Althoff Home Services Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

14 Smart Tips to Lower Summer Cooling Bills

Wednesday, June 28th, 2017

Most of us in the greater Chicago area are glad to see the summer months arrive. It means the return of baseball, vacations, and trips to the beach. One thing though that summer brings that is not so welcome is the higher summer cooling bills. You are not helpless, however, in fact, far from it. From investing in solar panels to using energy saving LED lighting, there are plenty of steps you can take to be more energy efficient which in turn helps reduce summer cooling and electric bills. Here are 14 obvious, and some not-so-obvious, tips to save on your summer cooling bills.

Consider a new HVAC system. We know, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. In the case of your HVAC system, however, a new high-efficiency system can actually reduce bills by 50% or more. It doesn’t take long to realize significant savings with efficiency ratings like those now available.
Get rid of energy-gobbling appliances. Have a 15 or 20-year-old refrigerator in your garage for beverages? Odds are that refrigerator costs more to run over a few months than it is worth. Buy a small energy efficient dorm room size refrigerator if you need the space.
Turn off fans in rooms where no one is spending time. Fans serve to move air and cool the skin. Moving the air in an empty room just isn’t an efficient use of electricity.
Use room darkening blinds or curtains. You’ll be surprised at the difference window treatments can make in cooling a room, especially on westward facing windows.
Switch to LED lighting. Not only does LED lighting use minimal electricity, it doesn’t give off any unnecessary additional heat into your living space. They are perhaps the most energy efficient device for your home available today.
Consider how landscaping can help. A properly positioned tree can provide years of cooling shade. Bushes can deflect the heat that your outside brick may otherwise absorb. Grass disburses heat better than concrete. Landscaping is a terrific, natural way to reduce summer cooling bills.
Look into solar options. You don’t have to have a solar farm built in your backyard or on your roof to take advantage of solar energy. You can start small, like with a solar water heater or outdoor lighting. As you realize savings you may be encouraged to do more!
Make sure your AC units, duct work, and filters are clean. Make sure your outdoor AC unit has room to breath and is free from debris. Change filters at least every three months and have duct work cleaned annually.
Have you thought about awnings? Awnings can save energy, add to the appearance of your home and create outdoor living space. Contemporary options are more appealing than ever.
Be on the look out for energy thieves. We use so many electronic devices we may not even be aware they are constantly using energy. These include charging cell phones, laptops, computers, printers, electric shavers, TVs, clock radios and others. Make sure both the unit and charger is unplugged when charging is complete and unplug devices in spare rooms.
Un-condition yourself. We call it air conditioning but we are really conditioning ourselves to be less resilient in uncomfortable temperatures. Make the effort to “un-condition” yourself by increasing the temp in your home or car. You do realize air conditioning wasn’t even invented until 1902 and people did live without it, right? You may not want to go to that extreme but you can increase your use of fans and use less AC.
Make your HVAC system “smarter”. There are plenty of smart home devices to help you take charge of when your AC system is operating. Does it make sense to have your home cooled to 72 degrees for hour after hour when no one is home?
Improve your insulation. You don’t have to go the whole house route but increase an area each year. Make sure doors and windows are sealed as are electrical sockets. Work on the area above the garage this year, in the attic next year. Just keep making progress!
Price energy efficient windows. Not only can new windows save on your cooling and heating bills, but you’ll probably find they make your home quieter and more comfortable. A window and door company should be able to provide you with your approximate energy savings upon installation to help you make your decision.

It can be quite liberating to see your summer cooling bills get smaller, so get started today. If we can be of assistance, please contact us at Althoff Industries.

Tags: Cooling, HVAC, Residential Cooling, Residential HVAC
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Do I Need a Humidifier In My Home?

Wednesday, June 21st, 2017

If you feel something isn’t quite right about the air quality in your home, determining the best route back to optimal functionality can be a complicated process. While it’s true that weather and climate have a significant impact on indoor air quality, there are numerous other factors you need to consider.

Even when the solution seems obvious, it is important to do your research before installing any indoor air treatments like a humidifier in your home.

If you choose to skip this step, you can wind up creating a much larger problem than you had when you started. Sometimes, those problems can even turn out to be hazardous to your health.

When in doubt, it is always better to ask a specialist. In this article, we’ll identify some of the best indicators humidity levels are not where they should be. From dry air during the winter months, to sticky, uncomfortable indoor air in the summer–this is your guide to understanding whether you need a humidifier (or some other indoor air treatment) in your home.

Too Much Moisture or Not Enough?

To simplify things for you, below are some signs to help identify whether your moisture levels are too high or too low.

Indicators of High Humidity

Summer air in the Midwest can be especially humid. It is not uncommon for moisture in the air to reach humidity levels of 75% and above. When there is excess condensation in the air inside your home, you may notice a sticky, moist, or clammy feel. At a more advanced phase, you may even detect a musty odor.

