Follow the Energy Star Logo for Efficiency in HVAC Upgrades for Your Clearwater Home
For the majority of the year in Pinellas County, you will find an air conditioner can help maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. If you are considering upgrading your A/C unit, you’ll want to make sure you have the best bang for your buck. By finding an energy efficient air conditioner and a professional HVAC installer you will make sure you won’t waste any energy savings.
Consider that approximately half your energy bill each month comes from your HVAC system. If your air conditioner is more than a decade old, it is operating much less efficiently than a new A/C unit. Upgrading to a model with the Energy Star logo could cut your energy bill by as much as 30 percent. The federal Energy Star program gives you the chance to not only lower your energy bill, but as it centers around energy efficiency, you’ll also be helping the environment at the same time.
You will also want to find a professional HVAC installer who is familiar with products bearing the Energy Star logo. It would be a shame to have spent time researching Energy Star certified air conditioner models only to have it installed improperly. A NATE-certified technician can also help you determine the proper A/C unit for your home, and can suggest any additional upgrades to your system.
For more expert advice about HVAC systems and the Energy Star logo, contact Cox Air Conditioning and Heating. We have been serving the Clearwater, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, Trinity, and West Chase vicinity for more than 50 years.
A Duct Sealing Project Can Keep That Cool Air Coming All Summer
Ensuring that all your air ducts are properly sealed can have an enormous impact on both your power bill as well as your indoor air quality. Proper duct sealing will ensure that the heated or conditioned air will reach its proper destination, not leak into another part of your home. This way, each one of your rooms will have a more comfortable, uniform temperature.
Additionally, proper duct sealing is vital for clean, healthful air. Fumes from dryers and improperly stored chemicals, as well as pollen can reduce air quality in your home as they enter into your home’s conditioned air through leaky ducts. Another added benefit to proper duct sealing is that it is good for the environment. The more efficient your home, the less fossil fuels are consumed to power it.
Some easy ways to determine if you have leaks in your ducts are as follows:
- If some rooms are significantly harder to heat or cool
- A lack of air movement in a specific room
- High monthly utility costs
Sealing your ducts properly is a good project to undertake as the weather cools, before heating season. You will realize significant savings by fixing a leak or a crack. Most leaks or cracks can be fixed with either metal tape or mastic sealant. Another common place for leaks is the connection between registers, especially where they meet the ceilings, walls and floors.
Having trouble with leaking ducts? Visit our website or call the experts at Cox Air Conditioning and Heating today. One of our associates would love to help you with your project, whether by answering a question or sending out a member of our professional team to help you get the job done right.
These Tips Can Help Your High Efficiency A/C Breeze Through the Rest of Summer
Nothing makes more sense than using a high-efficiency A/C when you live in a Southern climate like that of Florida. You know that it will be running continuously for months. Furthermore, life would be pretty unbearable without it so you want quality in your A/C as well. To make your high efficiency A/C last a long time and keep your climate control expenses down, consider some of the following factors while it is in operation.
Summer Tips for Your High-Efficiency A/C
- Weather affects your equipment’s ability to meet performance expectations. Keep this factor in mind as you program your thermostat. Hotter weather makes it more expensive to keep your house at one temperature. For this reason, many homeowners allow for higher indoor temperatures during the day, especially if they are not going to be home.
- Proper airflow is critical for cooling. If the ducts and their layout are not correctly matched to your A/C, then airflow will be inadequate. You will pay more for lower quality cooling.
- The right refrigerant charge is necessary to maintain high performance. Studies show that improper refrigerant charges are common and may reduce the quality of performance in as many as seven out of 10 devices in the field. Discuss this with an HVAC maintenance technician.
- Besides compatibility with your air conditioner, there are other qualities of your ducts which have dramatic effects on performance. Many people overlook these basic components when they order repairs on their systems. The most significant problem with defective ducts is that they cause air leaks. Ducts must be tight to prevent cool air from leaking out before it reaches the spaces that you intend to cool.
- Your equipment should be properly sized for the environment that you want to cool. A system that is too large will short cycle, boosting your bills, causing wear on the equipment, and inefficiently cooling your home.
If you would like to learn more about maintaining a high-efficiency A/C, contact us for expert A/C repair service. We have been proudly serving the Clearwater area since 1958.
Colder Air Conditioning, With These Tips
As Floridians endure the long, hot summer, it becomes even more important that our homes stay cool and comfortable. Follow these tips if you want to get the most out of your A/C unit and achieve colder air conditioning.
A really effective A/C system is one which operates at maximum efficiency. To make sure that your unit does this, you need to look after it. Simple things like spraying down and washing off the outside compressor unit, and changing the filters at least once a month, can really help. You can also set up a comprehensive maintenance service agreement with a professional expert to regularly check all aspects of the unit’s operation.
Make sure you have the right A/C system to suit your living space, lifestyle and budget.Cranking the unit up to the max won’t lead to colder air conditioning quicker, but if you find yourself reaching for the control too often, it may be that you need to reconsider the system you have installed. New technology is constantly being developed, so it’s worth checking out if a new unit could help improve your comfort and deliver savings at the same time.
Think about installing a smart, programmable thermostat. These nifty devices help match your home’s temperature to your family activities and patterns. You don’t even have to be there to operate them, as many can now be controlled from your laptop or mobile device. Some programmable thermostats can even learn your energy habits and adjust their settings accordingly – smart indeed!
Check windows and doors for gaps that could be letting hot air in and cold air out. Also help your A/C unit by buying a fan as this will help the air circulate better.
While there’s much you can do yourself to achieve colder air conditioning, sometimes you do need the experts. If you live in the St. Petersburg and Tampa area, contact us at Cox Air Conditioning and Heating — we’ve been serving the region for more than 50 years, so can be relied upon to deliver fast, efficient and reliable service.
The Benefits of Clean A/C Coils
Air conditioning (A/C) maintenance on a regular basis is important if you want to extend the life of your system and sustain a high operating efficiency. One of the most important maintenance tasks is to clean condenser and evaporator coils. The benefits of clean A/C coils are minimizing performance losses, which means clean coils will save you money.
It is possible to do it yourself if you have the desire, but most opt to have an A/C expert examine the coils and the system twice a year. Note that maintenance doesn’t necessarily have to be performed twice a year, but the coils should be inspected for any signs of damage or pollutants such as mold.
Damage to your coils can come in many shapes and sizes. An expert will check for a number of different problems:
- Debris: Particles or dirt that has built up on the coils that will impede air flow
- Frost: Evaporator coils are very cold and it is possible for ice and frost to result in buildup
- Damage: Especially in your condenser coils (in your outside A/C unit), damage can result from random objects hitting your coils and surrounding equipment
- Holes: Any holes in coils will allow refrigerant to escape, either as a vapor or liquid. This can dramatically lower your A/C unit’s efficiency
All of these different types of damage will cause performance issues. Another problem you may encounter is mold: Depending on your climate mold can be a big issue. If let go for too long mold will seriously impact your indoor air quality.
Cooling or evaporator coils are the locations in your A/C system where heat is transferred between the coils and the surrounding air. When there are issues that reduce airflow over the coils, it will limit the amount of heat transfer that occurs. This is why the benefits of clean A/C coils are the sustained, high-quality airflow and associated heat transfer that keeps your unit running at high efficiency.
For more expert advice about the benefits of clean A/C coils, contact the experts at Cox Air Conditioning and Heating. We’ve been serving Clearwater and surrounding areas since 1958.
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