DIY/Home Archives - Page 2 of 28

Benefits of Using a Variable-Speed Air Conditioner

February 2, 2020 by Mandy

Many people are used to the loud noises of a traditional, single-speed air conditioner. A single-speed air conditioner turns on when the thermostat registers below the set temperature and stays on until the temperature inside the house reaches or exceeds this setting. We’ve become accustomed to this on-and-off way of cooling our homes for decades.

However, a variable-speed air conditioner works differently. This type of air conditioner automatically varies its speed to keep a home at an even, comfortable temperature consistently, without the need to turn on and off throughout the day or night. This ability brings with it several benefits that may have you reaching for a phone to speak to a knowledgeable HVAC specialist.

More Energy Saving

Image via Flickr by Michael R. Wolfe

Single-speed and double-speed air conditioners are constantly spooling before they turn on full power, cool, and shut off. However, a variable-speed air conditioner that runs continuously will use much less energy. Many traditional air conditioners are overpowered for the home and use too much energy when operating for a short duration. This efficiency ensures that you get the most operating power for your money on your utility bills.

Less Disruptive Operating Noise

Since a variable-speed air conditioner is continuously operating, and usually at much lower speeds than a single-speed air conditioner, you rarely hear the system turn on. Many homeowners enjoy not having to turn up the television or move a conversation to another room due to the noise of older air conditioners. The constant low hum of your new variable-speed air conditioner allows you to live life in your home without your air conditioner getting in the way.

Better Indoor Humidity Control

Operating your air conditioner can help to reduce humidity in the home. However, no homeowner would want to leave a single-speed air conditioner operating continuously just to lower indoor humidity. A variable-speed system that automatically adjusts to desired humidity levels in the home can operate continuously and help to reduce the relative humidity inside the home. Lower humidity levels can help reduce and sometimes prevent biological growth in your home, which makes a healthier home for everyone in the household.

Improved Home Comfort

The newest variable-speed air conditioning systems can also be used with the newest forms of technology with thermostats. Between the more consistent temperatures offered with a variable-speed air conditioner and the best in thermostat home comfort technology, you can keep your home comfortable regardless of the season of the year.

Learn More from an HVAC Services Provider

If you’d like to learn more about variable-speed air conditioners and how they can help you maintain your home through lower relative humidity levels and receive better savings on your home utility costs, then now may be the time to speak to an experienced HVAC technician. With information on the latest variable-speed air conditioning systems, you know that you will be investing in your home as well as your future comfort. Talk to an HVAC services provider today to start enjoying this comfort tomorrow.

Plants That Improve the Air Quality Inside Your Home

February 2, 2020 by Mandy

Plants help to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air by replacing it with the healthy oxygen that we all need. Having plants in your home can help improve the overall air quality, but some plants do this better than others. To get you started, here’s a list of some of our favorite plants to improve the air quality inside your home. Which will you be adding to your indoor garden?

Aloe Vera

Having aloe vera around is always a good idea to treat burns and sunburns. Living aloe vera plants can improve air quality by reducing the amount of formaldehyde in your home. A preservative and component found in many types of furniture and plastics, formaldehyde is best kept outside your home.

Areca Palm

There aren’t very many indoor plants that provide a sense of height to your greenery. Most are in pots that need to rest on the floor or grouped on shelves, but the areca palm can grow to 6-8 feet and bring tropical flair into your home while improving air quality.

Lady Palm

Not only does the lady palm remove everyday toxins from the air inside your home but it also specifically targets odors and many cancer-causing organisms. To improve your family’s health and decrease your risk of cancer, bring a lady palm indoors.

Bamboo

Bamboo is already found in many homes because it is easy-to-grow, requires little maintenance, and has a unique appearance. Not only does bamboo help improve air quality by reducing the levels of formaldehyde in the air in your home, but it can also reduce levels of harmful benzene and trichloroethylene.

English Ivy

English ivy is famous for the classic look that it commonly provides to the outside of buildings as it climbs up brick or trellises. You can also grow it indoors to improve air quality throughout your home. A hearty plant, it will grow without the use of potting soil that attracts gnats and other insects. Instead, watch the roots grow in a glass vase.

