Archive for September 2012
NATE Certification Means You’re In Great Hands
You should take the installation, maintenance and repair of your home HVAC systems very seriously. Heating and cooling equipment must be installed properly to work efficiently and safely, preventing hazards such as exposure to carbon monoxide. Your technician should be knowledgeable, experienced and careful, with both the desire and the ability to do the job…
Read MoreYour Tankless Water Heater: What You’ll Need To Consider
Tankless water heaters provide just the hot water you need and only when you need it. Unlike conventional storage-tank water heaters, with a tankless system there’s no tank holding gallons of hot water in reserve. Because water in that tank continuously cools and requires re-heating, storage heaters are not the most energy-efficient alternative. Water heatingtypically…
Read MoreThe Telltale Signs Of A Troubled Duct System
What goes on inside a duct system is a mystery to most homeowners. Enclosed inside walls, hidden in the attic or crawl space, ducts get little thought until the utility bills reach critical mass. However, ducts are one of the first suspects an HVAC pro will investigate if your home’s wasting energy. Nationwide studies have…
Read MoreYour Air Conditioning’s Out? Try These Troubleshooting Tips
It’s a bad time for your air conditioning system to go down. During summer in Wichita, there’s really no good time. It doesn’t necessarily mean major downtime or a repair-or-replace scenario. Except for a few simple steps, though, only a trained HVAC contractor can safely diagnose common problems that take an air conditioning system out…
Read MoreThe Mini Split: All The Advantages Of A Heat Pump, And Then Some
Where central air and heating isn’t possible and a noisy, intrusive window unit isn’t desirable, a ductless mini split fills the gap. The technology matches a compact indoor air handler with an outdoor heat pump condensing unit to cool and heat an individual room without the costly installation of ductwork. This allows conditioning of renovations…
Read MoreThose Troublesome Air Leaks: Find Them, Fix Them
The air leaks in your home are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That’s why the volume of heat that can enter during summer or escape during winter is so large. In a house without weatherizing, the sum total of leakage from all sources can be the equivalent of leaving an exterior…
Read MoreConsidering A Geothermal Or Solar Installation? You Can Still Get A Tax Credit
Federal legislators have given a big vote of confidence to home geothermal or solar installations. Geothermal heats and cools your home more efficiently than any other technology. Solar power is now the world’s fastest-growing renewable source of energy. While the time period for tax breaks covering a range of energy-saving appliances expired at the end of 2011, the 30 percent…
Read MoreThe Summer Blackout: Have What You Need, And Know What To Do?
Power outage in winter are usually limited to ice storms and blizzards, but a summer blackout can occur for a variety of reasons. Here in southern Kansas, high winds associated with severe thunderstorms or even tornadoes can take down power lines. Lightning strikes can damage transformers or utility substations. During a heat wave, extreme demands on…
Read More