The Most Effective Protection for Your HVAC System - Regular Service

Routine maintenance and check ups are an essential part of owning any type of commercial building. The challenge for most owners is that they hold off until something fails to have their HVAC system serviced. However, it is essential that you be proactive concerning your system.

The fact is, you could look at regular maintenance service as being the best insurance plan you can get against a critical system failure. Keeping the system functioning helps you to save money because it will increase the system's performance. Are you aware that about 40 percent of your electricity bill comes from your HVAC system? By taking steps to making sure it is operating as efficiently as possible, you may see a substantial savings in your heating and cooling monthly bill.

It is definitely very easy to keep postponing regular maintenance because it feels as though you don't have enough money. But what do you do when something severe goes completely wrong? You definitely won't have the funds then either. By preventing serious problems with a small bit of money now, you'll probably avoid the need for costly fixes and longer down times down the road. Additionally, you will prolong the life of your cooling and heating system by making sure that routine servicing is performed on it.

Developing a Maintenance Schedule

Probably the greatest things you can possibly do for your commercial HVAC system is to have a maintenance schedule. It will help to keep on track for making sure that these standard maintenance jobs get accomplished. Deal with a reputable company for regular service several times of a year so that these crucial service calls don't fall through the cracks. Having a routine service plan prepared, you can count on the business you hire to call you and remind you that service on your HVAC system is due.

Follow this advice to assist you to come up with a maintenance schedule you can easily live with:

• Be sure all filters in your system are replaced each and every month. Put this on your maintenance schedule and include it in with the duties of your tech. By doing this you will not forget to change the filters.

• Schedule regular check-ups at least 2 times each year. The best times are in the fall and the springtime. These are periods of change for the temperature ranges, so you will want to make certain your hvac system is completely good to go.

• When the HVAC specialist you've hired to adhere to your maintenance schedule calls, don't wait to schedule that appointment. It's too easy to let these service things go rather than to keep on top of them. It's quite likely you'll redirect major problems later on.

There's nothing worse than an HVAC system not working, so you should do all you can to avoid that. Using a maintenance schedule and also following it is like creating your own insurance plan for your HVAC system. You help ensure that potential issues are caught early and prevent major disasters.

Let Sandium Heating & Air care for all your residential and commercial HVAC servicing. They have more than a decade's experience of creating comfort and satisfaction for home and business owners south San Francisco Bay area. 

25C Tax Credit Program Reinstated for Home-owners

Have you made an energy-efficient renovating in 2012? What this means is you could be entitled to a tax credit as much as $500. That’s because the 25C Tax Credit, which initially expired at the end of 2011, was reinstated as part of the bill to prevent going over the so-called ‘Fiscal Cliff.’ The decision means qualifying home improvements retroactive to Jan. 1, 2012 qualify for the tax credit.

I am certain what you’re asking - just which home improvements meet the criteria? With an air conditioning system to qualify, it must:

A split system central a / c must meet or exceed 16 SEER and 13 EER.

Package system central air conditioning units must meet or exceed 14 SEER and 12 EER.

An air source heat pump must meet or exceed 15 SEER and 12.5 EER and 8.5 HSPF, to be able to qualify for the tax credit.

Package heat pump systems must meet or exceed 14 SEER and 12 SEER and 8 HSPF.

Details Courtesy: Air Conditioning Contractors of America

Additional projects possibly qualified for the tax credit include new roofs, windows, doors, insulation and hot water equipment, just to mention a few. Visit http://ase.org/taxcredits to read more about the 25C Tax Credit. The IRS will release information in the coming weeks regarding how to apply.

Ventilation And Insulation: Solutions For Any Attic space That’s Running A Temperature

Since your house is kept comfortable with an air conditioning unit, your attic will almost always be hotter in the summertime in comparison to your home’s inside. However, there's two concepts that may work as remedies for any attic that’s running a temperature: insulation and ventilation. Here’s a glance at these particular methods; why they are important and the way you can implement them in your South Bay area home.

Air movement

The reason why it’s important: As the summer sun beats upon the roof top, the shingles can warm up to 150 degrees or even more. This heat transfers in the roofing material and in to the attic air, where it's going to remain dormant and unbearably hot unless ventilation circulates the hottest air out and introduces comparatively cool air from the outside. This impacts household comfort because exceedingly hot attics enables heat to seep inside your house and drive your air conditioning unit to operate harder.