When left unchecked, high moisture air quality can create an environment perfect for the growth of unwanted nuisances such as pests, dust mites, bacteria, and even viruses.

Signs of Low-Moisture or Dry Air

During the colder months of the year, the opposite begins to happen. Instead of becoming sticky and moist, the air starts to feel dry. As temperatures drop, the cold air loses its ability to hold onto as much moisture.

This lack of humidity in the air comes with a host of potential health problems, commonly related to the respiratory system. If you live in an environment that enjoys all four seasons or has a traditionally dry climate, you’re likely no stranger to these symptoms.

Some of them include:

Chronic runny nose
Asthma or allergy flare-ups
Dry skin and nasal passages
Increased static in hair and electric shocks when touching people or objects
Bloody noses
Sinus congestion

Among these, an unexplained early morning cough, dry throat, or dry mouth are all indications you may be exposing yourself to dry air. All of these variables have the potential to impact your health significantly and can exacerbate or worsen existing respiratory conditions like allergies and asthma.

Solutions for Improving Air Quality

When you’ve identified your indoor moisture levels, you can start exploring potential solutions.

When Humidity Is Too Low

If you’re experiencing symptoms that are consistent with dry air, you will want to incorporate a solution that adds moisture in the air. Chiefly, a whole-home humidifier.

What Is a Humidifier?

Humidifiers are moisture increasing devices known to help relieve dry climate and wintertime symptoms by, at the most basic level, adding water vapor to the air.

Humidifiers can protect your body from the effects of dry air, but they can also be beneficial for proper maintenance of indoor finishes and structures.

Hardwood floors, wooden furniture, and hardwood moldings are just a few of the fixtures that can commonly become damaged due to excessively dry air.

To get the best results–and quality for your investment–you should choose a humidifier that is best suited to your personalized conditions and environment.

Types of Humidifiers

Central humidifiers or whole-home humidifiers are designed to improve moisture throughout your entire home. If you want to reduce or even eliminate the problems associated with dry indoor air, this is the most effective option. Because of its efficiency, it is more expensive than alternatives but more effective.

Steam humidifiers or vaporizers convert water into steam to add more moisture to indoor air. These humidifiers are beneficial, even in homes where much humidity is needed to keep levels balanced.

Bypass humidifiers connect directly to your HVAC system. These units use the blower motor of your furnace to force air through a water panel, which adds moisture. The motor then circulates the treated air back into the rest of your home.

Fan-powered humidifiers connect with your HVAC system, as well. Through the use of a built-in motor, fan-powered humidifiers work by pulling air into the unit and through a water panel, where water is added and redistributed with increased humidity. These can work as standalone units without an HVAC system as well, which lowers energy consumption.

Not super interested in the different makes and models of humidifiers?

Don’t let the task of choosing the right humidifier keep you with dry sinuses and itchy skin for the duration of the winter season. Instead, look for a team of air quality experts to help you find the best product to suit your household, budget, comfort, and personalized needs.

With qualified technicians like the team at Althoff by your side, you can enjoy the comfort of knowing they can install the equipment correctly.

Why Althoff Industries

Our goal is to bring our customers superior indoor air quality.

We understand that your system must work efficiently to maintain the comfort of your home. It must help clean, heat, and cool your indoor air while reducing indoor humidity through the steamy summer months and adding moisture to the air during the cold Chicago winters.

We specialize in creating solutions to maximize your savings without compromising comfort.

Since 1961, we’ve been serving Chicago area businesses, industries, apartment and condominium and single-family homeowners with a range of services including the installation of humidifiers.

Schedule an appointment today and discover the difference we can make in your indoor air quality and comfort. We look forward to assisting you!

Tags: Residential Air Quality, Residential HVAC, Residential Services
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Will an Air Purifier Minimize My Allergy Symptoms?

Thursday, June 8th, 2017

There are plenty of myths about how to best clean the air in your home. Some people believe a good HEPA air filter will do. Others suggest an air purifier. Still others say that perhaps there is nothing you can do, especially when it comes to allergens. The Chicago area has experienced medium to high pollen levels throughout the spring and forecasts call for it to continue. If you or someone in your family suffers from pollen-related allergies, the following may help.

Will My HVAC Filters Help?

The answer is yes, but to a limited degree. HEPA filters provide more stringent cleaning than standard filters but when it comes to allergens, your basic filters provide limited protection. These filters are designed to keep airflow moving unobstructed to your HVAC system, not in removing dust or allergens from your home.

What is an Air Purifier?

While HVAC filters remove contaminants from clogging your HVAC system, and do, in fact remove larger particles from the air, an air purifier or air cleaner is designed to remove contaminants from the air in a room. A HEPA filter in particular is designed to pass the air in a room through it multiple times, removing increasingly smaller particulars from the room.

Will an Air Purifier Help with my Allergy Symptoms?

Again, the answer is yes, but probably only to a limited degree if you are not taking other steps. Your first goal should be to limit your exposure to allergens.

