Heating and cooling systems are essential to anyone living in the Bay Area, but they don’t last forever. There will come a time when your old HVAC system starts to struggle. At that point you need to assess whether you need a new air conditioner or a furnace replacement. So let’s review the signs that will help you decide when that time has come.
The fall season is upon us, so schedule your furnace inspection. You likely haven’t turned on your furnace since last March. Even if you have a relatively new furnace installed in your Bay Area home, take the time to perform some basic furnace maintenance before you turn up your thermostat.
The time has come to ensure that your furnace is in good working order. Continue reading
When you live in the Bay Area, protecting your home from wildfire smoke is now a top priority. You can shut your doors and windows when the smoke gets particularly heavy. But, can your air conditioner help keep indoor air clean? After all, an air conditioner is intended to cool the air and recirculate it throughout your home. It isn’t designed to improve indoor air quality challenged by soot and ash during fire season. And yet, your air conditioner can provide some protection against wildfire smoke if you have the right equipment.
Purifying the air in your home isn’t the main function of an air conditioner unit. But having one in your home can provide some protection against wildfire smoke and other pollutants. Continue reading
If you have a Bay Area home with air conditioning, you probably have it running constantly this summer. Take steps to keep cool more efficiently. Plus, you want to avoid constant use because that can contribute to breakdowns and other issues. This is especially true if you don’t keep up with your AC maintenance. Some of these issues are difficult to detect without an air conditioner unit inspection. But you clearly have a problem if your unit starts blowing hot air!
As its name implies, a whole house humidifier increases the humidity of an entire home instead of just one room. They can be free-standing portable units that essentially act as much larger room humidifiers. But the best connect to your existing ductwork and act as part of your HVAC system along with your air conditioner and furnace.
A humidifier of some kind is a must when you live in a dry climate. But should a Bay Area home have a whole-home humidifier? As with just about anything else related to your home, it’s always best to look at the pros and cons of having one before you contact a Bay Area HVAC contractor to have one installed in your home. Continue reading
Heat pumps have grown as a viable alternative to conventional HVAC systems in the last several years. This is because Bay Area homeowners have seen friends and neighbors successfully use them to improve their home comfort. In addition, more people understands that “heat pump” means moving heat either into or out of a house. Said another way, heat pumps work by transferring heat from one area to somewhere else as needed.
Are you investigating a heat pump as a cooling solution for your home? If so, you likely have heard the “heat pump vs. central air conditioning” debate. AC units are generally installed with enough power to cool an entire house. But they may not deliver cooling evenly in a larger house. Heat pumps can work modularly, and may be a great addition to a central AC system to cool specific home zones. Heat pumps are now quite popular in the San Francisco Bay Area as a result. Continue reading
Home Ventilation is the V in HVAC, but it gets much less attention than heating or air conditioning. It’s still a crucial part of an energy-efficient home that helps to control moisture and remove contaminants such as allergens, viruses and micro-particles.
You have a few home ventilation options to choose from when you’re building or renovating a home.
Air conditioning is essential when you live in the Bay Area. Summer heat waves have gotten more frequent. And when you’re in the middle of a summer heat wave, you may be tempted to turn up your AC and run it nonstop to keep the heat at bay. But, as good as that might feel at the time, you will suffer for it when it comes time to pay your next utility bill. Fortunately, you can save money on air conditioning even during the hottest days of the summer.
Follow these tips to help keep your PG&E bill lower in a hot summer: Continue reading
Central air conditioning is great to have when you live in the Bay Area. But there is still the matter of what to do about the A/C unit that sits outside of your home. While AC units are very practical, they are not very attractive. There are ways, however, to use landscaping around your outdoor air conditioning unit or heat pump to minimize the visual impact while allowing the unit to operate efficiently.
Element Home Solutions does not provide landscaping services. But, we recommend following some of the steps shared here to protect your HVAC investment!
