5 Smart Ways to Shrink Your Energy Bills This

There are numerous ways to lower your monthly energy bills, but knowing where to start can be a little overwhelming. The smart place to focus for most people are costs associated with heating and cooling. Why? In a typical household, about 33% of the year’s total energy spending goes to heating and cooling costs, accounting for more energy spending than lighting and appliances combined.

Here are five ways to start shrinking your heating and cooling-related energy costs today.

1. Hang Up Energy-Efficient Window Coverings

If some rooms in your home are always much colder or hotter than others, invest in some window treatments that can help even out the temperature, like cellular shades, Roman shades, or thermal curtains. These window treatments act like a layer of insulation that blocks out heat during summer (when you don’t want it) and keeps heat in during winter (when you do want it).

2. Seal Gaps Around Your Doors and Windows

Have you ever wondered why certain rooms or particular places in rooms are so much warmer or cooler than others? The most likely reason is heat loss and gain through air leaks around doors, windows, or both. Take some time this year to weatherseal your windows and exterior doors to lower your energy bills (and help keep the roaches out)!

Pro Tip: If you’re having trouble determining where air leaks are occurring throughout your home, conduct a home energy audit. During a home energy audit, a professional auditor will look at your energy bills, inspect your home’s walls, windows, doors, and insulation, and analyze the main sources of energy loss to help you come up with the best energy-saving solutions to lower your bills.

3. Skip the Heat Settings On Your Clothes Washer and Dishwasher

The last thing we need in our corner of the U.S. is more humidity. Humid air is not only uncomfortable, but it takes longer for your AC to cool. Cut your energy costs year round by washing your laundry in cold water and switching your dishwasher to the no-heat dry cycle. This will reduce the humidity these appliances release into your indoor air.

4. Install a Smart Thermostat

A programmable thermostat allows you to “set it and forget it”–but what if you aren’t sure how best to program the thermostat for the biggest energy savings? That’s where smart thermostats like the Nest come in, with settings and apps that teach you how to program your thermostat to get maximum energy savings. If that sounds too complicated, the Nest can actually program itself after about one week of learning your household routine.

5. Get Your HVAC System Maintained Annually

Without routine maintenance, your heating and cooling system will suffer more and more from problems like dust buildup, loosening parts, and lack of lubrication. This wear and tear takes a toll on the system’s performance, increasing its energy consumption–as well as the chance of it breaking down during periods of heavy use. Repair costs and high energy bills are problems that can cost much more in the long run than routine maintenance appointments.

At Bounds Heating & Air, we provide a wide range of residential HVAC services throughout Gainesville and beyond. Whether it’s preventative maintenance, a repair, or a home energy audit, contact us today online or by phone: (352) 472-2761.

Heater Behavior: What’s Normal and What’s Not

Have you ever looked at or listened to your heater and wondered, “Should it be acting like this?” The good news is that you don’t have to be a heating and cooling expert to learn some essentials about heater behavior. Below, we’re going to look at some of the top inquiries we get from homeowners about their heating systems, and we’ll tell you what’s normal and when you should contact a technician.

The heater is taking a while to “warm up.”

If your heater turns on after being shut off for a long time, it might take a few minutes for the air coming out of your vents to warm up. Even if your heater working just fine, the air still has to travel through cold ductwork before it gets to each room, and it can lose heat along the way.

If the air never warms up at all, make sure your thermostat is set to AUTO (not ON), and check to see if your system needs a new air filter. You’d be amazed how often one of these steps solves the issue! If neither of these troubleshooting tricks works, it’s time to call a technician.

The heater makes a boom or banging noise whenever it starts up.

Right away, any HVAC expert will tell you that this a problem, and they’re right. You’re hearing this noise because your furnace has an issue with delayed ignition.

Here is what happens:

Your thermostat signals your furnace to start a heating cycle.
Your furnace “feeds” a gas and oxygen mixture to the burners so that they’ll ignite–but something is preventing that ignition from happening.
Consequently, the gas mixture starts to build up.
Finally, when the gas mixture ignites, it makes a small explosion inside your furnace’s combustion chamber–boom!

