Heating your home during this bitterly cold Maryland winter probably cost you more than usual. And the cold lingered into the late spring, causing many of us to turn up the thermostat when we would normally have windows open. With all this crazy weather in mind, you are probably thinking how to keep your home cool this summer while keeping your bank account happy. Here are a few tips from our Eldersburg, Maryland air conditioning experts.

START FROM THE OUTSIDE

Do you know why it gets so hot inside your home in summer? Because the sun is mercilessly beating against your roof, walls and your outdoor AC unit. Unfortunately, if your property doesn’t come with mature trees that provide shade, there is little you can do to help the situation. But if you have trees and are planning to take them down, think twice, because the shade is a blessing in disguise. You can also plant shrubs around (but not too close to) your outdoor AC equipment to keep it cool and operating at higher efficiency.

FORTIFY YOUR WINDOWS

The walls and roof of your home block the sunlight but absorb the heat. The windows, on the other hand, let through both the sunlight and the heat, which can noticeably warm up the air, especially in a small room. Sunlight is certainly a nice feature to have in any home, but for the times when you are not home, it may make sense to block it for the sake of keeping the indoor temperature down. Some of the options for fortifying your windows include heavy curtains, mesh window screens and UV-reflective window films. Focus on east- and west-facing windows where the sun is most active throughout the day.

INVEST IN A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT

If you don’t already have a programmable thermostat, it’s about time you get one. This handy device allows you to raise the temperature automatically when you are away, so that you don’t waste money on cooling an empty space. However, avoid turning the cooling off completely—it will be more strenuous on your HVAC equipment to bring the temperature down from 86 to 76 than from 80 to 76.

USE FANS

Just like in winter you may supplement your heating efforts with a spot heater here and there, in summer you can strategically place fans to help move the air. You don’t need fancy fans, just place a few basic ones on different levels of your home, circulating the air inside the house. You can raise the temperature at night to 80 and have a fan in your bedroom to help you sleep comfortably.

DON’T BAKE – GRILL!

An oven or a boiling pot of water on the stove-top can generate a lot of heat. Whenever possible, choose to grill outside instead of using your indoor cooking appliances. If you must cook on the stove, do it in the evening when the heat dies down.

If you follow these tips, you should see some savings staring to add up. However, this will only be possible if your HVAC equipment is in good condition. Proper AC maintenance is crucial for keeping up high efficiency of your equipment.

Whether it’s AC maintenance, repair or seasonal tuneup, you can rely on Cool Breeze Maryland HVAC professionals to take care of your HVAC equipment. Call us or contact online to schedule an appointment.

OK, it’s not exactly AC weather just yet, but it will be soon. It’s officially spring, which means the days and nights will keep getting warmer and warmer. This is the perfect time to get your AC unit inspected and ready for the season. How do you do this? Just call our Maryland heating and air conditioning specialists and we’ll take care of all of the following.

CLEAN THE OUTSIDE CONDENSER UNIT

Before you turn anything on, make sure your outdoor AC unit is free of any debris. If you piled up your lawn furniture around it, don’t forget to remove it and ensure there is at least 2 feet of clear space around the condenser unit. Trim any low-hanging branches or overgrown shrubs if needed. If you left your AC unit uncovered over winter, it might need some spring cleaning. Wash off any dirt and debris with a garden hose—don’t use a pressure-washer because it can bend the delicate fins.

CHECK THE DUCTWORK

The majority of the air duct system is hidden behind drywall, but there should be a few areas where air ducts are exposed for a visual inspection. If you have an unfinished basement or attic, examine the air ducts that run through these spaces. Look for signs of rust or damaged insulation. It’s common for various wildlife critters to seek shelter in our attics in winter—they can cause serious damage to your ductwork. When you do a test run of your AC equipment, also check for any odd smells coming out of the vents. It’s possible for animals to climb in and die inside air ducts, which may require professional cleaning.

