Dean of Green - HELP Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electric

HVAC System Efficiency Reduced By Leaky Ductwork

No matter what you do to ensure your heating and air conditioning units are in top form, if the air ducts through which they send heated or cooled air are leaky, much of the attention that you’ve given to these units is going for naught.

Getting your Ducts in a Row

Up to 20 percent of the air generated by a home’s HVAC units can be lost due to leaky ducts, according to the ENERGY STAR program. Leaky ductwork can put a homeowner at a disadvantage in more than a few ways. When air from a forced-air furnace or air conditioning unit seeps through holes, cracks or spaces in a home’s ductwork, these units have to work harder to heat or cool the home. This results in wasted energy, dollars and increased wear and tear on equipment.

In order to make sure a home’s HVAC system is operating at peak efficiency, homeowners should carefully inspect their ductwork for even the smallest openings that may be allowing air to leak through. Special attention should be paid to areas such as attachment and connection points, curved sections of ductwork and around vents and registers.

Areas within ductwork that are open or not thoroughly sealed can be addressed by applying UL-approved mastic sealant tape, foil tape or other heat-approved sealants. Adding insulation to ductwork in areas such as basements or crawlspaces is also extremely helpful.

Additionally, there are likely to be “hidden” or hard-to-access sections of ductwork within a home. Although a homeowner may be perfectly capable of adequately sealing a good percentage of ductwork leaks on their own, it would be wise to contact a heating and cooling professional to ensure all ductwork in the home is tightly sealed.

(Photo By Check All Home Inspection Corp.)

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Green Appliance Tips

Home Heating Optimized by Adding Insulation

In recent years we have become much more energy-conscious as a society. “Green” philosophies and the initiatives that they’ve spawned have caused us to adjust our mindset—and our practices--regarding energy usage. From enhanced environmental protection to energy-saving measures that reduce heating and cooling and other utility costs within our homes, the results that these changes have produced have been overwhelmingly positive.

A vast amount of information has been disseminated over the last several decades with regard to the many ways that we can shore up our homes and maximize efficiencies within our electrical, plumbing and heating and cooling systems. And with our HVAC systems being responsible for using more energy than any other appliance, the level at which our homes are insulated can make a major energy-saving difference. 

A Focus on Insulation

Many newer homes are built with energy efficiency in mind, and are therefore fairly well insulated. But older homes tend to be notoriously under-insulated, which on many levels defeats the purpose of having even the most cutting-edge heating and cooling equipment installed.

A poorly insulated home will not effectively retain heat, causing the home’s HVAC system to have to work harder. This not only puts a strain on heating and cooling equipment, but increases utility costs and decreases the comfort level of the home’s residents.

There are multiple areas within a home that require insulation. Among the obvious areas are attics and exterior walls, but basements, crawl spaces, garages and interior walls that separate living spaces are often overlooked from an insulation standpoint. Even if a homeowner is not an expert in the area of insulation, they can still take a look around their home in order to detect certain spots that may be lacking. Bare spaces between floor joists, for example, may require insulation to be installed.

But it is always beneficial for homeowners to have an “energy audit” performed on their dwelling by a certified professional, or to contact their heating and air representative to inspect around their home for areas that need insulation installed or added. Qualified home inspectors will be able to point out deficiencies and trouble spots, and will advise the homeowner on what must be done to address any issues. The cost of a whole-home energy assessment varies, but the long-term savings in energy and dollars will be well worth the investment.

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Written and published by Thompson Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

Teaching Energy Efficiency to Kids

It’s never too soon to start teaching your kids to be eco-friendly and energy efficient – as soon as they’re old enough to turn on the TV or the faucet, they can start racking up big utility bills! Use the following tips to get your child on track for a green, energy-efficient lifestyle.

Be a Good Example

When it comes to teaching your kids about energy efficiency, leading by example means doing things like turning off lights and the TV when you leave the room, putting recyclables in their rightful bin, taking short showers, and anything else you might tell your child to do. Unless you overcome your own bad energy habits, you won’t be very effective in teaching your kids good energy habits.

