If you live in the big cities, the chances are that the air you breathe indoors and outdoors is polluted. While it’s probably impossible to eliminate all allergens in the outdoor air, you can reduce your exposure to them in your home by making simple changes. Indoor air purification helps prevent asthma flare-ups and other respiratory problems during the hot and colder months. If you’re wondering how to improve indoor air quality in your home, here are some simple strategies we thought you’d like to try.
1. Invest in Houseplants
Houseplants are not just pretty. They offer oxygen and take in carbon dioxide, making them natural air filters. You can buy a few plants and keep some inside the house and others outside. It’s crucial to choose your plants wisely based on where you want to keep them, as they can foster mold growth, which can be catastrophic for your health. If your home has plenty of natural light, you can go for the larger plants like Philodendron Micans that require little care but grow fast.
2. Use an Air Purifier
Dust, pollen, pet dander, and other microscopic particles can be difficult to eliminate as they cannot be seen. Air purifiers can help trap 99 percent of these irritants by drawing in dirty air, filtering it, and releasing it back to the house. Air purifiers leave your air cleaner and fresher throughout the seasons, reducing irritants that may trigger respiratory issues.
3. Change Your AC Filter
Air conditioning systems require frequent tune-ups to ensure the filters are not clogged. They also help clean the air by trapping some of the most popular air pollutants. With time, they can fill up and fail to function correctly. Clogged air filters reduce your indoor air quality and wear down your unit as it has to work twice as hard to keep your home cooler.
4. Keep Your Home Clean
Part of improving your indoor air quality begins with keeping your home clean. Good indoor hygiene cuts down animal dander and dust. Focus on cleaning techniques that reduce dust and other pollutants in your home. That means vacuuming your carpet and rugs frequently, regularly cleaning your floor, bedding, and drapes, and getting rid of household stuff that holds dust.
5. Open the Windows
It may appear obvious, but ventilation is one of the easiest ways of improving your indoor air quality. Opening your windows allows fresh, cool air to enter your home. While it may be tempting to lock yourself in to keep the hot air from entering your home during hot days, the stale air circulation in your home can do more harm than good, especially if there is moisture.
Let Us Help You Purify Your Indoor Air
Need help improving your indoor air quality? Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling can help you protect yourself and your family with an air-purifying system. Our product comes with benefits, including aiding better sleep, alleviating flu and allergy symptoms, and airborne germs protection. Contact us at (314) 835-1770 to learn more about this product and other services.
The warmer climates are often associated with beautiful flowers, barbecues, and uncountable outdoor activities. However, the hotter days can quickly become uncomfortable if you’re not prepared with adequate cooling techniques. For most people, the air conditioner seems to be the perfect cooling solution. If left to operate for long hours, your AC can quickly double or triple your utility bills. While it’s still among the best cooling solutions, you might want to learn how to save energy while keeping your home cool. Here are some of the tips we thought you should try.
Close the Windows During the Day and Open Them at Night
Windows allow sunlight and infrared heat into your home during the day. To allow ventilation into your home and keep the heat out, consider opening your windows in the morning, evening, and night. Use blinds to keep the sun out during the day. You can also buy window coverings that block the sun’s rays and use light-colored curtains that don’t absorb heat.
Cook Outdoors
Cooking, particularly grilling, can make cooling your home more challenging during the hot season. The heat produced spreads to the adjacent rooms, which leads to more air conditioner usage. To avoid overworking your AC and fans, start cooking outdoors. Spring and summer evenings offer an excellent opportunity to enjoy barbecues while having a great time with family and friends. You can even use charcoal and save electricity.
Use a Programmable Thermostat
One of the biggest mistakes people make leading to high energy bills is setting their thermostats colder than normal when they first turn on the air conditioner. Colder settings won’t cool your home faster. You’re simply overworking it, which eventually leads to excessive cooling and high power usage. Using a programmable thermostat allows you to turn your air conditioner on and off depending on where you’re. Smart thermostat settings for spring use your location to know where you’re and determine whether to turn the AC on or off.
