Until sub zero (or sweltering) weather, a three-digit utility bill or chilly drafts start to come, and you start thinking about it a lot!

At home, you ponder whether it’s worth the time and expense to add it to your ceilings, walls and basement.

At the store, you ponder which type, thickness, width and density to buy. And when you install it, you wonder just how good is “good enough.”

Careful installation increases the insulation’s R-Value by over 20 Percent. Leaving 5 percent of a wall uninsulated will reduce the entire wall’s R-value (resistance to heat flow) by 20 percent. It doesn’t take much more time to install fiberglass insulation properly.

Install wall insulation so it completely fills each cavity side to side and top to bottom. But remember, packing and compressing insulation reduces its effectiveness.

Insulation is rated according to its R-value, or resistance to heat loss: the higher the R-value, the higher the insulating value. Standard fiberglass insulation has an R-value of about 3.5 per inch of thickness; this provides an insulating value of R-11 for 2×4 walls and R-19 for 2×6 walls.

But if you’re serious about energy savings, you can buy better-performing products. High-density types of fiber-glass insulation, with more fibers and air spaces per square inch, offer R-values of up to 4.25 per inch. Some provide R-15 for 2×4 walls and R-21 for 2×6 walls.

There’s also high-density insulation for ceilings and attics. You’ll wind up paying more and in many cases you’ll need to special-order it, but high-density insulation delivers up to 35 percent more insulating value per inch.

The first 3 in. of insulation you add to a bare ceiling or wall will yield huge savings. Adding another 3 in. will increase energy savings, but not to as great a degree. For charts showing the Department of Energy’s optimal amounts of insulation to install, go to www.certainteed.com or www.owenscorning.com. Their recommendations are based on climate, fuel costs and other factors. Adding more will give you a diminishing return on your investment.

The payback period for retro-fitting insulation varies greatly, but studies show that added insulation usually pays for itself in saved energy costs within 5 to 10 years. One typical two-story Minnesota home was fitted with blown-in wall insulation, additional ceiling insulation and rim joist insulation at a cost of $1,890. The result was a $325 savings in yearly heating costs, which represents a payback period of slightly less than six years.

Pay back in more temperate areas takes longer, but remember that insulation reduces air conditioning costs too.

When You Insulate Attics and Crawlspaces, You’ve Got to Vent Them Too! Since insulation changes the way attics and crawl spaces “breathe,” it’s critical that you maintain or install proper ventilation.

At first, it seems odd to add insulation for warmth and then purposely create ventilation “holes” for cold air to enter. But if you don’t do this, you’re setting yourself up for moisture problems.

Make sure to follow these steps in installing your attic insulation:

• Lay plywood across the joists and hang a temporary work light. You should leave insulation in its wrapper until you're ready to use it. Insulation is packaged in a compressed state and expands greatly when the wrapper is opened.
• Begin laying batts or blankets at the outer edge of the attic space and work towards the center (this will allow more headroom in the center of the attic for whatever cutting and fitting there is to be done). Lay in long runs first and use the leftovers for shorter spaces. Insulation should be installed around wiring taking care not to disturb it. Be sure to butt insulation tightly at joints for a complete barrier to heat flow.
• Insulation should extend far enough out to cover the top plate of the walls but should not block the flow or air from the eave vents. For best results, install ventilation baffles at the inside of the eaves.
• Insulation must be kept three inches away from recessed light fixtures unless the fixture is marked 'I.C.' (insulated ceiling) – a fixture designed for direct insulation contact. Insulation placed over an unrated fixture, like a recessed light, may cause it to overheat and start a fire. Fill the space between a masonry chimney and wood framing with noncombustible material such as unfaced Fiberglas insulation. If you are insulating around a metal flue, do not place the insulation flush to the flue. Always leave at least a three-inch space.
• Ends of batts should be cut to fit snugly around cross bracing. If a second layer of insulation is needed and the cavity has been completely filled, the additional layer should be placed at right angles to the joists.
• When adding to existing insulation, unfaced Fiberglass blanket is recommended. If the unfaced type is not available, use the faced type but remove the vapor barrier or slash it freely with a knife (then install the insulation with the slashed facing down). Do not leave faced insulation exposed. The facings on standard kraft- and foil-faced insulations will burn.

The air we breathe inside our homes need to be fresh and clean. The quality of your air indoors however depends if you have clean air ducts. These air passages convey cooled or heated air inside your homes. As air comes from outside, dust, mites and other microscopic dirt can find their way inside air ducts.  Filters though prevent these from getting indoors.

These materials however get stuck and accumulate inside air ducts. Over time, removing them becomes necessary. Otherwise, you’d be breathing unclean air inside your home where you spend most of your time. Who would have thought that unclean air ducts can bring peril to your family? That’s clear and present danger right in your very own home.

As materials accumulate inside air ducts, they may react with other elements in the air particularly moisture, bringing about harmful results adversely affecting air quality. Resulting fumes which may be harmful exposes you to danger. If such are odorless and colorless, you won’t even know that you are already at risk. Moisture inside air ducts may even cause the growth of harmful micro-organisms.

Why Regular Air Duct Cleaning Matters

Accumulated materials act as the medium. These organisms may then release toxic elements that go inside your home. Your air becomes deteriorated. It may cause various respiratory sicknesses and allergic reactions. Your health is a perfect reason why you must have clean air ducts.

Another issue you should also consider is how materials could possibly block air from flowing inside your home. Keeping your air ducts clean makes your heating and air conditioning system as efficient as possible, reducing energy costs.

It may seem that it can take forever before these minute materials totally block air passage. But accumulated materials inside won’t immediately stop air ducts from functioning. So much material must first accumulate before they clog your air ducts. Even so, air may not be totally blocked as it can still force its way to your home. In this case, the amount of energy needed increases in forcing air through clogged air ducts. The efficiency of these ducts goes down when these are obstructed.

Heating and Air Conditioning Efficiency

More power is needed for an air conditioning or heating system to force air through blocked air ducts.  In many cases, cooling or heating takes time before desired temperatures are attained.

What could be worse is that your desired temperature may not be attained at all even if maximum power is used. Your air conditioning or heating system may even bog down completely. This happens when compressors are forced to work at maximum capacities. You can just imagine how much it would cost you if you don’t have your air ducts cleaned.

So how often must you have your air ducts cleaned? Some make it a point to have theirs cleaned on a periodic basis. This is one sure way to have clean air ducts all the time. It may be costly however to have it based on schedule. To save on maintenance cost, you may have your air ducts cleaned based on necessity. But you should consider certain factors to ensure that the quality of your air always remains in good condition.

One factor is the location of your house. If you’re located in a place where dusts abound, your air ducts should be cleaned more frequently.

Moisture and Other Accumulation in Air Ducts

A location having frequent rainfall will also necessitate a more frequent cleaning of air ducts. More rainfall means more chances of moisture finding their way inside your air ducts. Another factor is the presence of animals or household pets near or inside your home. These are sources of mites and loose fur which may find their way inside air ducts. More animals could mean more frequent air duct cleaning.

Another important factor is the age of your air ducts. Older air conditioning or heating systems generally require more frequent cleaning. The number of occupants of your home is also a factor. The more family members there are, the more frequent air ducts should be cleaned.

You can see that air duct cleaning must become part of your home maintenance program. If health considerations take priority, air duct cleaning should take priority as well. It may be costly. But its returns in terms of health benefits will far outweigh the costs.

If you’re like many people you probably don’t give much thought to your home’s furnace … until winter comes and the snow flies.

But if you wait until that first real cold spell you could find that local heating and cooling contractors are too busy to visit your home, so why not plan ahead a little and take care of your furnace now?

Call in an HVAC Pro Annually

Most HVAC companies will visit your home and perform a 20 point inspection for between $100 and $200. Especially if you have not had such an inspection done in the last 12 months, call for an appointment now! It’s a small investment compared to the cost of running your heater all winter in less-than-optimal condition or having to make major repairs to your heating system down the road.

