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Chicagoans Can Still Save Big on HVAC!

February 1st, 2012

The thick of winter in Chicago didn’t show up until January. For many of us the mild winter meant less use of the furnace and odds are the system really hadn’t been put to the test until the first big snowfall of this year. Now you may be faced with the need to replace that old furnace. For many this is their current predicament and they are kicking themselves for not acting sooner. The federal tax credits and rebates ran out at the end of 2011. Many homeowners have accepted the fact that they are going to have to pay full price, but wait a second! There are still substantial savings out there to be had, but you need to know where to look!

Two Ways to Save:

  • Gas Company Rebates: The local gas companies in Chicago, Nicor and People’s Gas, are still offering rebates on high efficiency furnaces and air conditioners. Replacing both units can get you up to $800 in rebates, and even if you can only afford to replace the furnace, you could still get up to $200 back on your purchase. Every penny counts and the savings could be enough to make buying that high efficiency furnace worth it.
  • Lennox Home Comfort Systems: If the furnace and air conditioner you plan to purchase are from Lennox Home Comfort Systems, you could stand to save even more! They are currently offering manufacturer rebates up to $1450! » Read more: Chicagoans Can Still Save Big on HVAC!

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Go Green, Heating, Money Saving, Value

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Can You Afford to Go Green?

January 16th, 2012

When energy efficient home improvements first exploded onto the home improvement scene, many of them were excessively expensive. Yes, they offered beefy long term savings but not many homeowners could afford the initial investment that it took to have these improvements installed. Nowadays, things are different. Green improvements are more popular these days, and manufacturers are bending over backwards to give the consumer what they want. This results in the ability to go green on a budget. One of the bigger investments that you could make in your home is the replacement of the HVAC system, and most of the major HVAC manufacturers have put out energy efficient systems that nearly anyone can afford.

Get More than the Minimum!

Replacing the furnace or air conditioner with a high efficiency system could save you hundreds yearly on your energy bills, but to maximize the savings you need to upgrade to the highest efficiency unit that you can afford. In the past this meant going with the minimum efficiency requirements and right now that would mean that you would purchase an 80% efficient furnace. Just because you operate on a budget doesn’t mean you have to settle for the minimum standard. » Read more: Can You Afford to Go Green?

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Furnace, Go Green, Heating, Information, Money Saving

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Going Green and Eliminating Water Waste

January 9th, 2012

If your home was built before 1990 and you haven’t replaced any of the original fixtures, odds are you are wasting tons of water with every flush of a toilet and turn of a dial. Old toilets and faucets use much more water than truly necessary for the needs of the home. An old toilet alone will waste around 17,300 gallons per year! That amount of waste not only takes a toll on your wallet every month, it also takes a toll on the condition of our planet. These appliances need to be upgraded to new low flow fixtures.

Traditional Vs Low Flow

The traditional toilet will use between 4 and 6 gallons with every flush, and that is way more water than is truly necessary to get waste out of your home. Nowadays, toilets must meet a government regulation that requires them to use only 1.6 gallons or less per flush of the toilet. You may have heard the many rumors that claim that these new toilets can’t handle the waste that they are intended to get rid of, but that is simply not the case. Early low flow toilets did have their fair share of problems, but these days, low flow toilets function as well if not better than your traditional wasteful toilet. » Read more: Going Green and Eliminating Water Waste

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Posted in Go Green, Home Services, Money Saving, Plumbing

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Quiet Performance from a Variable Speed Furnace

December 19th, 2011

We have all had that feeling when we are home alone that someone else was sneaking around upstairs or in the basement. Every house makes noises that can trick the imagination into thinking something scary is lurking around the next corner, but for the most part, these noises can be ignored. However, if you have an old furnace with a traditional single speed motor in it, you may find that the sound of the furnace kicking on is one noise you simply can’t ignore. It is a whooshing, whistling noise that rattles through the ducts until your mind can tune it out. For many, the noisy furnace even interrupts their sleep, and at some point they decide they have had enough!

Why is My Furnace So Noisy?

The reason why furnaces with these types of motors are so noisy is because they only run at one speed: high speed. There is no in between and there is no time wasted working up to top speed. Instead the fan immediately starts up and a sudden blast of air is pushed out into the home creating the noise that wakes you in the night. This problem can be solved with a simple fan upgrade or you would make sure that your next furnace is built to not experience this problem. » Read more: Quiet Performance from a Variable Speed Furnace

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Posted in Furnace, Go Green, HVAC Repair, Heating, Money Saving

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Snow and Your High Efficiency Furnace

November 28th, 2011

It is the middle of winter. Through the night several inches of snow have fallen and suddenly the furnace won’t kick on. Everything seems to be working properly, but there is something standing in the way between you and your comfort! If you are the owner of a high efficiency furnace, finding yourself in this situation may be common, but luckily, there is a quick fix that may not even require the help of an HVAC serviceman.

