IN THE NEWS
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At Climate Design, we like to keep our clients informed about air quality issues as well as other related news. Check back here to find out more about upcoming innovations, health related insight and additional tips on savings you can create with more efficient energy systems.
Please also feel free to send links and stories you think could benefit the community when it comes to delivering an energy efficient and safe home environment.
Send inquiries or media requests to: info@climatedesign.com
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March News
Climate Design, Helping you save money with Tax credits and Rebates.
Utility Rebate:
If you want to save money on the utility bill each month, then you might want look at your AC unit. Each year families spend thousands on energy costs because of old or outdated AC units. Check with your local utility provider to see if they have an Energy Star program that will provide rebates on purchasing new Energy Star rated appliances.
Progress Energy
Florida Power & Light
Tampa Electric
Federal Tax Credit:
Along with the utility rebate you might also want to look into the Federal Tax Credit, with this credit you can get up to $300 on your Federal Tax Return. You do, however, need to make sure that when you purchase an Energy Star rated appliance, such as a new AC unit, that you check to make sure the unit qualifies for the tax credit.
Federal Tax Credit – Click Here
Climate Design Rebate:
You can also get a much larger rebate if you call or e-mail Climate Design about the purchase of any new qualified Trane product. There are rebates available, some as much as $1,200! These rebates run from March 1st through the end of May, so call or click Climate Design today to see how much you can save!
Climate Design – Click Here
Pinellas County - 727-572-9100
Hillsborough – 941-782-0020
January News
Schlage- Real Security Sets You Free
Your home is the epicenter of your life. Its security shows that you care deeply about the people who live there. Its design elements reveal your personal style. Its functionality gives your family the freedom to come and go as they like.
Let the family of Schlage products help your home become one that functions just as your life does – with safety, style, and peace of mind for all.
Monitor and Control Your Home from Anywhere
Schlage LiNK™ lets you remotely control and monitor access to your home 24/7 from any Internet enabled computer and most web enabled cell phones. Advanced Z-Wave® technology and time-tested Schlage® construction working in unison gives you control of Z-Wave enabled Schlage wireless locks, Z-Wave enabled lights and various other Z-Wave component such as the Trane Remote Energy Management Thermostat. With Schlage LiNK, you can even monitor your home with the Schlage camera.
Remote home management lets you:
- Check the status of your lock and set temporary codes to your home from your Internet enabled computer or cell phone
- Change, add, or delete access codes to your lock remotely
- Access a 90 day history of who has accessed your lock
www.schlage.com
December News
Where energy is used in the home
Heating/cooling the house - 60%
Water heating - 15%
Refrigeration - 13%
Everything else (TV, lights, washer, dryer, etc.) - 12%
You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you're awake and setting it lower while you're asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 10°–15° for 8 hours, you can save about 5%–15% a year on your heating bill—a savings of as much as 1% for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long. The percentage of savings from setback is greater for buildings in milder climates than for those in more severe climates.
November News
Protect Your Plants In A Freeze
At Climate Design, we like to keep you comfortable no matter what the weather is. For your outside plants, however, we need to be ready for unkind weather! We thought it might help if we provided some tips on keeping your plants from getting too COOL.
Gardeners plant flowers, shrubs and trees that can survive in their garden during typical weather. But what can a gardener do when the weather is anything but typical? Unexpected freezes can devastate landscapes and gardens. It can leave a gardener wondering how to protect plants from freezing and what is the best way to cover and keep plants from freezing.
www.gardeningknowhow.com/gardening-how-to/protect-plants-in-freeze.htm
August News
Keep a Lookout for Savings!
Earlier this year during the month of April, Florida's energy-efficient appliance rebate program helped consumers cut a whopping 20% off of purchase prices in addition to credit just for recycling the old appliances!
Great News! There is word on the street about a new rebate program being passed by FL legislature, just waiting for last minute details to be finalized. The program, funded with federal energy stimulus money, is going to provide rebates for Enery Star-rated central air conditioning and air-source heat pump systems purchased before the end of the year. This will be an optimal time for homeowners to save, as the rebate can be combined with other fall tax credits and incentives!
This is your memo to keep a look out on huge savings coming soon!
For more information and other tips, call our office and ask for Scott Denty today...
1-800-551-MYAC.
