I graduated from college with a tremendous amount of debt.

I had lots of student loans to pay off as well as a car payment, car insurance and health insurance.

While I managed to get a job, I wasn’t making much money. I could only afford a very small, rundown apartment in a rather sketchy neighborhood. I was terrified all the time and yet the door didn’t lock properly. While I couldn’t keep the door shut, the windows refused to open. Half of the light fixtures and power outlets didn’t work. If I ran the microwave at the same time as the toaster or coffee maker, I tripped the breaker. There was hardly any water pressure, the toilet ran all the time and I only had enough hot water for a twelve-minute shower. My biggest complaint was with the heating and cooling system. The air conditioner created such a musty smell that it gave me a terrible headache. It didn’t put out enough air to accomplish anything and cost so much to operate that I never used it. I tried running box fans but kept tripping the breaker. The best I could do to cool the apartment down was to prop the front door open and hope for a breeze. I then dealt with an influx of exhaust fumes and bugs. In the winter, the weather in my local area makes heating a necessity. No matter how I adjusted the thermostat, the apartment was never warm enough and the heater ran non stop. I needed to bundle up in layers of sweaters and sleep under a heated blanket to keep warm. I finally realized that I was spending so much money on my monthly utility bills, I could afford a better apartment if I provided more energy efficient appliances.

a/c workman

My daughter and I love to attend concerts together.

We watch for ticket sales and get excited to find out which bands are touring.

She and I typically see three or four bands per year. We’ve travelled all over the country and even overseas to attend concerts. We’ve seen certain bands multiple times simply because they put on such a great show. Since we like to have decent seats and always purchase a concert T-shirt, our hobby is fairly expensive. We’ve experienced all different types of venues from smaller theaters to giant stadiums. While I really prefer the open air of a stadium, it can be problematic when the weather doesn’t cooperate. We are exposed to heat, humidity, cold and rain. There’s no shade, no protection and no access to temperature control. The indoor venues are more cramped but at least there’s heating and cooling available if necessary. My daughter and I have had tickets to the Hella Mega Tour that includes Greenday, Wheezer, Fallout Boy and the Interrupters for well over a year. Our concert got delayed because of covid. It has finally been scheduled for the end of July. The venue is entirely outdoors and located down south. I’ve been watching the weather reports in that area and it varies between the low nineties and the triple digits with high humidity. We’re going to need to wear sunblock and loose clothing. With no air conditioning, the conditions will be brutal. The concert doesn’t start until 7 PM so at least the sun will be on the way down. We are hoping it doesn’t rain. It would be really nice if we could have a roof over our heads and access to a cooling system.

hvac zone control

My husband and I enjoy a “snow bird” lifestyle.

We own two homes and spend the entire winter down south.

We avoid the snow, blizzards, freezing rain and temperatures well into the negative digits. Our house in the north sits empty for six months. This creates some concerns. With sub-zero conditions, there is the fear of damage to furnishings and water pipes freezing and bursting. We are not able to shut off the heat entirely. The house is extremely old and the heating system is downright archaic. We don’t have centralized ductwork and don’t really trust our heating equipment to operate reliably or safely. Because of this, I decided to have a ductless heat pump installed into the kitchen. I had the idea that a brand new heat pump would be dependable and provide sufficient heat to prevent damage. I got the name of a contractor from a neighbor and hired the guy to handle the job. There were all sorts of delays, and he wasn’t able to complete the installation process until after I’d already headed south for the winter. I had asked my neighbor to unlock the door for the contractor and hand over the check I’d made out for payment. When the neighbor sent me photos of the completed installation, I was not happy. The contractor had stretched very ugly pipes across the front of my house. He’d drilled a giant hole in the house and did a very poor job of filling in with caulk. My neighbor also informed me that the ductless unit wouldn’t start up. I proceeded to call, email and text the contractor, but he wouldn’t respond. I ended up spending several thousand dollars on a very ugly decoration. I was finally left with no choice but to try a different HVAC contractor. I found a company that is reputable, licensed, insured and bonded. The technician who inspected the ductless unit told me that it was a very poor quality model, would no way handle temperatures below freezing and was installed improperly.

 

a/c workman

When my husband and I bought our house, we knew that the heating and cooling system would need to be replaced in the near future.

It is a packaged unit that is installed outside.

