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I don’t know about you, but I really dislike chemistry.  I appreciate all that it has done for me, and I really enjoyed the “Fire Fridays” we had in my high school chemistry class, but chemistry was not and is not my thing.  Perhaps that’s why I have never quite understood refrigerants in air conditioning. No not refrigerators, but refrigerants.  I feel as if there is someone out there like me who probably does not quite get it either.  So, I did some research and I am going to try to give you just a little information about it.

Freon or Chlorofluorcarbon (CFC) is a refrigerant that was invented in 1928 and has been used for refrigerators, air conditioners, aerosols etc….  Freon was great at the beginning of the 20th century, because it was non-toxic and non-flammable.  It wasn’t until later that it was discovered that it harmed the ozone.

If a freon leak is detected, the good news is that as it is non-toxic, it is not that dangerous.  However, if you have heart problems you should be more concerned.  If you notice a leak, it is best to get it fixed as soon as possible and to open windows and move to an area with fresh air while you wait.

As I mentioned, Freon or R-22 is one of the items that is working on depleting the ozone.  Therefore, it is being slowly and gradually phased out and replaced by other, safer, refrigerants such as R-410A (Puron).  Unlike Freon, Puron is not harmful to the ozone and that is not the only reason that it is swiftly becoming the best choice of refrigerant for new systems.  R-22 is being limited and so most likely its price will raise continuously.  As of this year, 2010, no new equipment can be produced that uses R-22.

Refrigerants are needed for your air conditioner.  If you are concerned that you are low, or if you have detected a leak, contact Flame.  Also, feel free to contact Flame if you are interested in a new Puron using system.  For more info:  Flame FAQs

Works Cited: www.puron.com Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia, Chlorofluorocarbon Environment, Health and Safety Online:  Freon Exposure and Your Health and About.com:  Inventors, Freon

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Air Conditioners, shmair conditioners.  Back in my day we didn’t even have air conditioning.  At least that’s what my parents have often said.  But the reality is that most homes have some form of air conditioning and central air conditioning is becoming commonplace.  We have come to expect cool air when we walk inside a building, and we expect that it will continuously be there when we want it to.  So what factors should you consider when you are thinking of buying an air conditioner. Purchasing an air conditioner is a big deal, not only due to the expense but also because it is expected to keep you, your family and your home at comfortable temperatures even on the hottest of days.

Due to the fact that this purchase is such as “big deal,” I’ve come up with a few factors that you should consider when looking into an air conditioner.

Company

It is important to choose the right heating and cooling company for your new air conditioner and its installation because they are the people who will be with you every step of the way.  Most heating and cooling companies only carry certain brands of air conditioner or furnaces, therefore you may want to look into what brands that the company sells and whether or not those are good makes.  Also, see if you can find reviews about the company you are working with or ask around and see if anybody you know has used them to find out whether or not they are a good, reputable company.  It is good to see how qualified a company’s technicians are. If somebody is installing a large unit inside and outside your home, you want to make sure that they know what they are doing.  You could ask how long a technician has been doing this type of work or you could see what kinds of certifications they hold.  NATE (North American Technician Excellence) is one of the highest certifications an HVAC technician can hold.  Along these lines, it is good to know about all a company’s employees. When buying an air conditioner you will be working with more than just the installer.  You will speak on the phone with somebody to set up an appointment and you will meet with a consultant to decide what kind of air conditioner would be right for you.  When interacting with these employees, see if they are polite and courteous and you can always ask and see whether or not all of the employees are drug tested.

Size

Size is incredibly important when investing in an air conditioner.  They only reason that I’d say that the company is a little more important is because it is the company who will help you discover the correct size and you want to be sure that you are dealing with people you can trust when it comes to the size of your air conditioner.  Why is size so important?  Well, think of Goldilocks, she wasn’t happy until she found something that was “just right” and not too big or small.  An air conditioner that is too big for your home is wasteful, because you do not need to be cooling enough air for a 8 bedroom house, when yours is 4 bedrooms.  If you are a bit frugal, you may be tempted to purchase a smaller air conditioner (lower bills, and my kids don’t need cool air in their bedrooms, right?) but don’t be fooled.  A small air conditioner could actually end up costing you more and wasting energy because it may still try to work to cool down your whole home, but it will have to work much harder and expend more energy than one that is meant for your size of home.

