Each of our team members at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning strives to perform our jobs as perfectly as possible because we know what we do directly affects YOU! One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning isn’t just an HVAC company; we’re a service company that helps improve the quality of your life!
That’s Why We Offer Our “Friends Helping Friends” Referral Program
Our goal is to ensure each of our clients receives the highest quality furnace or air conditioner install or service… which they always do. More importantly, after working on a home, we want to look at that homeowner as a friend. We want to get to know you by your first name and learn about your family. And we want YOU to know that you can always call us, at any hour, if you have a heating or cooling emergency. We’ll be there for you! And remember, “We’re always on time, or you don’t pay a dime!”®
With that in mind, we recently developed our “Friends Helping Friends” referral program. We know that if we do an outstanding job—and you can look at me and the employees at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning as people you can trust and believe—you’ll tell your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers about us. In fact, we want you to be excited to tell others about the level of service we provide.
Refer THREE and you get a Tune-up FREE!! ($139 value)
BUT…that’s not all our “Friends Helping Friends” referral program includes. Your time is extremely valuable. So, if you take time out of your day to tell three people about your positive experience with One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, you will receive a Tune-up for free ($139 value) It’s well worth it for you helping us expand the One Hour Heating network of friends!
Thank you for helping us grow!
For even more details on the “Friends Helping Friends” referral program and how you can benefit from it, feel free to contact me at brian.mcclaflin@onehourair.com or call 1-888-389-5488. For a limited time, you can refer 3 and get a $139 tune up for FREE or you can get $25 for each person referred that uses our services. Check out our website for more info.
The number one reason why furnaces shut down and aren't working properly is...the FILTER is DIRTY.
Changing your filters in your heating system is so important to make sure your furnace continues to perform at its most efficient capacity. Apparently, the dirt and dust clogs the filters and makes it so the furnace can't get enough airflow which in turn either stops your furnace from working all together or make it so it's not functioning properly. So to make sure your system is running at its peak performance, be sure to check and change your filters regularly.
Filters need to be changed on a monthly basis if you have a 1" filter; otherwise, they can be changed every 2-3 months; and non disposable filters – wash every month.. Vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning your house needs to be done on a regular basis too just like changing your filters. Changing the filters also helps with dust control in your home which in turn helps with allergies and good air quality. Each heating system has different sizes of filters so when you go to purchase new filters, make sure you have the correct size with you.
If you are interested in getting a year's supply of filters delivered to your home on a regular basis, give us a call and we can get you on our Filter Program.
Saving money on your electric bill doesn’t have to be a huge challenge. Just take a few simple steps to manage your home’s energy use. Here are 10 suggestions to help you slash your electric bill:
1. Unplug all those appliances and electronics that you aren’t using or when you are gone. These actually drain power even when they are off! Even though this may not be a huge savings, everything helps. You can even buy smart power strips that turn off automatically so you don’t have to run around the house unplugging everything.
2. Turn your thermostat down to 68 degrees for the winter months when at home and lower 7 to 10 degrees when away or sleeping (per Honeywell instructions). If you don’t have a programmable thermostat, installing one is a great way to save money on your heating bill. If you are cold, only adjust your thermostat by 1 degree at a time so that your auxiliary heat doesn’t kick in. It takes a lot more energy and money to heat your home in the auxiliary or emergency heat mode. Click here: Honewell Tstat Energy-Saving Settings
3. If you have baseboard heat, turn the heaters off in the vacant rooms and close the doors. Or you may want to invest in a ductless mini split heating/cooling system. This system requires no demolition of your home, just an install of a heating/cooling wall unit(s). These ductless splits are far more energy efficient in heating your home, PLUS you get the added bonus of air conditioning for those hot summer months! You can save up to 60-70% on your utility bills.
4. Your heating system is the most expensive item to run in your home. So be sure to have your furnace cleaned every year for optimum performance and to lengthen the life of your system. Also, change your system’s filters on a regular basis. Having a dirty filter means your system has to work even harder costing you a lot more money.
5. When you have a forced air system, closing vents may not be the best solution to keep the costs down on your electric bill. Closing vents forces your system to work harder to push air through the system. It’s better to have more airflow in your home. Make sure there you don’t have furniture or other items blocking your registers.
6. Space heaters are expensive to run. If you need supplemental heat, isolate to one or two rooms by hanging up blankets, shutting doors, etc. to keep the heat in one area.