Be sure you hire a contractor who is licensed to perform heating and cooling system maintenance in your state and who is trained and authorized by the manufacturer of the brand system installed in your home. If the company completes the inspection and finds major problems or suggests your system needs a complete overhaul or replacement you should consider getting at least one other company to inspect the system so that you have another opinion; while most HVAC contractors are honest and legitimate, you could end up with that one shady character!

When your HVAC contractor performs this inspection, be sure to follow the steps being completed, ask questions and take notes. This way you’ll know what tasks are important and which you may be able to do yourself and what things to look for when inspecting the system yourself between annual maintenance.

What’s involved with Servicing a Central Heating System?

A large percentage of suburban American homes have central HVAC (heating and air conditioning systems) that use ductwork to vent warm or cool air throughout the home as needed. Most of these central systems burn either oil or gas, but the basic service procedures are similar and should get an annual checkup.

Failing to perform a yearly cleaning and inspection can reduce the life of your heating system and reduce its efficiency or worse; a blocked HVAC system could cause carbon monoxide to be pumped into your home, creating unsafe living conditions, or your system could fail altogether.

Most central HVAC systems have fairly standard components and if you are handy with basic tools and home maintenance tasks you can do at least part of the work yourself. Basic heating system maintenance you can perform yourself includes:

• Before the first cold spell of the season, test your heating system; check that the thermostat and fan switch operate properly and that warm air flows freely from all vents.
• If your system burns natural gas, check the pilot light. The flame should be clear and blue; if the pilot light flame is orange or yellow you may have a problem and should call a professional.
• One of the most important tasks you can perform yourself is to regularly clean or replace all filters in your system, something you should do every 60 to 90 days or at whatever interval your system’s manufacturer recommends. Clean filters allow air to flow freely, enabling your heater to run at optimal efficiency and extending the useful life of your heating system.
• Always be sure that heating vents are clear of obstructions such as furnishings, draperies, etc. While you may not like the way vents in your floors, walls or ceilings look, you do not want to block the air flow!

Before you work on your home’s heating or cooling system, you should take these steps:

• Check to be sure your system has power; check the circuit breaker or fuse. Some systems will also have a reset button and/or a separate power switch; be sure you know the location and operation of these features. If you aren’t sure, ask your HVAC contractor or technician during the annual inspection and make notes for future reference.
• Check the settings on the thermostat; set it five or so degrees warmer that the current temperature inside your home when testing it for proper operation just to be sure the system comes on.
• Be sure your system has plenty of heating oil if your system burns oil. Otherwise, if your system burns natural gas, check to be sure the gas supply is on and the pilot light is lit.

Always follow your HVAC manufacturer’s instruction manual and take safety precautions when performing system maintenance:

• Before you begin work on any heating or cooling system, check that you have turned off all power to the system. Trip the circuit breaker or remove the fuse that controls power to the system at the main service panel or, if you’re not sure which circuit runs the system, trip the main circuit breaker or remove the main fuse to shut off all power to your home. In some cases, the furnace will have its own separate service panel; if so trip the breaker or remove the fuse there.
• If the circuit trips or the fuse blows repeatedly when you try to turn on the system, you may have a potentially serious electrical issue and should call a professional HVAC technician to inspect the problem.
• If you ever smell natural gas or heating oil in your home, don’t attempt to shut off the fuel source or turn lights on or off; get out of the house immediately and call your gas company or fire department and report a leak.

In most cases it will be most cost effective to install a central air conditioner when your home is being built. Even if an existing home doesn’t have central A/C, as long as it already has ductwork and a central heating system, retrofitting air conditioning can be relatively straightforward and cost effective. Older homes that do not have a central heating system will involve greater cost and complexity since ductwork must be added.

Regardless which of these three scenarios you are facing, this guide will help you understand central air conditioning concepts, components, equipment brands, contractor selection and costs and is intended as a helpful resource for both homeowners and contractors alike.

While most do-it-yourself homeowners and general contractors will opt to have a central air conditioning system installed professionally, its important to understand how central air works, the components required, which manufacturers and brands to consider and how to get the highest quality installation services at the best value.

Whether you are building a new home or doing major renovation on an older home, a central Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is a major component and provides a very good return on investment for the homeowner, improving the overall comfort and resale value of the home. There are three main things to consider when shopping for a home A/C system; cooling capacity, efficiency and service life.

How Central Air Conditioning Systems Function

The fundamental concept behind any air conditioning system relies upon the law of thermal dynamics which states that if hot and cold spaces are separated by a “medium” the transfer through the medium is from hot to cold.

Heat follows cold, so a central air conditioner draws warm, humid air across fin tubes on the evaporator coil. This causes the air to condense. Moisture is collected in a pan below the coil and drained off, helping reduce humidity inside the living space.

The coil must be continually cooled, which is the function of the compressor and condenser coil in the outdoor unit; hot air is returned from the air handler to the compressor. The compressor pressurizes liquid/gas refrigerant, heating it to a gaseous state and sending it to the adjacent condenser coil, where it is cooled and returned to the evaporator unit indoors.

This repeated cycle of removing warm air from inside the house to outside and pumping in cooler air is, of course, what makes the temperature inside the living space more comfortable on a hot day! The amount of energy needed to cool your home is an important factor in determining the overall cost of operating your central air conditioner.

Central Home Air Conditioning Components

HVAC system components are generally divided between indoor and outdoor appliances, with the heat-producing, heaviest components such as the compressor and condenser coil located outside the home and the evaporator being installed in the plenum of the furnace, typically in the attic space, garage or other service location indoors. These indoor and outdoor segments are connected a low-voltage relay cable and refrigeration lines.

In most cases, the cool air will be circulated into the home via insulated, flexible ductwork installed in the attic space and/or under the subflooring to vents in the ceilings, walls and/or floors inside the living space. This is very cost effective in a home that uses forced-air heating as well. If the home uses a radiant floor heating or baseboard heating system, the overall cost of installing ductwork for central air conditioning entails additional expense since a dedicated blower and ductwork are required for the central air conditioner only in this case.

Carrier Corporation and other manufacturers also offer a ductless system, which employs several smaller indoor evaporator coils, each with a blower to circulate air within a given portion of the living space. The units are installed in exterior walls, with refrigeration, condensation and electrical lines running outside the house from each evaporator back to the outdoor compressor unit.

The costs of a ductless versus traditional system must be weighed to determine which is more cost effective and will be based on the size of the home, cooling capacity required, number of evaporators required and distance from each to the compressor unit. A ductless system is typically only used in a home without forced-air heating; otherwise cost and simplicity make ductwork the better route in the majority of cases.

Central Air Conditioning Cost Factors

Of course the up front cost of a central a/c system includes the air conditioning components, the ductwork, contractor labor and building permits, which can run from as little as about $3,000 to over $7,000. To replace an existing system could cost less than $2,000 if the ductwork, wiring and other non-system components are operable and do not require replacement.

Perhaps more important is determining the ongoing cost of operating and maintaining the system. As a result of the National Energy Conservation Policy, new regulations were introduced in the United States in 1990 to establish minimum energy efficiency standards for heating and cooling equipment. This has helped enhance efficiency dramatically from the systems made fifteen or twenty years ago!

The rating given to new central air conditioner condenser units is known as the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER), which is determined by dividing the cooling capacity of an air conditioner by the electrical input needed to operate the unit. The lowest SEER now allowed for new units is now 13. The highest-rated systems currently available are SEER 20. These ratings have improved dramatically in the last ten years and will continue to improve even further.

Higher efficiency is achieved primarily by using more efficient, multi-speed compressors and increasing the size of the condenser coil and fin tubes. Additionally, new units use R4-10A refrigerant instead of the ozone-depleting CFC R22 refrigerant (Freon) used previously, making them more environmentally friendly.

