How Often Should I Change My Air Filters? Perfection Air HVAC Marietta GA, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

How often should I change my air filters? Change your air filters on a regular basis. Dirty filters are around 25% of the problems that result in air conditioning failures. Dirty air filters allow large amounts of dirt, irritants, and dust to flow back through your air conditioning system and contaminate the air. You and your family are breathing this very same air. Change it when you think your air filter is dirty. Think about all that dirt still getting through and floating in the air you are breathing. It is like that for your air conditioning system too. All that dirt and dust ends up collecting on the fan motors, electrical components, fan blades, coils and duct lining. After some time this buildup will cause the system components to fail, short out, or even catch fire. How often you change your filter will depend on other factors in your home. Did you know that pets and children create more dust and dirt than a home without pets or children? Pets bring in more dirt from outside. They also have twice as many feet that move faster than humans that kick up more dust from the floor causing it to be picked up and circulated back through the air conditioning system. The best way to determine if you need to change your filter is to visually inspect the filter. Do not cover up the returns with furniture or fabrics; leave the return open and visible so that you can check it often. We all have poor memory when it comes to our filters, so an obvious filter location will help. If you are like me, I cannot figure out the FILTER setting on the thermostat and be able to reset it without searching for hours for the instructions for the thermostat. Here’s the best home improvement tip of all time: If the filter looks dirty, change it. If that is monthly for your home, change it monthly. Do not rely on the filter rating on the package. The rating on the package is only a guideline to show you how much more particulate the filter can stop and is very misleading. If it is White then it can stay. If it is gray then it must go. At Perfection Air, we have over 15 years of experience and have accumulated extensive industry knowledge and competency that ensures your project or service will be done right the first time. We are proud of our tradition of excellence serving homeowners throughout Metro-Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Perfection Air has also completed many large projects in Florida, Virginia, and other surrounding states. The company teams are fully trained to work out of town and have the ability to do a very safe, cost-efficient, and time-efficient job. Perfection Air is a fully insured licensed contractor that specializes in residential and commercial installation, repair and maintenance of HVAC equipment. Commercially, our expertise includes apartment buildings, office buildings, and warehouses. Through our incomparable attention to detail, we prove a genuine concern for the safety, health, and comfort of our customers. We serve all of Atlanta and the surrounding areas, so please give us a call at 770-444-9142. We look forward to helping you with any and all of your heating and air conditioning needs HVAC Marietta GA

Should You Repair or Replace Your Furnace? Perfection Air Marietta GA, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

Should You Repair or Replace Your Furnace? furnace Sometimes spending money can end up saving you money. In the case of furnaces and air conditioners this is often the case: Spending money can really end up saving you money in a short period of time. But beware: An inefficient furnace does not always need to be replaced, as there are some repairs and changes that can be made that might potentially help. For example, changing your furnace filters can help your system run more efficiently, as can making sure your humidifier is set to the proper level. Often, simple repairs such as replacing the pilot light with an electronic ignition or sealing the joints in your ductwork can end up doing the trick, thus saving you money and extending the life of your HVAC system. If you really do suspect that you need a new heating or cooling system, the first step is to contact a reliable HVAC contractor to come and check it out for you. Remember, a furnace should last for about 25 years if properly maintained. So unless yours has been improperly installed, damaged or has faulty wiring, you should get many good years of use. So how will you know when it's really time to replace the furnace? There are three main main reasons why you would need to replace a furnace: 1) It's Extremely Old and Inefficient If you move into a home that was built in the 1960s or even earlier, chances are that it has an old boiler system or furnace. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need a newfurnace, but chances are that your system will need an overhaul to make it energy efficient for you. 2) The High Cost of Running Your Furnace Find out which is least expensive in your area: gas or electricity, and try to use the least expensive resource for your system. 3) Heating Load Heating load is the amount of energy required to maintain a steady 65-degree temperature indoors. To find out your heating load, you may want to consider contacting your utility company to perform an energy audit, which will help you figure out ways to make your home more energy efficient - and possibly save you from replacing the entire furnace or air conditioner. If you find that despite your efforts your furnace continues to work inefficiently, you probably need a new furnace. Do the Math If you replace your furnace with a 97% efficient system (look for an Energy Star furnace or A/C system and compare the AFUE and BTU levels), then you would cut your heating bills to around 20%. To see if it's worth spending the money, add up your fuel bills for last winter,then multiply that sum by 20%. Divide that figure into the cost of buying and installing the new system, about $3,000 or so, and you'll see how many years it will take to recoup your investment. HVAC Marietta GA