CHANGE THE FILTERS

Changing filters regularly is probably the #1 recommendation we give our Maryland HVAC maintenance customers. The purpose of the filter in your HVAC system is to remove dust and debris from the air coming from return air ducts before sending it to be cooled or heated. A dirty filter can restrict the air flow and have your HVAC system working twice as hard, therefore decreasing its efficiency. It will also affect the overall air quality in your house. Depending on the type of filter your HVAC system uses, it may need to be replaced (or sometimes washed) anywhere from once a month to once every 3 months.

TUNE UP YOUR HVAC EQUIPMENT

Over time, connections get loose, belts slip and lubricants evaporate. Even your sewing machine requires ongoing maintenance, and an HVAC system is far more complex. Seasonal maintenance is recommended to keep your HVAC equipment in its top shape. Here are some of the items on our spring HVAC maintenance checklist at Cool Breeze:

• Check operating pressures, amperage draw and settings
• Check refrigerant charge and refill as needed
• Clean and lubricate parts as necessary
• Check wiring and connections
• Inspect for leaks
• Check belts and adjust tension

Of course, it’s a simplified list, but you get the idea: we check everything to make sure there are no surprises when the first hot days roll in.

INSTALL A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT

If you haven’t already, replace your old thermostat with a programmable one. It’s a 10-minute job that you can probably do yourself if you are handy. A programmable thermostat will save you hundreds of dollars in electricity bills by cooling your home efficiently. Most of us have predictable daily schedules, so the comfortable indoor temperatures can be also set in advance. Raise the temperature when you are not home—cool enough for your pets, but not as cool as you like it. Then have it cool down 10 minutes before you get home from work. It’s the easiest way to manage your indoor temperature!

If you get all of the above items taken care of before the start of the cooling season, it’s less likely that you will experience issues with cooling during summer. Many people start worrying about HVAC maintenance when it starts to get hot outside and their AC won’t turn on. At that point, most experienced Maryland HVAC companies are already booked though the roof, so it may take a while until you can get an appointment.

Want Cool Breeze to prep your HVAC for summer? Give us a call or contact us online today! 

Did you come home to a frozen-cold house? Or maybe you woke up in the middle of the night with ice-cold feet? No matter how you discovered that your heating system stopped working, it’s never good news. Considering that February is one of the coldest and snowiest months in Maryland, just a few hours of no heat can lead to frozen pipes. So what do you do? First of all, don’t panic and follow the below instructions to troubleshoot your heating problem. And if all else fails, you know you can always rely on Cool Breeze for heating repair in Carroll County, Maryland.

KEEP WARM

If there is no heat in the entire house, be sure to keep the indoor temperature as high as you can with the help of space heaters. Place them along the walls where plumbing is located to keep the water inside above freezing. If your home is heated via a hot water baseboard system and it’s no longer working, it’s possible that frozen pipes are to blame. This often happens when people turn the heat off when they leave home on a cold day. If this is what happened to you, place all available heating devices along the baseboard in question (usually the one on the outside wall). This could be spot heaters, blow-dryers, portable fireplaces and whatever else you can find. Always follow the safety precautions when working with heating equipment.

CHECK THE THERMOSTAT

Before you start preparing for the worst, check the thermostat to make sure it’s set to heat. It might sound obvious, but you won’t believe how many homeowners forget this important step. Once you ensure that the thermostat is set to heat, take it off the wall and replace the batteries. Sometimes, a pair of new batteries is all the heating repair you need. If that wasn’t the problem and your thermostat appears to be working fine, set the temperature to 10 or more degrees higher than your room temperature. You might need a separate thermometer to double check whether your thermostat is taking the right reading. If you hear no sound of heat coming on, this means the problem could be with your furnace.

CHECK THE POWER

Just like dead batteries lead to a dead thermostat, a tripped circuit breaker means no power to your furnace or heat pump. Fortunately, this is also an easy fix. However, if you keep experiencing similar problems, you might want to invite an electrician to take a look at your wiring. It’s possible the dated system you have in place simply can’t support all the power-hungry appliances we use these days.

