Save Money this Fall and Winter While Staying Warm

Studies show that the average family in the U.S. spends $2,200 on energy bills. What’s more, heating and cooling make up the bulk of those costs.

Suffice to say, staying warm can eat away at your budget.

But it doesn’t have to. There are plenty of ways to stay warm and cozy without having to empty your pocketbook.

Keep reading to learn about a few easy ways that you can keep yourself and your family warm this winter, and how heating services can help!

Keep Your Blinds Open

Do you live or have an office in an area that gets plenty of sunshine? Then you’re in luck!

Leaving the blinds open is an easy and completely free way to naturally add a little heat to any room.

While it won’t add as much heat as, say, your heater, you can expect to raise the temperature by a few degrees. Plus, sunlight has a positive impact on mood. So go ahead and let a little sunshine in — it might just save you a few bucks.

Keep up with Maintenance

Your home’s furnace has a lifespan of around 20 to 30 years. However, that might be shorter depending on how good you are about keeping up with basic maintenance.

It’s ideal to have your furnace checked twice per year, though some people opt for a once-per-year checkup.

Now is the perfect time to have your furnace and cooling system serviced.

Dust Your Vents and Change Air Filters

Of course, furnace maintenance isn’t the only area you’ll want to keep up with. It’s also crucial that you keep up with your home’s air quality.

Dirty air filters and dusty vents contribute to allergies and breathing troubles and might even affect your home or office’s temperature.

If you’re not comfortable replacing your air filter yourself, feel free to call a trusted heating and cooling service. At the very least, you should aim to dust any vents once per week, as dust and dirt can build up and impact air quality, too.

Check the Sealent on Doors and Windows

Can’t seem to keep your house cool no matter what? The issue may not be your vents or furnace at all.

Air leaks are responsible for up to 30% of heating and cooling energy loss, as improperly sealed doors and windows allow cold air to enter your home as heat escapes.

If you find any vulnerabilities in your home, fixing any leaks shouldn’t take longer than an hour or two.

Let Our Heating Services Keep You Warm This Winter

Ultimately, your best bet is to check in with local heating services. Aside from performing routine upkeep on your HVAC unit, they can alert you of any quick fixes you can make around your home to stay warm.

Don’t get left out in the cold, give us a call today and check out how our pricing and specials can save you money.

Furnace Installation: A Job for the Experts

Furnace installation is a serious job that requires a heating specialist to ensure that it is done as safely and efficiently as possible. DIY might be a popular pastime and you may even be quite good at it, but when it comes to something as potentially dangerous as installing a furnace, you really do need to hire the best professional you can find to complete the work, for all of the reasons below…

 

Specialized Knowledge

When looking to hire a professional furnace installation expert, you will not only benefit from a high level of workmanship, that will ensure your home is safe and warm, but you will also benefit from the experience of the professional who is doing the work for you. Most homeowners have to learn home maintenance and DIY fast, but they are not typically trained in the finer details, and it is the finer details that are important in a furnace installation. Your furnace installation professional will know the exact formula required to choose the best furnace for your home, and they can pass this knowledge on to you. This will ensure that you choose the best model for the size of your home, and that will help to keep your monthly heating bills low while maximizing the life of your new furnace. Seeing them work, you’ll also learn more about how a furnace should be installed correctly.

 

Required Specialist Equipment

Furnace installation is not something you can do with the most basic of tools – it requires specialist equipment that it would be expensive to buy, and time-consuming to learn how to use correctly. In fact, it could cost you just as much to acquire the equipment you need as it would cost you to hire the best professionals in your area.

It’s hard work installing a furnace. You have to remove the old unit first, which means you’ll need to cut and grind up the old metal, and that’s before you get started on putting the new one in. It can be dangerous work, which is why you should really leave it to the professionals who have all of the training and experience required to do it right.

 

Highly Skilled

Furnace installation companies are staffed by highly competent individuals who have been fully trained in the job they are doing. They know how to safely remove old furnaces and how to deal with the ductwork and sheet metal that are so vital to the process, efficiently, with safety at the forefront of everything they do. If you try to do the work yourself or hire someone who is less than the best there is, you could end up hurting yourself, or have an improper installation on your hands, which could cause safety issues or leave you with a furnace that isn’t as efficient as it could or should be.