Get Kids Involved

Most people learn best by doing. Involve your kids in projects around the home that are related to energy efficiency. For example, have them help you plant a garden, sort recyclables, or turn off the lights around the house before bed. They might even be a small help with more complex projects, like weatherizing a window, by handing you tools when you ask for them. By involving your children in household tasks and projects related to energy efficiency, kids will learn useful skills – and lighten your workload at the same time.

Make it Fun

If you’re creative, you can make a game out of just about any chore or task, whether it’s helping you load the energy-efficient washing machine or closing the curtains on all the windows. Websites like the EERE Kids and the ENERGY STAR KIDS also have fun, interactive games for school-age children that help teach them about energy efficiency and conservation. Older kids might appreciate household competitions or incentives, like treats or allowance money, to reward energy-efficient behaviors.

 Keep reading Dean of Green for more green ideas you can practice at home.

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Written and published by Thompson Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

 

(photo via Flickr)

Green Resolutions

Did you make a resolution to become more eco-friendly this year? With each passing year, or even month, going green gets easier and easier. More companies are jumping on board by creating eco-friendly products, or items that make it easier for us to reduce our carbon footprint. Here’s a few ways to meet your resolution of going green in 2013.

Buy less. Fortunately, you can go green without buying any special products. In fact, buying less of anything in general is a way to be eco-friendly. Buying less means less manufacturing, less shipping, less traveling to the stores to buy, and less replacing items. Doesn’t get much easier than that.

Recycle more. Although going green in 2013 can include many different, and sometimes complicated, aspects of life, the basic methods of saving the planet still stand strong. If you don’t recycle already, find out where the nearest recycling center is located and what you need to do to get started.

Go paperless. Many companies are offering paperless billing now, which cuts back on stacks of mail, and filing them away. Check to see what bills or statements you can get rid of by choosing their paperless option. Catalogs, magazines, newspapers, and other mailers usually have a paperless, online option also.

Get some exercise. Choosing to walk or ride a bike instead of driving is a big step toward living eco-friendly, while also getting some exercise, not to mention saving some money on gas. If you cancel a gym membership, and get your exercise outdoors, that’s also an additional savings.

Reuse. Instead of using sandwich bags or freezer bags, invest in Tupperware containers that you can reuse instead of throwing away after one time. Reuse your remaining plastic grocery bags, then go for reusable bags (some stores give money back when you use your own bags).

By changing just a few simple things, going green should be an easy goal to meet this year.

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Written and published by Thompson Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

 

(Photo via Flickr)

Heating and Cooling Systems Reap the Benefits of Caulking

So, you have adopted more of a “green” philosophy in recent years. You have put a good deal of effort into making your dwelling more energy efficient. You’ve taken numerous steps in this regard, such as regularly changing the filters in your HVAC system and keeping the thermostat at reasonable levels.

You have also installed aerators on all of your faucets and have replaced all incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs (CFLs). But you’ve only made a slight dent in your energy bill and sense there’s something you’re missing.

A Closer Look at Leaks

Have you pondered the possibility there might be areas around your home through which air is leaking? Areas that you’ve never before considered to be much of a problem?

A Case for Caulk

When we think areas within a home where caulk is typically applied, bathtubs, sinks, tiling and window and door frames immediately come to mind. However, there are less apparent places that costly leaks can occur. These include areas behind baseboards where walls meet floors, electrical outlets, switches, ceiling and kitchen fans as well as holes through which wiring and plumbing lines run.

Depending on the season, warm or cool air can seep in or leak out through cracks or gaps in these areas. Other than conducting visual and “hand” checks, there are several ways to test for leaks. One simple method is to light a stick of incense on a windy day and slowly move it around suspected leaky areas to see if the smoke is redirected.

Once leaks are detected, seal around the areas with caulk. Sometimes a larger hole or gap may require an application of some type of expanding foam. Once your home is tightened up in this regard, the strain on your heating and cooling system will be reduced. This should make your savings in terms of dollars and cents much more noticeable!