July News
Tips on how to save years on your A/C unit and money in your wallet
Americans spend more than $22 billion a year and use a whopping 183 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to cool their homes with air conditioning. But you can easily limit how much you rely on A/C. Your first step is to run your air conditioner(s) less frequently. "If you're working eight hours a day, why air-condition your house while you're away?". You can reduce your annual energy bills by about 10 percent by turning up your programmable thermostat 10º to 15º F when you're out of the house. Upon returning home. "Pick a temperature that's comfortable and stick with it."
Remember, electricity prices tend to rise with the temperature, but you can trim your energy bills and still stay comfortable.
Use your A/C wisely.
Installing an air conditioner in a shady spot could increase its efficiency up to 10%.
It is recommended that after setting the thermostat to the cooling temperature desired move the thermostat seeting up one degree per hour for the next few hours. Frequently customers will find they are just as comfortable after moving the settings a few degrees warmer. You can save 7% on the air conditioning portion of your power bill for each degree warmer the thermostat is set.
Lowering your thermostat setting will not increase the amount of cooling produced by the air conditioning system. Most air conditioning systems operate at only one speed so altering your thermostat setting will do nothing to increase the cooling output. Once you have selected a thermostat setting it is best to keep the setting constant.
If you have a thermal gun, or mercury thermometer, in the home use one of these devices to quickly determine if your system is operating properly. Measure the temperature of your home's air near one of your return air grilles. Next measure the temperature of the air leaving one of your supply air grilles. The difference in these two temperatures should be between 17degrees and 21 degrees. If the difference is less than 17 degrees chances are your system is using excessive electricity and not removing humidity properly. Call for service!
For more information and other tips, call our office and ask for Scott Denty today...
1-800-551-MYAC.
June News
Getting Prepared This Hurricane Season with a Home Generator
As summer approaches the 2010 Hurricane Season will be upon us. While the last few years have been mild, history tells us that you can never be too safe. When a storm is approaching it's often too late to prepare beyond the basics of plywood and duct tape. Many consumers find themselves preparing for the storm to hit, with little thought of what to do after the storm. Power is almost always out, often for an extended period of time. Unless you and your family have evacuated, you will be almost completely helpless without a post hurricane plan in place.
The first step should be power! You'll need your core appliances such as a refrigerator (to keep food preserved), a few lights and your AC to fight back against summertime temperatures that typically range in the 90 degree and up range.
Kohler Home Generators are one of the cleanest and quietest systems on the market to keep your family safe and provide true peace of mind this Hurricane Season.
For more information on available Kohler rebates call Scott Denty at Climate Design today!
1-800-551-MYAC.
May News
How Can a Whole House Dehumidifier Save on Your Electric Bill?
As summer approaches the humidity levels begin to rise. Most consumers lower the temperature in their homes in an effort to lower the humidity in the air. Humidity is water vapor in the air. It causes us to feel the "sticky" sensation. By lowering the thermostat setting to remove moisture you are increasing your electric bill. Experts tell us that for every degree cooler you make your home you increase the power bill by 7%!!
A whole house dehumidifier removes the moisture from the air in your home. The lower humidity levels allow you to raise the thermostat setting resulting in lower power bills. A Whole House Dehumidifier can also extend the life of your air conditioning system by reducung its use in the hot summer months.
For more information on a Whole House Dehumidifier call Scott Denty at Climate Design today!
1-800-551-MYAC.
March News
Why is my electric bill so much higher during Winter season?
When Winter season hits, many people find that while it's cold outside, their electric bill is heating up. So, why is it so much more expensive if you leave the heat on all day versus the air conditioning? Interestingly enough, the answer is more obvious than you think!
Most Florida homeowners like to keep the inside temperature around 73-76 degrees, regardless of the temperature outside. In the summertime it may average 80 to 90 degrees outside, meaning your HVAC has to work to keep the temperature approx. 10-15 degrees cooler. In the Winter, however, the outside temperature may hover in the 40's or even 30's - meaning your HVAC often has to work twice as hard in the Winter as it does in the Summer. Even worse, if you haven't had a recent maintenance, your system has to work even harder to try to keep up! There are several tricks to reduce your energy bill, including annual maintenance and programmable thermostat.