Central Air Conditioning System Capacity and Efficiency

A licensed, experienced HVAC contractor should be able to size and specify the equipment best suited to your home, factoring the age, quality of windows, insulation, number of floors, square and cubic feet of living space, and local factors such as climate, humidity, local energy costs and average number of days the system will be needed to operate annually.
If your system is too small it will work too hard and if it’s too large, it may cycle on and off too frequently, reducing efficiency and the ability to reduce humidity inside the home.

It takes years of experience to know how to properly size and specify a central air conditioning system so leave it to a pro. Consult several reputable HVAC contractors to compare their specifications, opinions and recommendations before you make a final decision.

Deciding how much efficiency you need is a matter of personal economics, comfort level and environmental concerns. You may or may not save enough on a SEER 15 or higher system to offset the higher installation costs versus the lower ongoing costs of operating a system with a lower SEER.

With rising energy costs, the economics are shifting, so that the additional $200 or $300 it costs to increase your system from one SEER to the next might easily pay off over the service life of the system, especially if you live in a very hot climate where air conditioning is needed frequently!

The other important factor to consider is the warranty terms; paying more up front could save you money down the road. Proper installation may be more important to getting the maximum service life than the system components, so be sure your HVAC contractor is trained and certified by the manufacturer whose equipment is being installed. Also consider purchasing an extended warranty or maintenance contract on your central air conditioning system.

Central Air Conditioning Equipment Brands

While many other suppliers exist, we have provided basic dealers on the most prominent north American HVAC manufacturers below:

Carrier and Bryant

Both owned today by United Technologies Corporation, Carrier and Bryant are probably the most widely recognized brands in north America and the largest manufacturer worldwide. Willis Haviland Carrier is credited with inventing the modern air conditioner in 1902, launching Carrier as a premier manufacturer in the industry.

Charles Bryant followed Carrier, founding Bryant in 1904. Between these two brands, UTC offers hundreds of products including air conditioning systems, heat pumps, furnaces, boilers, duct free systems, ventilators, controls, thermostats, humidifiers, air purifiers and more.

Carrier and Bryant home comfort systems include multiple product lines within both brands to meet almost any home central air conditioning system needs.

Goodman

In business since 1982, Goodman Manufacturing is known as a low cost provider of central air conditioning systems. Founded by ex-air conditioning contractor, Harold Goodman, the company focuses on providing affordable, reliable cooling and heating products, backed by industry-leading product warranties.

Lennox

Founded in 1895 in Iowa by Dave Lennox, who invented the world’s first riveted-steel furnace, Lennox Industries continues to make some of the most efficient air conditioning systems on the market, with over 60 leading-edge products and a network of over 6,000 dealers.

Today, Lennox’s claim to fame is having introduced the first SEER 20 air conditioning system, pushing the efficiency envelope to new limits!

Trane

Norwegian immigrant James Trane founded his company in Wisconsin in 1885 with the invention of the innovative, low-pressure Trane Vapor Heating System. Nearly 100 years later, Trane acquired the air conditioning unit of General Electric to become a leading supplier in the industry.

Innovation continues to drive Trane, which now operates as a unit of Ingersoll Rand, offering systems under the Trane and American Standard brands. Promoting the trend to combine air purity and comfort, Trane offers whole-house systems designed to remove almost 90 percent of the particles and allergens from air inside a home’s living space!

York, Luxaire and Coleman

Johnson Controls Company owns these industry brands, offering a complete line up of home air conditioning products and a large network of distributors and dealers. A storied history led to these three brands coming under the ownership of Johnson Controls, which offer a complete product lineup that competes against the other two major north American manufacturers; Trane and UTC.

Central Air Conditioning Buying Tips

• When buying a new HVAC system, the most important decisions to make are selecting the right local company to install and service the system and the efficiency rating and home air comfort features you need; you can go basic or spend a lot more adding whole-house filtration and humidifier, programmable controls and lots of other bells and whistles!
• The brand names are confusing and somewhat misleading, since the big three manufacturers (UTC, Trane and Johnson) control a large portion of the market today. Seek advice from others and look at features, ratings and warranty terms to make the right selection. Shop around and get multiple quotes once you know which brand and equipment specifications you want; with labor, equipment and other factors you can find a wide variance in the prices quoted by local HVAC companies!
• Correct sizing is critical; again you want a system that is neither too large nor too small for you home. If you have a home with more than 2 levels, you may need multiple, smaller air handlers to increase efficiency versus going with one larger unit.
• The three primary considerations in calculating system load are local climate, area to cool and the envelope of your home, which is the interface between the home and the outside world. Within these three categories there are many factors that affect the “load” and “optimal” size and specifications of your air conditioning system.
• Pay attention to the efficiency ratings when purchasing air conditioning system components; know the SEER and AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) in order to estimate and compare your ongoing operating costs.
• Make a list of “must have” and “nice to have” features when pricing systems; this way you can ask each prospective contractor to provide low and high estimates before deciding how much cash you want to invest!
• Ask about special financing, incentives and rebates and let your contractor know you are shopping around; if you don’t insist on the best price and value you won’t get it. As in many businesses, the supplier who most values your business will demonstrate it through the service, price and satisfaction delivered!
• When upgrading or replacing an existing central air conditioner (especially if the furnace does not need to be replaced), ask several contractors to evaluate which components need to be replaced and which of the existing components could be reused to cut down the total cost; matching system components correctly is very important in this case. Rebates may also be available so be sure to ask.
• Consider purchasing an annual maintenance agreement; you want to have the A/C side of the system inspected in the spring and the heating side checked in the fall.
• Be sure to schedule maintenance during these off peak times of the year to avoid problems when you need your system the most; you don’t want to try and schedule home air conditioning system installation or maintenance during the middle of a heat wave!

Before you invest in a new central air conditioning system, you might want to take a minute and count how many ceiling fans you have in your home.

Adding a few ceiling fans could be a wise investment to make before laying out the money to install AC in your home!

With the rising cost of home energy fuels these days, ceiling fans in the rooms you spend most of your time in at home can save you money. Improved air circulation will cut home cooling costs regardless whether or not you have air conditioning.

Likely rooms to consider installing efficient ceiling fans include:

Kitchen or Nook – internal heat builds up in the kitchen; a ceiling fan will help cool the room while you cook.

Bedrooms – at night a ceiling fan will bring cooler air into your bedroom, while in the afternoon you’ll nap comfortably through the heat of the day! And the fan’s quiet, humming whirl and circulating air make sleeping so much nicer on a warm summer evening.

Living Room and Family Room – any room you spend a lot of time in will be important to add ventilation; remember that body heat is another source of internal heat, so if you have a lot of people in a single room that ceiling fan makes sense.

Great Room or Game Room – same as living room, except that you may be exercising, playing billiards or other physical activities that increase body temperature; air flow will make you more likely to stick to that workout routine during hot weather!

Den or Home Office – A home office must be comfortable or you don’t get much productive work done. Also, upstairs rooms benefit even more since they often trap warm, stagnate air more than rooms on the ground floor; using ceiling fans to direct air downward helps cool the entire house.

Economics Benefits of Ceiling Fans

Today’s fans are even more efficient, with improvements in motors, controls, blade design and reduced weight. For a few cents a day, you can run an efficient ceiling fan to keep cool air circulating and leave the thermostat a few degrees higher. An inexpensive ceiling fan can run as little as about $40. A moderate price fan will set you back about $100 to $200, but you can also spend over a $1,000 if you try real hard! The options are limitless in ceiling fans today.

When central air conditioning became more popular, many builders stopped installing ceiling fans. But they have regained popularity in recent years, with thousands of styles, sizes, materials and features available today; you can get a ceiling fan for your toddler’s room that looks like a helicopter, a fan with old-fashioned canoe paddles for blades or a sleek modern composite blade fan with integral task or accent lighting. You name it, the industry offers just the size, style and color ceiling fan you want.

