It's cold!!

When it gets this cold in Florida, the space heaters come out of storage. If you or someone you know is using a space heater, please pay attention to this. Every year we hear stories about people that die in fires started by a space heater. It's already happened this season. Make sure  if you're using space heaters that they're in proper working order and away from combustible materials. Anything that can catch fire needs to be well away from most space heaters. Every year, someone dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. If your heater burns fuel it produces carbon monoxide. You can't see or smell carbon monoxide. You just go to sleep and probably don't wake up. Make sure any fuel burning device you're using to heat your home is properly ventilated. Please, be safe this season. Don't let you or someone you know be a victim of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning because of improper use of a space heater. There are some space heaters available that are not fuel burning and some that don't have electric elements that can cause fires. You can address questions to glenn@glennboyles.com

Save Money on Your Air Conditioning and Electric Bills

How does saving money and being more comfortable sound? OK, silly question. Let me tell you a little about how you can do just that. But first, a little history; most of you don’t remember when there were very few air conditioners in homes. There was a time, not all that long ago, that the only place regular people could find air conditioning was in movie theaters and department stores. Well, maybe it was a long time ago, but I remember it. Most private homes just didn’t have air conditioning. They had fans. Ceiling fans, attic fans, oscillating fans, but no air conditioning. We didn’t have air conditioning at my house until I was well into my teens and that was just a window unit. I guess you figured out by now that I’m going to be talking about air conditioning.

I know I don’t have to tell you that it’s more comfortable on a 90 degree day to be inside in the air conditioning, but do you know why it’s more comfortable? It’s not just that it’s cooler, it’s the fact that the humidity is lower. Lower humidity makes you feel cooler and more comfortable. That’s one of the main functions of your air conditioner. Stay with me here. The money saving part is coming.

Most of you have heat pump air conditioning units that consist of two separate units. One outside and the other inside. I’m not going to make this technical so if you know all the correct names of the parts, good for you. Your air conditioner takes water out of the inside air, cools the inside air and transfers heat from inside your house to the outside. That’s how it gets cool inside during the summer. Your heat pump does just the opposite in the winter. OK, you folks from up north don’t think we have winter here. That’s why they usually don’t have heat pumps up north. Heat pumps don’t work very well when it gets below forty degrees outside. That’s why your electric bill gets so high when it’s really cold here. Your auxiliary heat is electric.

Now for the money saving stuff. Your air conditioning system is one of the most expensive systems in your home. High efficiency heat pump systems can cost up to ten-thousand dollars and even more. You should make sure it works as efficiently as it was designed to operate for several reasons. The first and probably most important is energy consumption. A unit operating at 80 percent of its’ designed efficiency could cost you hundreds of dollars in higher energy bills. You could save as much as 30 percent on your electric bill with an efficiently operating system. Not bad to start, is it? The easiest and least expensive way to help keep your system operating efficiently is to change the filter when you’re supposed to. I know, it’s a pain to go to the store, buy the filter and remember to change it, but it really makes a difference in how long your equipment lasts and how expensive it is to run and maintain. There are services that will remind you when to change the filters and in some cases they deliver them to your door and they can even be free. Check www.lifetimefreefilters.com. How else do you make sure your systems is operating at peak efficiency? Have a licensed, insured and competent air conditioning contractor maintain your system on a regular basis. Twice a year is recommended.

Some people have asked me if those maintenance programs aren’t just a scam by the air conditioning companies to get your money. The short answer is no. While there are unscrupulous characters in the air conditioning business just like any other business, the idea of a maintenance program is a good one. When performed properly, it will keep the unit running efficiently, minimize repair costs and prolong the life of the system. Typically, a service call ends up costing more than the annual maintenance plan does. 

Here’s one of the best ways to see how that maintenance plan works. Your inside unit cools the air and takes water out of  it. Where does that water go? It runs down the coil, into a pan and then through a pipe to the outside. All the air in your house gets circulated through that inside coil. I know you’re a fastidious housekeeper, but there’s still a little dust in your house. When that dust mixes with the water on the coil you get mud. When that mud hardens you get brick. Coils don’t work when they’re encased in brick. Regular maintenance prevents this and other things that can happen to your system when it’s neglected. Those coils can be easily cleaned when cleaned regularly, preventing the “brick” from forming. After it forms it’s a lot harder to clean the coils. They have to be removed and cleaned with acid. That shortens the life of the equipment and costs several hundred dollars to perform. There are a few issues with the outside unit too, but this should be enough to convince you that annual maintenance is a good idea.

Want to save money and be more comfortable? Take proper care of your air conditioning system. You’ll save money and stay comfortable all summer long and in the winter too.

Glenn Boyles is “America’s voice of home improvement”®. He’s a former syndicated radio and TV host and award winning author. Glenn will be contributing on a regular basis to help our readers save money and learn about some of the new offerings in the home improvement arena. He is available to speak to your group about home improvement and safety in the home. He can be contacted by email; glenn@glennboyles.com