Over time, these mini-explosions can damage your furnace, and any excess gas can be dangerous because of how volatile it is. In some cases, this problem can be solved by cleaning the burners. However, there could also be an issue with the ratio of gas and oxygen in the gas mixture. It’s best to involve a technician to get to the root cause of the problem.

The heater is giving off a strange smell.

If you smell something burning when you first turn your heater on for the season, don’t be alarmed. This is most likely just dust burning off in the equipment. If this smell doesn’t go away, then you should shut your system off and call a technician.

Your heater should never give off odors that smell like any of the following:

Burning rubber
Burning oil
Melting plastic
Overheated metal
Garbage or something rotten
Mold or mildew
Natural gas, sulfur, or rotten eggs

Bad smells can signal anything from a mechanical problem to a gas leak to a dead animal trapped in your ductwork. These scenarios are best handled by a professional.

The heater is making a loud humming noise while it runs.

While no heater runs completely silently, the unit shouldn’t start making a humming or buzzing noise out of the blue. Humming can indicate the need to replace a part, such as a failing capacitor or blower motor, but typically, these types of noises mean that the equipment just needs a little maintenance. As the system goes through wear and tear, parts can loosen, and the blower motor can lose lubrication. Technicians can easily take care of issues like loose parts or lack of lubrication during a maintenance appointment.

The furnace flame has some yellow and orange in it.

Your furnace flame should be bright blue, but it is also okay if the very tip is yellow. If you’re seeing streaks of yellow, orange, red, or green in the flame, then you know there’s a problem.

Why does the color of the flame matter? There are two significant reasons:

If the flame isn’t pure blue, then your furnace isn’t burning as hotly or efficiently as it should be. This means that your furnace is costing you more money to use than necessary.
Yellow and orange flames also mean that the fuel isn’t burning as “cleanly” and that more pollutants (including carbon monoxide) are being released during the combustion process).

Dirty burners are the most common culprit behind yellow and orange furnace flames. If cleaning the burners doesn’t solve the problem, or if you don’t know how to clean them correctly, an HVAC technician can perform this task for you. There could also be too little oxygen in the gas and oxygen mixture that’s fed to the burners. You will definitely need a technician’s help to handle this issue safely.

At Bounds Heating & Air, we pride ourselves on top quality heater repairs and unmatched customer care. To schedule heating service in Gainesville, call (352) 472-2761 or send us a message online.

Is It Okay To Switch Back and Forth Between My AC and Heater?

Compared to many other parts of the country, our fall weather in Florida can be a mixed bag. On the same autumn day, you might be sweating at lunchtime and then by nightfall wrapping yourself up in a blanket burrito-style for warmth. With these fluctuating temperatures, keeping your home comfortable seems to require switching back and forth between using your air conditioner and your heater–but is doing this bad for your HVAC system?

Have no fear: it’s perfectly fine to switch back and forth between your AC and heater, even on the same day. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to make this switch. Below are some things to consider.

SWITCHING BETWEEN YOUR AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATER

While you want to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, it’s essential that you don’t do anything that will drastically increase your energy bill or put your HVAC system through unnecessary wear and tear.

Set the Thermostat to “Auto”

First, make sure your HVAC system’s thermostat is set to “auto” so that it will automatically shut off when your home has reached the thermostat’s designated temperature. If the thermostat is set to “on,” the unit will just keep running. To increase your energy savings, the Department of Energy recommends the following temperature settings:

For winter: 68°F while you’re awake and lower while you’re asleep or away from home.
For summer: 78°F when you are at home and higher while you’re away.

Let the System Complete Its Current Cycle

Second, if you want to switch from your cooling system to your heating system (or the opposite), never do it while the unit is running. Wait until the cycle finishes. Then switch the thermostat to “off.” Wait for at least five minutes before turning your other system on.

Warm or Cool Your Home Gradually

The more of a temperature fluctuation your system needs to overcome, the more energy it’s going to use. This is why it’s best to keep your home temperature as consistent as possible, though it’s not always easy. When switching from heating to cooling or vice versa, start by adjusting your thermostat by only a few degrees. Allowing your home to warm up or cool down gradually puts a lot less strain on your HVAC system.