During warm weather, if you use ceiling fans along with central AC, you can make a room that is 80 degrees feel more like 72 degrees and save as much as 30 percent on air conditioning costs. Your actual savings depend on many factors, including the number of fans, size of the home, placement of fans, insulation, etc. But you can easily justify the expense of a moderately priced ceiling fan with the savings after 2 to 3 years, not to mention the intangible benefits of staying cool indoors!

Ceiling Fan Blade Features to Look For

Blade Size – most ceiling fans have three, four or five blades. Blades do not affect performance too significantly, except that larger blades will move more air than smaller ones. Expect to pay a higher price for fans with larger/more blades. Common fan blade sizes include 30, 36, 42, 50 and 60 inches and each manufacturer tends to offer 2 or 3 sizes in each product line.

Blade Pitch – the greater the angle of pitch, the more air a fan blade can more; typical ceiling fan blade pitches are from 12 to 16 degrees. Be sure the motor is made for the size and pitch of the fan blades per your manufacturer’s directions.

Blade Construction – quality ceiling fan blades are usually constructed not to warp by bonding together multiple layers of pressurized hardwood. Less expensive blades may be made of particle board which may warp, causing the fan to be noisy and/or wobble.

Blade Finish – ceiling fan blades can be made from a variety of materials and finishes; choose from naturally finished or stained woods, painted enamel, cross laminated veneer (plywood) or less expensive constant-density board veneer. Finishes can make ceiling fan blades look like natural stone, burled camphor, high luster or lacquer paint and a variety of natural wood grains such as oak, walnut, rosewood, cherry and many others. Some fans have reversible blades, with a painted side and a natural wood finish on the other; turn the blades over and it’s like having two fan styles in one! For use outdoors, you can get washable fabric covered blades or easy cleaning acrylic.

Type of Fan Motor – a fan with a die-cast aluminum motor will last long and should run quietly since it resonates less than steel; a die-cast zinc motor can run even smoother and quieter. Look for features such as precision bearing motors for low friction and resistance, a larger stator and multi-speed motor.

Fan Motor Size and Power – the number, pitch, size and speed of blades a fan should use are determined by motor size and power output. If the motor is too small for the blades, it will work too hard and may vibrate and run inefficiently. Warranty terms and period is a good sign of the quality of a ceiling fan motor; a high quality motor should come with a lifetime warranty.

Motor Housings and Finishes – most ceiling fan body housings are made using either die cast or stamped steel construction. Especially with a longer down rod and larger fan blades, the die cast fan housing quiets motor noise and adds stability since it is heavier and more solid; a lighter weight stamped steel housing tends to be noisier and may wobble.

Wall Controls

Ok, you use to just have a pull chain, right? Well no more; today you can select from wall switches that turn your ceiling fan on and off, adjust fan speed and turn integrated lamps on and off.

Remote Controls

If reaching the fan is hard due to the height of your ceiling fan or furniture below, you might like a remote control; an invaluable convenience in a larger living space such as a great room. Today, some lighting control systems can be programmed to set lighting levels, window blinds and shades and ceiling fans at the touch of a button or on an automated timer control.

How far over the top do you want to go with a ceiling fan? The sky … or a very high ceiling … is the limit these days.

Read More About Ceiling Fans:

• Ceiling Fan Selection
  
• Ceiling Fan Installation

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They work by increasing air movement, helping your body lose heat.

Installing fans can also drastically reduce your air conditioning costs, since they consume approximately half as much electricity as air conditioners.

Turning your fan on and your air conditioner down a few degrees will result in an overall cost savings.

And with all the designs and options available today, a quality ceiling fan can add to your room decor, matching nicely with the materials, design elements and colors.

Where to Install a Ceiling Fan

Ceiling fans aren’t just for living rooms anymore. Designs featuring sports, carousels, and disco balls make appealing choices for kids ceiling fans in bedrooms or playrooms.

Outdoor ceiling fans can help create comfortable porches, even in high heat. Outdoor models are built to withstand wet conditions, although they should only be installed in covered areas.

Of course, plenty of models are designed with living or family rooms in mind and the wide variety of styles integrate seamlessly with any décor. Whether you are looking for tropical or nautical style, kids ceiling fans or outdoor ceiling fans, there is a fan for you.

Selecting a Ceiling Fan

With all of the options out there, the process of selecting a fan can be daunting. But it’s easy if you break it down into three simple steps:

1. Select the size.
2. Select the features.
3. Select the design.

Select the size – Ceiling fans come in sizes from 29 to 54 inches, with 52-inches being the most common.

To determine the appropriate size for your room, you’ll need to know the square footage of your room:

Select the features – Fans come with a variety of features that might appeal to you. If the lighting in your room isn’t sufficient, you might want to select a lighted model. Some versions come with built-in heaters for year-round use. If the fan will be installed in a wet or humid location, you’ll need to select a model specifically rated for those conditions. Fans come with UL “damp” or “wet” ratings to aid you in your selection.

Select the design – Fan designs are available to suit any room. By limiting yourself to models that fit your size and feature needs, you can easily target your search for the right fan.

The following list of manufacturers can help you get started in your search:

Casablanca – one of the top ceiling fans, made to last and designs galore, but get your checkbook or credit card ready if you buy a Casablanca.

Craftmade – these guys make some really unique fans like the Flying Tiger airplane model pictured here.

Deco Breeze – makes some very cool decorative floor standing fans.

Emerson – great selection and 10 year old reputation makes Emerson a value brand when it comes to ceiling fans.

Fanimation – offers innovative designs and the Air Shadow line with retractable blades.

Hunter – a household name, Hunter makes great ceiling fans in a wide range of price points, styles and options.

Matthews – unique, ultra sleek, modern fan designs look more like works of art than ceiling fans.

Minka Aire – another brand with so many great styles, Minka gives their fans a real designer look.

Modern Fan Company – as the name implies, you’ll find a great variety of contemporary and modern styles in this lineup.

Monte Carlo – from finishes to styles Monte Carlo offers 10 decorative styles and over 80 collections.

Once you’ve found the right fan, select a mounting system. You have four options:

1. Standard mount – These have a 3-5 inch downrod (the pipe that connects the fan to the ceiling), and are a good choice if your ceiling is flat and neither abnormally high or low.
2. Extended mount – If you have a high ceiling (over 9 feet), the extended mount comes with a longer downrod. Choose the length that will hang the fan approximately 8-9 feet high.
3. Flush mount – If your ceiling is low (under 8 feet), a flush mount will install the fan right on the ceiling. Note that some fans, called “huggers,” are designed for low ceilings and may or may not require you to purchase a flush mount.
4. Sloped mount – If your ceiling is vaulted or angled, you’ll need to purchase a sloped mount.

Energy Star Ceiling Fans

Fans with the Energy Star rating are approximately 50% more efficient than other models, translating to more money in your pocket.

Energy Star fans with built-in lights also require less frequent bulb changes.

If your fan doesn’t include lighting and you plan to install some, you might consider buying an Energy Star-rated kit.

Installing a fan with light fixture included will save time and cost to install since you may not need a separate ceiling light fixture in some rooms.

With some models, you can even reverse the blades in Winter to push warm air downward and make rooms with high ceilings a little warmer.

