The Maintenance Issue

It is common knowledge that we must take care of things in order for them to work the way they were designed. If we don’t change the oil in our cars, bad things will happen. But isn’t it still a bit annoying when the “change oil” light comes on? Now you will have to find time in your already busy day to spend at least 30 minutes having your car serviced, all so that you can continue to drive it without any problems. I will admit this is a tri-monthly experience I don’t enjoy and wish there was some kind of reward to be had for keeping up with all those oil changes. Don’t get me wrong, I know the real “reward” is the money I am saving by keeping it maintained as opposed to “letting it go” and then having to spend a ton in repairs. We all know this to be true when it comes to cars, but we turn a blind eye to the same logic when it comes to our home comfort systems. We continue to use our home comfort system year after year, even after it has spent months being unused and we don’t want to spend the money to have it serviced so it will run safely and efficiently. Unfortunately, not applying the same maintenance logic we use with our cars to our home comfort system is costing us more money in the long run. Read “The Easiest Way to Save Money I’ve Ever Seen… is about to end” to learn more about maintaining your home comfort system and all the many rewards that go along with it.

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What Goes Up Doesn’t Always Come Down

In grade school, we learned about the Law of Gravity – what goes up must come down. Unfortunately, that does not seem to apply to the cost of living. I have not noticed the price of many things decreasing in years. Well, with the exception of the real estate market, but that may be the only one. Most people immediately focus on the cost of gas and other types of energy that have skyrocketed, but even the basic everyday items we need, like bread, milk, eggs, soap and shampoo have all risen in price and most have not come down. I miss the days of doing something as simple as walking into a grocery store and not experiencing sticker shock. I cannot even imagine what prices for basic necessities will be in another 5 to 10 years. Heating and cooling our homes is also a basic necessity and energy prices for running these units are out of control. We simply have to find ways to save money any way we can. I fear the cost of energy may not come down anytime soon. For information on what you can to do to help your bottom line, read “Finding a Way to Beat the Energy Increase.”

Calling Mr. Clean…

Is your home clean? I don’t mean obsessively clean, just people-live-here-clean.

By now, most of us have got the basics down of keeping our home tidy, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, etc., but did you know your home comfort system also needs a good cleaning? I bet that is one thing that gets overlooked.

It is not something that jumps to the front of one’s mind when you are going through a mental list of what needs to be done. Too often, we neglect our home comfort system. We expect it to work with maximum efficiency the second we turn it on without ever stopping to think about what has spent months building up while it sat there unused.

For information on why and how to have your home comfort system cleaned, read “The Dirty Secret…”.http://www.stewartheatingandair.com/comfort-tips.asp

The Value of a Secret

Secrets are tricky things, aren’t they? Depending on the subject (surprise party vs. hazardous waste) and who it is about (relative vs. major corporation), a secret can be a fun event bonding people together or it can go to the other extreme where a bit of information left untold has the potential to be dangerous to your health. Everyone has secrets both big and small and we are no exception. Don’t be too alarmed. Our secret is not as scary as hazardous waste; and one thing is for sure… Whether we are referring to people or companies, the truth will come out eventually. Why, then, do so many companies leave out information their customers need to know in order to make informed decisions? Money, of course, and maybe power and definitely a concern for their reputation. We are just not interested in being a company with secrets. To learn more about a big secret the heating and air conditioning industry has been keeping, read “Have You Heard the Dark and Dirty Secret…about Your Home Comfort System?”

What Difference Will It Make?

There are a lot of good ideas that pop up in our conversations, news feeds, blog subscriptions and preferred TV programs. If only we had the time and resources to implement every one of them. 

But we don’t (even if we try). Time and resources are limited. So we have to evaluate the benefit versus the investment with questions like these: Will it make a difference? Can this difference be measured?

These are the kind of questions that you actually can answer with a really good idea I’d like you to consider: a Whole House Energy Analysis.

In any home, there can be hidden energy wasters that are sending your utility bills up needlessly. An energy Analysis will pinpoint these problems, giving you a complete analysis of how to improve your home’s energy use.

The difference this will make comes in improved energy efficiency that can show up in lower energy use (measurable through utility bills). It also can show you how to create a more comfortable home environment year-round.

To help you evaluate what changes you may make, the Department of Energy offers up several questions to ask yourself. You can read more about those in this report, This Is One Analysis You’ll Actually Like.

The Definition of Insanity...

According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Ever wonder what you could do – or not do – in your home to save money on your energy bills? Saving money is just as important now as it always has been, but it is increasingly more difficult to do. It seems like with every trip to the grocery store, the prices of even the basics: bread, milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables are rising. So are all of our utilities, but there is something that we can do about that. What to do: By having a trained, licensed professional conduct an Energy Analysis of your home, you will have the benefit of knowing what changes you can make, both big and small, to lower your increasing utility bills. Your technician will also be able to tell you which “high efficiency” heating and cooling system will be the right fit for you, saving you even more money in the long run. The unusually cool temperatures this summer have some of these air conditioners selling at a reduced rate so that’s an even bigger incentive to replace your old system and save on energy bills. Without this valuable service, you will continue to make the same energy mistakes over and over again and nothing will ever change. Your bills will continue to rise and you will continue to wonder why. To schedule your Energy Analysis, call or email and we will be happy to assist you.