New Technology

The technology that makes it possible for your furnace to operate at such high efficiencies is relatively new, and because of this fact, you may not be aware of some of the differences your new system has compared to the unit you had in the home before it. By improving the way that the system is vented, the manufacturers of your high efficiency furnace were able to get more energy out of the natural gas that the furnace would consume. However, this new venting system can become easily obstructed and the obstruction will trigger safety systems to prevent proper function of the system. » Read more: Snow and Your High Efficiency Furnace

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Posted in Furnace, Go Green, HVAC Repair, Heating, Safty

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Garden Windows, Green Thumbs, and Brighter Homes

November 14th, 2011

For those of us that love to garden, Chicago’s weather isn’t exactly cooperative with this hobby. We may try to squeeze a few extra months in every year, but the first frost usually sneaks in and destroys our plants before we have any say in the matter. Some homeowners will move their hobby indoors and attempt to coax the sunlight in to keep their indoor gardens alive. However, older homes don’t have a lot of areas where the sunlight pours in, but you can change all that with one simple window replacement. Consider replacing an existing window with a garden window, and you can enjoy an indoor garden all year round!

Benefits of Installing a Garden Window

Garden windows are three dimensional structures that extend out from the home. They can fit in nearly any window opening and the larger the opening the better. Many come with shelving units that can hold the various plants you wish to grow indoors. Those of us that like to cook with fresh herbs can grow our very own herbal garden right in the kitchen and harvest our herbs as needed. Some homeowners will use the space to grow bright colorful flowers that bring spring-like beauty to the darkness of winter. Even those that aren’t big gardeners find uses for these windows. They are specially designed to bring more light into the home, and they could be just what your home needs to update the indoors. » Read more: Garden Windows, Green Thumbs, and Brighter Homes

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Posted in Go Green, Home Improvements, Home Services, Information

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Conserving Energy without Sacrificing Comfort

October 24th, 2011

More and more Americans are becoming energy conscience from both a conservation and a cost standpoint. A generation ago our grandparents would have sacrificed comfort to save a few dollars, but today’s modern family looks for better more efficient ways to keep energy usage and energy cost down. Most homeowners look for the products with the ENERGYSTAR logo when purchasing household appliances. You can find the ENERGYSTAR logo on items such as high efficiency furnaces and air conditioners also.

High Efficiency Furnace and Air Conditioners

Today’s furnace and air conditioner models conserve more energy which in turn leads to a lower cost on your energy bills. You no longer have to sacrifice comfort, and instead you can look for other ways to make your home more energy efficient. For the interior of your home, you can either buy a high efficiency furnace, or you could save a few bucks and just add attic insulation to your home. » Read more: Conserving Energy without Sacrificing Comfort

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Go Green, Heating, Home Services, Insulation

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Outdated Duct Work

October 10th, 2011

So you are purchasing a new HVAC system for your home, and you have already found the perfect furnace and air conditioner to replace your old outdated units. You have the systems installed, but once you really start using them, you don’t notice much of a difference between the way the old units worked and the way the new systems work. Sure the energy bills are a little bit lower, but did you really get the return on the investment that you were expecting? If not, the problem may not be with your new systems. The problem is probably located in the most commonly neglected portion of the HVAC system: the duct work.

Assessing the Ducts

            The duct work is more important most homeowners think. Sure, the ducts may not have any fancy gadgets, but their ability to transport air effectively is crucial to the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. If the air they are conditioning cannot get to the target rooms effectively, you will pay more every month for wasted energy that could have been saved by simply caring for this part of the system. The first step towards getting your ducts working the best that they can is to have them inspected by a professional. A true pro can give you an honest assessment of your ducts, and if they can be salvaged, the repair job is simple. If some parts need to be replaced, it may take a bit more effort, but it is necessary to complete so you can get the most out of your new heating and cooling units. » Read more: Outdated Duct Work

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Posted in Duct Cleaning, Furnace, Go Green, Home Services, Insulation, Money Saving

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Quick Tips to Save Energy

September 28th, 2011

With the rising cost of energy, it is very important and practical to conserve electricity as much as we can. Conserving energy not only helps us lower our electric bills, but it also helps protect our natural resources as well. There are a lot of ways to conserve energy. Most of them are so simple, even your kids can do it. Here are just a few to get you started:

5 Tips to Start Saving Energy

1. Turn off the lights when leaving a room at night. Electrical lights consume a large amount of energy especially if you are using incandescent lights which are energy inefficient kind of lights. Make it a habit to turn the lights off and see how much you could save on your electricity bills.

2. Unplug your appliances when you’re not using them. Appliances that are plugged still consume energy even if they are turned off so to avoid this from happening, unplug everything that is not in use. » Read more: Quick Tips to Save Energy

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Posted in Go Green, Information, Money Saving

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Outrageous Electric Bills!

August 15th, 2011

The heat wave is over but some people are still hot under the collar. Why? They just got the electric bills. More than one couple is sitting there drinking their morning coffee and blaming each other for the outrageous electric bill that just came in the mail. In most cases it wasn’t because they had their thermostat set too low it’s because they have problems with the efficiency of their air conditioner or their home isn’t insulated correctly.

How Much are You Wasting?

These two simple problems that no one seems to see until we get extremes in weather will causes high electric bills and homes that are uncomfortable in the late afternoon. This wake-up call shouldn’t be ignored. If your air conditioner is using that much electricity in extreme weather, how much is it wasting in moderate weather? » Read more: Outrageous Electric Bills!

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Go Green, Home Improvements, Home Repairs, Insulation, Money Saving

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