Read more about ceiling fans:

• Ceiling Fan Benefits & Features
  
• Ceiling Fan Installation

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Do It Yourself – 10 Step Ceiling Fan Installation Instructions

1. Before you remove the existing fixture, turn off the power to the circuit breaker or fuse. If there is no existing fixture, snap chalk lines diagonally across the room to find its center.
2. If you need to install a junction box, cut a hole big enough for the box. Make sure to use a metal, not plastic, box. Screw it to a ceiling joist if possible. If not, install it between the joists and fasten it to a 2” by 4” header nailed to the joists. Patch the hole.
3. If your ceiling is beamed, install a beam mount. Mounts are available for horizontal and pitched beams.
4. Check the mount thoroughly. Remember that the fan will vibrate slightly, so your mount must be strong enough to withstand the movement. If your fan is particularly heavy, you may want to attach it to the building structure.
5. Assemble the fan, following the instructions provided with your model. If the blades will be extremely close to the ceiling, you may want to install the blades before you hang it.
6. Fit the hanger pipe into the hole on top of the motor. Draw the wires up through the pipe. Screw the pipe into place. If your unit has a motor hub, place the housing over the hub.
7. Attach the fan blades by screwing them into the flanges. You may need to mount the flanges on the motor housing first.
8. Install the hanger bracket onto the box using lock washers and screws. You may need to purchase lock washers if they are not provided with your unit.
9. Wire the unit by connecting the black wires together and the white wires together. Put on the ceiling cover. Ground the fan to the box and to itself using green or copper wiring. Wirenut the wires from the fan, box, and power supply together.
10. Test the fan. If it wobbles, the blades might be unbalanced. Switch two of the blades to see if that corrects the problem. If it doesn’t, take all of the blades off and weigh them to see if any are underweight. Underweight blades can be fixed by taping a small object to the top of the blade or using a fan balancing kit.

Ceiling Fan Installation Tips

• Any good ceiling fan should come with complete ceiling mounting instructions and hardware.
• Although installation instructions and techniques vary by manufacturer and model, hanging a fan is very similar to mounting a new light fixture.
• Almost any fan will require assembly and should be structurally sound for safety; the junction box must be labeled as suitable for use with a ceiling fan. Special ceiling fan supports and junction boxes are easy to find in home centers.
• Typically, a ceiling fan will be mounted in a ceiling junction box; if you already have a light fixture in the ceiling, installation will be much easier. Otherwise, you will need to run electrical wiring as needed to power the ceiling fan and run down a wall for a wall mounted control.
• If you can’t wire your ceiling fan for wall control, be sure your unit has an old-fashioned pull chain and/or a remote control.

Read more about ceiling fans:

• Ceiling Fan Benefits & Features
• Ceiling Fan Selection
  

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With energy costs soaring out of control, we all need to find ways to keep the house cool this summer without spending so much that summer vacation goes out the window!

The first thing to always remember is that just turning up the thermostat or even all the way off is the number one way to save money on home cooling costs! You can adapt; people survived for thousands of years at least before central A/C. Make it a game to see just how much you can go without air conditioning this summer and you may just be amazed how well you can do.

The whole concept in keeping a home naturally cool is basically a threefold challenge:

1. Keep heat from building up inside the home.
2. Let warm air out of the house during cooler evening hours and bring cool air in.
3. Find ways to reduce the generation of internal heat.

Whether your home has central air conditioning or not, you can keep your home cool without it; read on to learn the best ways to stay cool during the hot summer months.

Air Flow Keeps Inside Temperatures Lower

Air circulation is a critical element in keeping your home cool during hot weather. Use ceiling fans or portable room fans to keep the air flowing. In the evening when outside temperatures go down, open windows and try to get a good cross breeze flowing through the house all night. Close the house up in the morning once temperatures start to climb, but continue to use fans to keep air circulating through the living space.

Run the A/C system in the fan only mode to improve air circulation; be sure to read your manufacturer’s instructions first as this may or may not be recommended with some systems. If you have a basement, you could have an HVAC contractor install a cold air return which intakes cooler air from the basement and circulates it through the ductwork to better cool the entire house without running the air conditioner.

Fans and Ceiling Fans

You really can’t beat a fan for cooling efficiency; a $100 ceiling fan costs less than $10 a month to operate 12 hours a day and can cool a room by 5 to 7 degrees! If you are building a new home, seriously consider having ceiling fans installed in your favorite rooms; kitchens, living and family rooms and bedrooms are great places to put up ceiling fans.

Always turn ceiling fan blades so they direct air downward for summer. Combine permanent ceiling fans with a few portable or box fans; on the really hot days you can use the combination flexibly to create good cross-ventilation in your home.

Humidity makes any environment seem even hotter, so try to reduce humidity inside the house by minimizing use of showering or bathing, washing clothes, cooking, etc. Run ventilation fans in bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room, etc. to help reduce moisture in the living space; turn them off when done cooking, cleaning, etc. to avoid extra power use.

Consider installing a whole house fan to ventilate the entire living space and attic space without having to use the central air conditioning! If you suffer from asthma or allergies, a humidifier or central humidity control system make be worth investigating.

Shade Your Home

Fortunately, you have many options when it comes to ways to better shade your home from the intense heat of the sun. Best options to shade a home include:

Trees and Plants

Planting deciduous shade trees strategically on the south and west sides of you home can save as much as $300 to cool your home this year, reducing the temperature inside your home by 3 to 5 degrees F. Plant trees or plants near your outside air conditioning unit (compressor and condenser) to keep it shaded, but not so close that leaves and other debris fall on the unit.

Try not to landscape the west or south side of a home using lots of hard, reflective materials such as rock, concrete or asphalt; these will only radiate heat onto the house long after the sun goes down!

Reflective Window Film

Windows with a westerly or southerly exposure can benefit greatly by the addition of an inexpensive heat-reflecting film or tinting. If you live in a colder climate, permanent window films can reduce heating efficiency, so consider the type that roll up and down or can otherwise be removed during the winter months.

Window Awnings

While not as popular as they once were for home use, metal or fabric window awnings can also help significantly cool south and west facing windows and can easily be removed once the hot weather is over. Retractable patio awnings are also a great way to keep outdoor living areas cooler!

Patio Covers

Many patios will have either French doors or a sliding glass door, either of which can be a challenge to keeping your home cool indoors, not too mention if you want to be outside during warmer weather. Build a wood patio cover or purchase a prefabricated fabric, vinyl or metal patio cover that is easy to install; some models are removable and can be stored away during the winter.

Window Blinds and Shades

Once the sun begins to beat down on windows, its time to close windows and blinds or shades to help keep indoor temperatures cooler; a good cellular shade offers substantial insulation. Light colors reflect better than dark wood or darker painted finishes on blinds and shades.

Choose wide slats when buying blinds or consider blackout material for window shades on windows that get the most exposure to the sun; larger windows facing south are good candidates for blackout blinds or shades.

Insulate and Seal Your Home

Much has improved in the last several decades when it comes to new home insulation. Many homes these days are sealed up tight, making them far more efficient to both cool and heat than older homes. A few things to consider when it comes to home insulation include:

Wall and Ceiling Insulation

One of the most important things to keeping a home cool (or warm) is installing adequate insulation; too little, too much or the wrong type in the wrong places and you will be air conditioning the outdoors! Check attic insulation and wall insulation to be sure things are in order.

Door and Window Seals

Just like insulation, weatherizing your home greatly reduces the amount of cool air that escapes. You want your home to be like a giant food cooler; cool it down at night and keep it cool inside during the day so you don’t become like spoiled food at the end of a weekend-long camping trip … or in this case a week-long heat wave!

Use caulk and weatherstripping products to seal the doors and windows tight. Be sure all windows operate and check the screens so you can open windows without fear of the insects!

Flooring Materials

You might not think of flooring material enough when it comes to home cooling, but smooth, dense flooring such as stone or ceramic tile are reflective and retain either the cold or the heat. Definitely if you have tile floors, your home will feel cooler on hot days.

A house with lots of wall to wall carpeting may feel warmer on a hot day; consider a wood laminate or vinyl flooring and use area rugs to soften things. That way you could even remove the rugs when it’s really hot outdoors to help keep things feel even just a little cooler.

Attic Ventilation

If your home has only a couple of gable vents, add an attic fan. If possible, use continuous soffit vents and/or roof vents to improve circulation in the attic space.

Another way to help cool the attic space is to install a foil radiant barrier to the underside of the roof rafters. This creates an air space between the foil and the sheathing, with the foil helping reflect heat away from the attic space. You can place the foil sheets so that seams are along the center of rafters or trusses and then seal them with caulk.

