Top Energy Saving Tips & Hacks for Houston Homeowners

Will Air Conditioning Enter the Space Age?

December 4, 2014 by James Richmond

It might sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but the vast cold of space might one day help keep the buildings of planet Earth cool. Stanford engineers have found a way to transmit heat away from buildings directly into space using a thin material that can be placed on the top of a building’s roof.

The invention, according to the Stanford News, is called photonic radiative cooling. On the roof of a building the material, made of materials including silver and silicon, can dissipate both invisible, infrared heat that a building collects internally and heat caused by the sun’s rays.

The material is able to transmit infrared heat into a frequency that sends it directly through the atmosphere into the cold vastness of outer space, completely bypassing Earth’s atmosphere.

It also deflects 97% of visible sunlight with its reflective properties. By removing both infrared heat from the building and the sunlight that hits the building, the photonic radiative cooling could help reduce the cooling load placed on a building’s HVAC system.

Of course, a few complications face the Stanford team before photonic radiative cooling becomes mainstream. The panels will need to be sized up for production; their current model is the size of a personal pizza. Also, the team will need to figure out how to transfer the infrared heat that collects in a building to the rooftop to literally blast it off into the heat sink of space.

Photonic radiative cooling is a prototype and certainly won’t be hitting a rooftop near you anytime soon, but the material is just another example of emerging heating and cooling technologies aimed at reducing energy use.

Until this new air-cooling technology hits metro-Houston, we’re here at Richmonds Air to help you find solutions to your comfort concerns, from replacing your air conditioner, to repairs, to finding ways to cut energy use ways to cut energy use.

8 Easy Tips to Help Lower Your Heating Bill

November 26, 2014 by James Richmond

Winter is quickly approaching and our furnace systems will begin to get their workout. In Houston, we don’t have to deal with severe freezing temperatures like many other places, but there will be some cold days in the months to come where the furnace kicks on often.

Heating a home can be expensive, but there are steps you can take to reduce your costs. A few of these tips may require some upfront investment, but you will no doubt save money in the long run.

A programmable thermostat is truly a must if you want to lower your heating costs. If you use the thermostat, you can program it to kick on higher about an hour before you arrive home from work. Turn it down low at night and use blankets and warm pjs!

(Read How a Programmable Thermostat Helps you Enhance Comfort, Save Money and Keep Feuds to a Minimum for more information about these valuable devices)
Dress appropriately – My daughter and I get in disagreements when she tells me how cold she is while I see her in shorts and a tank top. Really? That is what layers, pants and sweaters are for. Dress warm first, then see truly how uncomfortably cold you are.
Open curtains and blinds – You may be surprised how quickly natural light can help heat a place. Let the sunshine in!
Decorate for Warmth – What I mean by this is when it is winter, use appropriate things around your house. For example, blankets! You should have blankets to wrap up in while watching your favorite TV show. Purchase an electric blanket for night time, which is cheaper than running your furnace all night. Also, keep plenty of rugs on your hardwoods to help act as an insulator.
Close unused heating ducts – There are some homes where some rooms are barely used. Why do you need to heat it?
Use your fireplace – In a home where there are not a ton of rooms to heat, the fireplace is an excellent option to help not run the furnace all the time, especially if it is located in a central area where you spend a lot of time. If you don’t use it, cover it up for winter so that heat does not escape right out the chimney!
Seal windows and doors properly – You would be surprised how much heat escapes out of improperly sealed doors and windows. It may take some time to do it, but it is very important.
Service or replace heating system – It is vital to make certain your furnace is running up to par. Also, it may be time to replace your old system that is running so hard, costing you tons of money and barely heating your home.

At Richmond’s Air we want you to be warm and cozy this winter. Whether you are in Katy, Bellaire or Spring, we can help service your heating system! Contact one of our technicians today!

Is Your Attic Well Insulated? How to Tell and What To Do

November 5, 2014 by James Richmond

You may wonder what attic insulation has to do with your home. After all, you live in Houston and Houston doesn’t get that cold. But insulation not only helps keep homes warm during cold weather; it also helps homes retain cool air during hot weather.

An attic that is loosing conditioned air means that your heat pump, central air or furnace has to work harder to keep your home at the temperature you desire. All that conditioned air you’re paying for could literally be going through the roof.

According to Energy Star, making sure that our attic is well sealed offers big gains in the energy efficiency of our homes. Here’s how to check and fix your attic’s insulation:

How To Tell

Spotting a poorly insulated attic doesn’t even require a trip up the ladder. You can tell if your attic is poorly insulated if you notice any of the following:

Drafty rooms
Hot or cold ceilings and or walls
Rooms that are hot or cold compared to the rest of the house
High energy bills

What To Do

If you have signs of a poorly insulated attic, you have two options.

Contact a qualified contractor. Just as when you choose an air conditioning repair company, you should look for a contractor that has a good reputation with people you know and who has a good standing with the Better Business Bureau.
Do it yourself. If you’re going to tackle this DYI project, you should have a considerable level of skill for longer, more involved home projects because this project is likely going to be dirty, hot and take a couple of days.

Regardless if you hire a contractor or do-it-yourself, the process is the same. You or the contractor will need to first inspect the attic to make sure it is properly sealed. Areas where the ceiling meets the walls are areas of a home that need to be sealed to properly keep air in.

When these areas are sealed, then you or the contractor can add insulation to the ceiling. There are several different insulation choices you’ll need to consider:

Loose fill insulation can dramatically improve the energy efficiency of your home, but usually requires a professional company for installation.
Batt insulation can still provide good insulation value, and is easy for a do-it-yourself project.