Use Fans and Other Natural Methods To Cool Your Home
If you have trees providing shade to your home, your home is likely cooler than those receiving direct sunlight. If you have shade on a section of the house, you can use fans to direct the cold air to the warmer rooms. Turn off the lights during the day, take advantage of natural light, and seal all window and door cracks to ensure no hot air or cold air is going in or out.
Service Your Air Conditioner
One of the best ways to keep your energy costs down is by servicing your air conditioner. In fact, it should be on your priority list during spring cleaning. Routine maintenance of your AC helps prolong its lifespan and reduce the chances of costly repairs. When the AC is functioning optimally, it cools your home effectively, cutting your energy bills by 15 percent. You can hire HVAC professionals to inspect, repair, and replace parts to ensure the unit uses as little energy as required.
Need to make your air conditioner more energy efficient in Saint Louis, MO? The Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling can help you save energy and keep your AC running efficiently throughout the seasons. For tune-ups, repairs, installations, and replacements, call us on (314) 835-1770, and we will be happy to help.
By the beginning of spring, everyone is ready to say goodbye to the frigid winter and prepare for warmer days. HVAC maintenance becomes crucial at this time of year if you want to ensure you’re getting the most out of your heating and cooling system. Making sure your air conditioning is working properly before the hot summer is especially important for any homeowner. It’s also important to put together and follow an HVAC checklist for spring so your home is the most comfortable it can be.
Here are a few spring HVAC tips to help you with the process of inspecting your heating and cooling system.
Inspecting the outdoor unit
Checking the outdoor unit of your heating and cooling system is one of the first steps in spring HVAC maintenance. Oftentimes, debris builds up around the external unit over the wintertime, so it’s important to wipe away leaves, dirt and dust in and around the unit.
Along with that, checking for any damage in the outdoor unit is also a good idea, since something like a damaged condenser could lead to problems with air conditioning performance. If anything looks like it’s damaged, giving an HVAC technician a call is the way to go.
Replacing the filter
An old HVAC filter is a common cause of restricted airflow and poor air conditioning performance. Oftentimes, these filters can grow mold or accumulate debris, which means the AC system ends up using more energy when it’s running. That’s why it’s recommended that homeowners change their filter around every 90 days (about three months). However, you may need to change yours more often if you have allergies or have pets in your household.
If you want to take it a step further, we recommend upgrading to a more advanced and efficient pleated filter. A pleaded filter can trap the particles of bacteria and debris inside the filter, making your HVAC system more effective in cooling your home.
Temporarily shutting down the HVAC system
Another spring HVAC tip is to temporarily turn off your system for a few weeks, ideally during a time when it’s not too hot and not too cold. This can improve the air quality in your home and air everything out a bit more. During this time, you can open your windows and make use of your home’s ceiling fans to improve air circulation.
Prioritizing annual HVAC maintenance
Finally, scheduling an HVAC checkup with a professional at least once a year is an important but often forgotten step on everyone’s HVAC checklist for spring. A technician can check your airflow and look for signs of wear in your AC unit. If any parts of your unit need repair or replacement, they can easily help with that. This allows your HVAC system to continue to work efficiently and effectively for as long as possible.
Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling can help you with spring HVAC maintenance and more. Our company offers heating and air conditioning services to keep your energy-efficient unit functioning the best it can. Contact us today for more information.
During the chilly winter months, having a high-quality, well-functioning heater can greatly affect your comfort levels at home. No one wants to spend their relaxation time bundled up with coats and blankets due to a poor heating system. Thankfully, there are many ways to avoid a broken heater, as well as enhance its efficiency, during our cold winters. Read on to learn more about how to get the most out of your heater and get some answers to common heater FAQs.
What does regular heater maintenance entail?
