2009 by Eric Benishek
The stimulus incentives that I’ve spoke about in past blogs sure sound great…but they can be complicated if you try to figure them out on your own. If you are in the market for a new Central Air Conditioning system, make sure and ask your contractor whether or not your purchase qualifies for the federal tax credit. For example the minimum standard energy efficiency rating for an A/C system today is 13 SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating). These systems do not qualify for stimulus tax credits. The result is that although the systems price may be lower, in the end you may have received a better deal after factoring in all the financial incentives, paying for a higher priced, high efficiency system.
Your A/C contractor should be able to help you review your options. The financial incentives have never been this good, so don’t miss out! To learn more and review a real life example go to the following linked article.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, HVAC Products, Saving Money
May 13th, 2009 by Eric Benishek
I’ve mentioned in several articles that the recent government stimulus package incentivizes us to improve the energy efficiency in our homes with a 30% investment tax credit (capped at $1,500) for qualifying projects. In many states, the utilies provide additional rebates for high efficiency air conditioners and furnaces. When you combine the two (tax incentives + rebates) you often pay the same amount for a high efficiency system as you would for a standard efficiency system. With potential savings of between 10-20% off your utility bill…it’s worth taking a good look at your options.
For more information check out the article at HGTVPro.com or go to ACDoctor’s website.
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Saving Money
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