Do you want to increase your utility or home maintenance bills? Likely not. Unfortunately, you may inadvertently do just that. Several habits or some inattentiveness can drive up the cost of your heating and cooling. They may even cost you more money in the long run with needed repairs or replacement. Avoid the following mistakes to keep your costs low.

Leave Your Thermostat Alone

A leading cause of high utility bills is running the air conditioner for too long at too low a temperature. Truthfully, if you can feel content with a higher air temperature, you should keep it there. What’s more, either program your thermostat or manually change it to reflect slightly higher temperatures when you’re away from home.

Likewise, consider calibrating your thermostat. Just because the display flashes a temperature doesn’t mean it’s accurate. Ensure accuracy by calibrating the device because even a few degrees differential can be costly.

Void the Warranty

When you install a new HVAC unit, it should come with a warranty. First, register the warranty. Otherwise, it might be a non-starter from the get-go. Once you’ve registered the warranty, you’ll want to keep it valid.

The main way you’ll void a registered warranty is by having unlicensed technicians repair the unit. Whether you attempt the repair yourself or hire a local handyman, the fix might not meet the manufacturer’s specifications. The manufacturer requires that you hire licensed HVAC technicians to keep the warranty valid.

Fail to Maintain the Unit

Your AC unit needs regular maintenance to keep it running smoothly. Such maintenance includes the following tasks:

• Replace the air filter.
• Clean the compressor cabinet.
• Remove dirt from the coils.
• Keep the unit free of debris.

If you allow dirt or debris to accumulate in or around your HVAC unit, it may have to work harder, which will increase your energy bills. The unit itself may also burn out if the clogs are bad enough.

Position the Unit, Vents, or Thermostat Poorly

The location of your air conditioning unit will significantly impact how efficiently it works. Essentially, you want to keep it out of the sun. You can locate the unit in a naturally shady spot or install a shade cover over the unit.

The location of the vents and thermostat will also affect how efficiently you can cool your house. As with the unit itself, the thermostat should be away from a sunny area. Keep the thermostat away from heat-producing appliances because the thermostat will read the temperature as being higher than it really is. Finally, ensure the vents aren’t blocked, which would prevent proper circulation.

Neglect Your Ductwork

Speaking of vents, the area behind is equally important. Duct cleaning and maintenance is important to keep your inside environment pleasant. However, the general condition of your ducts can also affect how efficiently your home cools. For example, if you have leaks in the ductwork, conditioned air may escape into useless spaces.

You’ll want to seal your ducts. You could try duct tape, but, despite its name, it usually won’t hold up to the job over time. Foil-backed tape is a better bet. You may want licensed technicians to perform this job. Likewise, consider adding more insulation around your ducts.

Run the Unit When You Smell Burning

Sometimes you’ll turn on your HVAC unit and smell a foul odor. Typically, said odors simply indicate you need a professional cleaning and/or new filter. However, one odor can be a sign of a deeper issue — a burning smell.

A burning smell usually means something inside your unit is burning, and that’s not good. It may be the wires, the motor, or any other electrical component of the unit that’s short-circuiting. When you run the unit despite the smell, you may end up damaging or destroying it. You may even end up with a fire.

Don’t throw your money away because of HVAC issues. Contact Custom Comfort Plumbing, Heating, & Cooling LLC, for all your heating and cooling needs.

The general economic and environmental advantages of home solar are widely known. Before you can determine precisely how much benefit a home solar system will provide you with, however, you need to know some specific figures. If you’re getting home solar, make sure you know these numbers so that you can accurately understand how the system will benefit you.

Your Month-by-Month Electricity Usage

First, check your past year’s electric bills to see how much electricity you’ve used each month. At this stage, you need to know how much electricity was consumed in each individual month — and you especially need to know consumption in the highest month.

You can use these numbers to determine how much electricity your new home solar system needs to generate.

Assuming you want the system to replace your full energy usage, it should be capable of generating the same number of kilowatt-hours as were used in the highest month. If you get a system that can only produce your monthly average, you’ll need to purchase electricity from a utility company during peak months and won’t be entirely self-sufficient.

Your Monthly Electricity Costs

Second, also see what you’re currently paying each month for electricity. Start by checking what you pay per kilowatt-hour, and also look up your average monthly usage if you haven’t already come across that figure.

To find out how much you pay for the actual electricity used, multiply your per-kilowatt-hour cost by your average monthly kilowatt-hour consumption.