One of the best tips for how to avoid a broken heater is to schedule regular maintenance inspections. Whether it be once or twice a year, having a professional check your HVAC system for any potential problems is an important preventative measure for a homeowner to take. Here at Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling, we are experts on HVAC systems and can help make sure your home heating system is in top-notch condition. If you sense there may be a problem with your system, it’s best to call for a checkup to prevent the problem from worsening.
How do you replace your furnace filter?
Replacing the air filters in your heating system is also extremely important to keep it functioning properly. Simply shut the HVAC unit off, then remove the old filter and insert the new one. This allows your heating system to continue to be effective and efficient. It is recommended to replace your air filter every one to three months, depending on the filter and the typical conditions in your home.
Also, after replacing the air filter, wiping away any debris or dust from the vents will help maintain effective airflow from your heater. It also helps to promote better air quality. This is another great way to avoid a broken or inefficient heater, and it’s a quick and simple DIY job.
How can smart thermostats help?
A great way to maintain your heater is by purchasing a smart thermostat. This technology will allow you to program the heater to automatically adjust the temperature throughout the day and keep your system from overworking. It will save you money on heating bills and keep your home at a perfect, comfortable temperature all day long.
Many programmable thermostats are inexpensive but still effective. However, some of the more expensive programmable thermostats, also called smart thermostats, are designed to automatically adjust the temperature to accommodate your lifestyle by learning your behavior over time. This can be a great option as well.
Get more information on HVAC services
A quality, functioning HVAC system is crucial for maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home during the winter months. Regular maintenance and inspections are especially important as well. Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling offers efficient HVAC systems for your home. We’re also proud to offer affordable repair and maintenance services, as well as emergency services for heating systems. For more information on what we can do for you, or to schedule an appointment for HVAC service, reach out to us today.
With heating and air conditioning bills on the rise, it’s never been more practical to invest in energy efficient air conditioning. Not only does an efficient unit help you save on your energy bills, but they’re also better for the environment.
Here are some of the main differences between air conditioning models.
Measuring efficiency in air conditioning systems
Each air conditioning unit has a SEER rating, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. You can think of it in terms of a miles-per-gallon rating—a higher SEER rating means a more efficient system. All air conditioners must have a SEER ratio of 14 or higher according to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. Some modern energy-efficient air conditioning systems have a rating of up to 26 SEER, and ultra-efficient specialty systems can reach even higher ratings.
In general, the older your air conditioning unit, the less efficient it is. Even systems installed only a decade ago can’t reach the efficiencies of modern units. The older your system gets and the more it’s used, the less efficient it will run due to regular wear and tear. It’s often more practical to invest in a new system to keep your energy bills low.
Differences between regular ACs and energy-efficient models
The main difference between standard air conditioning systems compared to new, efficient ones is in performance. High-efficiency systems outperform their predecessors due to advancements in technologies.
The most efficient systems feature state-of-the-art variable compressors that turn on and off the system as little as possible while still maintaining a comfortable indoor air temperature. They also have a variable speed blower that controls airflow as it travels through the system, allowing you to maintain the exact temperature you want when you need it without constantly running.
What are some of the benefits you’ll experience when you invest in a high-efficiency air conditioning system? Just some of the advantages include:
Less expensive to run: Efficient systems turn hot air into cold air without expending excess energy. In today’s market, where energy isn’t cheap, you’ll enjoy significant energy bill savings immediately.
Enhanced comfort: Today’s systems feature optimal humidity and temperature controls, making it easier to maintain a comfortable temperature and indoor air quality at home.
Better filtration: An efficient system with quality media filters traps dirt and air effectively due to their high surface area and accordion-style design. You’ll notice a great improvement in your indoor air quality, as the air that circulates from efficient systems is much cleaner compared to older ones.
Sound reduction: Many of today’s most advanced systems operate at a much lower volume thanks to upgraded fan blades and compressor sound blankets.
Now that you understand the differences between air conditioning models, schedule professional installation to make the most of your investment in an energy-efficient system. Contact Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling today—we’ll install the most practical system for your needs and your budget, helping you keep your energy bills low while allowing you to maintain comfort in your home.
