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Are Smart Thermostats Really Worth the Money? 

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A smart thermostat can help you control your home’s temperature remotely, and it can also reduce your energy consumption. It can learn from your cooling and heating behaviors, display energy usage in real-time, and adjust your system to save you money. 

It can even detect if you’re home or away and automatically set the temperature to an appropriate level. It’s a convenient way to ensure your system isn’t running unnecessarily when you’re not there. 

Pros 

Smart thermostats use algorithms that learn your preferences and your schedule to adjust the heating and cooling levels of your home based on your habits. This can save you money on energy bills and keep your home comfortable. 

They’re also often able to monitor air filters and other AC maintenance tasks and send notifications on your smartphone when they need changing. These features are worth the extra cost if you need to be more energy conscious. 

Another big plus is that they’re easy to control with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. You can tell the system what temperature you want or set a vacation mode that automatically lowers the thermostat when you go on vacation. 

They’re also often more energy-efficient than programmable models and can save you up to 20% on your home’s heating and cooling costs. They can also be remotely controlled from anywhere and can even work with other smart devices to automate more programmable functions. 

Cons 

Having an energy-efficient thermostat is a great way to save money and avoid expensive utility bills. Smart thermostats are programmable, allowing you to set specific temperatures that are ideal for the times of day you’re spending time at home. 

A smart thermostat can also learn your habits and automatically adjust to the best heating schedule for your family’s routine. This is helpful if you must leave early for work or want to set the temperature for when you get home from vacation. 

Another great feature of some smart thermostats is their ability to save energy by only kicking on the AC when it’s needed. This can save you a significant amount of money on your electricity bill, especially when paired with geofencing features that allow the thermostat to turn off the AC when everyone leaves the house. 

While smart thermostats can certainly help you save money, it’s important to consider the long-term effects before making a purchase. If you are moving frequently or don’t stay in one place long enough for a smart thermostat to learn your habits, it may not be worth the investment. 

Upfront Cost 

The upfront cost of smart thermostats can seem like a huge amount of money, but it pays off in the long run with energy savings. Depending on the brand and model, they can cut your energy bill by 10-25% with a minimal investment. 

They can also save you time, as you no longer must adjust your home’s temperature each time you leave the house. Instead, you can control your thermostat settings through an app on your smartphone or tablet. 

A smart thermostat will learn your schedule, so it can automatically adjust its temperature to your preferences and make sure your home is a comfortable temperature when you’re home. It can also reduce the temperature in your home when you’re not around, saving you money on utility bills. 

If you’re considering installing a smart thermostat, be sure to contact a certified technician to ensure the device will work with your home’s HVAC system. At Comfort Arrows, we offer courteous, expertly trained technicians & 100% satisfaction guarantees on all Energy-Efficient Home Smart Thermostat Installation Services in the Wheeling, Illinois area. 

Long-Term Cost 

Smart thermostats are an excellent investment that will save you money over the long run. The amount of savings depends on a variety of factors, including your location and energy costs. 

In most places, smart thermostats can trim heating and cooling bills by about 8%, or about $50 per year. Savings can be higher in areas with cold winters or hot summers, or where energy prices are high. 

Many smart thermostats also feature presence detection, which uses a smartphone app to determine when you’re home and create schedules for climate control that avoid wasting energy during times when no one is there. 

Other features, like behavior learning, can also optimize your energy savings. For example, a smart thermostat might adjust your settings by a few degrees closer to the outside temperature if there’s a rain shower, saving you ten percent on heating run time. 

 

Exposed Ductwork Ideas You Might Need in Your Home

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Ductwork is something that every building with an HVAC unit has. That being said, for many, hiding the ductwork is something that they try very hard to do. Though this does give a space a more finished look, it is not always necessary. Exposed ductwork can be fun and can help make your space something truly special.

 

Is Exposed Ductwork Trending?

For those looking to make a splash and make their ductwork a feature of their home or business, exposed ductwork is in this year. Exposed ductwork is fun, it can look industrial and different, and you can even make it a feature of your home or business. Exposed ductwork is not just for fun; it can also help to make your ceilings higher and help to open up a space. One great idea is to paint the ductwork the same color as your ceiling; this will help camouflage it a bit but still make it a feature.

You can also use wood posts and beams to help frame the ductwork and help make it a feature. Exposed beams are, again, going to help with the industrial look of the ceiling and can make it even more of a feature. You do not have to make the sole focus the ductwork. You can make it a part of the design overall so that it does not stick out but is still visible and fun to look at. You can also choose a contrasting color for your ceiling and walls to help ensure that your silver ducts will really pop against the ceiling and the walls.