REPLACE THE FILTERS

Depending on the type of heating system your home uses, you could have one or several filters to replace. If your home is heated with a furnace, it should have a filter somewhere before the cold air enters the blower. The purpose of the filter is to prevent dust, hair and other contaminants from entering your home’s air supply. As the filter gets dirtier, the airflow becomes restricted and the blower has to work harder and harder to pull the air in. In extreme cases, a dirty filter can cause a furnace to fail. Here is a quick manual on how to change the air filter depending on the type of your furnace.

CALL AN EXPERT FOR PROFESSIONAL HEATING REPAIR

If none of the above works, you might need to enlist the help of a professional specializing in heating repair in Maryland. Beware of making rushed decisions! Even though no heat is a serious issue you need to get resolved ASAP, take the time to check that the technician you are hiring is appropriately licensed and insured. The last thing you want is to hire a scam artist because you failed to do your research.

All of our HVAC technicians at Cool Breeze are experienced and licensed to do the job right. Feel free to contact us for heating repair in Carroll County, MD. 

Geothermal HVAC systems have been around long enough to earn their place on the market, as well as in thousands of homes throughout the world. There are reasons why both homeowners and commercial property owners choose geothermal systems in Maryland despite the initially high price tag. If you are considering installing such a system, read on to find out what you should expect when you switch to geothermal energy.

HOW DOES A GEOTHERMAL SYSTEM WORK?

The word “geothermal” sounds scientific and complicated, but the concept of geothermal HVAC is actually really simple. A geothermal system uses the energy of the Earth to heat or cool your home.

Here is how it works:

• At a certain depth (around 4-6 feet and lower), the ground maintains the constant temperature throughout the year (between 45F and 65F). In winter it’s warmer than the surface and in summer it’s much cooler.
• Pipes are buried at this specific depth and filled with water, so when the water passes through them, it either heats up or cools down, depending on the time of the year.
• A heat pump is then used to extract the energy from the water and produce either cool or hot air.
• Water that got its energy absorbed into the system through the heat pump returns under the ground and repeats the cycle.

There are different types of geothermal systems depending on how they are installed and what kind of piping they are using. An experienced Maryland HVAC contractor will be able to tell you which one will make the most sense for your home.

WHY GEOTHERMAL IS BETTER

It does twice the work.

That’s right, you don’t need separate units anymore—your geothermal system can both cool and heat your home. This also means fewer appliances to maintain and less wear from the elements since all equipment is located inside your house.

It’s green.

There is no fuel being burnt in a geothermal system, so it’s eco-friendlier than your traditional gas furnace and air compressor combination.

It saves you money.

It’s possible to cut your energy bill in half with a geothermal system, because it uses 25% to 50% less energy than your conventional HVAC setup. The heat pump still needs electricity to operate, but the energy used to heat or cool the air is free and entirely renewable.

It can provide hot water too.

Some geothermal systems can also be set up to produce hot water and supplement the efforts of your water heater.

It heats the space faster.

Water is able to transfer more heat than air, which means with a geothermal system you get hotter air out of your vents, leading to faster heating.

GOVERNMENT INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

Do all these benefits sound too good to be true? Well, they aren’t, but you have to pay a high installation cost in order to enjoy them. You can expect this cost to be recouped in three to five years, but until then, a geothermal system installation is still a big expense. Thankfully, there are various federal and local incentive programs that can help you pay for the initial investment:

• Maryland Residential Clean Energy Grant Program offers qualified homeowners $3,000 for converting an old HVAC system into a geothermal one.
• The federal government offers a renewable energy tax credit that includes a 30% rebate on the purchase and installation of a geothermal heat pump.
• Maryland’s Be SMART Home Program offers up to $25,000 in financing to qualified homeowners to be used for certain energy efficiency improvements, including geothermal heat pumps.