Keep at Least One Living Area Cool

If you have a two-story home, stay downstairs where the temperature may be as much as 10 to 20 degrees cooler than upstairs; since dense air stays lower while warm air is less dense and rises, the lower rooms in your house stay cooler.

If you live in a one-story home, try to stay in a room that is on the north-facing side of the house; a south-facing room will tend to get hotter since it is exposed to direct sunlight for more hours of the day.

Avoid using Electric Appliances on Hot Days

Heat generated internally, such as lamps, televisions and computers, stoves, laundry machines, etc. all generate heat, so using all of them less on hot days can really help keep inside living spaces cooler:

• Use the microwave to heat food, eat more fresh fruit and vegetables; anything to avoid using the oven and stove.
• Wait until after dark to eat or cook outdoors when the sun is low in the evening.
• Do your dish and clothes washing at night or early in the morning.
• Leave the house for a few hours at midday and go to a public building that is air conditioned … or to a pool, lake or beach for a swim.
• If the garage is below a living space, leave your car outside to cool down before you park it in the garage.

Poor Man’s Air Conditioning System

If you don’t have home A/C, try this low tech cooling trick:

1. Install a medium size box fan in a small window with the fan directing air OUT the window
2. Seal the area around the fan with cardboard.
3. Close all the windows in the house except one beside the one with the fan; leave that one other window open just a crack to act as an intake vent.
4. Believe it or not, this method actually works, similar to the concept of a whole house fan; hot, stagnate air is blown out of the home and indoor temperatures will be far lower.

Tips to Keep Your Body Cool

Heat stroke or exhaustion is a serious problem; every year thousands of people are admitted to hospital emergency rooms due to this malady during major heat waves.

If you live in a home without air conditioning, keeping your body cool is not just a matter of comfort; it can be the difference between staying healthy or suffering heat stroke when outside temperatures are sweltering!

If you have tried everything else and the house is still hot during the heat of the day, try some of these tips to keep cool.

Hydration – keeping your body well hydrated is about the best way to stay cool indoors or out on a hot day; even if you don’t feel thirsty, drink water and other fluids to keep your body well hydrated to replace fluids as your body perspires. Try drinking beverages with electrolytes and avoid those with tons of sugar. Also, drinking ice cold water or other beverages can actually make your body expend energy so drink it cool but not necessarily ice cold.

Body Perspiration – your body naturally perspires in order to help regulate body temperature as the moisture on your skin evaporates. Keeping skin exposed to a steady air flow helps your sweat evaporate more quickly. So, try wetting your wrists, forehead and other “pulse points” to increase evaporation, try to sit or relax in front of a fan or other source of good air flow and wear short sleeves indoors to leave your arms and legs bare.

Stay Out of Direct Sunlight – it probably goes without saying, but stay indoors or outside in a nice, shaded area when the sun is beating down during the hottest part of the day. When outdoors, wear a hat with a wide brim and cover up as much of your skin as possible; believe it or not dessert tribes like the Bedouins often wear 2 layers of clothing on the hottest days to keep cool in an extremely hot, arid climate!

Limit Daytime Activity – its little secret that watching the weather report and planning your daytime activities will help keep your body cooler when it heats up outside. Exercise early in the morning and take a cool swim or bath while things are still cool. Follow the wisdom of Spaniards and sleep in a cool room during the middle of the day and stay up longer in the evening to take advantage of those cooler evening hours!

Tips for Staying Cool around the House

• Go barefoot and take off your hat when you are indoors; the head, palms and soles of your feet are critical release points for body heat!
• Eat less and eat spicier foods to encourage perspiration and a little rush of endorphins.
• Avoid alcohol consumption; it’s a powerful diuretic that quickly dehydrates your body.
• Take a long, cool bath, use cool washcloths and put on skin moisturizers to keep your body feeling rejuvenated.
• Take a siesta and rest in the heat of the afternoon; it’s a good excuse to take a nap instead of tackling that one last home improvement project of the weekend!

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Gone are the days when new home builders simply slapped up a couple of gable vents to circulate a bit of air on stifling hot days; in a home without adequate attic and “dead space” ventilation, these areas can get up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, making it a challenge to keep inside room temperatures cool enough to be comfortable!

Today, we better understand and appreciate the need for adequate ventilation in the home. Read on to learn ways you can more efficiently cool your home and save money on central air conditioning costs by installing a whole house fan.

The Concept behind Whole House Ventilation

In a home designed to leverage physics to keep things cool inside, a whole house fan pulls air in through open windows and vents it up through the attic and roof, increasing air circulation throughout the entire structure. An efficient whole house fan changes the air inside between 30 and 60 times an hour, depending on the climate, home floor plan and other factors.

Whole house fans can be added to an existing home in most cases, but today many people choose to design their home with the concept of whole house cooling in mind; if you live in a location with temperate weather, such as a coastal area, you may even be able to design your home without any central air conditioning system.

Whole House Cooling Fan Benefits

Simple and inexpensive to operate, a whole house fan draws cool air from outside into the home, creating good air flow, and exhausts warmer air upward to the attic and dead spaces over the living space, where it finally exhausts back outside. The benefits include improved ventilation throughout the entire home, cooler temperatures inside the living space and better evaporative cooling.

When temperatures outside are over 80 but under 100, this can keep the inside of your home cool enough that air conditioning may not even be needed! Whole house cooling benefits include:

• Low cost of equipment and installation:
  • Cost of whole house fan = $150 to $350
  • Cost of window air conditioning unit = $250 to $750
  • Cost of central air conditioning system = $2,000 to $5,000
• Improved ventilation, resulting in lower cost to cool your home.
• May suffice as primary or only cooling system in a home.
• Keeps indoor temperatures more constant since whole fan runs continuously during warm weather, whereas central air conditioning systems periodically turn on and off to keep inside temperature within a threshold.

How to Size a Whole House Fan

Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) is the measurement used to determine the size and power needed when installing a whole house fan. To calculate the correct dimensions and specifications:

1. Calculate your home’s total volume in cubic feet by multiplying the square footage by the floor to ceiling height.
2. Multiply the volume by 30 or 60 air changes per hour, depending on the power of the unit you are installing.
3. Divide that number by 60 minutes to determine the CFM your whole house fan will need to produce in order to cool your home.

Equation: (Square footage) x (Floor-to-Ceiling Height in Feet) x (30 or 60) / (60) = (Required CFM)

Disadvantages of Installing a Whole House Fan

The three main drawbacks to a whole house fan are temperature, humidity and dust. Since a whole house fan is simply drawing air in from outside and circulating it through your home, it can only cool the home to the outside temperature or slightly less if you count the air flow. If you live in an area that regularly gets summertime temperatures above 90 degrees F, you will probably still be using the air conditioning regularly!

Since a whole house fan is drawing outside air in through open windows and/or doors, there is no real air filtration; humidity, pollen, dust and other particulates are flowing into your home whenever the fan is turned on. This is the biggest downside and one that causes many people to hesitate when considering installing a whole house fan.

Some people believe that circulating fresh air from outdoors is healthier than being cooped up all day inside an airtight home with the A/C running. On the other side of the debate, some people believe that it is best to try and keep as much dust, pollen, etc. as possible out of the home by using the central HVAC system’s filtration. Only you can decide what is best for your home and family!

The other disadvantage is noise; a high power whole house fan can be noisy. Better units run at lower speeds and have more fan blades in order to circulate as much air as possible without producing as much sound as a faster fan speed does. The higher quality whole house fans are also multi-speed.

Rubber or felt gaskets should also be used when mounting the fan to help reduce vibration and noise; most units are designed with this in mind.

Using Ductwork for Whole House Cooling

Some people have modified the central air conditioning system in their home to act as a whole house ventilation system. While this may seem like a good option, it can be trickier than it seems and is not generally recommended.

The basic modification required involves installing a damper to control air flowing from the living space into the attic space and an intake duct in the attic-space to pull air into the system. You should definitely consult with an expert before considering this type of modification to your central air conditioning system.