Efficiency

This is the age of green living, organic foods and energy efficiency.  It is time to jump on that band wagon with your air conditioner because not only is it better for the earth, it is also better for you.  You can find the efficiency level of an air conditioner by looking at their SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) number.  A higher number means that it is more efficient.  20 is one of the highest SEER ratings, and the US government now requires that air conditioners be manufactured with a SEER rating of 13 or above.  Unfortunately, oftentimes, the higher the SEER number, the higher the price of the air conditioner.  However, you will save much more money on your utility bills.

I know that during a heat wave, I sure count on my air conditioner and the cool air and comfort that it delivers me.  Even though our grandparents may scoff at us for how much it is used nowadays, it typically is a part of our lives (at least every once in a while) and hence, you should not take the buying of one lightly.  I hope that these tips have helped you and happy hunting!

If you have any questions or want more information about various air conditioners or the process of buying one, feel free to contact or schedule an appointment with Flame Heating, Cooling and Electrical and we will be more than happy to help you.

Some Information found at:

Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia:  Seasonal energy efficiency ratio

Bryant:  Central Air Conditioners

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“t’s July, I got my air conditioner inspected and it’s working fine, so now what?”

It may seem like right now you are in a type of  “HVAC Stalemate.”  Yet, there are some things that you can keep doing to keep your home at its optimum heating, cooling and air quality level.

E3 Energy Efficiency Evaluation:

We all know that bills can stink, especially energy ones.  Even though your air conditioner may be running just fine in this hot weather, that does not change the fact that it is still costing you money.  An E3 evaluation will give you various exams and inspections to show you where your house is leaking and how you are losing hot/cold air as well as money.  If you ask me, this evaluation sounds pretty cool.  You will get to see for yourself where your house’s “leaky spots” are and a trained consultant will give you suggestions to fix it, almost like a report card for your home.  This is great to do in the summer to keep your house up to date and help with this cooling bills and come fall, those heating bills. (Flame Perk- these are only $95 until July 31 at Flame)

Generator:

There is no bad time to purchase a generator.  Why?  Because there’s never really a good time for your power to go out (except perhaps when it’s 75 & sunny and it only goes out for 20 minutes or so during the afternoon).  More often than not, the power goes out right when you’ve run out of batteries, when it is 93 degrees and humid, after the sun has set and in the middle of your favorite TV show.  As we’ve mentioned, your air conditioner is in good shape-so now perhaps it is time to have peace of mind in other ways.  

When looking at a generator-you have a choice between either a portable generator or a stand-by generator.  The stand-by generator is permanently located outside of your home, and it has an automatic transfer switch that will turn the generator on as soon as the power goes out.As one can tell by the name, portable generators are not permanent.  Unlike the stand-by generator, they must be hooked up and turned on when the power goes out.  However, because they are portable, they can be used for other things like camping.  Stand-by generators are typically more expensive, but they can often power more than portable ones and you don’t have to worry about turning it on when the lightsgo out.

Look Ahead:

Unfortunately, fall is not that far away and so it is not too soon (maybe a little soon) to start thinking about colder weather and furnaces.  Schedule your furnace inspection early so that places do not get too booked up.  Also start thinking and considering whether or not you are going to need a new furnace or air conditioner.  Are they around 15 years old?  Then the answer is probably “yes”.

As you may be able to tell, there is always something you can do to help your home.  If you have any questions about any of these things, feel free to contact Flame!

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So you wanna save energy?  Good, that’s the first step.  However, there are some do’s and don’t’s with saving energy.  This article by Consumer’s Energy:  Your Home:  Top Ten Energy Myths spells out some of these “don’t’s.”  The article disputes ideas about closing vents and leaving electronics on among other things.  Check it out!