 

Safety Guaranteed

Furnace installation isn’t just a matter of plug and play. There is a lot of work that goes into a safe installation. The new unit has to be wired up to your home’s main electrical system. If you don’t know how to safely cut through wires, you could end up being electrocuted and potentially killed. If the person doing the work doesn’t know their wiring, they could turn your home into a potential fire hazard too. Then, there’s the matter of knowing how to connect the ductwork to your furnace in such a way that the dangerous gasses that pass through won’t leak out into your home. Get just one of these things wrong, and it could be a devastating disaster for your family and your home. Hiring the best furnace installation professionals you can find will give you peace of mind that the job will be done safely. The best in the business will also offer warranties, which means that, if things do go wrong, they will come back and sort the problem free of charge, asap.

Installing a furnace is not something that should be treated lightly. Only people who truly know what they are doing, who have the relevant qualifications and experience, should be doing the job. A badly installed furnace is not only a potential money-suck, but it can also pose a real danger to your home and family. That’s why it’s not worth cutting corners or trying to do it yourself, and why it is always worth seeking out the best people to do the job. At Larsen Heating & Air we are experts in installing furnaces. Contact us today to get a quote for your furnace installation.

 

Why Hire an Air Conditioner Repair Company

Even though your air conditioning system should be highly reliable, especially if you get it serviced at least once a year, there could be times when things go wrong. Thankfully, the repairs or fixtures that are needed to get a faulty AC system up and running again should only be small. Regardless of how small you think that they might be, though, you will still need to call out a professional air conditioner repair company to do them for you.

These days a lot of homeowners try to save some money by doing DIY jobs. However, no matter how much you think you are up to the job, it really isn’t a good idea to try any DIY on your air conditioning system. It is a very complex system that a professional should always take a look at. Even if you have a confident friend or relative who thinks that they know what they are doing, it’s still always best to call in the pros. Here are a few reasons why that is.

 

They Have All The Right Training And Qualifications

One of the best things about using a professional engineer to help you with all of your air conditioning system issues is that they will have all of the necessary training and qualifications for the job. They will be able to quickly figure out what the issue is and the best way to fix it. These are things that you won’t be able to figure out no matter how many YouTube how-tos you might watch. Not only that, though, but a professional from an air conditioning repair company will have all of right tools for the job. There’s a good chance that you won’t have any of these and could really struggle doing a good job.

 

It’s A Lot Safer Than Trying Yourself

As a pro air-conditioning repair man will have all of the right kinds of tools for the job and will know exactly what they need to do, they will be able to carry out the repairs and fixes as safely as possible. If you try to fiddle around with your AC system, you could end up touching or changing something that you shouldn’t have, which could prove to be very dangerous. That’s especially the case if accidentally hit anything that is connected to your home’s electrical system.

 

They’ll Understand Your Exact Type Of AC System

There are a lot of different makes and models of AC systems and units. Each one will have its very own spec and will come with a unique set of instructions on its proper use. That also means that there will be different ways to go about fixing and repairing each type of air conditioning system. Thankfully, a highly qualified professional will know about every single type and they will know exactly how to handle yours. They won’t waste any time flicking through the handbook or trying to Google the best way to handle your air conditioning as they will already know!

 

Professionals Offer A Quick Service

If you do ever find that your air conditioning system is broken, you certainly won’t want it left in that state for too long. Otherwise, your home could quickly start to overheat. That won’t be ideal at all especially in the summer months when temperatures could be slowly increasing. Thankfully, an air conditioning repair company won’t leave you like that for too long as they all aim to send out their engineers and air conditioning experts as quickly as they can. If you look for a firm that prides themselves on good customer service, then you can guarantee that they will send someone out to your home in no time at all. So, there really is no need to resort to trying to fix your air conditioning yourself!

 

They Will Be Covered By Plenty Of Insurance

If you do try to fix your own air conditioning, there will be an increased chance that something might go wrong as you are likely to make a mistake. You might then end up calling out a pro to fix your mistake and the initial fault. That could prove to be very expensive! One benefit of using a professional straight away is that they will be insured. In the very unlikely case that they make things worse, their errors won’t cost you as their insurance should pay out to cover further repairs.

 

There really is no need to try and fix your air conditioning with some DIY. Get an air conditioner repair quote from us today!

 

How Air Conditioning Maintenance Can Save You Thousands of Dollars

You will have probably already heard people tell you that it’s really important to get your home’s air conditioning serviced and inspected on a regular basis. However, do you really understand why that is the case? It’s true that getting your AC system can really help to improve its functions and will also reduce the risk of any breakages or repairs, but did you also know that it can help you save some money? In some cases, it can help households save thousands of dollars. 

There are a few different reasons why regular air conditioning maintenance will help to save cash for you. Here are a few of the main points to make note of. Hopefully, once you’ve read through them, you will understand why getting an AC service really is worth your while!