Attic Fans Vs. Whole House Fans

Attic fans help circulate and exhaust warm air in the attic space only and have no direct impact on the temperature inside the living space; although an attic space that becomes overly hot doesn’t help things and indirectly keeps things warmer. Whole house fans, on the other hand, actually vent air from inside the living space up into the attic space; so while the attic fan and the whole house fan work together to pull air through your home and exhaust it up through the roof vents, they can not be directly compared as home cooling or ventilation systems, since each has a separate purpose.

Installing and Using a Whole House Fan

• For the seasoned do-it-yourselfer, installing a whole house fan will be a challenging project, but consulting an expert will help ensure that all aspects of installation are correct, including fan size and displacement, attic and roof ventilation, electrical circuits and wiring, etc.
• In most cases, attic ventilation will need to be addressed; with all that air coming up from inside the home, you need to be sure that it exhausts adequately from the attic space(s), which means between 2 and 4 times the normal attic area venting or one square foot per each 750 CFM the whole house fan produces. The more freely the attic space is vented, the more efficiently the whole house fan will be able to operate.
• Most units come with a louvered cover that opens when in use and closes when the fan is off; be sure you can seal the opening well during the winter months to prevent warm air from your furnace or other home heating system from escaping! This is also important if you do run the air conditioning system during the summer; you don’t want to run the A/C at the same time you are operating the whole house fan or you’ll just be exhausting the cool air and wasting money!
• Be sure to open all windows and doors that are screened when you operate the whole house fan; without adequate ventilation, the fan may cause a back draft in the furnace or gas-operated appliances such as a water heater or clothes dryer; you don’t want carbon monoxide or other combustion gases circulating indoors!
• A whole house fan should be installed in the most central place in the house possible so that air is drawn from all rooms into the attic space.
• The whole house fans should be installed with an automatic shutoff mechanism that trips in the event of a fire.

Whole House Cooling Tips

• Generally speaking, you should not operate a whole house fan when outside temperatures are above about 85 degreed F; this can actually make it hotter inside the house than turning the system off.
• Run the whole house fan in the evening and early morning hours when the air temperatures outside are cooler than the inside temperature, turning it off and closing up the house during the hottest part of the day when circulating air would only cause the indoor temperature to rise.
• If needed, switch the whole house fan off during the hottest part of the day, close all the windows and doors and run your central air conditioning until the outside temperature is below 85 degrees; then open up the house and turn the whole house fan on to avoid having to use the A/C any more than necessary.
• Control circulation and air flow by opening windows in occupied rooms and leaving a few windows in unused rooms closed; this will produce better air flow and cooler temperatures in the rooms you use the most.
• A whole house fan works best in a well-insulated and tightly sealed home, allowing it to heat very slowly during middle of the day; by the time it begins to get warm enough to feel uncomfortable, the hottest part of the day should have passed and you can use the whole house fan to cool things down again.
• Be sure to install screens on all operable windows and doors if possible; the more you can open up the house, the more air the whole house fan will be able to circulate and cool the living space.

Inspecting and maintaining a central air condition is not that difficult; most do-it-yourself homeowners can learn how to check proper operation and perform basic system cleaning and preventative maintenance. More complex repairs, maintenance tasks and updates may require an expert. You should have your system checked periodically by an expert even if you do most of your own maintenance.

With proper installation, cleaning and maintenance, a modern central air conditioning system should last at least 10 to 15 years. Read on to learn how to get the most from your home A/C system.

Central Air Conditioning Maintenance Tips

Most central air conditioning systems are connected to the forced-air heating and cooling system and have two separate components; a condenser (usually installed outside the house) and an evaporator (usually mounted in the plenum or main duct above the furnace). Inspect your furnace filter monthly; clean or replace the filter every month during the summer and winter months when you run the air conditioning (or heater) most frequently. Basic maintenance includes:

• Check hose connections, visually inspecting for cracking or leaks that may need to be repaired.
• Check to be sure that the “condensate tube” drains freely.
• Use a garden hose with a spray nozzle to periodically wash the compressor located outside.
• Keep plants at least a foot away from the condenser and trim tree or plants that hang over the unit; better not to have them draining water and dropping debris onto it.
• Vacuum the air register vents in your home regularly to keep dust from building up. Do not place furniture or other objects where they cover the registers.
• Once a year or every other year at the most, have your ductwork cleaned by a professional.
• Cover your outdoor air conditioning compressor with plywood during the winter months to prevent corrosion or damage from falling ice or debris but do not wrap it in plastic or materials that block good air flow; you don’t want to trap moisture.
• Remember to call an HVAC professional early in the season; waiting until a heat wave usually means delays!

Use Your Central Air Less Often

The best way to save money on cooling your home is to avoid using your central air conditioning system any more than needed. This not only reduces fuel costs but also prolongs the useful life of the central air condition system itself. Follow these tips to keep your home cool and reduce the need to turn your on A/C:

• Plant trees around your home to help shade it from the sun.
• Install ceiling fans and use floor fans as needed to circulate air during hot weather.
• A whole home fan system can lower temperatures inside your home by ten degrees in a few minutes; these systems are becoming more popular as fuel costs increase.
• A well-insulated home stays much cooler; be sure your home has adequate ventilation and insulation in the attic; ridge vents, an attic fan and soffit vents or gable vents are critical to keeping your home cool during the hot weather.
• Electric lights emit heat; keep them off when not in use. Timers and sensors are a great ways to control lights in your home.
• Avoid using heat emitting appliances such as the oven, dishwasher, laundry clothes washer and dryer and others during the heat of the day. Wait until evening, when its cooler, to clean the dishes and clothes; hey, it’s a good excuse anyway!
• Check with your gas and electric provider to see if they offer incentives for lower usage during peak conditions, adding or upgrading insulation, door and window seals or other home efficiency improvements.

Central Air Conditioning System Components

Proper installation and configuration of a heating and air conditioning (HVAC) system is a complex project that greatly affects its efficiency and longevity. As a major investment in your home, the HVAC system deserves at least a basic understanding of the system components and the purpose of each:

Outdoor Compressor and Condenser – The most visible component is the compressor / condenser unit, which is usually installed outside the home. Cleaning the condenser coil located inside the compressor unit is one important maintenance task that needs to be performed annually unless otherwise specified by your manufacturer.

Indoor Evaporator – A major component of your home cooling system is the evaporator, which is generally co-located with your furnace in the garage or other service location. A number of regular maintenance steps need to be followed; see section below on cleaning instructions for details.

Refrigerant – Inside the Evaporator, copper tubes carry refrigerant that absorb heat by circulating it through the evaporator coil, cooling the air flowing into the home. The hot air is then released at the outdoor compressor’s condenser coil.

Ductwork – Sheet metal ducts carry the cool air to various rooms in the home. These must be properly insulated and should be checked periodically. The only way to remove dust and particulate matter inside the ductwork is to have it professionally; the skills and equipment required just aren’t within most homeowners’ repertoire.

Registers and Vents – The ducts terminate at registers; covered vents in the floors, walls and/or ceilings inside the home.

Tubes and Lines, Connectors and Wiring – Proper maintenance includes inspecting and replacing various lines and cables as needed. 240 volt electrical power is most often used.

Instructions to Clean Your Central Air Conditioning System

Several maintenance and cleaning steps are most important and also simple to do; allow 2 to 4 hours, depending on the size of your home, your own familiarity with the system and maintenance steps and the condition of your system.

It should be mentioned that having this maintenance done professionally generally costs between $100 and $300, so doing it yourself may or may not be worthwhile in your own situation. But if you like knowing the job is done right doing it yourself can save a few bucks. And hey, you’ll know more about your central air conditioning this way and can better detect problems before they arise and be sure you get the best value possible when you do need to hire a professional expert to handle repairs and upgrades!