Whether you need an AC repair or heater repair, our Gainesville technicians at Bounds Heating & Air are ready to help! Give us a call today at (352) 472-2761 or contact us online.

3 Reasons Why the Department of Energy Recommends HVAC Maintenance

While it’s essential to choose the right HVAC system to heat and cool your home efficiently, it’s just as critical to provide your system with the care it needs to operate effectively. According to the Department of Energy:

your air conditioner needs regular maintenance to run smoothly and efficiently;
without maintenance, the equipment will consume more energy while its performance goes downhill.

The same applies to your heating system. Below, we’ll expand on this to give a better understanding of how preventive maintenance benefits you now and in the long run.

1. Your system will run more effectively and with fewer breakdowns.

When your system gets the routine care it needs, its parts undergo less wear and tear and are less likely to loosen, lose lubrication, or scrape together in a way they shouldn’t. During maintenance, the technician also has a chance to spot any potential issues that could lead to a system failure. This allows you to fix a minor problem before it turns into a major one.

2. The system will use less energy.

When your system’s parts lose lubrication, fall out of alignment, and accumulate dust and grime, the system as a whole operates less efficiently. This means that the equipment has to work harder and consume more energy to make your home comfortable. This also makes your HVAC system more expensive to operate.

Your air conditioner’s evaporator coil and condenser coil are especially prone to collecting dust that hampers the cooling process. Similarly, your furnace’s burner and heat exchanger can also collect dust that inhibits the heating process. It’s important to get these parts cleaned annually to keep your energy costs low.

3. Your system will last longer.

If you remember how much you spent to install your HVAC system, you’re probably in no hurry to replace it. Preventative maintenance is the best way to extend the equipment’s lifespan because, as mentioned above, it reduces the wear and tear on the system’s parts.

For thorough, reliable HVAC maintenance, you can count on our expert technicians at Bounds Heating & Air. Give us a call at (352) 472-2761 or contact us online.

4 Things That Make Your Home Muggier

Here in Gainesville, we have plenty of humidity to go around, and that’s not always something we love. Aside from feeling muggy and uncomfortable, too much humidity in your home can increase your energy bills and promote mold growth. The key to reducing all that excess moisture in your indoor air is to find out what’s allowing it to accumulate.

Below are the most common sources of excess humidity in homes and some suggestions for solving each problem.

1. Air Leaks

If your home is missing features like sealed ductwork and weatherstripping, moisture could be getting inside from the great outdoors. Air ducts are usually located in unconditioned areas, like attics or crawl spaces, so if there are leaks in the ductwork, humid air can “sneak in” through tears and gaps and make your home muggier.

Not sure where the problem lies? If you have high energy bills, excess humidity, or drafty areas in your home, an energy audit can help determine precisely where air leaks are happening.

2. Neglected Exhaust Fans

One of the simplest ways you can reduce humidity in your home is by:

Using your bathroom fan (or getting one installed). Unless you like cold baths and showers, you’re going to wash with warm water, and that warm water is going to create muggier air quickly. Run your bathroom fan while bathing and for another 30 minutes afterward.
Using your kitchen exhaust fan. Cooking on the stove (especially boiling and sauteeing) releases a lot of moisture. Use your kitchen exhaust fan while cooking on the stove and for another 15 minutes afterward.

3. An Aging AC System

Your air conditioner does two beneficial things. Not only does it remove heat from your indoor air, but it also takes away moisture. This makes your indoor environment less humid. However, if your air conditioner is upwards of 15 or 20 years old, it’s probably struggling to condition and dehumidify your air the way it used to. If your AC costs you a fortune in repairs or energy bills, it’s probably wiser to invest that money in a new, more efficient replacement.

4. A Dirty Evaporator Coil

Even if your AC is somewhat new, it might be struggling to remove heat and humidity from your home’s air. Why? Nearly 100% of the time, it’s because the equipment is overdue for preventative maintenance. When your AC’s evaporator coil (in the indoor unit) gets dirty and grimy, it will have a harder and harder time performing. This can lead to high cooling costs and a system failure.

At Bounds Heating & Air, we’re committed to providing the highest quality air conditioning repairs, maintenance, and installations in Gainesville and the surrounding areas: (352) 472-2761.

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