The equipment is quite large, extremely noisy and shows some age and wear and tear. It’s not overly attractive but it manages to keep our home comfortable for the majority of the year. We live in an area where the summer temperatures climb into the triple digits with horrible humidity. We rely on air conditioning for the majority of the year. The most severe weather is a challenge for our cooling unit. It runs just about non stop but manages well enough. Our winter seasons are short and the temperature rarely drops below 45. On the rare occasions when we get colder weather, our heating system tends to freeze up. We then shut it down and attempt to thaw it out with hair dryers. We’ve added an electric heater that simulates a wood burning stove in the living room. That offers enough extra heat for us to get by. Just recently, we noticed that the system was running but providing no cool air. When I called for repair, I assumed the technician would take one look at our ancient system and tell me we’d need a new one. He inspected the equipment and found a small refrigerant leak. He wasn’t able to tell whether it was new or an old leak. He said that the system is far too old to find replacement parts and suggested just adding refrigerant and hoping for the best. We’re now hoping to get a couple more years of operation out of the heating/cooling unit. It would probably be wise to start looking into the cost of replacement. I just know it’s going to be a really expensive project, and I’m not looking forward to it.

 

 

air conditioning maintenance

My husband and I are involved in a major remodeling project.

We have entirely gutted the laundry room and family bathroom down to the bare studs and floor joists.

The job has generated a tremendous amount of dust and debris. We have rented a dumpster and it’s nearly full of pieces of drywall, old insulation, plumbing pipes and fixtures. Before we began renovations, we took the time to carefully seal the supply and return vents linked to the ductwork and heating/cooling system. Our furnace and air conditioner are fairly new and were large investments. We spent extra on top quality, high-efficiency equipment to ensure lower utility bills as well as ideal year round comfort. In order to keep the furnace and air conditioner operating reliably for as long as possible, we take good care of the equipment. We replace air filters every month and schedule annual professional maintenance. The dust and airborne contaminants caused by our construction project could cause some major issues with restricted airflow through the ducts, air quality and wear and tear on the heating and cooling system. We used plastic sheeting to block off the laundry room and bathroom from the rest of the house, hoping to contain the mess. However, I’ve noticed that my entire house is dusty. There’s constantly a film on surfaces in every room. I’m now worried that despite all of our precautions, the furnace and air conditioner are at risk. I am reluctant to run the air conditioner despite the high temperatures outside. I think we need to just open the windows for ventilation and schedule professional cleaning of both the heating and cooling system as soon as this project is completed.

 

heat pump maintenance

Although the weather in my local area can be quite severe, I enjoy the different seasons.

The fall is especially beautiful with all the colors of the changing leaves.

Some really delicious fruits and vegetables, such as apples, tomatoes, squash and zucchini, ripen at that time of year. The weather can range from extremely hot to so cold that we need to start up the furnace but is usually just cool enough for a light jacket. Our winter seasons are long and rather brutal. We can expect temperatures well below zero, bitter windchill and several feet of snow. Shoveling and plowing the snow, scraping ice off the windshield and the cost of running the furnace at maximum capacity can be tiresome. However, the snow is truly beautiful, and I like to go skiing, snowmobiling and snow-shoeing. While it takes spring a long time to arrive, the flowers are just lovely. I look forward to seeing the tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, lilacs and crabapples bloom. I am always anxious to finally be able to open the windows and welcome in some outside air. It feels good to freshen up the house and definitely improves indoor air quality. I wait all year for the summer sunshine, blue skies and warmer temperatures. Although the heat and humidity are sometimes excessive, I spend the majority of my time outside. I see no need to invest in a central air conditioner for only a couple of months of hot weather. I’d rather keep the windows open, avoid that extra expense and get by with window air conditioners in the bedrooms. I was able to purchase the compact cooling units on sale for under $200 each. Despite being lightweight and small sized, the window air conditioners easily handle the demands of a single room.

Heating technology

I am constantly looking for ways to trim household expenses.

I cut coupons, shop sales, turn the lights off when I leave the room and keep my showers as short as possible.

