Your HVAC system along with your water heater makes up 60% of your home’s energy costs! It is important to make sure your AC system is properly charged with freon, otherwise your system could work twice as hard to cool your home and will lead to an early exit for your compressor. Most repairs on heating and cooling systems are performed on units that have not had an annual tune-up.
An annual spring start-up by a certified technician is a great way to make sure your system is working properly and won’t let you down on the hottest days. Units that are properly charged with freon cool better and save you money along with keeping you cool and comfortable.
Ask your Oehlert Bros. Technician about UV Lights that keep fungus and mold from growing in your AC system!
Steve Oehlert is the owner and President of
Oehlert Bros. Inc., Limerick, Pa
Did you know that most new digital thermostats require batteries? If your thermostat’s batteries die, your heater will not run! Take a look at your thermostat screen and if it is blinking or has gone blank, your thermostat likely requires new batteries. Install fresh batteries and save a repair call! Older thermostats used power from the heating appliance and did not have batteries, so be battery aware and keep your home in comfort all winter long.
Most heaters that fail haven’t been seen annually by a qualified HVAC company. It is important to have your heater looked at once per year from an efficiency and safety perspective. All heaters have fail safes to keep them from causing catastrophic failure. Your heater has flame sensors, pressure switches, and other items to keep them running safely. Most service repairs for heaters are needed when they are first turned on at the beginning of the heating season. And of course many homeowners do this the same chilly night. Before that chilly night comes, test your heating system by turning it on and letting it run for thirty minutes. If it doesn’t work, you will have more flexibility scheduling the repair and won’t be left out in the cold! Oehlert Bros. provides heating service plans that provide the annual inspection/tune-up and cover repairs (parts & labor).
Your HVAC system and hot water heating accounts for 60% of your home’s energy usage!
During the cold winter months, to keep warm homeowners turn on their home heaters. You can save energy when heating your home by taking the time to winterize for maximum energy savings. Due to the increasing energy costs, winter heating will consume an increasingly larger portion of a household’s energy budget.
Keep the following tips in mind as you begin to winterize your home.
Making sure your tankless water heater is properly installed and maintained will optimize its energy efficiency, especially since water heaters are one of the many appliances we rely on every day. Whether gas or electric, they are generally very dependable and quiet. A tankless water heater can last for a decade or more, and save you money as long as proper annual maintenance is performed.
Proper installation of your tankless water heater depends on many factors, so it is important to have a qualified and licensed plumbing and heating contractor install your tankless water heater. Before selecting a contractor request estimates in writing, obtain references, check the company with your local Better Business Bureau, and make sure they have a proper permit.
Tankless water heaters are now designed to last 20- 30 years. This is done by owning a high quality water heater, and by preforming a little maintenance on it. Without maintaining your tankless water heater investment you might only get half that time.
Water qualities are different all over the country, and even good water has minerals in it that over time will build up on the interior walls of the tanks heating chambers. The industry standard recommendations are once per year turn the tankless water heater off, and flush out with white vinegar and water using a submersible water pump to remove the calcium deposit buildup. You can find submersible water pumps at most home improvement and hardware stores.
Heat pumps have had a poor reputation for providing optimum comfort in a home due to the low temperature air that they generate at the supply vents. Oil-fired and gas-fired furnaces provide heated are that is 15 to 20 degrees warmer at the supply vents. Often a hybrid heating system can be installed that uses either heating oil or natural gas as a back-up when temperatures are at the coldest during the winter months.
Heat pumps work best in well‐insulated and well‐sealed homes. The ducts must be tactically placed to collect cool air in the winter and hot air in the summer. When you operate a heat pump make sure to find a comfortable setting and leave it alone. It is recommended to place the settings of the heat pump at 68°F in the winter, and 78°F in the summer. If the thermostat is adjusted frequently in the winter, auxiliary electric heat can be activated which can contradict the efficiency of the unit. In addition, change the filters regularly to a MERV rating of 6 or greater. If you preform the basic maintenance procedures it will help your unit to run at its optimum capacity.