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You may have read about E3’s on this blog before:  Energy Efficiency Evaluation.  You may have thought well that sounds neat, but I don’t really feel like spending the money right now….good news for you!  For the month of June only, an E3 inspection is only $49.  This is an enormous discount.

If you’ve never heard of an E3 before–here is a brief introduction.  They are whole house energy efficiency exams that inspect your home to find leaks and places where your home may be losing energy or is not properly heated or cooled.  It begins with a discussion between you and a trained consultant.  That way you can tell the consultant your opinion on what rooms feel warmer, cooler, dryer etc… and give him/her some things to look out for.

This leads to an equipment inspection and an inspection of the insulation (because insulation is imperative to making sure that warm or cool air stay inside or outside your home, depending on the season).  After that the consultant will perform the Infiltrometer Blower Door Test to test for leaks, an air flow diagnosis to check for blockages and finally the Electronic Air Flow Capture Hood Test that tests out how much cool or hot air is actually making it to your rooms.

Infiltrometer Blower Door Test

After all of these tests (it almosts seems like your taking the SAT again?  Don’t worry–not nearly as painful!), the consultant will sit down with you and design an improvement plan.  The plan simply contains suggestions to help increase the energy efficiency of your home and you are not obligated to follow through with any of them.  These suggestions could range from things you could do on your own, such as adding more insulation up to much larger changes involving heating and cooling units.

The E3 exam is great not only  because its results could help you find ways to save energy and lower your bills, but also because it is very interesting to be able to see where there are energy leaks and problems in your home.  E3’s provide you with valuable information, and now is the time to get it.  As you are starting to use that air conditioner, you want to make sure that your precious cool air is not being wasted this summer.

Contact Flame for More Info or to Schedule an Appointment!

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When I visited Italy, I looked at ancient Roman baths that used to hold thousands of people.  They had incredibly tall ceilings and I thought in the winter these buildings must have become pretty chilly.  Though here in the United States in the 21st century we do not have large bathing houses filled with ornate sculptures that we have to heat but we do face that same heating problem with warehouses, indoor tennis courts, garages etc….

A typical furnace heats the air and as you know, heat rises.  Therefore in these large buildings with high ceilings, a furnace needs to heat a lot of air before it begins to make the area where humans are a comfortable temperature.  There is another option and that is infrared gas-fired radiant heating.  This uses either radiant tube heaters or spot radiant heaters that heat objects as opposed to air.  By doing this, these heaters give people instant warmth when they stand underneath one.  People are not the only objects heated, other articles are warmed up as well and they in turn radiate heat into the air.

What are the advantages of this type of heating?

• More economical than a traditional furnace, because the whole big space does not have to be heated, and therefore less fuel and energy is consumed.
• People are able to be warmed up quick!  Even though these radiant heaters may be still working on warming up the area, when a person stands under one, they are warm right away-they do not need to wait for the whole building to get warm.

The forms these heaters come in are either tubes or spot.  Like its name suggests, the tube heater is a long tube-like device that can range from 30 feet long up to 100 feet plus!  Spot heaters are small and rectangular.  They are used to heat up more specific, smaller areas-for example: just one person working a singular machine or work station.

I am not sure how the Romans solved their heating problems in big open spaces, but you can Contact Flame to find out how to solve yours with the infrared gas-fired heating equipment.

Also- Click Here for more Info!

Image found:  http://www.wyomingathletics.com/facilities/wyo-facilities.html

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As we begin to transition into summer, your house could see the return of your college age kids, and you may find that more energy is being used.  Here are a couple things that can help you save some of that energy, in case your kids keep forgetting to turn the lights off!