How Often Should I Have My Air Conditioner Tuned-Up? Perfeion Air Marietta GA, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

Are you confused about how often you should have your home air conditioner tuned-up? We recently had this question asked to us on Facebook and thought we would share it. Question: Our units are 5 years old now. How often do you recommend a tune-up? Answer: Every year. There are items to check that if allowed to run out of specification, will cause your major motors, i.e. your blower fan, your condensing fan, and your compressor, will ultimately fail early and cost hundreds of dollars to replace. Cleaning the coils every year ensures that you are getting the best efficiency out of the system each cooling season. An air conditioner properly maintained can last twice as long as one that isn’t maintained. That will save you thousands of dollars due to an early replacement that could have been avoided. Over and over we get calls from people told by other companies that they need a new air conditioning unit because they have a Freon leak. In about 95% of those cases we were able to fix their leak for a fraction of the cost —while saving them many more years on their air conditioning unit. If this is the case, why are people being told they need a new unit? Several reasons. First, selling them a new unit makes them a lot more money. Second, most HVAC companies are not up to date with the new technology available to fix a Freon leak. Traditionally, when an air conditioning unit had a leak, a technician would need to do a Freon leak detection which was timely and costly just to find the leak - that doesn’t include then going in and fixing the Freon leak. Many times there could be more than one leak and was missed. We specialize in a simple and affordable leak seal treatment that does not require us to detect the leak. With our simple 3-step proven process we can seal your Freon leak in about an hour and have the air conditioning unit up and running, leak free! Perfection Air is a fully insured licensed contractor that specializes in residential and commercial installation, repair and maintenance of HVAC equipment. Commercially, our expertise includes apartment buildings, office buildings, and warehouses. Through our incomparable attention to detail, we prove a genuine concern for the safety, health, and comfort of our customers. We serve all of Atlanta and the surrounding areas, so please give us a call at 770-444-9142. We look forward to helping you with any and all of your heating and air conditioning needs HVAC Marietta GA

Heating and Air Marietta GA - Using Light To Help Heat Your Home, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

Heating Cover all bare floors. Carpeting or rugs add to comfort and heat retention, especially if there is little or no floor insulation. Raise the temperature slowly to keep your bill lower. Quickly raising your heat pump's temperature activates the heat strip, which uses tons of energy. Set your thermostat to 68-70 degrees during the day in the winter, and 65-68 degrees at night to keep your home comfortable and save on heating costs. Close the flue in your fireplace and install glass doors to keep in the warm air. Limit your use of portable heaters. They’re great for "spot" heating, but running a 1,500-watt heater 24/7 can be expensive. Keep your thermostat close to the outside temperature - it’s cheaper to keep your home at 70°F when it’s 50°F outside than when it’s 30°F. Don’t block air vents with drapes and furniture. Get an energy-efficient heat pump and you could cut your heating costs in half. Duke Energy Progress offers rebates up to $300 to help you upgrade. Change the filters in your heating system every month for optimum efficiency. Give your air compressor space to work efficiently. Never stack anything against your HVAC or drape anything over it. Set your thermostat to 60 degrees if going on vacation during the winter months, but don’t turn it off. Heat your home with the sun's help. Leave window shades or blinds open during the daytime. And consider using solar heat to supplement your normal heating source. Lower your thermostat every time you leave the house. Lighting Buy bulbs for less. Check out the Duke Energy Progress Residential Lighting Program to find local retailers who offer energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs at discounted prices. Replace standard bulbs with CFLs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs are more energy-efficient than regular bulbs, while giving off the same amount of light. Use the right bulb. Make sure you’re using the appropriate CFL bulb for your light fixture - they come in various sizes and types for different lighting needs. Replace halogen light bulbs, which can get hot enough to be a fire hazard, with CFLs - they use less energy and don’t get as hot. Use motion-detector lights for all your outdoor lighting - they’re convenient and efficient. Recycle your CFL bulbs. Check the CFL recycling page to find out how, where and why. Replace your five most-used light fixtures and/or bulbs with ENERGY STAR® products. If every American did so, we would save about $8 billion per year in energy costs. Consider using timers to turn lights on in the morning and off during the day. Choose outdoor CFLs for outdoor lighting - they last up to 10 times longer than standard bulbs. Select light-colored or opaque lamp shades. Place lamps in corners so they reflect light from two walls. Install fluorescent tubes as an efficient way to light your workshop or playroom. Heating and Air Marietta GA