Forms of attic ventilation: Probably the most subtle type of attic ventilation is natural ventilation, having a eave and ridge vents. Whenever a breeze shows up, air is forced inside at the eaves and rises out from the ridge vents. An even more aggressive and effective choice is attic fan ventilation, an approach designed to cool-down your attic by actively pulling air in from the outside.

Selecting an attic fan: The fan you select ought to be able to move large quantities of air to make a difference in attic temperature. Look for a flow rate in cubic ft per minute (cfm) that equates to your attic volume level x 10, divided by 60.

Insulation

The reasons why it’s crucial: Attic ventilation and insulation perform hand-in-hand. In reality, insulation is necessary for ventilation in order to work, because with out a correctly enclosed and insulated attic floor, an attic fan will just pull conditioned air out of your home into your attic. Insulation must also never ever cover up vents intended for ventilation purposes.

Kinds of attic insulation: There are several types, however the most cost-effective way for you to improve the insulation inside your attic is to distribute loose-fill insulation into any spaces you discover on the attic floor.

For more information regarding attic ventilation and insulation for your South Bay area home, please contact Sandium Heating &Air today.

HVAC Energy Ratings: Knowing These May Help You Save Money

Selecting the most energy-efficient a / c and home heating system is a lot more important than ever before, as San Francisco Bay Area utility prices consistently rise. However, deciding which heating or cooling system is the most efficient isn't necessarily as simple as it appears. HVAC energy measurements can often be perplexing.

HVAC energy measurements

The heating, ventilation and cooling industry (HVAC) utilizes an variety of measuring scales to show the energy efficiency of household cooling and heating systems. The Energy Star rating system, established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in 1992, gives shoppers ways to tell right away if an appliance meets the DOE’s minimum efficiency standards. Search for a large, yellow sticker along the side of the unit. This system also allows you to easily do a comparison of two products manufactured by different companies.

The annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) presents consumers a solid idea of how good a heater performs. This number is indicated in a percentage. For example, an AFUE of 90 shows that the home heating system is 90 % efficient.

The seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) measures the cooling effectiveness of heat pumps and a / c system. The greater the ratio, the more efficient the device. To become qualified as an Energy Star-rated appliance, a unit will need to have a rating of a minimum of 12, but you'll find systems available with ratios as high as 20.

The heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) measures the efficiency of heat pumps. The amount is the total heat generated by the pump (in Btus) throughout a single heating season.

If you want help understanding HVAC energy measurements or in selecting the comfort system that’s best for your home and family, let Sandium Heating & Air serving the south SF bay area assist you throughout the procedure of analyzing, purchasing and setting up a new central air or home heating system. We’ve been helping the San Jose bay area home owners with their heating and air conditioning needs for over a decade. Call us at (408) 894-9072 to arrange a free consultation.

A Nice and clean Technique To Remove Dust From Your Indoor Air

Maybe you have no influence over the quality of air when you leave your house, but you do have complete control over the environment within your four walls. Changing the air temperature is as easy as bringing up or lowering the thermostat, however, you might need to do some more work to get the quality of air up to speed, including lowering the level of dust in your house; here’s a three part tactic to get you going.

Eliminate

To get free of dust, you’ll have to get rid of several things. First, those knick-knacks will need to go. Objects cluttering every surface area in your house only compound the dust problem. Pare them down, and you'll be surprised by just how much easier it is to clean, and how considerably cleaner the air is.

Next on the list will be the closets. Sort through your set of clothes and store all the items that you aren't currently wearing before donating the things you don't need.

When you're over and done with that task, proceed to the closet floor. Keep this space empty, because this is where most of the dust is produced in your house by way of the shedding of clothing fibers; a clear floor is much easier to vacuum.

Clean

Thoroughly clean each room utilizing a micro-fiber or electrostatic cloth. Work from top to bottom, finishing with the vacuum, ideally one with a good filter. Change all bed linens every week, for the reason that the linens will likely be full of dead skin cells, which contribute significantly to dust.

Always maintain

When your house is clean, keep it up! Great habits create great results, and one of the greatest will undoubtedly be cleaner interior air.

The quality of your indoor air is essential towards your level of comfort and great health. Should you have any concerns concerning your indoor quality of air, or any other element of your HVAC system, contact the experts at Sandium Heating & Air. We've been proudly servicing the greater South Bay area for over a decade, and our mission is to keep you more comfortable and breathing easier.

What are the Advantages of a High Velocity HVAC System?