In all likelihood, your total won’t be exactly what you pay each month because most utility companies charge additional fees. Contact your utility provider and go over each additional charge on your bill to find out which ones you won’t have to pay once home solar is installed.

To determine how much a home solar system will save you in electric costs each year, add the charges you won’t pay to your monthly costs for kilowatt-hours. Then, multiply this figure by 12 to get an annual amount that you won’t have to pay.

This amount is the annual savings you can expect from your home solar system.

Your Utility Provider’s Buyback Rate

Third, ask your utility provider what they pay homeowners who sell excess solar electricity back into the grid. Most utility companies offer compensation for excess electricity that can be directed to other homes, but the rates they pay differ just as the rates they charge do.

To find out how much you’ll ultimately get for selling electricity back, you’ll need to know your month-by-month consumption and what your system will produce. Then, you need to do a little math:

1. Subtract each monthly consumption from your system’s projected production to find out how many kilowatt-hours will be left over in each individual month.
2. Add each individual month’s excess kilowatt-hours up to obtain an annual excess amount.
3. Multiply the annual excess amount by your utility provider’s payment rate for a yearly total that you can expect to receive.

This amount is money that you’ll receive throughout the year and another direct economic benefit to you.

Your Home’s Value

Finally, find out what your home’s current fair-market value is. If it’s been a while since you purchased the house, you may want to ask a real estate agent for an estimate. If you bought the house recently, you can just use your purchase price.

Know your home’s value to predict how much a home solar system will increase your home’s worth by. Most systems increase property value by 3 to 4 percent. For a conservative estimate of how much your house’s price will go up, multiply your home’s value by 3 percent.

If you’d like a home solar system, contact Custom Comfort Plumbing, Heating & Cooling LLC.

The higher the outdoor temperature climbs, the more reliant you are on your home’s air conditioning system. An AC failure during the summer months can be disastrous. Not only will you end up having to live without cool air in your home until repairs are made, you will end up paying a premium for repairs during this peak season.

Pests can pose a serious problem in regard to the health and performance of your air conditioning system. It’s important that you are proactive in preventing pests from accessing your AC system if you want to avoid the damage that rodents, insects, and snakes can cause.

1. Keep Vents Covered

Pests can gain entry into your home through the smallest opening. In fact, a fully grown mouse can easily squeeze through an opening the size of a dime! Your AC system offers many openings in the form of air vents and a flue that helps to regulate and eliminate gases produced during the heating and cooling processes.

However, vents and flues can serve as superhighways for any pest to gain access to your home. You need to ensure that you are investing in covers for both your vents and flues that will keep pests out.

Birds, mice, and insects like to make their nests inside of these openings, which can restrict airflow. And rodents will travel through vents and down the flue into your home, exposing your family to potential disease. Specialized mesh screens with openings that are too small to allow birds or rodents entry can be installed over any openings in your HVAC system to eliminate pest problems in the future.

1. Repair Air Ducts

Pests don’t have to be outside your home to access your AC system. Any rodents, insects, or other pests that are already within the walls of your home can easily enter the HVAC system through damaged air ducts. Since the ducts act as a network connecting all parts of your home, any pest inside the ducts will be able to travel through your home at will.

It can be difficult to determine when your ducts are damaged. Most ducts are concealed within the wall or ceiling, making a visual inspection impossible. So watch for some visible signs of damaged air ducts like excessive dust on the surfaces of your home or increases in your home energy costs.

An experienced HVAC technician will be able to conduct a duct blower test to determine if your air ducts need to be repaired or replaced. Have your ducts checked often, and you can eliminate any openings in the ducts that might allow for the entrance of pests.

1. Care for the Condenser

Your AC system features a condenser unit that is typically located outside your home. This large box plays an important role in controlling air temperature, but it can also be a beacon inviting pests to enter your AC system.

Take the time to clear away any weeds, bushes, or other foliage that may be growing near the condenser. Never leave debris stacked by the condenser, as piles of debris can invite unwanted pests. Rodents, snakes, and insects are less likely to attempt to infiltrate your condenser if they don’t have access to ground cover nearby.

Schedule routine inspections of the condenser unit with an HVAC professional so that evidence of electrical or refrigerant line damage caused by gnawing rodents can be corrected before your AC system fails. By taking action to prevent pest activity in and around your condenser unit, you can also make the unit more efficient at cooling your home.

Contact the professionals at Custom Comfort for help pest-proofing your AC system this summer.