 

Reduces Your Home’s Energy Bills

When a professional comes to service your AC system or unit, they will ensure that it is running as well as it should be. This will mean that the air conditioning will be very efficient, which can help to keep your household energy bills in check. Over time, older air conditioning systems can become very inefficient, which means they need to use a lot more energy to work correctly. That will make your energy bills slowly rise and over the course of a few months, you will be paying more for your energy than what you should be.

 

Prevents Mold And Dampness In Your Home

If your air conditioning and heating systems aren’t working all that well, then you will find that your home is at an increased risk of developing issues like mold and rising damp. These can be problems that often end up being fairly expensive to rectify. It is highly advisable that you try and completely prevent them in the first place rather than wait until they start to fix them. So, if you get your air conditioning maintained as often as is advised, then you shouldn’t have to worry about any expensive dampproofing or mold repair.

 

Improves The Quality Of Air In Your Home

Lots of homeowners find that the quality of the air in their home is much improved when they have an air conditioning system that works really efficiently. As a result, you won’t have to worry about buying anything to try to sort out the air, such as a dehumidifier for example. The air will be perfectly fine as it is, so you won’t need to worry about buying any expensive appliances or devices to try and fix it.

 

Lowers The Demands On The Air Conditioning System

An air conditioning system that isn’t regularly maintained will get rusty, dusty, and damaged sooner than what you might expect. When the system is in this state, it won’t work very well at all. The overall system will really struggle on all of the demand that these defects will place on it. Thankfully, if you call someone out to maintain and service your AC at least once a year, then these problems will be stopped in their tracks. So, there won’t be quite as many demands placed on your air conditioning system, and it can continue to run very efficiently for a good few years.

 

Reduces Overall Repair Costs

You should find that getting your air conditioning system maintained on a regular basis isn’t actually all that pricey. It will certainly be a lot cheaper than simply calling out an engineer whenever there is anything wrong with it. Repairs on systems that are not regularly maintained can end up being very expensive, and often cost a lot more than what a service would have. So, if you do want to save thousands of dollars over the long term, you really do need to get your AC maintained at least once a year.

 

Lengthens The Life Of Your AC System

Homeowners who get their boiler serviced and maintained on an annual basis tend to find that their air conditioning lasts them for a very long time. This because the engineer that comes to carry out the service will be able to take care of any small issues with the system before they turn into larger problems. As a result, there aren’t too many continuous demands on the system that could really shorten its lifespan.

As you can see, there are lots of various reasons why air conditioning maintenance could really save you thousands of dollars. If you don’t already get it done at least once a year, you really need to get into the habit of doing so now. Get a quote for air conditioning maintenance today!

HVAC vs Maintenance Technicians

When it comes to your HVAC system, make sure you hire an expert. One who is licensed, insured, and factory trained on your HVAC equipment. There are some companies out there that will send out maintenance technicians in place of a licensed HVAC technician.  This sort of practice can, in the long run, be a costly way to service your system.

Reasons why you want to hire an expert HVAC Technician:

 

  1. Anytime your system is serviced, including simple services like changing your filters, a trained HVAC technician is able to identify issues a maintenance technician likely wouldn’t. Sometimes small overlooked issues can turn into something critical. This is why it’s important to hire somebody that is already trained to determine when something isn’t right.

 

  1. If a technician overlooks a pressing issue you might have to spend more money than originally planned. Hiring an HVAC technician for the job will save you those potential costs. It is crucial that the problem is taken care of before it worsens.

 

  1. HVAC Technicians cost more than untrained technicians. The next time you see an unbelievably low price for a service call, there’s a reason. Usually it’s because the technician isn’t trained and doesn’t have the proper certifications. When you pay less you typically pay someone with less knowledge. In other words, you get what you pay for. When you hire a licensed HVAC Tech you can rest assured that you will be getting the best service, the right person for the task and the job done right the first time.

 

  1. Find a company that pays their HVAC technicians an hourly rate vs a commission base. Think about it, if the tech is paid hourly they are relieved of the pressure to sell something that you don’t need. It begins to cost companies from the initial call to finishing the service and can cost more than the low rates they charge you. It can cost the company up to $150.00 dollars just to show up at the door. There has to be a way to make each call profitable and typically that means additional sales and sometimes unnecessary sales.

 

Before you hire, ask the company these questions.

Are all your techs licensed, certified HVAC technicians?

What are your rates?

Are your employees paid hourly or by commission?

 

These kinds of questions will help you identify if you are hiring the right company for the job.