If you have more questions about geothermal systems or want to get a cost estimate, give Cool Breeze a call at 1-866-503-4888.

The temperatures are gradually dropping here in Maryland and we even had our first frost. Have you turned your thermostat to heat yet? Even if your home has been maintaining a comfortable temperature, it’s a good idea to test your heating system before you actually need to use it. Pick a cold streak and run your furnace for a few days to see how it works. If there are any issues, it’s better to catch them early, so that you can have your Maryland HVAC contractor fix them in time for winter. Meanwhile, there are a few other fall maintenance tweaks you can do to ensure your HVAC system is ready for the cold season.

CHANGE THE AIR FILTER

Depending on the type and model of your HVAC equipment, you either have a single-use or reusable air filter. It needs to be replaced or cleaned anywhere from once a month to once ever three months. If you are not sure what kind of air filter your system uses, consult with an HVAC expert—we can even perform the installation for you. Once you see how it’s done, you can do it yourself next time. An air filter does an important job of catching any dust and debris sucked in from your return air ducts. A dirty and clogged filter leads to more strain on your HVAC system and reduced energy efficiency.

CONDUCT A VISUAL INSPECTION

If you are not an HVAC professional, you shouldn’t be getting too involved with the inner workings of your HVAC equipment. However, it doesn’t mean you should keep it locked up in a utility room and avoid that place as if it’s cursed. Before you start the heating season, go ahead and inspect your furnace or heat pump. Just walk around it and take a note of any damage or things that seem out of place. Look for rodent-damaged or corroded wiring, dusty coils and “stuff” that could be blocking the air circulation around your unit. If you detect any issues you don’t feel comfortable addressing, give a call to your trusted Maryland HVAC maintenance expert and let us handle the repair.

TEST THE THERMOSTAT

Just because your thermostat works, doesn’t mean it works properly. To test it, place a second thermometer next to your thermostat to ensure the temperature readings are identical. Then also measure temperature in a different area of the room to see if it matches up with the thermostat reading. Besides a broken thermometer, you could have a problem with the wrong thermostat location. When a thermostat is close to a heating source or a cold draft, the temperature it reads is not reflective of the rest of the house. This can lead to either too much or not enough heat.

HIRE A PRO FOR COMPREHENSIVE HVAC MAINTENANCE

While you can accomplish the above steps on your own, it’s still worth hiring a professional to perform seasonal maintenance on your HVAC equipment. Here are a few things we can do to make your system run smoothly all winter long:

• Tighten electrical connections and measure current
• Lubricate all moving parts
• Inspect fuel lines and tighten connections
• Measure and calibrate airflow
• Check and clean the ignition and burner assembly
• Test carbon monoxide levels

Tuning up your HVAC system prior to each heating/cooling season helps ensure its optimal performance. This means not only a comfortable home environment for you and your family, but also noticeable savings on your energy bill.

Contact Cool Breeze today for preventive HVAC maintenance in Maryland—don’t delay to make your appointment, as fall is a busy season for us.

Hello fall! It’s starting to get chilly here in Maryland—and if you are a warmth-loving person, you are probably dreading winter. Getting out of bed or out of the shower is such a torture when you are hit with a wall of cold air. And if your comfortable living temperature is between 70 and 74, you either have to suffer through the cold or empty your bank account to pay for heating.

Keeping a home warm in winter is expensive, and the cost rises with every degree you turn up your thermostat. Maintaining a consistent temperature of 74 throughout winter might not be the most wallet-friendly idea, but there are ways to heat your Maryland home without it costing a fortune.

INVEST IN A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT

Is your house filled with post-it notes to remind you (and other family members) to turn down heat when you leave the house? And despite this measure you probably still forget from time to time. A programmable thermostat can do this for you, saving you hundreds of dollars in wasted energy. Just set the times and the temperature and it will follow your schedule—no extra steps needed.