7. The second most expensive appliance to run in your home is the hot water heater. Make sure your hot water tank is well insulated. Keep the thermostat at 120 degrees or the low setting. Wash your clothes in cold water as much as possible. Don’t run half loads of laundry or dishes, wait until you have a full load and take shorter showers J. And if you want to make an investment, you can have a tankless water heater installed. These tankless water heaters provide only the water that is needed and doesn’t use energy keeping stored water warm. You will have the added benefit of continuous hot water, meaning you’ll never have a cold shower or bath again. You’ll save money on water, power to heat the water, and you’ll be helping the environment at the same time.
8. You may want to look into switching out your regular light bulbs to the Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). These bulbs consume 75% less power and last up to 10 times longer; however, they are a bit more expensive to buy upfront. Look for coupons or sales and contact your utility provider about possible rebates.
9. Replacing old appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, stoves, etc for more energy efficient appliances will save you money in the long run after the initial investment. Don’t move the old refrigerator or freezer to the garage and start using it because it can cost up to an additional $100 a month to run a non-efficient old appliance. As an added bonus, a lot of utility companies will offer rebates to consumers who swap out their old power hungry appliances for newer ones with better efficiency!
10. Make sure your home is properly sealed. Caulking around windows and doors will help keep the cold air outside, and insulated windows will keep the warm air inside. Be sure your attic, walls, crawl space, and ductwork are all well insulated for minimum heat loss and maximum heat gain.
Here’s to a happy, warm, efficient home!!!
The term “variable speed” means the furnace’s fan motor will move at different speeds to control air flow of heat and cool air throughout your home. Better air flow means a better balance of temperature and humidity in your home. Some of the pros of a variable-speed furnace are:
- Added Comfort: Regulates the air flow to provide better temperature control, humidity, air distribution, and even heat throughout the home all the time.
- More Efficiency: Performs better than a single-speed furnace and uses about 2/3 less energy. Typically, during cooling operation, variable-speed equipment results in a gain of efficiency of 1 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). The higher the SEER, the lower your utility bills will be.
- Less Sound: Has a sound-reducing design that slowly ramps up the speed as to not have a sudden blast of air at startup (kick-off) creating a lot of noise.
- Improve Indoor Air Quality: On the “fan” setting, the variable-speed furnace will slowly and inexpensively circulate air throughout your home allowing the filter to catch contaminants.
- Better Humidity Control: More effective at drawing out moisture from the air versus a single-speed furnace. When moisture levels are high like in our rainy state, there’s a potential for growth of mold, so it’s a good idea to have the air circulating for better air quality and comfort.
- Further Savings: A single-speed motor uses approximately 400 watts per hour to operate versus a variable-speed motor using 75 watts. So you could save a lot on your utility bills by choosing a variable-speed furnace for your home.
To sum it all up, a variable-speed furnace will add comfort to your home, be more efficient using less energy, have less sound which is a bonus, improve air quality in your home, have better humidity control, and further save you money on utility bills due to the watts per hour the motor uses. I choose Variable Speed, do you?
Pictured above: Amana Gas Furance 95% AFUE 90,000 BTU Variable Speed
This is a tough question sometimes.
Sometimes it makes complete sense to just have your system repaired. If your system is newer, you haven't had many problems, and you have it annually maintained, you should be fine to just have it repaired. Having your system tuned up on a regular basis can expand the life of your heating/cooling system and it helps with the manufacturers warranties on the system. So make sure you keep up with your tune ups.
Sometimes it makes complete sense to replace your furnace and/or heat pump because it is so old or it's broken. In this case, you want to replace for sure. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it is seriously time to consider replacement for a heat pump or AC around 10 years or older and for a furnace is 15 years or older, especially with all the energy efficient systems available.
But what if you have a furnace and/or heat pump that is not that old and works fine most of the time? Well, then it would depend on:
- If the repair costs are as much as it would be to replace it;
- If a new system would save you a lot of money on your utility bills; and
- How much the future costs to repair your system would be.
There are many factors that go into making this decision. We can help you make the right decison. We use a true cost calculator to help us guide our customers as to whether it makes sense to repair or replace.
If you need some repairs done or need to get a tune up done, make a request online today.
If you are considering replacing your system, contact us to learn more about our products and services.
Until April 30th we are offering 30 Homeowners the "Hottest AND Coolest Deal of the Year!" by saving an average of $825 on a furnace if an off-season central air is purchased too. Please click on the image for more information about this great offer.
It’s that time of the year again; that magical time when we resolve to do
something different for the New Year! I’ve thought about it and have come up with 3 resolutions for myself. I hope that sharing them here will help keep me accountable! 1) Spend less, save more; 2) Stay fit and healthy; and 3) my personal motto is: to be significant in other people’s lives to help them be successful.
