Make Your Thermostat Work for You

Did you know that properly using a programmable thermostat in your home is one of the easiest ways you can save energy, money, and help fight global warming? A programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save by offering four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home's temperature in both summer and winter — when you are asleep or away.

The average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills — nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings. The pre-programmed settings that come with programmable thermostats are intended to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort. Depending on your family’s schedule, you can see significant savings by sticking with those settings or adjust them as appropriate for your family. The key is to establish a program that automatically reduces heating and cooling in your home when you don't need as much. Use the ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostat Calculator to see what you can save with set-back temperatures that work for your family.

In the summer months, the air conditioner's thermostat should not be set any lower than 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Likewise, the settings should not be any higher than 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. Keeping to these guidelines will help maximize energy savings.

Gradually adjust the temperature on the thermostat to help ensure everyone in the family is comfortable. Reduce, or raise the temperature just one degree at a time and try it for a week. Each one-degree adjustment for an eight-hour period reduces your fuel bill costs. Gradually, you might be able to adjust three or even four degrees comfortably and save a chunk of money.

Need a programmable thermostat? Call Schwenn Mechanical 407-895-7550 or click here to contact us online!

Heating & Cooling Energy Saving Tips

How much money are you throwing away? Heating and cooling your home has proven to uses more energy than any other system in your home. Typically, 43% of your utility bill goes for heating and cooling.

No matter what kind of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system you have in your house, you can save money and increase your comfort by properly maintaining and upgrading your equipment. By combining proper equipment maintenance and upgrades with appropriate insulation, air sealing, and thermostat settings, you can cut your energy use for heating and cooling, and reduce environmental emissions, from 20% to 50%.

Tips

• Set your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer.
• Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.
• Clean grilles, make sure they're not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.
• Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing; when replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.
• During the heating season, keep the draperies and shades on your south-facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter your home and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
• During the cooling season, keep the window coverings closed during the day to prevent solar gain.

Long-Term Savings Tips

• Select energy-efficient products when you buy new heating and cooling equipment. Your contractor should be able to give you energy fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help you compare energy usage
• For air conditioners, look for a high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). The current minimum is 13 SEER for central air conditioners. ENERGY STAR models are 14 SEER or more.

The best way to find out how energy efficient your unit really is – Contact Schwenn Mechanical for a FREE energy test calculation!

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What Size is Your Unit?

Size really matters…It is important to calculate a proper HVAC unit size to ensure ideal heating and cooling and to maintain low energy costs. An HVAC unit that is sized too small for the building will run almost constantly and may never get the building up to the desired temperature. An HVAC unit that is sized too large will short-cycle and use excessive energy. Short-cycle means the unit will frequently start and stop. This causes unnecessary wear and tear on the unit and may lead to a shorter life.

How to Calculate HVAC Unit Size
Step 1

Figure out the square footage of space that you need to heat and cool. Measure the room's length and width. Multiply these together to get the square footage.

Step 2

Continue measuring each room and add all the square footages together. As a general rule, you'll want one CFM (cubic feet per minute) per square foot. The exception to this is if you have an area with a lot of windows. You'll then want two CFM per square foot.


Step 3

Convert the CFMs into tons by dividing by 400. For example, say your total square footage is 2,000, and you determined you need 2,000 CFM. Take 2,000 and divide by 400. For this example you need a five-ton air-conditioning unit.


Step 4
Calculate the BTU (British Thermal Units) needed for your air handler. This is done by taking your CFM and dividing by 150 and then multiplying that number by 10,000. For instance, from the example in step 3, you had 2,000 CFM. Two thousand divided by 150 is 13 1/3. This number multiplied by 10,000 is 133,333 BTU. You would install a furnace close to that output of BTU.

Schwenn Mechanical has trained professionals that have this down to a science and can also take into account other factors like: how well the home Is insulated and sealed, how many windows are in the home, and much much more.

Schedule a free estimate today! Call 407-895-7550 or click here to contact us online!

Protecting the Environment

What is R-22?

R-22 is the most widely used refrigerant in the world. R-22 has been the refrigerant gas that we use in central air-conditioning (AC) systems at home and work.

R-22 is an HCFC class refrigerant containing chlorine giving it the potential to damage the ozone layer which protects animals and people from harmful rays from the sun. Thus has been targeted since the 1990's for eventual phase out.

Phase Out of R-22

The phase out started in 1996 with CFCs and it will be complete by 2020 for HCFC R-22 that is used in air conditioning and refrigeration. The phase out is being enforced via an EPA program (under the terms of the Clean Air Act) that issues production and consumption rights. The EPA will limit the amount of R-22 that is available for use in refrigeration and air conditioning equipment by lowering the amount of R-22 consumption rights over time. The next step down is in 2010, when the HCFC rights cap that controls the amount of allowed R-22 supply will be lowered by at least 20% from today's levels

Answer to this dilemma and what makes what makes R-410A a Better Refrigerant

To make the change over in refrigerants the government is offering a tax credit of up to $1500 if you replace your current unit with a new more energy efficient unit. These more energy efficient air conditioners are being manufactured and sold today that use a new and improved gas R-410A. R410A is environmentally friendlier. If your system ever leaks, the escaping refrigerant won't contribute to ozone depletion. You Avoid the Risk that R-22 could become or Difficult to Get When your system needs to be repaired in a few years. R-410A air conditioners and heat pumps are today's "state of the art" systems, and utilize the most current technology available for efficient and reliable operation. The heart of every air conditioner or heat pump is the compressor, and newer systems are specifically designed to use R-410A refrigerant. They often incorporate smaller, heavier-duty "scroll-type" compressors that are quieter and operate with less damaging vibration than older compressors that operate on R-22. Since R-410A can absorb and release heat more efficiently than R-22 ever could, compressors with R-410A run cooler than R-22 systems, reducing the risk of burnout due to overheating.