Home Ventilation is the V in HVAC, but it gets much less attention than heating or air conditioning. It’s still a crucial part of an energy-efficient home that helps to control moisture and remove contaminants such as allergens, viruses and micro-particles.
You have a few home ventilation options to choose from when you’re building or renovating a home.
Air conditioning is essential when you live in the Bay Area. Summer heat waves have gotten more frequent. And when you’re in the middle of a summer heat wave, you may be tempted to turn up your AC and run it nonstop to keep the heat at bay. But, as good as that might feel at the time, you will suffer for it when it comes time to pay your next utility bill. Fortunately, you can save money on air conditioning even during the hottest days of the summer.
Follow these tips to help keep your PG&E bill lower in a hot summer: Continue reading
Central air conditioning is great to have when you live in the Bay Area. But there is still the matter of what to do about the A/C unit that sits outside of your home. While AC units are very practical, they are not very attractive. There are ways, however, to use landscaping around your outdoor air conditioning unit or heat pump to minimize the visual impact while allowing the unit to operate efficiently.
Element Home Solutions does not provide landscaping services. But, we recommend following some of the steps shared here to protect your HVAC investment!
Rainy Bay Area winters can impact your home’s air conditioning system while it sits idle, especially systems with outdoor AC units. Leaves and other debris may have settled in the air intakes, and water may have intruded and could be rusting the unit’s components.
And your furnace has been working hard all winter, and may need some attention before switching over to AC for the summer.
So it is prudent to get your AC units and furnaces inspected this month to ensure a smooth transition. Continue reading
If you own a two-story home in the San Francisco Bay Area, a zoned AC system may help improve your whole home comfort. Setting up a central air conditioner with one thermostat to evenly cool a two-story Bay Area house can be difficult. You might find that some rooms are perfectly comfortable, while others are still way too warm. Or are too cold! Your AC unit will struggle to deliver an air flow that cools hotter rooms upstairs without over-chilling downstairs rooms.
Home insulation is one of the most important hidden qualities of any Bay Area residence, yet because it is hidden in attics, walls and crawl spaces, it’s something that homeowners don’t often think about. Good insulation lowers energy bills and keeps your home feeling comfortable throughout the year, so it’s always something to consider when building or renovating your home. Let’s go over some of the basics of insulation so you can get a better idea of how you should insulate your attic.
If you are always looking for ways to lower your summer utility bills, a whole house fan may be a good addition to your home HVAC system. We all think about how to keep our houses cool in a heat wave without relying too much on the air conditioner. The whole house fan is a more affordable alternative, available through Bay Area HVAC servicers. And it can keep you from running your air conditioner full blast all summer and running up your monthly utility bills.
Zoned air conditioning systems are rising in popularity in the Bay Area. Homeowners use it improve home comfort in every room. Most HVAC systems only have one thermostat. This only measures the temperature in one spot. This may work for some smaller Bay Area houses, but what if your family can’t agree on a comfortable temperature? What about homes where it is significantly hotter upstairs or cooler in the basement? One HVAC system that controls everything isn’t enough in these cases. That’s where zoned HVAC systems come in!
Spring is approaching, which means you may need to get your air conditioning service done before the warmer weather. Bay Area homeowners may have a long list of projects they wish to tackle once Spring truly arrives. So let’s plan to get the AC unit ready for summer as a priority! This is especially if you wish to get your Bay Area air conditioning repair done before the first heat wave arrives! Some tasks are DIY, like removing winter covers, clearing debris and changing filters. But deeper inspections should be conducted by HVAC services for Bay Area. Continue reading
There are a lot of elements to home furnace maintenance. One big challenge how to protect your HVAC system against pets. Pet hair and dander do not always mix well with your ventilation system (the V in HVAC). This is especially if your household is allergic to pet dander. Good air filtration systems can cut down on the amount of hair and dander that gets into your home ventilation system. So that is one step to protect your home’s HVAC system from your pets. Fortunately, controlling pet hair and dander isn’t as difficult as you might think. Just follow these simple HVAC maintenance tips.
The best way to protect your HVAC system from your pets is to keep things as clean as possible. This will obviously mean cleaning your home of excessive pet hair, but it should also include changing your furnace filter regularly, wiping the dust from grates and air vents, and keeping your outdoor AC unit clear of dirt and debris if you have one. Not all of this is related to your pets, but it’s still an essential part of keeping your HVAC system in good working order.
Furry animals shed. That’s a fact of life. Even short hair dog and cat breeds will leave fur on your carpet and on your furniture. At least some of that fur will end up in your home’s vents along with your pets’ dander. You might not be able to avoid this completely, but you can make your pets a little more HVAC-friendly by grooming them regularly. Pets with more fur or that shed more often will need more grooming than other animals, but at least brush your pets’ coats regularly if you don’t want to put too much stress on your HVAC system.
If you or anyone in your home is experiencing allergy symptoms due to pet dander, consider installing an air purifier in your home. Air purifiers remove harmful particles from the air in your home more effectively than a regular HVAC system. It can make a big difference if pet allergies are a serious issue in your home.
Finally, never skip your winter heater inspection. Even if you’re experiencing a mild Bay Area winter, your HVAC system should be inspected at least once a year, preferably before the main heating season. Having a licensed HVAC contractor look over your heating and cooling system might uncover issues that need to be repaired before they get out of hand. If that isn’t the case, the peace of mind you’ll get from a professional inspection will be well worth it.
If you haven’t scheduled an HVAC inspection in your home this year, contact Element Home Solutions today. We service homes in Oakland, San Jose, East Bay, and the surrounding areas. We will be happy to assist you if you are in need of a qualified HVAC professional.