100 Ways to Save Energy at Home - Heating and Air Marietta GA, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

Cooling Switch your ceiling fan to turn in a counter-clockwise direction In the summer; in the winter, run it at low speed, but clockwise. Close your exterior doors and windows tightly when the AC is on. Save even more by turning off kitchen and bath exhaust fans. Change or clean your AC's air filters at least once a month to keep your system running at peak performance. Make sure your AC has a rating - or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) - of 15. Not only will your AC be more efficient, you could also be eligible for a rebate up to $300. Make saving automatic: Set your thermostat fan switch to "auto" to save energy. Leaving it in the "on" position keeps air running constantly. Block the sun from overheating your home! Inside, use shades, blinds and drapes. Outside, use awnings, trees and shrubs. Insulate your walls with injected foam insulation to help you save energy by keeping hot outside air from seeping through porous block walls - check with your local building supply company for details. Give your AC tune-up. Running an inefficient AC system can result in high monthly bills. Plus, you could qualify for a rebate. Open interior doors so that cooled air flows freely throughout your home. Repair leaky ducts to reduce heating and cooling costs and qualify for a rebate up to $120 toward repairs. Install attic insulation rated R-30 and sealing any attic leaks to reduce high home cooling costs. You’ll save money each month and qualify for a rebate of $75 or more. Check for household leaks to make sure air isn't escaping through openings such as fireplace dampers, doors and windows. Decorate for a cooler home by hanging light-colored curtains that allow light to enter a room while blocking some of the sun’s rays, and light-colored paint to reflect heat. Close unused air vents. If you have central AC you can close air vent in rooms you're not using so you're not paying to cool them. Plant trees to provide shade on the sunny side of your home. Use ceiling fans to cool off for less. Ceiling fans use no more electricity than a standard light bulb. However, be sure to turn fans off when you leave — they only cool people, not rooms. Install more ceiling fans. Because the breeze of a fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler, you can raise that thermostat and still stay comfortable. Raise the temperature on your thermostat by a few degrees to save on your cooling costs. Install a programmable thermostat to adjust your temperature during the day. Heating and Air Marietta GA

The Whole House Approach - When It Comes to Saving Energy Atlanta GA, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

The Whole House Approach When it comes to saving energy, every little change you make in your house has an impact. However, you’ll see the greatest difference if you take the “whole house approach.” Think of your home as a small ecosystem. No matter how efficient your heating or cooling system, or how low you set your thermostat in the winter, or how good your insulation, if your ducts leak or you have drafty windows and other air leaks, you’re fighting a losing battle to heat or cool your home efficiently. That’s just one example. The point is, while every little bit of improvement in your energy efficiency helps, approaching your house as an ecosystem where each part is dependent on the others will bring you best results. According to the Department of Energy, it’s possible to reduce your utility bills by 25 percent with diligent changes to your practices along with other changes. This article is the first in a three-part series aimed at guiding you through energy-saving, bill-lowering tips that, for the most part, you can DIY. You may be able to implement some of these tips immediately while others can be worked on as your budget or time permits. Efficient Heating and Cooling Change or clean HVAC filters regularly. Fresh filters ensure your HVAC system breathes properly, boosting energy efficiency, and ensure better indoor air quality. Block or allow direct sunlight on your windows according to the season. In the winter the sun helps warm your home, but in the summer it makes your home hotter, causing your air conditioner to work harder. Consider trees for shading during the summer or even window film that blocks the solar rays on the hottest sides of your home. Use fans in the summer to keep your house comfortable. Moving air feels cooler, allowing you to set your thermostat higher. Consider your window curtains, shades or blinds carefully. Insulated drapes help block heat and cold, for instance, while sheers allow air to flow right through. Dark colors absorb heat while light colors don’t. Choose your window coverings with your needs in mind. Run humidifiers or dehumidifiers. Raising the humidity in the air during winter makes it seem warmer, and likewise, dehumidifiers help a space feel cooler in the summer. Plus, removing humidity relieves strain on your air conditioner. Note: Check your humidity level before running a humidifier to ensure you aren’t simply creating a steam bath environment that encourages mold, mildew and rot. Also avoid making the environment too dry. Open your windows and use the night air to cool your home in the fall or spring. A box fan set in the window will draw in air and help limit your use of the air conditioner. Watch your thermostat temperature settings. In the summer, aim for between 74 and 80 degrees for greater energy savings. Under 70 degrees is ideal in winter. Keep the thermostat far from drafts, heat sources or other conditions that alter the proper temperature reading. Install a programmable thermostat. The ability to set your air conditioner to a warmer temperature or your heater to a cooler setting when you plan to be away from the home for long periods saves energy and money. Keep in mind that extreme temperature fluctuations may be self-defeating; In other words, it can take more energy to heat the home back to a livable temperature if it gets too cold while you are away. Setting your thermostat just a few degrees lower during your workday will reflect in your energy bill. HVAC Marietta GA