For more information and other tips, call Mary Jane today...
1-800-551-MYAC.
February News
How can your HVAC system help stop the spread of germs during Cold and Allergy Season?
When cold and allergy season hits, you often feel helpless to stop the spread of germs in your house. New indoor air quality technology however, can dramatically reduce the spread of germs that cause the common cold as well as pollens that affect so many during allergy season. A UV Air Purifier is the same technology used in operating rooms and often kills contaminants before they have the chance to spread. A CleanEffects air purifier replaces the old paper filters that only protect your equipment, not your family. In addition, a Whole-House Dehumidifier helps keep the humidity in your home in check and can reduce the spread of contaminants like mold that can creep into your home if unchecked. For more information and other tips, contact Scott Denty today at...
1-800-551-MYAC.
January News
What are sweating windows?
When the air is cold outside during the winter months you can often experience something many people call "sweating windows". This is when heavy condensation appears on the inside part of the window. It's typically caused when the dewpoint inside the house is greater than the outside temperature. This disparity causes droplets to form on the glass. It's the same as what happens to a glass of ice tea when it sits outside in the summer and water droplets form on the outside of the glass.
While it may not look like much, this condensation can sometimes lead to bigger problems down the road, including water damage, warping, mildew or even mold. So, how do you prevent it? At Climate Design, we often suggest several easy and inexpensive solutions such as installing a Whole House Dehumidifier. The dehumidifier can reduce the moisture in the air and dramatically reduce the "sweating windows" phenomenon. For more information and other tips, contact Scott Denty today at
1-800-551-MYAC.
November News
Why does it smell when I turn on the heat?
We get this question a lot at Climate Design, especially this time of year! Florida stays fairly warm year round, so most local residents don't turn on their heat very often. It's the first low temperature of the season that sends us running to the often forgotten setting on our thermostat. Because this part of your system has been fairly dormant through the year, dust often settles on your heating coils. The first time you turn on the heat, the coils heat up and the smell is usually the dust burning off the coils.
Typically, there is no need to panic! If you have had your unit serviced in the past 12-months, the build -up is usually small enough that the smell and slow burn will dissipate after 10 or 15 minutes.
Not getting it cleaned or serviced, however, could lead to long term problems, including a clogged unit or even mold! According to Climate Design's, Tom Robinson, “While some companies just check the heating coil, we actually clean it on every visit.” Tom also recommends changing the filters in your house every 30 days to reduce the amount of dust build up around your system.
Now You Know!
October News
Consider a switch to an Programmable thermostat
As Winter approaches, now may be the time to consider the cost savings associated with replacing your old thermostat with an adjustable digital thermostat. When it comes to heating and cooling your home, your thermostat is one crucial, but often overlooked, part of the energy savings cost equation.
While the old dial thermostats were standard for many years, their main purpose was simply to try to keep the temperature in the house within a few degrees of the setting. Today new and modern EnergyStar compliant digital thermostats can help reduce your overall energy consumption, as well as maximize your home temperature throughout the day. They often provide both continuous comfort and maximum efficiency.
The best part is that they typically pay for themselves within just a few months.
Want to know more? Call our service team from Climate Design today!
Environmental Health and Engineering News
(excerpts) Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in collaboration with Scientists at Environmental Health and Engineering Inc. recently evaluated the Trane CleanEffects system. The evaluation was to determine CleanEffects ability to remove human influenza (the common flue) from the air. These tests involved releasing the common flu virus measured in air samples collected before and after passing through the air cleaner.
The conclusion was that Trane CleanEffects system removed more than 99 percent of the common flu virus from the filtered air! Additionaly, by removing the vast majority of the common flu virus from a home's recirculated air, Trane CleanEffects will dramatically reduce airborne exposure to the virus for home occupants.
Americans spend more than $22 billion a year and use a whopping 183 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to cool their homes with air conditioning. But you can easily limit how much you rely on A/C. Your first step is to run your air conditioner(s) less frequently. "If you're working eight hours a day, why air-condition your house while you're away?". You can reduce your annual energy bills by about 10 percent by turning up your programmable thermostat 10º to 15º F when you're out of the house, Upon returning home, "Pick a temperature that's comfortable and stick with it."
For more information and other tips, call Scott Denty today...
1-800-551-MYAC.