Traditional HVAC System

A standard, low velocity, air-conditioning system is effective, if somewhat inefficiently for a lot of homes. Very first, a refrigerant liquid is cooled from the condenser on the exterior of the house. Then it's moved inside to the evaporator where it's allowed to turn into a gas again. These steps substantially cool the temperature of the gas which is inside a series of tubes. 

The last element of the cooling process blows air across these tube. Air is then pushed into the living area by a blower fan and cools the home. This process has worked really well for several decades but present times demand modern-day solutions. 

Perhaps the biggest issue using a low velocity, HVAC system is that the cooled down air is only immediately available in a little area of the space. Movements in the space by individuals, pets or by simple conduction gradually cool the entire room but a at an unacceptably slow-moving rate. High velocity HVAC systems directly address this deficiency. 

High Velocity HVAC System

An additional, far more convenient answer, as the title implies, high velocity HVAC systems push air into a space at a much higher rate of speed. This force generates a multitude of air currents that equally disperse the cooled air in a much shorter time period. 

High velocity HVAC systems in addition offer other added benefits. The ductwork required for a high velocity system is a lot less intrusive and installed alot more affordably. Because of their smaller size, the ducts may be put far more advantageously and precisely to a customer’s requirements. Finally, they take up a more compact profile in a room and blend in with décor to a much greater degree. 

Inconclusion:

While, the conventional HVAC systems might appear to be the most preferred choice since they are the tried and tested, home owners should still consider a high velocity looking to totally replace their Air conditioning systems should look at a high velocity system. Most believe that they are able to reuse their pre-existing ductwork however the duct work utilized in high velocity systems is incredibly different from the conventional duct work. Due to this final fact in mind, a high velocity HVAC system becomes alot more competitive regarding installation and operating costs.

Your Local NATE-Certified Technician: If Your Installation Needs To Be Done Right the First Time!

Your HVAC appliances are probably the most expensive, essential things you've got in your own home. It doesn't only cost a lot to invest in, but it directly impacts your power bills and in addition effects your family’s health, safety and comfort. You don’t have enough time to deal with fly-by-night installers who hire technicians who might or might not get the job done. Regardless of what your property needs, always make sure that you have a NATE-certified technician.

Exactly what makes NATE-certified technicians so superior?

• Dependability and determination: It's not easy getting certified by NATE. It requires a considerable amount of time, effort, practice and knowledge. Basically, it means you're getting a tech who's going to be willing to invest time to become certified because they're going to be remaining in the field for many years and building a career of it.

• Better customer care: Technicians who consider HVAC services as a career, not merely a brief job, are inclined to care a lot more about how you feel about their performance. They want to gain your return business.

• Much less callbacks and warranty returns: NATE-certified experts have 12.9 percent fewer callbacks than non-certified technicians. This due to the intensive testing and further training they go through that ensures they always are familiar with the new products and technological innovation.

• Reduced energy bills: Certified technicians use in-depth checklists and evaluate the condition of your entire home and HVAC system that will help you find out how to get the maximum energy savings. This covers anything from dimensions, installing and maintaining your equipment correctly to sealing air leaks, looking at insulation and testing your quality of air. After that you can prioritize upgrades to get the greatest return on every HVAC investment.

• Fast, efficient service: An educated, experienced technician is of course considerably faster and more efficient when it comes to servicing your equipment. They will do a more satisfactory job and finish it quicker, without having sacrifice in terms of quality work.

When you need a NATE-certified technician, get in touch with Sandium Heating & Air Conditioning. 

Use These Ten Tips, And You’ll Breathe Better In Your Home

The quality of your household air has a major effect on the comfort and health of you and your loved ones. The following are 10 simple actions one can take to breathe easier {|in your home|in your house}. 

1. If the fans you have in rooms like your bathroom or kitchen don't vent straight outdoors, substitute these with ones that do. This will stop harmful pollutants from simply recirculating throughout the house.

2. Complement your hvac filters with UV lights within your air system. These germicidal tools use low levels of UV radiation to focus on and kill hazardous microorganisms within your air, such as mold, airborne viruses and bacteria.

3. Replace your air filters frequently. If you allow excessive debris to build up on them, they become less effective. Additionally, it causes your air system to have to use more power to push air through, which in turn causes an increase on your heating costs.

4. Vent your clothes dryer and central vacuum system to the outside of your house.

5. Eliminate any sources of unvented combustion like candles or cigarettes. If they're unavoidable, at the very least make an effort to minimize their use in your house.