How Can a Home Air Scrubber Help Your Home and Family

An air scrubber recycles air the same way nature does, except it’s within your home. This product is proven to remove 99.9% of mold, cigarette smoke and disease causing bacteria helping protect your home 24/7. Not only will the air scrubber protect your home from these contaminates but it will help protect the HVAC system itself. Keeping your system clean is most important when it comes to preventing damage and sometimes air filters are just not enough.  This item can potentially save you thousands by increasing the life expectancy of your home system. These are just a few reasons we recommend the Air Scrubber Plus.

What is the Air Scrubber Plus?

Air Scrubber Plus® is an effective new system designed to assist in eradicating indoor air quality risks by reducing air pollutants including but not limited to chemical odors, mold, dust, pollen, bacteria, airborne viruses, and odors caused by cooking and pets.

What are the Benefits?

  • Extends and protects the life of your current or future HVAC system by trapping dirt, dust, and other material before entering the filter.
  • Uses ActivePure™ technology to purify, cleanse, and freshen the air throughout your home or business by using specialized germicidal UV light waves along with a catalytic process of creating Oxygen and Hydrogen molecules to scrub the air.
  • Works 24/7 to dramatically improve indoor air quality and to secure a safe living space for you and your family.
  • Reduces airborne toxins and surface contaminants which can aggravate allergy symptoms, induce coughs, and cause headaches.

How it Works:

Active Pure technology was developed in cooperation with NASA and approved for use in the International Space Station. This system is 50x more powerful than your average HVAC filtration because it reduces 90% of the pathogens in the air within only 30 minutes! The UV light Air that eliminates pathogens by breaking down their structures. filters can trap pollutants, but only air purification systems such like Air Scrubbers actually kill the contaminants and pathogens in your home.

Call us today to have the Air Scrubber Plus installed today! Purify, cleanse and freshen the air in your home.

Air Filter Replacement or Air Conditioning Repairs

Replacing your air filters are crucial for both your AC and heating systems. Keeping up on changing these filters will help keep the systems functioning smoothly for longer. Not only will this regular and simple maintenance task help keep your system working properly but it can save you on your monthly energy bills as well.

We recommend checking your filters every thirty days. There are many variables that come into play that will impact the life of your air filters such as the size of your home, how often you use the unit, pets in the home, contaminants in the air and more. If the filters appear to contain more dirt then a thin layer across the surface after thirty days of use, you would want to change it at that time. Generally, filters should be changed every ninety days. This is the time frame when your filters trap the most particles from the air such as dirt, dust and allergens but needs to be checked every thirty days, especially during both the hot and cold seasons.

To keep air quality at it’s best, consider changing your filter every 1-2 months. This will make a huge difference especially for those who suffer from allergies and asthma. If you suffer from asthma and allergies, regularly changing your filters can help minimize the exposure to allergens which in return will keep you more comfortable in your home.  This is also a good guide for those who have pets living in the home. Keeping up on changing filters every 1-2 months will help eliminate any odor build up and contaminants in your home.

Keeping up on air filter changes can extend the systems functionality, save you money, provide better air quality, will potentially help with asthma and allergy symptoms and eliminate odors. That should be reason enough to make it a habit to check and change your filters!

How to Choose a New Furnace

The coldest months of winter are yet to come, which means that if your furnace isn’t up to the task, right now is the ideal time to get it replaced before it quits entirely (leaving you and your family frozen while you wait for an emergency repair or installation). Rather than waiting until it is an urgent matter, take a little bit of time now to figure out exactly what kind of furnace is right for your home so you can make a great investment that will last for years to come.

Split or Packaged Systems

Depending on the type of home you have, you may have a packaged system, where your heating and cooling unit are condensed into a single component that sits outside of your home, or a split system where you have the traditional cooling unit for air conditioning that is located outside the home and a furnace unit that is usually located in the basement or garage. The type of new furnace you get will depend on the type of unit you already have, and the space that is available for installing a new unit. You can talk to an HVAC professional to find out which one is right for you—and if you have one and prefer the other type, he might be able to recommend the one that will work best.

Gas, Electric, or Oil

Another consideration when choosing a furnace is the type of fuel available in your home—the most common are natural gas, electric, or oil. Sometimes the type of fuel available will depend on where you live—for example, and older home may require an oil furnace if there are no gas lines to the home—and sometimes it’s simply a matter of personal preference. Generally speaking, gas furnaces are the most efficient option for heating a home when temperatures drop, and these are generally the cleanest and easiest to use as well. Electric furnaces are often expensive, and should only be used as a last resort, although electric-powered heat pumps can be an alternative if you prefer to use electricity for heating.