I’ve realized that heating and cooling accounts for approximately 50% of our household energy usage. Because of this, I’ve focused on tightening up the house to prevent the heated and cooled air from leaking out. I’ve gradually replaced every single window in the house. I installed thermal pane, Energy Star rated, low E windows that were extremely expensive. I carefully caulked and insulated around them. I also bought new exterior doors and weatherstripped them. I’ve added ceiling fans to help push the heat toward the floor in the winter and encourage it up and out during the summer. I have thermal lined curtains that I close to block out the sun on hot summer days and open to let the sun heat up the rooms on cold winter days. Just recently, I realized that the insulation in the attic needed to be replaced. It was obviously compressed and damaged by moisture and rodent infestation. The attic is designed to serve as a barrier between the living space and the outdoor conditions. When properly insulated, the attic can significantly improve comfort and reduce the workload of the heating and cooling system. However, with insufficient insulation, the attic tends to get extremely hot in the summer and horribly cold in the winter. Warm air tends to travel to cooler places. That means the heat from the attic moves into the air conditioned living area during warmer weather. In the winter, the heat from the furnace migrates up into the cooler attic. Replacing the insulation in the attic was a cost-effective idea but also an awful job. I spent an entire day crawling around the overheated attic, dealing with wet, dirty insulation and then installing new insulation.
furnace

Being the HVAC overlord in my house has been my thing for long enough I guess.

All those withering looks I give to anyone who dares mess with the thermostat will be put away I suppose.

While I wasn’t all that into being the HVAC heavy, I sure did enjoy making sure the heating and cooling costs stayed manageable. That was for sure the main reason I could get so grumpy when it came to bad HVAC heating and cooling behavior. God forbid I find a sliding glass door slightly ajar during the summer heat. Just knowing that the air conditioning had been pouring out that door would drive me wild. Same went for when I found a window cracked during the winter. The plea of someone was too hot just didn’t go over with me. But I have relinquished my HVAC command and am happy to have welcomed a new piece of HVAC technology to our house. We finally pulled the trigger and had the HVAC company install a smart thermostat. It was way overdue from an HVAC technology standpoint. This sort of wifi thermostat has been around for years. I just happen to be one of those people who like to wait for the kinks to get worked out of the latest electronic gadget. Well, the smart thermostat is now well beyond the beta stage and is really just another part of the HVAC equipment world. I have not been disappointed in the least. The smart thermostat is doing just what I hoped it would do. And it just saved an additional 15 percent on our heating and cooling costs. Plus, I have the only override code to manually set the thermostat and I like that very much.

 

Residential HVAC

I have lived in this region all of my life.

The temperatures and the humidity level during the year are something that just comes with the territory for me.

While the HVAC cooling is probably on, to some degree, from about mid March to November, it doesn’t dominate our lives. I have neighbors who go from one air conditioner to another to another. They can hardly even deal with the weather here if it gets above the high 70’s. And believe me, the temperature is far higher than that for month after month after months. For me, I sort of take a multi pronged approach to air conditioning and beating the heat. I’ll be the first to say that my approach is also based on making sure that I can spend my money on other stuff besides HVAC cooling. And it’s really not as complicated as some might think. I find dealing with the heat to be more of a perspective than an all out HVAC cooling blitz. Once the heat starts rising in the spring, I simply get acclimated to it. Instead of immediately cranking the air conditioning thermostat setting way down, I let the house heat up a bit. This is a key part of the plan. When it’s 98 for days, if not weeks, at a time, a house that’s in the low 80’s feels really comfortable. And a person can still get outside and not be completely overcome by the heat because all they do is sit inside the air conditioning. I’ve been doing this for 50 plus years and it just keeps working. I’m thankful for HVAC cooling for sure. It’s just that I’m not going to over use it either.

heating and cooling equipment

My job is pretty intense and I spend a ton of hours at the office.

My wife is the same way and this is probably why we opted for pets instead of children.

Neither of us are home all that much. Thankfully, my office is equipped with great, quality heating and air so it’s a really comfortable place to be. And our home also has great HVAC equipment that produces very comfortable heating and cooling. Since we don’t spend all that much time at home, our limited time off is not spent doing household projects. We’re lucky to have a handyman who takes care of projects around the house for us. We trust him implicitly and he even has a key to our home. Normally, there is nothing he won’t tackle and then do a great job. But when I asked him to have a look at the air conditioning, he flat out refused. It was the first no I heard out of the man since we met him. Our guy explained just how essential it is to have an HVAC professional look at the air conditioning. While he understands the basics of HVAC, he was far from a certified HVAC professional. Given my absolutely highest regard for our handyman, I did exactly as he advised. I called the HVAC company and they were able to diagnose and fix the air conditioning in one visit. I told the HVAC technician what our handyman had said. The HVAC professional nodded his agreement and told me to hang on to that handyman because he was an honest, good person.

 

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