At some point in our lives, we’ve all made a New Year’s Resolution for ourselves. I thought I would do something different this year. I have my personal New Year’s Resolutions, but what about a New Year’s Resolution for my home? I challenge you to come up with your own New Year’s resolutions for your home. To help get you started, I have come up with 12 Resolutions for 2012, one for each month!
- January – Clean your House and get organized. Make sure you get the fridge and freezer cleaned out from your holiday gatherings; get all your gifts and decorations put away; and get a deep cleaning in for the New Year.
- February – Don’t get discouraged! Plan a Vacation J (It makes a great Valentine’s Day gift for yourself or a loved one!)
- March – Have your Irrigation system turned back on for spring and summer. Now would be a good time to invest in a rain sensor which only waters the landscape when needed and stops your system from watering when it’s raining. This will save you money on your water bill. This is also a good time to plan your year’s landscaping projects: refreshing the bark, adding hardscape walkways, water features, plants, designing a new landscaped yard. Make sure you get on a landscapers calendar now because the summer months go by too quickly and they get booked up fast. I would recommend Controlled Rain, LLC for all your landscaping and irrigation needs.
- April – Get your Heat Pump or Air Conditioning Unit Cleaned and ready for the summer season. I recommend One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning to clean and make sure your system is working at its best to keep you cool and comfortable through the hot months ahead.
- May – Have your Windows Cleaned so you can admire the spring scenery from your windows. I bought a Pacific Northwest Bird guide years ago and still love sitting in my living room and trying to guess which birds are enjoying my bird feeders. My favorite bird is the chick-a-dee, because they sing so much!
- June – Clean Your Roof. Make sure all the moss is removed and that there was no damage from the winter storms. If you find damage, now is the time to get on a roofers calendar. They too get book up in the summer months.
- July - This is a good time to go through and winterize your home. Get your Windows and Doors caulked so your home can be airtight for next winter, and check your insulation in the attic and under the house. If you wait till winter, you will freeze trying to get this done and the caulking won’t dry.
- August – Clean your Gutters. It’s time to get ready for the rain and winds to blow all the fall leaves back into your gutters. Make sure you check the down spouts too.
- September – Have your Furnace Cleaned and inspected to ensure it is ready for the winter season. Of course, I would recommend One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning to do an 82-point inspection and cleaning on your furnace. Also, now is a great time to change your filters to keep your furnace from breaking down. This will save you money on your power bills and any potential repair costs.
- October – Have an electrician do An Electrical Safety Inspection on your home. This helps make sure your home is safe and can eliminate potential hazards to your family. Also, this is a perfect time to have a whole house surge protector installed to protect all of your home electronics, including your heating system, well pump, and appliances. I recommend our friends over at Mister Sparky to do any type of electrical work in your home. You can also request that they check your smoke alarms to make sure they are working properly.
- November – Don’t forget to Winterize your Irrigation system. When it freezes outside, your irrigation pipes can freeze and burst making for a spendy repair job. Here’s a Controlled Rain video link on winterizing your irrigation system.
- December – Clean up the leaves, fallen limbs, and debris from your Yard. Take advantage of one of those nice, sunny chilled days to get some fresh air and spruce up the yard.
Good luck and Happy New Year.
During the busy holiday season, a lot of items get neglected. We are just too busy to think about everything!! Here's a short list to remember for your safety of your home.
- Blow out all candles before going to bed and never leave lit candles unattended.
- Make sure you keep your tree watered well to avoid drying out making it a fire hazard.
- Be sure to get your furnace maintained and change your filter before your guests arrive. Not only will this reassure a warm cozy home for the holidays, it will help with dust control too.
- If it's slick on your walkways, be sure to put down sand or salt to prevent falling injuries.
- Make sure your chimney is cleaned so you don't have a devastating fire.
- Remember space heaters get very hot and can harm children and pets if left unattended.
- Lint traps are a fire hazard and can easily be forgotten when in a hurry.
- If you forgot to change the battery in your smoke detector when you changed the clocks, it's not too late, do it now.
- Cookies right out of the oven are nice and yummy, but the cookie sheets are hot.
A lot of homes are left unattended and are very vulnerable to burglaries during the holidays. In addition to locking doors and windows, you can:
- Use a timer to turn lights on and off.
- Leave on a TV or radio.
- Let neighbors know when you'll be gone and ask them to take in newspapers and mail, and to remove snow (if needed).
- Look through your windows and make sure your treasures aren't visible.
- Don't mention leaving your home on social media websites.
Have a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas!!