Furnace Size

Once you have decided on the type of fuel you want, the next step is to make sure you choose the system best suited for your home. Choosing a furnace that is too small means it will have to work much harder to heat your entire home, but before you go out and just buy the biggest available furnace, keep in mind that having a system that is too big is also inefficient and will drive up the cost of heating your home. Your furnace contractor should help you calculate the amount of energy your home will need (measured in BTUs or tons), taking into account both the square footage of your home and how well your home keeps in heat (i.e., how much air leakage is happening out of your windows).

Additional Features

Some other considerations to take into account when you’re choosing a new furnace include whether you want a system that can also improve indoor air quality, the type of blower you want to distribute the air around the house, and the length and type of warranty that comes with it.

The professionals at Larsen Heating & Air are here to help you identify the ideal new furnace for your home and get it installed the right way.

Your Fall HVAC Maintenance Checklist

As the end of summer approaches, your mind will undoubtedly begin to become preoccupied with thoughts of warm fireplaces, holiday gatherings and football-filled weekends. One thing that they’re likely not to be focused on the status of your home’s HVAC system. Yet once the temperatures start to cool, you’ll be counting on your system’s ability to keep you and your family warm. Will it be able to answer the call, without causing your utility bills to skyrocket?

Small Checks Today Help Avoid Big Problems Tomorrow

Ensuring that it will be is not all that difficult, provided you show your system the TLC that it needs. It’s easy to forget to follow an annual maintenance schedule, particularly if your HVAC system hasn’t given any indications that it may be malfunctioning. However, remember that staying up on preventative maintenance is preferable to having to deal with major heating issues in the dead of winter.

Thus, as you enter into fall, take the time to perform these relatively quick and easy tasks:

Test Your Thermostat

Reserve a weekend to make sure run a quick thermostat test. On Saturday morning, turn on the heat. The next day, do the same with the air conditioning. If it takes too long for either system to reach your desired temperature, you’ll want to have the thermostat checked.

Change Your Filters

If you’re not already in the already in the habit of changing your filters regularly, now is the time to start. Dust and other particles can lead to added strain on your system, which in turn raises your energy costs.

Clear Your Vents

Make sure that none of your vents have become blocked by furniture, boxes or beddings. It’s also a good idea to give your vents a thorough cleaning, and while your at, have your duct work cleaned as well.

If you’re like most homeowners, then you likely have a mental checklist of tasks that need to be done in order to prep your residence for the winter. Checking and maintaining your HVAC system should be included on that list. Plus, with the help of the team at Larsen Heating and Air, seeing to your system’s annual needs is virtually a breeze.

Is Having Your Air Ducts Cleaned Really that Important?

Your air ducts see a lot circulation, especially during temperature extremes, but do they actually need the type of cleaning other surfaces in your home do?

Signs to Clean Your Ducts:

  • Air duct with permanent or long-term water damage.
  • Mold, mildew, slime, or other microbial growth.
  • Debris built up that restricts air-flow.
  • Dust, cobwebs, or other debris blowing from registers.
  • Evidence of insect or rodent infestation.
  • Offensive odors from your duct work or HVAC system.
  • Recurrent bouts of illness or allergies within your family.
  • Fiberglass duct work, which collect contaminant more easily than sheet metal.

Is it Important

Dust can accumulate in ductwork that can lead to microbial growth during normal operation. Having ducts cleaned has been shown to reduce this growth as well as boost the efficiency of your system.

How are Ducts Cleaned

This all depends on the extent of buildup in your ducts. A trained professional will inspect each duct, to determine cleaning is necessary. The equipment will be gathered that is needed to address your cleaning needs, this might include brushes and vacuum equipment specifically designed to remove duct work debris.

Your entire system will also undergo routine cleaning and maintenance in addition to the duct cleaning, resulting in thorough cleaning and smooth efficient operation. It is also necessary to tackle the source of the dirty air duct to prevent it from recurring.

Is it Safe

It is essential that duct cleaning be performed when your home is not occupied for safety reasons.

Can I do it Myself

It has actually been shown that poor air duct cleaning can decrease the air quality in your home. Make certain to shield your family and home by choosing a dependable and trustworthy duct cleaning company.

How to Reduce the Need to Clean Air Ducts

  • Regularly change your air filter.
  • Schedule annual professional maintenance and cleaning.
  • Maintain good housekeeping practices.
  • Make sure air intakes are properly located
  • Have your duct work inspected regularly.

If you think your home needs an air duct cleaning, call Larsen Heating and Air today to speak with an expert!