BUNDLE UP

This might not be the money-saving advice you expected, but it works! In Maryland, we have seasons, so you can’t expect to wear shorts and flip-flops year round. While at home, wear sweatpants, cozy sweaters and comfy slippers. Clothes won’t warm you, but they will help maintain the heat produced by your body. Consider it body insulation.

SEAL THE WINDOWS

Windows are a major heat sucker, especially if you have old single-pane windows. If your budget allows, consider upgrading to new, energy-efficient windows. If replacement is not an option, then seal your windows with window insulation kits. Make sure to check for any gaps around the window casings both inside and outside of your house. If you find a gap, fill it with caulk or other sealant.

DON’T HEAT UNUSED SPACE

Chances are good that you don’t use 100% of your home all the time. That unused guest room and home office, which, let’s face it, turned into your shoe storage, don’t need to be heated. You can close the vents so that heat can bypass those areas. Focus on heating rooms where you actually spend time. The only exception might be basement. Because heat rises, a warm basement means warm floors on your main floor.

USE SPACE HEATERS

Space heaters these days are rather energy efficient. They are especially handy if your home is designed with an open concept. Instead of heating the entire main floor with central heating, keep the temperature low and use space heaters where you need them—at your work station, craft table or the entertainment area. If you have a fireplace, you can also use it to stay warm, but keep in mind that traditional wood-burning fireplaces are somewhat drafty and lose heat fast. If you are looking for an alternative heating solution, consider a stove instead of a fireplace.

Going back to space heaters, they are great for heating single rooms as well, such as your bedroom. However, avoid leaving a heater on overnight unless the manufacturer states that it’s safe. Another concern is placing a space heater close to the thermostat, which may skew the readings. If you have one thermostat controlling your entire house, this may cause frozen pipes in some areas of your home that fail to get adequate heating.

TUNE UP YOUR HVAC SYSTEM

The best defense from cold weather is preventive maintenance of your Maryland HVAC system. Before cold weather settles in for good, schedule HVAC maintenance to make sure your system is ready for the winter. This seasonal maintenance may include filter replacement, duct inspection, furnace checkup and many other things. It is designed to make sure your system provides good energy efficiency and won’t fail you in times when you most need it. A small investment in maintenance now will help you avoid costly repairs (and physical discomfort) later.

HVAC systems is something we know very well at Cool Breeze. If you are looking for a reliable Maryland HVAC contractor, give us a call at 1(866)503-4888 to schedule an appointment or find out more about our services.

Upgrading an outdated HVAC system in your home can get costly. However, just because it still works, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in a more energy efficient system. The initial cost of the equipment and installation will be more than covered by the savings from your energy bill. And if this is not enough of an incentive, don’t forget about the energy efficiency tax credits, rebates and loans offered to homeowners like you to help offset the costs of home improvement. Here are some of them you should definitely take advantage of if you are planning on or have recently completed HVAC upgrades.

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS

Many categories of HVAC equipment that carry Energy Star label qualify for certain tax credits. One of the current federal tax credits that expires in 2016 covers 30% of the equipment and installation cost for geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines and solar energy systems. The equipment you purchase has to meet certain specifications to be eligible for this credit.

Several tax credits expired at the end of 2013 and were not extended by the Congress. One of these expired credits offered rebates on the energy-efficient HVAC equipment—10% of cost up to $500. While this incentive is not available at the moment, it may come back in the future, so it helps to monitor legislation when it comes to tax credits.

STATE AND COUNTY-LEVEL INCENTIVES

Many states, including Maryland, are striving to become more energy efficient. That’s why they’ve adopted programs and incentives to encourage homeowners take the steps to getting rid of inefficient HVAC equipment and moving toward renewable energy, such as wind power, solar power and geothermal technologies.

