July 2012 Volume 1, Issue 5 The HI-VAC Times Peter Blanco, President Inside this issue: Heat & Cool Efficiently (continued from page 1) ASK THE EXPERT 3 Cool Zone (brain teasers and comics) About Us 5 2 4 Heat & Cool Efficiently As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills and your comfort. Take these steps to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. Change your air filter regularly Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool wasting energy. A clean filter will also prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure. Tune up your HVAC equipment yearly Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Install a programmable thermostat A programmable thermostat is ideal for people who are away from home during set periods of time throughout the week. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs. (continued on page 2)
The HI-VAC Times Volume 1, Issue 5 Page 2 (continued from page 1) Seal your heating and cooling ducts Ducts that move air to-and-from a forced air furnace, central air conditioner, or heat pump are often big energy wasters. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent and sometimes much more. Focus first on sealing ducts that run through the attic, crawlspace, unheated basement, or garage. Use duct sealant (mastic) or metal-backed (foil) tape to seal the seams and connections of ducts. After sealing the ducts in those spaces, wrap them in insulation to keep them from getting hot in the summer or cold in the winter. Next, look to seal any other ducts that you can access in the heated or cooled part of the house. Consider installing ENERGY STAR qualified heating and cooling equipment If your HVAC equipment is more than 10 years old or not keeping your house comfortable, have it evaluated by a professional HVAC contractor. If it is not performing efficiently or needs upgrading, consider replacing it with a unit that has earned the EN- ERGY STAR. Depending on where you live, replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR qualified equipment can cut your annual energy bill by nearly $200. Ask about Proper Installation of your new equipment Replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with new, energy-efficient models is a great start. But to make sure that you get the best performance, the new equipment must be properly installed. In fact, improper installation can reduce system efficiency by up to 30 percent costing you more on your utility bills and possibly shortening the equipment's life.
The HI-VAC Times Volume 1, Issue 5 ASK THE EXPERT We want to hear from you. Reply to this e-newsletter with your questions and you will receive an answer within 1 business day. Questions can be specific to your account with us, for example when is the next regularly planned maintenance due on my AC system? Or you may be interested in knowing how an ac system works. All questions will be answered by our expert, Peter Blanco. Peter has built this company from the ground up and has over 35 years experience in the HVAC business. We will be selecting the top five reader submitted questions along with their answers in every issue of The HI-VAC Times. We respect your privacy and will not be posting any personal information in this newsletter. Your name will not appear if your question is selected for the top five. Page 3 CLICK ON SMILEY TO SUBMIT QUESTION FAQ s Q: Should a thermostat be set to auto or on? A: When the thermostat is set to auto, the fan operates only when the temperature requires it. This is the most used setting. However, there are advantages to using the on setting. First of all, the air in the house is constantly filtered through the units air filter. Secondly, the constantly circulating air results in an even temperature throughout the house. However, the on position will result in higher humidity since air is being blown over wet coils after the condenser shuts off. For Southwest Florida, the auto position will yield the driest, most comfortable home. Q: What does the air handler do for my system? A: An air handler circulates conditioned air produced by heating and cooling equipment throughout your home. Along with the air handler, it is easy to filter, humidify or dehumidify the air stream as needed. Q: How long can I expect a new system to last? A: If you have a qualified technician perform regular preventative maintenance and service suggested for your unit, industry averages suggest that an air conditioner should last 12-15 years (sea coast applications may be less). Q: What is a Service Call fee? A: A Service Call fee is a flat fee for the cost associated with the time and travel to diagnose, inspect and provide expert recommendations for a home's heating or air conditioning system. Q: Do I need a surge protector for my air conditioner? A: Think of it this way: How much did you pay for your PC or laptop, your flat screen HDTV? Well chances are that you have a surge protector for these electronic devices, especially the flat screen. Now consider that your air conditioning system costs more than these 3 combined and the answer is a resounding YES! The surge protector monitors the levels of electricity coming into your air conditioning system. In the event that a surge occurs for any reason (faulty wiring, a lightning strike, etc.), the surge protector will immediately cut off power to the air conditioning unit and shut all of the equipment down.
RIDDLE ME THIS: RIDDLE ME THIS: The two dice in each pair are identical. As usual, the numbers on opposite sides add up to seven. Three people check into a hotel. They pay $30 to the manager and go to their room. The manager suddenly remembers that the room rate is $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the people. On the way to the room the bellboy reasons that $5 would be difficult to share among three people so he pockets $2 and gives $1 to each person. Now each person paid $10 and got back $1. So they paid $9 each, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2, totaling $29. Where is the missing $1? On each pair, what is the total of the two hidden sides that face each other?
HI- V A C A I R C O N D I T I O N I N G S E R V I C E 1669 NW 144 Terrace Suite #207 Sunrise, Fl 33323 Phone: 954-747-1887 Fax: 954-747-6564 E-mail: info@hivacair.com Making South Florida a Cooler Place About Us Welcome to HI-VAC Air Conditioning Service, the ONLY company that you ll ever need to satisfy your cooling and heating needs HI-VAC Air Conditioning Service is the area s most trusted and reputable company with more than sixty years of experience and expertise in the HVAC industry. We are a state licensed and insured contractor that performs heating, ventilation, and air conditioning installation, maintenance and service in the South Florida area, including Weston, Pembroke Pines, Miami, Miramar, Cooper City, Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, Coral Springs, Parkland and all of Broward, Dade, and Palm Beach counties. We re on the web! www.hivacair.com Follow us: Member of The Better Business Bureau We are registered with the Better Business Bureau and are members of Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), which is the largest association of heating, air conditioning and ventilation contractors in the country and worldwide. We have also been presented with several Distinguished Dealer Awards from the Trane Company and are Trane Comfort Specialists, which means that we meet the highest Trane standards for customer satisfaction and continuing technical education. Our team of factory trained and radio dispatched service and installation technicians is available to serve you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so you can always be assured of the timely completion of your service calls and installations. In fact, our service call response time is unbeatable in the STAFF President: Peter Blanco Office Manager: Maribeth Waetjen Sales Dept. Coordinator: Sandra Tirado Service Dispatcher: Rico Cruzado Maint. Dept. Coordinator: Bobby Suarez Comfort Consultant: Jay Gonzalez Sales Associate: Silvia Suarez Sales Associate: Timothy Johnson Lead Service Tech: Rolando Fernandez Lead Install Tech: Yudisley Simo Lead Maint. Tech: Jean Meme Field Tech: Alberto Nelson Field Tech: Damon Ball Field Tech: Bryan Molina industry! During our regular business hours, Monday through Friday from8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., you can always call and speak to Peter Blanco, our owner and company President, who can sometimes solve your problem over the phone for FREE! We are grateful for this opportunity to introduce you to our company and look forward to your future business. Please feel free to call us with any questions or concerns that you may have. We are always eager to serve our customers in any way that we can!