EASY WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY

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1 Apollo Heating & Cooling has served Greater Cincinnati since We are a family owned and operated business with a history of keeping our promises and fixing it right the first time. We also have a history of innovation, using new technology and advances to offer the best products and service while maintaining value. We offer a total satisfaction guarantee, so it s no wonder we have more than 125,000 satisfied customers. We take pride in offering excellent service and doing the little things that set us apart from other companies. The Apollo Difference: We believe in offering the best customer experience possible, so your call will always be answered by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our trained and NATE certified technicians are Ready to Roll 24/7 too. No matter what day or time of day, Apollo will make emergency service calls at the same low rate of $79 we don t believe in charging overtime! Our service vehicles are clearly marked with the Apollo logo and stocked with the equipment needed to fix 90% of all repairs on the spot. We recognize customers with coupons and cash rewards for successful referrals. Apollo s installers use drop cloths and carpet protectors, ensuring that all work areas stay clean and your home is treated with respect. We don t use subcontractors. Every person who comes into your home from Apollo is a company employee who has undergone a criminal background check, drug test, driving record check, and passed an assessment test administered by us. Each employee is covered under our insurance policy and has a proven track record with Apollo. EASY WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY

2 G L O S S A R Y O F T E R M S A W O R d F R O M A p O L L O Amp The basic unit of electric current. AFUE The efficiency of new furnaces is measured by the annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE), a measure of seasonal performance. Furnaces today are between 78% AFUE and 96% AFUE. Above 90% AFUE, a furnace is condensing, which means it recaptures some of the heat wasted in traditional systems by condensing escaping water vapor. BTU A BTU or British Thermal Unit is a measurement of heat energy. It is the amount of heat energy required to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. It is equivalent to the thermal energy of a wooden match. CFL Compact Fluorescent Lamp bulb. CFM Cubic Feet per Minute. The unit of measure of the volume rate of airflow, as in a heating or cooling system. Watt A Watt is a measure of power. It is the product of voltage and current. Fluorescent Lighting A fluorescent light bulb is a glass tube with electrodes at each end and an inside surface coated with one or more types of phosphors. Mercury vapor fills the tube at very low pressure, along with one or more buffer gasses. Fluorescent lamps from least efficient to most efficient include the T12, T8 and T5, where the number represents the diameter of the tube. As the diameter gets smaller, glare increases. Heat Pump A heat pump takes advantage of outside air to provide heating, cooling and humidity control. It works by moving heat. In the summer the heat pump pulls heat from a building by transferring it to the outside air. Heat pumps can be air source or water source. Incandescent Lighting In an incandescent light bulb, light is emitted by a hot glowing filament, usually tungsten. Incandescent lighting is characterized by very high CRI (Coloring Rendering Index), but very low efficiency. Kilowatt-Hours (KWh) Kilowatt-Hours is a measurement of the quantity of power multiplied by time watts of power used for one hour equals one kilowatt-hour. SEER SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a measure of efficiency over an entire cooling season. SEER is the total amount of cooling the air conditioner will provide over the entire cooling season divided by the total number of watt-hours it will consume. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the cooling system. Electricity is our nation s most prevalent energy form. It drives our nation s economy and powers smart technologies that enhance our quality of life. It s hard to imagine our homes, businesses, and industries without electricity. As a matter of fact, the use of electricity accounts for about 40 percent of the total cost of living. Most electricity is generated by burning coal or from nuclear power plants. Every time you turn on the lights, you create a little pollution. So saving electricity doesn t just put money in your pocket, it helps keep the air and water clean, too. There are many things that homeowners can do to reduce electrical energy consumption, as well as many sources of information on the subject. Reasons to decrease electricity consumption in your home are numerous, ranging from saving money by reducing utility bills to doing your part to help save our planet to getting onto the Going Green movement. Apollo customers have often requested an easy to read and understand compilation of simple ways to reduce energy consumption without making a big investment. Thus the creation of this pamphlet. We borrowed the ideas from reputable sources on the subject, and have presented our findings here in one easy to read outline format. This pamphlet offers no new rocket science techniques, but rather many easy to implement ideas that you may have heard of at one time or another, but never got around to enacting. Or there may be a new idea that you have never considered. Whatever the discoveries, we hope that this information can help to reduce your utility bills, improve your home s environment and most of all provide baby steps towards improving our country and our planet. Thank you for your time, HVAC Precision Specialists at Apollo For further information on our services, please visit us at or call us at

3 1 UPGRADE INSULATION Insulation batts can fall from the underside of the roof structure where they were originally wired or otherwise secured. If the ceiling has loose blown-in insulation, add to the thickness. A comparison of the R-values: Material R-value per inch of thickness Fiberglass Loose Fill Fiberglass Batt Cellulose Loose Fill polystyrene Foam 4.2 polyurethane Foam REDUCE INFILTRATION When outside air enters a home, it has to be cooled or heated to maintain comfort. The more unconditioned air entering the home, the greater the load on the air conditioner and the greater the cost. Air can enter 3 ways: Intentionally as fresh air from the HVAC system. Unintentionally through cracks and crevices in the home. Unintentionally through doors and windows as they are opened and closed throughout the day. Wind increases infiltration. HVAC that has leaky ductwork and/or exhaust fans (from bath rooms, kitchen, etc.) may cause air to infiltrate through crevices as well. Ways to reduce infiltration: Caulk and add weather stripping to doors/windows. Adjust exhaust hoods to insure that they are exhausting the minimum air necessary to remove contaminants. 2 3