If you need help paying for your HVAC upgrades, Maryland’s Be SMART Home Program offers up to $25,000 in financing toward energy-efficient home improvements. The eligible improvements include, among other things, insulation, furnace repair and replacement, as well as geothermal systems. For low-income households with combined income lower than 200% of the federal poverty level, there is a Weatherization Assistance Program that can help cover some of the costs of increasing energy efficiency.

UTILITY REBATE PROGRAMS

Sometimes, your local electric company can also offer rebates. If you are serviced by Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), you may be eligible for one of the rebates under their Smart Energy Savers Program. Depending on the degree of your HVAC improvements, you can expect to get anywhere from $100 to $1,800 in rebates from BGE. However, one of the requirement is that the work is performed by a Maryland HVAC contractor participating in the program, such as Cool Breeze.

BGE customers can also get a complete home energy audit for $100 to identify any areas for improvement. This might be useful if you just purchased a new home or have ongoing HVAC issues.

STAYING UP TO DATE ON TAX CREDITS

Tax credits, incentives and rebates come and go. A tax credit you wanted to use last year may no longer be valid, while your state could have created a new incentive that just took effect. Here are a few resources you can check every now and then to see if anything changes in the tax credit world:

• Maryland Clean Energy Center
• Energy.gov
• Energy Star
• Website of your energy provider

And if you need help evaluating energy efficiency of your home, repairing old equipment, upgrading HVAC systems or conducting preventive maintenance, you know who to call for residential HVAC services in Maryland. Cool Breeze is also a participating provider in BGE incentives, and if we know of any tax credits you could use, we’ll be sure to share to help offset your costs.

Here’s a recent unsolicited testimonial that we received:

Just wanted to thank you and your service tech Eric for a superb job fixing my Trane heat pump that broke last night – When I called the company that installed my system, they never called me back, so I went on the Trane web site and saw your company listed – when I called you at 8am today you were eager to help me and offered to have Eric arrive within 2 hours – It is great to have such exception customer and technical assistance in a time when the weather is over 90 degrees – I will from now on always call Cool Breeze for all of my heating/air conditioning needs

Thanks
John Chase
Columbia, Md.

Now that the weather is finally warming up again, it’s time to start thinking about air conditioning. It might seem as though we just got out of the cold months, but it’s important to consider air conditioner maintenance before you need it that cooling breeze.

This is even more important for business owners. When the weather warms up, you want your business’ air conditioning tuned up and ready to take on whatever summer temperatures arrive. There are a number of negative consequences that go with not having your business’ air conditioning regularly serviced. These include:

• Paying too much for air conditioning. If you never service your air conditioner, you have no idea how well it is functioning… unless it’s broken. However, before the air conditioner stops working completely, it could be sucking away thousands of dollars a year in excess energy. If your unit is working extra hard yet not pumping out enough air, it’s money lost. Do your pocketbook a favor and get routine service!
• Productivity suffers. What employee can even attempt to work hard if he’s sweating in front of his cubicle or cash register? If it’s extremely hot, your employees are not going to be in the mood to work – and who could blame them? Keep them comfortable and happy for greater productivity.
• Customers will not be impressed. If your air conditioning breaks, a customer stepping into your business and encountering sweltering, unhappy employees and a wall of heat is likely going to walk way. Make it a priority to never have this happen.
• It could catch on fire. This is a worst-case scenario, but there have been instances of air conditioners catching fire when the AC drain line isn’t properly maintained. This will cause a lot of hassle for you, and could result in injury or loss of life.

Keep in mind that most air conditioning units are only meant to last for 10 years before they are replaced. While this might seem very expensive, it’s better to err on the side of caution. Additionally, having routine maintenance and cleaning will ensure that your air conditioning unit is functioning properly and safely for years to come.

Remember to always keep your air conditioner properly serviced. When you’re ready to give your business’ air conditioner a look over, contact us at Cool Breeze. We’ll ensure the job gets done correctly and your air conditioning unit enjoys a long life.