Exposed Ductwork Ideas

The way that the ductwork can be shown is really going to depend on the way that the home is built and on the way that your ductwork is designed as well. When making any design decisions based on your ductwork, you want to ensure that the ductwork is going to be stable, that none of the design options that you are using are going to damage or affect the ability of the ductwork to do its job, and that the integrity of the ducts is kept.

The best way to do this is to hire a professional to help ensure that any design idea you may have will not damage your ducts. Exposed ductwork can be very fun; you just have to know how to properly follow this trend.

Benefits of Energy Efficient Furnace and AC

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A furnace and AC are a big part of a home being livable and comfortable. Having an energy-efficient HVAC can help lower your energy bill, make your home even more comfortable, and ensure that your furnace is doing what it should be. So, do you need a new, energy-efficient furnace and AC? Keep reading to find out more.

What Does Energy Efficient Mean?

Energy efficiency, across the board, means that it uses less energy to perform the same or a very similar task to other items of the same class or type. This can apply to nearly anything. From a microwave oven that uses less energy to heat up your hot pockets, to a furnace and ac that keeps your home both warm and cold for a fraction of the cost.

Energy efficiency is a great thing for everyone involved. It helps to decrease emissions, it helps with taking some of the stress off of the communal power grid, it helps lower your energy bill, and it reduces pollutants. In some states, you can get rebates or even tax breaks on new, energy-efficient items that you purchase for your home. This can be appliances or even home improvements geared at energy efficiency.

Health Benefits of Being Energy Efficient

Energy-efficient improvements to your home do have the potential to help with your health as well. They can help reduce emissions and pollution, which can also help with respiratory and cardiovascular issues. These furnaces and air conditioners that are more energy efficient will also be better at keeping your home at the temperature you need.

They can work less to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, which can help with breathing issues and with overall comfort. Energy-efficient products will help improve the air quality overall, which is better for all of us. Now, if you have an older unit still working, that does not mean you need to go out and get a new one immediately.

You can take the time to start talking to your technicians to see what options there are for you when your unit needs to be replaced. You can even get tax breaks for making energy-efficient upgrades to your home, making it a beneficial thing to do. These units will work better, lower your bills and help to improve the overall air quality of the world we live in.

Top 5 Things You Need To Know About Your HVAC System

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As a homeowner, one of the best things you can do is familiarize yourself with the equipment that powers your home. In this instance, we are talking about your HVAC system. While it may not power the home itself, it does keep you comfortable throughout the year. Taking the time to get to know your HVAC system (as well as other systems in the home) will allow you to better understand potential issues and take care of them. 

#1: Clean Your Filters to Maintain Efficiency

Many homeowners fail to properly clean or replace their HVAC system air filters. These filters will not work efficiently once they become dirty. A dirty air filter will cause the system to work overtime to maintain the level of comfort you desire. It can also make your utility bills climb steadily. Clean your air filters at least once every three months to maintain system efficiency.

#2: Keep Your Air Vents Open To Reduce System Stress

A common question homeowners have regarding their HVAC system is “Does closing air vents redirect airflow?” It is often assumed that you can redirect the airflow of your HVAC system by closing off any air vents you don’t need currently. However, this will actually not redirect cool or warm air to other vents in the home. Instead, it adds stress to the system, which increases the overall risk of problems and the need for maintenance and repair.

#3: Maintain the Ducts

The ducting is an important part of the HVAC system that many homeowners tend to overlook. When ducts are not properly maintained, they may start leaking, resulting in 20 to 40% of energy waste. Sealing the ductwork can prevent leakage while reducing the overall stress on the HVAC system.

#4: Add Filters to Return Vents

As a general rule, the HVAC equipment itself is the only part of the system that includes an air filter. However, it is actually recommended that your return vents have an appropriately sized air filter. This is especially true for ceiling vents, but what do filters do in the ceiling? These filters will work alongside the main air filter to improve indoor air quality and protect the system from hair, dust, pet dander, pollen, and other contaminants.

#5: Schedule Routine Maintenance With a Licensed HVAC Technician

Routine maintenance of your HVAC system is a necessity for its longevity and efficiency. However, it is important to only work with a licensed and skilled HVAC technician with the knowledge, experience, and certifications to perform heating and cooling work.

Trust Our Saint Louis HVAC Professionals

If you need an HVAC system check-up, maintenance, or repair, contact the professional and licensed team at Ashley Brothers Heating & Cooling in Saint Louis, MO.

Welcome to Our Blog

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Welcome to our blog. We are glad you found your way here. You will find interesting and valuable articles pertaining to our business and the services we offer. Continue to come back as our blog will be coming soon with updated articles.