1. Wall Mounted Motion Switch Sensor-This light switch, uses motion to turn it on and off (though there is a switch on it just in case.)  When it does not detect motion, it turns itself off.  Therefore your home lights will never be left on when they are not being used.
2. Programmable Thermostat-This thermostat allows you to program the temperatures in your home, so they are the most comfortable when you are in your home.  If no one is at home during the day, you can program it to lower the temperature everyday, and that will save you money on your heating and cooling bill.
3. Compact Fluorescent Lights-These light bulbs last longer than regular light bulbs, thus you will not have to buy a mass pack or unnecessary large quantity.
4. Geothermal Heat Pump- By using this to heat and/or cool, it can be very efficient because it uses heat and energy from the earth’s ground, which  has consistent temperatures.  It may be a little more expensive than a regular heating/cooling system, but you will earn back the savings within a few years.
5. A Bryant Hybrid Heating System-This type of heating and cooling system uses two sources of heating or cooling in order to deliver energy efficient heating and cooling.

If you have any questions about the thermostat, the geothermal heat pump, or the Hybrid Heating System, always contact Flame, and we will be glad to take care of any concerns.  Have an energy efficient, enjoyable, and very Happy Spring!

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Flame Heating, Cooling and Electrical is really into energy efficiency.  We recommend Energy Efficiency Exams for your home that help to find leaks and places in your home where you are losing air and so you can take action to make your house as efficient as possible.  We also install Programmable Thermostats that will automatically turn down the heat or off the cool air when you do not need it (such as during the day when everyone is at school or work).  These can be set up for you personal preferences.  But here is another idea that costs little to no money and its a way that even your kids can help to keep your home “green.”

Draft Blocker Snake:

Materials:

• A long or large tube sock
• ribbon
• rice
• “googly” eyes
• glue
• scissors

Simply fill the tube sock with rice and tie the open end with a ribbon (tie it tight!).  Then using glue, glue on the “googly” eyes on the closed end of the sock and cut off a small piece of ribbon to use as the tongue.  Glue that on underneath the eyes.  Ta Da!  Your own draft blocker snake!  If you want, you can use markers or paints or anything else to decorate the snake as you please!

This snake will help keep warm air in and cold air out in the winter, while also keeping the cool air in and warm air out in the summer.  Apart from being cute and fun to make, it is also useful!  Questions about Energy Efficiency? Contact Flame!

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A furnace is a furnace, right?  The answer to that is no.  It may surprise you to know that a heating and cooling unit must be properly sized to fit your home!  The good news?  Most of the time you do not have to figure out these calculations yourself.  Companies such as Flame Heating, Cooling and Electrical have trained Comfort Consultants who know exactly how to figure out what kind of unit you need for your home!

You may be wondering exactly why this is so important.  The “healthiness” and efficiency of your furnace or air conditioner depend upon it!  A unit that is too small cannot supply enough air to fill your home, which reduces its efficiency and it also causes the unit to wear more quickly.  A furnace or air conditioner that is too large may not seem like it has any cons but if it is too big, it will cycle on and off  more frequently due to the fact that it has so much power it does not need to be constantly running, but cycling on and off often will also wear it down.  Also, too big units can be noisy.

Therefore, when in doubt when looking into a new furnace or air conditioner-feel free to ask your Comfort Consultant about its size, because size does matter!  Contact Flame with any questions and check out what Energy Star has to say on this matter!

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Energy energy everywhere?  Maybe not as of recently…but there are some way to save energy!  Here are some tips from DTE:

• Purchase a Programmable Thermostat-this thermostat will automatically turn down the heat in your home when you do not need it (for example-during the day when everyone in the house is at work or school).
• Make sure your furnace is sized correctly- If the furnace is too small, it will not heat your home that well therefore you may turn it up really high & if it is too big-you may be spending more money buying and using it than necessary
• High Efficiency Furnaces-Though high efficiency furnaces are more expensive to purchase than others, they will end up saving you both money and energy in the long run!
• Turn down your thermostat-If you do not want to purchase a programmable thermostat, just turning down the temperature will also be effective.  According to DTE-every degree below 72 degrees brings down your heating bill by 3%!
• Make sure vents are not blocked-though your heating vents may clash with your decor, it is important to keep them clear and uncovered.  Otherwise the heat will not be able to flow as easily throughout your home which will make your furnace have to work even harder!

Check out DTE’s website for more tips!

Contact Flame with any questions!  They will be able to help you out with many of these ideas and items such as programmable thermostats and high efficiency furnaces!

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