Making sure that you attic is properly sealed and insulated is a great way to improve the efficiency of your home. Better efficiency means lower energy bills, regardless of what the Texas weather decides to throw your way.

At Richmonds Air, we want our customers in Bellaire, SugarLand, Bunker Hill Village and other communities in the metro-Houston area to be comfortable year round. Learn more about how you can increase the efficiency of your home or contact us today for routine service (which can improve your AC’s efficiency), sales, and for repairs.

4 Reasons Why Changing Your Home Air Filter Matters

July 29, 2014 by James Richmond

If your AC system is working as it should, it has kept you nice and cool for these last several months—an undeniably difficult task here in Southeast Texas. And while there are still a few more months of extra hot and humid weather ahead, one way you can reward your cooling system (and yourself) for doing such a fine job so far is checking the AC filter and replacing it if necessary.

Especially, if you haven’t changed your air filter in the last few months, that simple and cheap task should be at the very top of your to-do-list. Here’s why:

#1: Air Quality

The air we breathe in on a regular basis is full of microscopic particles like dust, pollen, skin cells, mold, bacteria, etc. Household activities like dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, cooking and other chores will increase the amount of particles in the air, which can cause respiratory problems or asthma symptoms in certain people.

In fact, the EPA ranks indoor air pollutants in the top five environmental health risks. Fortunately, there are high-efficiency AC filters that can catch all of these particles before they enter your home. However, an accumulation of dirt and particles will eventually clog up even the best AC filter and it will no longer be able to do perform as well. By replacing your filter regularly, you can ensure the air quality in your home stays as clean as it should.

#2: Energy Efficiency

In addition to letting in pollutants, a clogged air filter is bad news for your energy bill. Your AC or heating system has to work much harder to pump air through a blocked up filter to deliver the cool or warm air you want. This means that the system requires more energy to do its job, causing your energy bill to be higher.

#3: System Breakdowns

Another downside of a clogged air filters besides energy consumption and poor air quality is the added strain that gets put on the system. While you may not notice a change right away, in the long term clogged filters will result in a much shorter lifespan for the parts and components that make up the unit. And if a critical component breaks down, you may end up having to buy a completely new system.

#4: Because it’s cheap and easy!

Unlike most AC maintenance and repair which often costs an arm and a leg, changing an air filter is probably one of the simplest and cheapest home maintenance tasks. You don’t need to buy any special tools or schedule an appointment with a local AC repairman. Simply look at your system’s manual to see what filter is recommended, go to your local hardware store or supermarket to pick one out, and swap out the old filter with the new one. That’s all there is to it!

How often should my air filter be changed?

While the exact lifespan of your air filter will vary by a number of different factors—frequency/duration of use, type of filter, time of the year (Spring pollen shortens filter lifespan), and the air quality needs of the people living in your home—HVAC experts recommend checking filters once a month and replacing them at least once every three months.

Don’t wait until something as cheap and easy to fix as a changing an air filter costs you big time. Our philosophy: Act now, save later.

If you have any questions about your home air filter or a more serious heating and cooling problem arises, give Richmond’s Air AC services a call at (713) 732-6426 .

Time to Get SEERious About Energy Efficiency

July 22, 2014 by James Richmond

Due to a combination of hot temperatures and the rising cost of energy, many Texans and people around the country are now on a mission to get serious about their energy efficiency—and their air conditioner is often the first stop.

However, homeowners often have lots of questions and concerns about installing an energy efficient air conditioner, like: Is it worth it? Do I really save that much money? How do I know what efficiency level I need?

Fortunately, the industry has come up with a simple scoring system called “SEER” in order to identify the efficiency levels of various heating and cooling units. Once you understand how the SEER rating works, it can be an invaluable tool for maximizing the efficiency of your home or office HVAC system.

What is SEER?

SEER is an acronym for “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio.” Each heating and cooling system is tested and given an efficiency rating based on the amount of energy it consumes. The higher the SEER rating, the greater the efficiency; the lower the SEER rating, the more energy the system wastes.

According to federal law, all central air conditioning equipment manufactured since January 2006 must be at least SEER-13 – however, some cooling systems rate as high as SEER-18 and even SEER-23. To qualify for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR program, central air conditioners must have a SEER of at least 14.

What is the best SEER level for your home or office?

While homeowners are not required to upgrade an old air conditioner or heater that is below SEER-13, the HVAC experts at Richmond’s Air strongly encourage you to consider installing a system that is SEER-16 or higher.

By making an investment in a more efficient heating and cooling system, you will quickly see substantial energy savings that easily offset the initial cost expenditure. For instance, by upgrading from a SEER 9 to SEER-13 system, you can reduce the amount of power your air conditioner consumes by nearly a third (30%).

Especially in hot and humid climates like we have here in Houston, Texas, installing an energy efficient cooling system can save you hundreds of dollars every year and thousands over the lifespan of the unit, depending on the frequency and duration of usage. Plus, Richmond’s Air offers new equipment financing to make becoming energy efficient more affordable.

The Energy Saving Experts

Of course, lowering your energy bill and helping the environment isn’t ALL about the SEER rating. It is also important to practice energy-smart techniques and cut back on wasted cooling. HVAC experts at Richmond’s Air can help you pick out and install an energy efficient cooling system, as well as determine how you can maximize your energy savings.

Call us at (713) 732-6426 to enlist the help of an HVAC expert today. We serve Houston, Spring, Bellaire, Katy and nearby communities.