Recent Posts

What Temperature is Too Cold for a House?

In the Winter months, most of us like to lower the temperature in our homes in order to save money. This is especially true when we are away at work or on vacation, for example. Some of us even like to keep the temperature lower than normal when we are at home to really maximize savings on our energy bill. But, is there a certain temperature that we shouldn’t surpass? Can it actually get too cold inside of a home when people are present? What about when the home is vacant?

Let’s go over some of these questions below.

Recommended Temperature When You Are Home

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends setting your thermostat no lower than 64 degrees (F) in the Winter months while people are in the home. If there are infants or elderly individuals, they recommend keeping the temperature at 70 degrees at a minimum.

Winter Thermostat Setting to Save Money

Since our heating and air conditioning systems occupy the largest portion of our energy bills, finding ways to reduce it’s cost is paramount for those of us who want to save money. One way to do this is by finding the most optimal thermostat setting for the Winter months. In a previous post, we went over the best thermostat setting for Summer months in order to save money. But, what about Winter?

Let’s get into this question and more!

What Temperature Should You Set Your Thermostat to in the Winter?

In our post covering the thermostat setting for Summer, we shared that the Department of Energy recommends setting the temperature to 78 degrees (F) to start saving money. Most of us like the keep our AC operating anywhere from 70-74 degrees, so you can see how savings would begin to take place if we set it to 78 degrees instead.

4 Tips for Buying a New Furnace

It can be exciting to buy something new, right? Whether it’s a new car, a new house, new clothes, or even new appliances. The same can be said when it comes to buying a new furnace! I personally enjoy the pre-buying experience of doing research, finding good deals and prices, and so forth. So, in this post, I’m going to share some tips with those of you who are looking to buy a new furnace for your heating and air system. We will go over some tips and recommendations to help you in your journey to buy a new furnace!

Let’s get right into it with our first tip!

Tip #1: Take Your Time

One of the biggest mistakes we can make when buying something new is “jumping the gun”. What is usually the main cause of this? Our emotions!

For example, if your furnace has gone out in the Winter and you need a new one immediately, your emotions and feelings are probably going to be the main force driving your search. And that’s understandable. Who wants to be cold inside? But, don’t let your emotions control you. Take time to think through the process. Let your emotions be a signal, but not your guide. You be in charge, not your emotions.

What Is the Most Energy Efficient Air Conditioner?

Today, energy efficiency is a very popular topic. And, with good reason. The more energy efficient a system or appliance is, the more money that is saved. And, since our heating and cooling systems make up the largest portion of our energy bills, finding the most energy efficient air conditioner is a wise pursuit.

So what is the most efficient air conditioner? Is it a split unit? A packaged unit? A heat pump? A Trane ac unit? A Carrier ac unit? Don’t worry, we will get to that. But first, let’s go over some important information to grasp and understand.

How to Determine an Air Conditioner’s Efficiency

One way that an air conditioner’s efficiency is documented is by it’s SEER rating. The SEER rating is determined according to the indoor cooling ability of an ac unit divided by how many watts it used (energy) per hour to maintain the set temperature. While the indoor temperature during these cycles stays the same, the outdoor temperature varies from cooler temps to high, hotter temps in order to provide realistic results.

It’s important to understand that a SEER rating doesn’t necessarily mean that the ac unit performs at this number on average or at a constant rate. It’s actually the maximum rate of efficiency that the unit can perform at. Since this is the standard across the board, it is still a great way to determine an air conditioner’s efficiency and a great comparison tool for you and me.

Do Air Conditioners Dehumidify?

In short, yes. Air conditioners do dehumidify the area they are cooling. But how do they remove the humidity? And how much humidity is actually removed by your air conditioner?

These are important questions for those of us who live in naturally humid locations. For example, in the Southern and Coastal states humidity is a constant attribute of the environment all year long. And I personally don’t like it, but that’s another story!

So, experiencing high humidity levels in our homes and businesses can be something that we deal with in these humid locations. The problem with this is that when humidity levels are high inside, it makes it seem hotter than it really is. Think “heat index”. It has the same effect as it does with the outside “heat index”. This can cause us to run our air conditioners at a lower temperature simply because the humidity makes it feel hotter than it really is. This leads to higher energy bills and more money spent. High levels of moisture can also increase the chance of mold and mildew, along with other issues.

So, removing the humidity from our indoor environment is important, as you can see. Now, let’s get into some important questions to answer as we move forward.

How Do Air Conditioners Remove Humidity?