Chrysanthemum

Image via Flickr by AndrewRRose

Next time you are stopping by the florist to pick up something for someone special, grab a bouquet of chrysanthemums, also known as mums, for yourself. These beautiful flowers reduce the levels of ammonia in the air and brighten up any room with vibrant colors. Chrysanthemums are commonly known as “the get-well flower” because of their ability to purify the air.

Peace Lily

While those with cats should avoid placing peace lilies in their home, these lovely plants can help reduce levels of benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and acetone in your indoor air. By creating cleaner air for you and your family, it may be rightly named by creating a sense of well-being and peace.

If you care about the air quality in your home and want the best for your family, discuss your needs with a certified HVAC service provider who can advise you on many different methods for creating a healthy air environment for you and your family. Not only can you improve the air quality inside your home with plants but also by replacing or upgrading your HVAC system with different filters, purifiers, or components. Help your family to breathe easily and increase their comfort at home both naturally and with the help of an expert.

7 Benefits of Installing Ductless Air Conditioner

January 9, 2020 by Mandy

Ductless air conditioners offer homeowners an affordable, flexible, and space-saving option for cooling their homes. These systems are intended to control the climate of each room and don’t require installation of lengthy ductwork running through your floor, ceilings, or walls. Find out if the benefits of ductless systems could be the right match for your air conditioning needs.

Quiet Operation

Ductless air conditioners are installed in each room which eliminates the nuisance of a traditional overpowered HVAC unit starting up each time the home needs cooling. Because a ductless system runs much more quietly, you won’t have to increase the volume of your music, television, or voices while it is running. You can easily sit back and enjoy the peaceful cool and quiet that a ductless air conditioner provides while operating.

Flexible Comfort

A large HVAC unit cools the entire house and some rooms may get colder than others. With locally controlled ductless air conditioners, you can forget the frustration of trying to balance the climate in your home and simply cool each area to your desired temperature. Each member of the household can adjust the cooling to their liking so there’s no more fighting over the thermostat.

Improved Air Quality

Air ducts, especially in older homes, are notorious havens for dirt and dust, pollen, and dangerous microorganisms. Without air ducts running through your home, you no longer have to worry about what may be growing in these hidden paces.

Lowered Utility Bills

A major source of concern for many homeowners using traditional HVAC units is the amount of energy being consumed by the system, especially in the summertime. Ductless air conditioners allow you to cool different areas of your home separately and they require much less energy, which drastically reduces your utility bills. Even when running constantly during extreme temperatures, these energy-efficient units result in lowered monthly expenses.

Easy Installation

October 3, 2017 the Missouri University of Science and Technology Team presents their SILO House, based on a traditional farmhouse layout with more natural light at 61st and Pena Station, Denver, Colorado.Carrier ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner with Heat Pump (Dennis Schroeder/NREL).

Image via Flickr by National Renewable Energy Lab

Ductless air conditioner systems are much easier to install than other HVAC systems. This is especially true for homes that may not have existing ductwork or sufficient electrical systems, such as older homes built before modern AC systems. This makes ductless air conditioning a much more affordable home upgrade for these homes as well as a cost-effective air conditioning system for new construction.

Space Saver

Eliminating ductwork running through your home provides much more efficient use of space, including the ability to remove air duct systems completely for more ceiling height and floor space. You’ll also save considerable space without having to house a large HVAC unit.

Better for the Environment

Using less energy is always much better for the environment. Each ductless air conditioner is Energy Star certified and the entire system uses much less energy than a traditional HVAC unit. You’ll also keep the environment much healthier inside and outside of your home without old, dirty air ducts.

Curious about just how low your energy bills could go with a ductless air conditioner? Speak to a qualified HVAC provider to learn more about this innovative way to make your home a cooler, quieter, more efficient environment for you and your family to enjoy.

3 Benefits of Using an Energy Recovery Ventilator

January 8, 2020 by Mandy

An energy recovery ventilator, referred to as an ERV, works like a heat pump to extract air from one place and transfer it to another. However, the unique purpose of an ERV is to bring warm air away from those stale corners of your home and into areas where that heat can be felt and enjoyed. In the summer, it works just the same with cool air.

Stale air can become a breeding ground to physical contaminants or microorganisms that can affect you and your family as well as your HVAC system. By providing additional air circulation to hidden corners of your home, an ERV can help you get the most out of your home’s resources, make better use of insulation, and save energy and money.