4 3 4 5 PLANT TREES Strategically plant trees on the east, west and south sides of a one or two-story home. The results can be: A reduction in the summer solar heat gain through windows. The production of a natural cooling effect in the areas surrounding a home by evaporating water through their leaves. TURN OFF PLUG-IN DEVICES plug electric devices into a power strip that can be turned off when not in use. Eliminate or minimize the usage of plug-in loads such as: portable Fans portable Heaters Radios Chargers Other personal Electronics Computers and Monitors UTILIZE SLEEP MODES Be sure computers and monitors are set to automatically power down to the sleep mode when not in use. Energy Star computers and monitors save about 50% on electricity costs. If the computer needs to be left on at night and weekends, save energy costs by turning off the monitor. Monitors typically use more energy than the computer itself. Liquid crystal displays use less energy than conventional monitors. 6 USE LAPTOPS Laptops draw about one-tenth of the power of a conventional desktop computer. 4 5

5 TURN OFF PRINTERS Be sure to use energy-efficient printers that power down when not in use. They can save over 60% on annual energy costs. printers with double-sides printing capability are more energy efficient and also help reduce paper costs. Laser printers consume more energy than inkjet printers. Color printers use more energy than black and white. TURN OFF UNUSED LIGHTS Turn off lights when you leave a room or leave the house. This can be made easier by installing automated controls. Timers work well in predictable usage areas. Timers work well for light security when away for extended periods. USE CFL BULBS More than 25% of energy consumption in homes goes to lighting. Compact fluorescent light bulbs give out the same amount of light as regular incandescent bulbs while using one-fourth the energy. Replace regular incandescent light bulbs with 18-watt compact fluorescent bulbs, which give out the same light while using one-fourth the energy. You ll save time and energy because fluorescent bulbs also last 10 times longer! ADD WINDOW BLINDS Install adjustable blinds on windows that receive direct sunlight Summer months, close them when sunlight is direct to keep your home cooler. Winter months, open them to take advantage of outdoor lighting and heat. 6 7

6 MOTORS MATTER Appliance motors--the engines that drive air conditioners, heat pumps, furnace fans, refrigerators, washing machines, and other home appliances account for about a quarter of all residential energy use. Variable speed motors use up to 74% fewer watts than traditional single speed motors and can actually save you money on your energy bills. LAYER CLOTHING Adjust your layers of clothing before adjusting the thermostat up or down. CHANGE AIR FILTERS Check and clean, or change your filters monthly. TUNE-UP YOUR HVAC SYSTEMS Hire a licensed and certified HVAC technician to tune-up your home s furnace, heat pump and air conditioner once a year Verify and adjust refrigerant charge to optimum level. Clean the condenser coils. Inspect evaporator coils and clean as needed. Adjust or replace belts. Inspect and replace refrigerant line insulation as needed. GO PROGRAMMABLE programmable thermostats will automatically change the home s temperature during unoccupied and night-time hours. What s the best settings? for households with infants, the elderly, or someone who is ill for the most active times in the household, typically in the early morning and evening for when the house is empty or everyone is asleep. Use these settings to reduce your annual energy costs while improving the comfort in your home. You can save as much as 15% if you use a programmable thermostat to turn down your setting for 8 hours. By turning down your thermostat by just 1 you can save 2 to 3% on your heating bills. dial it down 7 and your savings jump as much as 15%. 8 9

7 ROLL OUT THE DUCT TAPE Make sure that all ductwork is properly sealed. LOWER WATER TEMPERATURE Reduce the setting from 140 F to 120 F and save up to 10% on your heating bill. When leaving for extended periods, remember to use the vacation setting to save even more while you re away. ADD HUMIDITY Adding humidity to a home can increase its heat index so that a thermostat set at 68 has the home feeling like it s 70. Consider installing a whole house humidifier to keep proper humidity levels in your home during the winter. It s also beneficial to your family s health because if the heat in your house dries the air too much, this can cause nose, throat and skin irritations. ADD CEILING FANS Ceiling fans aren t just good during warm weather. They can circulate warm air in the winter, increasing the efficiency of your heating system. Install ceiling fans and put them in reverse mode to force air up instead of down, pushing warm air off of the ceiling and down to the floor and corners of the room. KEEP VENTS CLEAN dust, dirt and pet hair can block some of the heat coming from radiators, vents and baseboards be sure to regularly clean these areas to keep air flowing freely. Consider having your air ducts professionally cleaned to improve ventilation and air circulation as well as preventing dangerous bacteria, viruses and molds from circulating

8 A p O L L O ' S F R E E H O M E E N E R G Y E V A L U A T I O N In addition to these tips on saving energy, a house call from Apollo could save you as much as 25% on this year s heating bill. And it s FREE! Many of the causes of your home s energy loss are hidden and not easily seen or found without the right set of tools, tests and experience. A Home Energy Evaluation from Apollo examines your whole house to diagnose the areas that need some attention to improve your energy-efficiency, comfort and overall home performance. Treating your house as a whole system will ensure that all areas work together for a healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient place to live. Apollo s technician will use technical, precision tools to assess your home, including: Inspect the control system (or thermostat) for possible energy savings tips and better control. Meter Humidification Analysis for proper humidity control and any moisture concerns. System air filtration and treatment assessment. Visual inspection of the Heating and Cooling equipment and the equipment surroundings for safety and operation. Unit efficiency rating. Combustion Analysis to assess fossil fuel efficiency of heating equipment. Whole house air space carbon monoxide check. (this includes houses that have heat pumps if they have other means of burning fossil fuel). Check for presence and effective operation of carbon monoxide detector. Attic insulation audit. Upon completion of this evaluation, Apollo s technician will review the test results with you and discuss treatment options to improve your home s energy efficiency. Call us today to schedule your FREE Home Energy Evaluation. Results of Improving Your Home s Efficiencies Lower Electric Bills Less downtime and Fewer Repairs Lower Maintenance Costs Improved Comfort in your Home Happier Family! 12 13