6. If you are using very dangerous chemicals indoors, such as paint, make sure that you do so in a well ventilated area so that these contaminants can circulate out.

7. Ensure your heating appliances are adequately vented so that the pollutants it's supposed to get rid of don’t wind up in your home.

8. Store paints, pesticides along with other similar volatile materials far from home.

9. Vent additional heating sources, such as wood stoves or fire places.

10. Don’t keep your A/C, furnace or ductwork in areas of your home where dangerous contaminants could easily get it. For instance, none of the equipment should be within your garage. If it is absolutely inevitable, be sure to seal off your garage as well as you can using weatherstripping and other insulation materials.

Protecting against Energy Loss In Your Ductwork - Whether or not Your House Is Old or New

Because the entire treated air within your house travels within the ductwork, there's a considerable possibility of energy reduction in this part of the system. In new houses or old, however, there are certainly efficient ways to prevent this energy loss as well as waste of money that results.

Design

The design of both the supply and return ductwork has a major effect on duct efficiency and energy loss. Your duct system has to be made to fit inside the space available to it. Based on your home’s configuration, the design could possibly be insufficient to deliver conditioned air for all areas of your house. An excess of “Y” branches or damaged ducts may also mean very poor performance. Design factors are simpler to address during new construction, but even in existing houses, ductwork can be reconfigured to become more efficient.

Sealing

Your whole network of ducts needs to be properly sealed for preventing air leaks and energy loss. Each part of the ductwork should fit securely together with adjoining sections, specifically elbows and joints. Connections have to be sealed with mastic or metal tape. Typical duct tape isn't suggested because the adhesive can dry up and fail after some time. Ducts also need to be adequately insulated since energy is often lost within the thin metal of the ductwork itself.

Sizing

Ducts have to be correctly sized to be effective and avoid energy loss. They have to be large enough to carry and disperse sufficient volumes of heated or cooled air to the furthest points of the duct network. They can't be too small or they'll limit airflow within the system.

Placement

Ducts must be placed into conditioned and insulated parts of the house where possible. Running ductwork through garage areas, crawl spaces, or unfinished basements or attics increases the chance of energy loss.

Contact Sandium Heating and Air today for answers to your questions about ductwork efficiency and just what may be done to reduce energy loss all through your ductwork system.

One Room Too Cold? Yet another Room Too Hot? Using A Zoning System, It's all Perfect!

Zoning systems enable you to have an increased level of control over how you feel in your house.  Similar to how light switches provide the capability to manage your home’s lighting, zoning systems allow you to individually control the temperatures of various zones all through the house.

In a standard air system, the right temperature for the whole home is set by using a single thermostat.  Zoning systems use a number of different thermostats, with each and every one controlling a separate area of the house.  Somebody within a zone can adjust the temperature where they are without having to worry about bothering occupants in other places.  This ensures that there is no more “battle of the thermostat,” with people fighting over where the thermostat ought to be set.

This is certainly more cost-effective as the objective of trying to achieve one steady temperature throughout a whole home is rather unlikely.  There are features found in many households that naturally make this challenging achieve.  One example is simply the proven fact that heat will naturally rise, making 2nd stories warmer than 1st floors almost all of the time.  Additionally, good sized windows or glass areas permit more heat to transfer, making warm or cool sections in various areas of the home.

Zoning systems also allow you to more closely keep control of the amount energy you use.  You can set regularly vacant zones to an energy-saving setting so you aren’t having to pay to keep an empty space air-conditioned.  This can help minimize the wear and tear your HVAC system gets and help it to have a longer lifespan.

An HVAC expert will help you to determine what zoning best option.  He or she will utilize your help to figure out which rooms are being used less than others and just what structurel features may obstruct proper operation.  The actual installation is a pretty simple process: It generally requires only thermostats, a user interface, dampers plus some minor ductwork changes.

If you've been experiencing difficulity creating a constant temperature all through your house, a zoning system might be the answer you are searching for.  Contact Sandium Heating and Air Conditioning today to get more information.

Investing In A Home Heater: Why Purchasing it Over the Internet Might Cost You

If you’re planning on buying a furnace, shopping on the web might appear to be a wise idea. However, before you do, here are several main reasons why an internet purchase could end up costing you.

The majority of building contractors won't install heaters purchased via the internet.