Avoid spending time in the outdoors, where you may breathe in allergens or even have them collect on your hair and clothes.
Take a shower before bed so you will not transfer allergens to bedding and your pillows.
Make sure all filters in your HVAC system are cleaned and/or replaced often, at least once every three months.
If someone in your family has severe allergies, consider replacing carpeting with solid flooring material like wood, wood-like flooring, or tile flooring. This will keep allergens from collecting in carpeting and being redistributed during vacuuming.
Furniture can gather allergens so make sure yours is cleaned regularly.
Keep your windows closed at home, even when the weather is tempting you to open all the windows. This is really important in the spring when flower and tree pollen is highest.
Take spring cleaning seriously. Allergies are a good reason people take the time to thoroughly clean their homes. It works. It also helps to keep the air clean with the appropriate filtration devices.

If you have taken the above steps and are still suffering significantly, it is a good idea to contact the indoor air experts at Althoff Industries. Depending on your home, your HVAC system and your specific allergen related issues, Althoff can design a system using a variety of the latest technologies to removed allergens, dust and dust mites from your indoor air. Without the proper air filtration and purification system, many homes are simply recycling dirty air. Help is just a phone call away.

The Althoff Difference

At Althoff Industries, we aren’t interested in selling the latest trendy devices. We have built our reputation and our company on providing solutions that work. This includes air cleaner and air purification systems that perform in concert with your HVAC system to provide a healthy environment for you and your family. Are you experiencing runny noses, sneezing, red or watering eyes, or seem to be constantly dusting your home? We may have the solution for you. Contact Althoff Industries and enjoy cleaner, healthier and more comfortable air in your home.

Tags: Air Quality, HVAC, Residential Air Quality, Residential HVAC, Residential Services
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Winter Thermostat Settings – What is Best for the Midwest?

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

The debate rages on at cocktail parties and family gatherings. There are some who have an extreme view to the right and those who would prefer people lean left when it comes to the subject. One thing we can all agree on is that in Crystal Lake and the Northwest Chicago area suburbs, winters are cold. So what is the definitive answer to what is the best temperature for a house in winter? What are appropriate winter thermostat settings for your home? The answer may be a bit more complicated than you think.

The perfect winter thermostat settings involve a variety of factors, few of which are scientific or even comparable.

Thermostats are Not Always Accurate

Did you ever follow a recipe to the ‘t’, cook it in your oven and then have it burn? The likely reason is that the temperature setting and the exact temperature in the oven may not match. It happens frequently. Likewise, your thermostat may not exactly provide the temperature it is set to deliver to your home. This causes two potential problems.

The first is that the temperature you have your thermostat set at and the temperature it delivers may not match. This can be remedied by making sure your HVAC professional calibrates your thermostat with the furnace. The second issue is that the thermostat of your friends and neighbors may not be correctly calibrated. This means you may be discussing why one family enjoys a 68-70 range and others prefer a 70-72 range when in reality, the actual temperature is the same. The key is making sure your thermostat is reflective of the actual temperature your HVAC system is providing. We can do that for you at Althoff Industries.

There Is a Difference Between Heating Sources

Electric heat is often described as “dry heat” while natural gas furnaces tend to deliver heat that has more moisture. While there are products that can add humidity to electric heating systems, consumers should be aware of the differences. Comparing comfort levels in a room of the same temperature with dry heat and gas heat will offer different opinions on which is better.

Draft and Air Movement

Another major factor in the comfort of a room is the air movement in the room and if it is “drafty”. A room may be heated to an appropriate temperature but if there are drafts from under doors, through windows or due to poor insulation, the room will not be as cozy as one where there are drafts and invasive air flow.

What’s Best for You and Your Family?

The biggest considerations in the proper setting of your home’s thermostat are the comfort of your family and your energy bill goals. If your family agrees on an environmentally friendly program of wearing sweaters, using blankets, and keeping the thermostat to a certain level, congratulations! If not, there are other steps you can take, like installing a programmable thermostat that will control your furnace when no one is at home. If you live alone or as a couple, “smart” thermostats can be controlled from a cell phone to save energy when you are not at home but can get it warmed for your arrival.

The bottom line is that it is difficult to compare comfort levels with others because thermostats may be calibrated differently, homes have different insulation characteristics, and drafts may be more common in some homes than others.

At Althoff Industries, we can make sure your thermostat is accurately calibrated. We can help you create an indoor environment that uses heat and humidity that results in maximum comfort. We will help you with suggestions to keep your energy costs at a minimum.

If you are tempted to compare comfort levels with friends and neighbors, that is understandable. You should be aware, however, this may be an apples to oranges comparison. It can depend on your thermostat calibration, heating sources, insulation, air movement, and more. The bottom line is that you and your family get comfortable with both your indoor environment and your energy costs. We can help you find that balance when you call Althoff Industries.

Tags: Heating, HVAC, Residential Heating, Residential HVAC, Residential Services
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