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Written and published by Thompson Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

Green Heating Alternatives

Most people heat their homes in the winter using a furnace or fuel oil system. Thus, for most, improving the environmental-friendliness of your home heating system typically involves shopping for a more efficient furnace or boiler. However, individuals looking to revamp their home heating systems with the greenest technology available might want to consider the following green heating systems.

Solar Heat

A solar heating system collects heat from natural sunlight using roof-mounted collectors. Besides being a completely free and renewable fuel source to heat your home, sunlight collected from an active solar heating system can also be used to heat your water supply. Although installation of these systems is cost-prohibitive for many, the investment is tax-free and may even qualify you for a tax benefit. Remember that passive solar heat (e.g., letting in daylight from big, south-facing windows) works too!

Geothermal Heat

If your system uses a heat pump, consider replacing your air-source heat pump with a much more efficient geothermal heat pump. A geothermal heat pump, also called a ground-source heat pump, uses the stable and renewable heat stored in the earth to warm your home. These are a lot more expensive to install than air-source heat pumps, but the Department of Energy estimates that you’ll start seeing a return on your investment in as few as five years.

Wood Stoves

A wood stove is another way to heat your home using renewable resources. These can be powered by hardwood – which is ideal for people who have access to free wood—or by recycled wood pellets. Keep in mind that while older stoves produce pollution and can harm indoor air quality, new stoves provide more complete combustion to reduce indoor and outdoor pollution. While low-cost and green, this heating method is more labor-intensive than others. Wood stoves are primarily used as supplemental heating sources.

Even if you aren’t ready to completely overhaul your heating system just yet, system upgrades and maintenance can improve the energy efficiency of your current system. This may mean replacing an old unit with an ENERGY STAR-qualified one, or getting an annual heating system tune-up.

Save money this season with this heating system tune-up coupon from Thompson Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling (offer good through 11/30/12).

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Dean of Green is written & published by Thompson Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling

 

(Photo via Flickr)

Going Green at the Office

If you've tried your hand at going green around your home, the next step is to take your eco-friendly efforts to the workplace.

The best thing to start with is your office supplies. Are they from a local vendor? Is the coffee from a local farm? And what about your printer ink and cartridges? Those can be recycled, and you'll get a discount when you turn them in at the office supply store.

You can also look into purchasing recycled printing paper, stationary or even business cards. Reduce the amount of paper you use by emailing more, and snail mailing less. Think again before printing materials. Does it really need to be printed and filed? Or could it be stored on a thumb drive?

Recycle paper and other materials in your office, such as plastic and glass containers, soda cans, cardboard, and even old computers.

 Printers, computers, and many business appliances now come in options that use less energy. If you're not in the market for a new piece of technology, at least put your computer on automatic sleep mode when it's not in use to save on energy.

Be sure to shut down your computer when you leave for the day or weekend. Go an extra step and use a power strip that can be shut off at the end of the day. Even when electronics are turned off, they use electricity. A power strip turned off or unplugged will save on energy.

Finally, change the lightbulbs in your office to fluorescent lights. When possible, open your office blinds and use daylight before turning on the lamps.

By making a few simple changes to your workspace, you can save lots of energy, money, and help the planet too.

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Dean of Green is written & published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

 

(Photo via Flickr)

Efficient HVAC Systems Signified by ENERGY STAR Label

The ENERGY STAR program has been around for roughly two decades. Most of us are now very familiar with its label. In fact, it is attached to countless products and appliances and has become quite pervasive in our world.

The Meaning Behind the Label

The ENERGY STAR program was developed in the early 1990s through a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The basic mission of the ENERGY STAR program is to promote energy efficiency in products and practices without sacrificing their performance or integrity.

An ENERGY STAR certification confirms a product or appliance is built to meet or exceed established guidelines regarding energy use, which in turn saves money, conserves resources and preserves the environment. Since HVAC systems usually account for most of the energy usage in our homes, heating and cooling units are an area of acute focus when it comes to energy efficiency.