Simply because they can't be sure the equipment’s condition, a contractor will be unable to warranty an installation. This, and the fact that they typically don’t make much profit from installs, makes many contractors not wanting to install any online purchases.

A handful of contractors decided they are willing to install HVAC equipment bought online, and may do it with an overpriced rate to make up for some of the lost profits. Consequently you may wind up paying more for the entire project than you saved from purchasing online.  Because an wrongly installed furnace could have dangerous outcomes, you must never make an attempt to install one yourself unless you have the correct training and experience to do this.

You could potentially choose the wrong size furnace.

When purchasing a furnace, it's important to determine what size is best for your house. Professional contractors conduct a load calculation to find out which size is going to be most efficient. You can try to undertake this calculation on your own, but because an improperly-sized furnace will cost you more on your power bill as well as pose health threats for your family, you ought to still consult an expert to double-check your work.

The equipment may be damaged.

The majority of HVAC equipment available online doesn't include a warranty. This means that regardless if your equipment is damaged when it arrives, you may not obtain return or refund.

The equipment could possibly be stolen. A number of the low-cost products online are now being sold by criminals who purchased the gear with stolen credit card numbers. Scammers will buy expensive brand-new equipment, and then sell it immediately online with an extremely low cost. Should you choose to decide on purchasing a furnace online, ensure it is from a respected merchant.

For additional info on the many benefits of investing in a furnace from your local, certified expert, contact Sandium Heating and Air conditioning.

Get better Home Energy Performance: A 5-Step Guide

 Make use of the fall season to get your annual winterizing and preventive maintenance projects done as the temperature is still good. Improve home energy efficiency and ready your home for winter by simply following this easy five step guide. This can help you save money and also make your home and its appliances longer lifespan.

• Examine the roof and gutters: Seek out and repair leaks or potential leaks. This can improve home energy efficiency and prevent the growth of mildew and mold within your attic. Eliminate debris on top of your roof as well as in your gutters and downspouts, and repair any gutter damage. Keeping your gutters in top condition helps prevent melted ice and snow from freezing in the gutters and forming ice dams, which may damage your gutters and your roof.
• Look for household air leaks: Look at every door and window in your home and examine for drafts, and make use of weatherstripping or caulk to stop them. Sealing leaks will help make your home more energy-efficient and help you save money.
• Check the insulation: Look at the insulation in the attic and any place else that you can see it. In the event it looks wet or moldy, you have to find and get rid of the cause of moisture first, then replace the insulation. Wet, moldy insulation won't provide adequate thermal resistance and can cause a health risk. If your insulation has become compressed, then it must be replaced also.
• Examine the furnace: Check the furnace for indications of dirt or buildup. Turn the thermostat down and up to make certain that the furnace starts and stops properly. Replace the filter. Schedule your annual professional maintenance. This should improve home energy efficiency, save some costs and improve quality of air.
• Clean the chimney: Clean the chimney to minimize the possibility of sparks starting a roof fire. Try to find cracks inside of the chimney that can accidentally cause house fires. Have professionals inspect any gas lines leading to the chimney.

Signs That Your Ductwork Needs Attention

Your home's ductwork deliver heated or cooled air to every room. Sometimes, problems occur within the ductwork system that if not repaired can waste your money, and result in a less comfortable home and could even lead to illness. Here are some signs that your ductwork needs attention.

• Leaky or disconnected ducts. The largest duct-related problems are leaks (from holes or tears) and disconnected joints that allow heated and cooled air to escape into unoccupied spaces, such as the attic, garage or crawlspace. 
• Uninsulated ductwork runs through unconditioned spaces. Heat loss and heat gain occur when ductwork passes uninsulated through the attic, garage or crawlspace. Heat transfer results in significant energy losses that raise your heating and cooling bills. All you need to fix this problem is to install insulation around well-sealed ductwork, and you’ll keep heated and cooled air where it belongs.
• Airflow problems. If air flowing from any supply vents feels lukewarm, or there doesn’t seem to be any air flowing at all, your ductwork needs attention. 
• Inadequate return ducts. In some homes, leaky joist spaces are improperly used to channel airflow. Other homes have no return ducts at all, forcing HVAC equipment to consume more energy to keep the home comfortable. The lack of a return duct system can also depressurize the home and give rise to health hazards.

If you find that any of these troubling signs apply to you, your ductwork needs attention. Be sure to leave any duct changes or repairs in the hands of a qualified professional.