Heating and Cooling Tips Atlanta GA - Perfection Air, HVAC | Heating, Air Conditioning Marietta GA | 770-444-9142

No-cost Use shades, blinds and drapes to help with heating and cooling. Open them to gain the sun's heat during heating season and close them to block the heat during cooling season. Make it a habit today. Adjust your thermostat when you are asleep or away from home. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating and cooling by simply turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit from its normal setting for 8 hours a day. Recommended thermostat settings when you are home are 68 F in winter and 78 F in summer. Leave thermostat's fan switch on "auto" so the fan only runs when the furnace runs. Setting the fan to "on" causes it to run all the time, whether or not heating or cooling is needed. Turn thermostat down to 55 F when using a fireplace. Older, wood-burning fireplaces tend to be inefficient and can be costly, drawing more heated air out of your home through the chimney than a fire can produce. So, turn the thermostat down when you cozy up in front of the fire. After the smoldering embers are out, close the flue damper to keep warm air in the house. Low-cost Seal cracks and gaps around windows, doors and siding with caulk and weather stripping. This prevents loss of heated or cooled air and improves the comfort of your home. Use fans in summer, even if you have air conditioning. Circulating cool air makes it feel cooler. Using an air conditioner and fan together means you can set the thermostat at a higher-than-normal setting to save energy. Keep in mind that it does little good to run fans when you are not around. Similar to an outdoor breeze on a hot summer day, air moving across your body is what makes you feel cooler. Install a programmable thermostat for your comfort and convenience. It can adjust the heat or air conditioning for times you typically are away (when you go to work) and again for times you typically are home. You also can program it to turn the heat down when you go to sleep and turn it back up before you wake up in the morning. It adjusts automatically, so you don't have to remember to do it. Schedule regular tune-ups for your furnace and air conditioner. Seasonal maintenance keeps equipment running safely and efficiently, and saves money in the long run. More ways to save Furnaces and air conditioners Choose efficient furnaces and air conditioners when it's time for replacement. Furnaces and air conditioners are expensive to operate and to replace. If you need a new one, do not assume the size of the current unit is appropriate. Look at the unit's efficiency rating. Furnaces with an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating of at least 92 and an electrically efficient blower motor (ECW or variable speed) are best. If you use your central air conditioner a lot, look for a model with a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) of 14 or more for the best efficiency. Focus on Energy (in Wisconsin) and Efficiency United (in Michigan) may offer rebates for higher-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners. Windows If you just look at energy savings, window replacement should be your lowest priority, since replacing windows involves a large investment. However, if you are getting new windows for other reasons - appearance, condensation, comfort - look for Energy Star qualified windows. Natural gas Consider switching to natural gas. Compared to other traditional energy sources, natural gas is the least expensive way to heat your home and water, dry your laundry and cook your food. HVAC Marietta GA