As suggested by the ENERGY STAR program, a number of steps can be taken to increase the efficiency of existing or older HVAC systems within a home. These include changing filters regularly, making sure that ductwork is properly sealed and having a programmable thermostat installed. Annual inspections and tune-ups by a heating and air professional are also recommended.

If you are considering having a new system installed, be sure not to oversize. Consult with your HVAC representative about the system that would best fit your home, and insist on ENERGY STAR-qualified equipment. This will ensure maximum heating and cooling system efficiency, as your utility bills will soon indicate!

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Dean of Green is written & published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

Green Ideas for Fall

The leaves are starting to fall from the trees, people are planning their Halloween costumes and the air is getting nippy. It must be fall! Do something nice for Mother Earth and go green this autumn by implementing these eco-friendly ideas for fall.

Ditch the leaf blower

Leaf blowers are an energy-intensive way to remove fall leaves. Rakes are just as effective, and they provide the benefit of burning up your own energy when in use. If necessary, use a more eco-friendly electric leaf blower rather than a gas-powered one to get hard-to-reach spots. Or better yet, hire neighborhood kids to rake the lawn if you need more help. Once the leaves are raked, collect and compost them to use as yard fertilizer.

Green your Halloween

Halloween can be a pretty wasteful and carbon-intensive holiday when you consider all the decorations, costumes and candy wrappers that end up getting trashed. Here are some ideas for “greening” your Halloween:

• Reuse or recycle costumes from previous years
• Hand out green alternatives to Halloween candy
• Decorate with green decorations, including recycled paper and locally grown pumpkins. After the holiday, don’t forget to compost your jack-o-lantern

Have your heating system serviced

Whatever type of heating system you have, servicing and tuning it up annually will help it operate in a more energy-efficient manner. Fall is the perfect time of year to have this service done since it will ensure your system is ready to perform before winter arrives. Depending on the age and size of your system, you might be able to save even more energy by replacing your furnace and thermostat with newer, energy-efficient versions.

To schedule an annual servicing of your heating system, or to learn more about how you can reduce your heating bills with a furnace or thermostat replacement, call Thompson Plumbing, Heating & Cooling at 513-333-HELP, or visit us online.

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Dean of Green is written & published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

 

(Photo via Flickr)

HVAC Systems and Indoor Air Quality

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can have a significant impact on the air quality within our homes. Dust, dirt and other contaminants may exist within older or poorly-maintained HVAC systems in areas such as fans, blowers and ductwork that will eventually be distributed into a home’s interior environment.

Additionally, mold and bacteria can accumulate in HVAC drains, drip pans, coils and ductwork. This can negatively affect indoor air quality (IAQ) and potentially cause a home’s occupants to have respiratory problems and other health issues. Soiled or neglected heating and cooling system air filters can also be responsible for diminished air quality within a home.

The Importance of Healthy Indoor Air

Numerous studies performed throughout the years by organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Lung Association have shed light on some serious air quality issues within our homes. It is estimated that the average individual spends up to 90 percent of their lives indoors. Yet indoor air can be well over 10 times more polluted than outdoor air, according to the EPA.

HVAC Systems can Make or Break IAQ

IAQ-related research also confirms that millions of Americans suffer from allergies and other ailments caused by substances found within the home. This further emphasizes the need for adequate ventilation and a clean, efficient home heating and air conditioning system.

Steps that can be taken by homeowners to ensure their HVAC systems are helping rather than hurting their home’s IAQ include:

 

• Having the HVAC system and ductwork thoroughly inspected at least once a year, and tuned up or repaired as necessary.
• Periodically testing for airborne pollutants.
• Regularly changing air and furnace filters.
• Having the heating and cooling system professionally cleaned at least every few years.

 

Additional air cleaners and filtration devices are also available that can be installed into an existing HVAC system.

There are other measures that can be taken to optimize the air quality within a home. But a home’s residents will certainly breathe a little easier as a result of attentive HVAC maintenance and overall IAQ vigilance.

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Dean of Green is written & published by Thompson Plumbing Heating & Cooling

 

(Photo via Flickr)