Fewer Contaminants in Your Home

Image via Flickr by bildflut85

Stale air breeds contaminants that are not always easy to see or identify. Because air can get trapped in smaller areas and tends to linger without circulation, contaminants can build up. You may notice that a certain area of your home requires dusting more often or that you always find a pile of dirt or debris in certain corners. An energy recovery ventilator works to create better airflow throughout your home by moving air out of these potentially stale areas and preventing air from idling. When contaminants don’t get stuck in a particular location, they are eventually brought through your HVAC’s filtration and/or purification systems.

Better Energy Efficiency

Your home could be more efficient with an energy recovery ventilator. Once contaminants are picked up by filtration systems, fewer harmful irritants are able to survive. Without a quiet, stagnant corner to linger in, dirt and debris are efficiently removed and may not even need to go through the HVAC filter. If your filter is not overwhelmed by excessive pollen, dander, and particles, your system will work more efficiently. This efficient use of energy leads to lower utility bills and other reduced expenses.

Longer Life for Your HVAC System

An ERV can help reduce and delay is the replacement of your HVAC system in its entirety. If your filters are not clogged and the air is able to regularly circulate through your home with the use of an ERV, your air conditioning and heating system is less likely to be overworked, especially in extreme weather conditions. When compounded over several years of efficient operation, the life span of your HVAC system could even increase with the use of an energy recovery ventilator.

If you’re ready to spend more days feeling happy and healthy in your home, extend the life of your home’s heating and cooling system, and reap the rewards of reduced utility bills, then it’s time to talk to an HVAC service provider with ERV experience. These experts can evaluate the structure and current systems in your home to determine if installing an ERV could be the ideal option for you and your family to be able to enjoy fresher, cleaner air throughout your home.

8 Eco-Friendly Habits to Do With Your Kids

January 2, 2020 by Mandy

Being environmentally friendly can take time to master, and the best time to start being eco-conscious is as a child. Then, it is important that you teach your kids to look after the environment, and it is possible to do this by shaping everyday habits for you and your children that can help to reduce your impact on the environment and your carbon footprint.

1. Compost Your Waste

Composting is an easy activity to do with the kids, allowing them to add all of your waste vegetables to the compost heap in order to be decomposed. A fun and unique way to compost is by vermicomposting through Yorkshire Worms, where you can add small worms to your compost heap in order to decompose the food effectively.

2. Switch off Lights

Switching off the lights in rooms that you are not using is a quick and simple habit that can help you to save on your electricity and finite resource usage. To make this fun for kids, you could ask them to make signs for every light switch to encourage your family to turn off the lights.

3. Grow Your Own Food

Encourage your kid’s green fingers by creating a vegetable patch in your garden, where your children can learn to be sustainable (while using less supermarket food). You can let your kids pick the plants that they want to grow, and help them to plant and water these every day.

4. Reduce Plastic Usage

Reduce your kid’s plastic usage by investing in reusable straws and bags and avoiding plastic packaging. You can turn this into a game for your kids by allowing them to think up ways to reduce plastic use, or helping them to spot alternatives.

5. Consider Eco-Friendly Crafts

Eco-friendly crafts can while away a rainy afternoon while teaching kids about the environment. These can be eco-friendly alternatives, such as sustainable Christmas trees and natural jewellery, or creations to help the environment, such as wooden bird boxes and bug hotels for your garden.

6. Start Recycling

You can make recycling fun for children by organising an event to count and celebrate how much recycling you have done as a family. As well as this, you could also take your kids to see a museum exhibition on recycling and start a family competition to see who can recycle the most. You can also create fun activities from recycling, such as races and scavenger hunts, and show them recycling websites online that have been tailored for children.

7. Buy Second-Hand Products

Take your kid to a charity shop and allow them to explore, picking out clothing and toys that they would like in exchange for your donation. Not only will this cut down on your wastage and the need to buy new possessions, but it will teach kids the basic elements of reusing and repurposing.

8. Go Walking

Rather than take the car on your next outing, consider swapping vehicles for a walk, whether this is just for fun, or between two destinations. You can entertain children on walks by organising a bug hunt or spotting games where kids have a number of different wildlife or plants.