Cleaning the Outdoor A/C Unit (Compressor and Condenser)

1. Begin by shutting off electrical power to the entire system; most units have a covered 240 volt power switch located on the side of the house near the unit.
2. The most important job is cleaning the condenser coil; a fan basically sucks outside air through the fins, leaving them covered with lawn clippings, dirt, bugs, dead leaves and other crap. Add in a little moisture and you have the perfect place for dirt and grime to build up. This fun little chore may need to be done every couple of weeks during the spring when dandelion "wishies" are flying! Use a garden hose and a soft nylon brush to clean the condenser coil fins.
3. Two copper tubes connect the compressor and the condenser coil to the evaporator coil back inside the house. One or both should have insulation, depending whether or not your system has a heat pump. Visually inspect the insulation for signs of wear or damage.
4. Most units have a sealed, maintenance-free fan motor; look for lubrication ports or check the manufacturer’s manual to be sure whether or not it needs to be oiled.
5. Your system owner’s manual should explain how often the refrigerant needs to be recharged; this is not a service you can perform yourself so call in a pro! If you see any signs of refrigerant or oil leaking inside or around the compressor or condenser, its also time to give your A/C pro a call.
6. When you have completed servicing the outdoor compressor unit, you need to follow some precautions to restart the system to prevent damage. If the unit uses a 240 volt power connection set the indoor thermostat to the off position. Switch the 240 volt switch back on and wait 24 hours before running the system to allow the warming element to heat up the lubricant inside the compressor. Set the thermostat to the “cool” position to check the system for proper functioning.
7. Always wait at least five minutes anytime you turn the system off at the thermostat; this prevents overstressing the motor by restarting it while it is decompressing. Some units have a circuit delay to prevent this problem.
8. Most outdoor compressor units are mounted on a concrete pad; use a garden hose and stiff brush to keep dirt, moss, etc. from building up around the base and on the cover of the unit.
9. Don’t clean your outside compressor if the outside temperature is below 60 degrees F; a compressor won’t work in cold temperatures so testing the system after maintenance won’t be possible.

Cleaning the Indoor A/C Unit (Evaporator)

1. You should check the furnace filter monthly and replace it regularly to prevent dust from building up on the evaporator coil fins. Be sure the blower is turned off before you pull out the filter so that no dust is accidentally blown through the system by having the blower come on with no filter in place.
2. If applicable per your manufacturer’s directions, with the power off, open the blower compartment to lubricate the motor with electric motor oil; you should see lubrication ports if your unit requires periodic lubrication. Use a shop vac to remove dust inside the compartment before closing everything back up.
3. Next, check the condensation drain to be sure it is free of algae, sludge or other grime that could cause it to clog; you can use a mixture of 1 part bleach to 16 parts water to clean out the drainage tube. Flexible drain tubes are usually removable while some units have a rigid plastic tube that is fixed; insert a piece of wire to inspect the tube for clogging.

That’s why most home roofing industry experts agree that cooling your attic with attic fans and good ventilation not only saves on energy costs, it also extends the service life of major components such as roof framing and trusses, insulation, venting, electrical wiring, plumbing and others which are often located in a home’s attic space.

In fact, more and more new homes are being built with whole house fan systems that efficiently cool dead air spaces to keep heat from building up and damaging house components. If you are building a new home or doing major remodeling and renovation on your existing home, consider installing one of these systems. The return on investment case is compelling, especially in larger homes or homes with lots of gables or other complex roof design features.

Benefits of Improved Attic Ventilation

Today’s attic fans have water-proof flashing that meshes integrally with the roof shingles. Drawing less than 300 Watts each, these attic cooling fans offer several key benefits:

1. Can reduce upper floor room temperatures by 10 degrees on a hot day
2. Can lengthen the life of roofing materials and major home components
3. Can save up to 30 percent on home air-conditioning costs
4. Optional humidistat reduces moisture and keeps your attic dry during the winter

The attic acts as a buffer zone or transition between your home’s interior and the outside world. Ideally, you want to regulate the temperature in this buffer zone in order to maintain a more constant temperature inside the living space. Insulation, air-vapor barriers and adequate ventilation alleviates undo burden on your heating and air conditioning system.

Attic insulation retards the upward movement of heat, keeping your home warmer in the winter months and helping retain the cooler air inside during the summer months.

The air-vapor barriers (typically plastic sheets or built-in paper or aluminum foil facing on the insulation panels) help to keep moisture that rises up from inside the home from penetrating the insulation.

Attic and roof ventilation is important to regulate the moisture and temperature levels as the seasons and weather conditions change. When it’s cold outside, air leaks around light fixtures in the ceiling, attic access panels, exhaust fans, etc., bringing moisture from inside your home into the attic space; simply going into your attic to get something down can significantly increase the moisture level as all that warm moist air rises up through the open access panel.

Non-Mechanical Attic Ventilation

Many older homes have gable vents, which are screened and louvered vents located up near the roof peak in the side walls of an attic. While they help keep the uppermost airspace in the attic cooler, gable end vents often cause hot spots where air may be motionless. If you have a home built before 1980 with gable vents, installing a fan helps eliminate these hot spots and keep things cooler.

Using a combination of ridge vents and soffit vents (required the roof to be designed with overhangs, called soffits) can provide an adequate non-mechanical venting. However, most roof designs do not allow for adequate non-mechanical ventilation alone to be optimal.

Solar and Electric Attic Fans

The temperature in your attic can get as high as 150ºF if you don’t have an attic fan. The fan creates a steady air-flow through the attic space without the excessive use of passive venting. If too much air flow is exchanged between the attic space and the outside, moisture from snow and rain can infiltrate. If you live in a particularly wet area, consider installing a humidity control system in your attic as well to prevent moisture problems.

Attic fans can be electrical or solar powered and two types are most commonly used; roof top and gable end. Electric attic fans are cheaper and more powerful. Solar powered models are more costly, but you will have the peace of mind that you are doing a little something to help leverage green electric power!

Use only the higher quality attic fans that have integral flashing made for the type of roofing material used on your roof. The attic fan(s) you install should have a quality thermostat to control operation automatically without the need for frequent resets and a firestat, which shuts the fan off in case of fire. Avoid plastic; fans with all metal construction are the type to buy. Look for a model with solid screens to keep pests out of your attic space.

Whole House Fan Systems

In more and more cases, people are beginning to use whole house cooling systems as an alternative to traditional home air conditioning. These systems work well in places where the climate is moderate and generally remains below 82 degrees F. In these conditions, a whole house fan system can be effective. Such systems are sometimes used in older homes where it would be too costly or difficult to install a central air conditioning system.

Noise can be a problem with whole house cooling, but if engineered correctly the system should run efficiently and quietly. Fans with more blades will be quieter than ones with fewer blades and mounting the fans with foam or rubber strips helps reduce vibration and sound.

Attic Fan Installation

• In a home with gable vents and no soffit vents, installing soffit venting can greatly improve air flow in the attic space. Continuous soffit vents are difficult to retrofit, so the easiest solution is simply to install circular aluminum gable vent fans, available in a variety of sizes and easy to install.
• Adding a ridge vent will further improve air flow as will the addition of vents placed lower in the side walls of the attic, which helps eliminate hot spots.
• Do not let attic insulation come into contact with the roof or cover soffit vents and be sure to leave plenty of space around attic vents and fans to promote efficient air movement.
• If you have tried these tips and still find the air space in your attic is significantly warmer than outside temperatures on hot days, you might want to consider adding mechanical ventilators.

Gable Mounted Ventilators

Installing the gable mounted ventilators is simple to do yourself and will help enhance air flow. You will need to wire them for electrical power, but otherwise the installation is very straightforward. Some models have a self-opening shutter, which helps keep flying insects, small birds and bats out and unlike the units mounted in gable vents, these do not force air through the gable vent, but rather through the shutter itself.

Roof Mounted Ventilators

You can install either powered or un-powered roof ventilators to enhance air flow inside the attic. The un-powered type use turbines which will spin in even a light breeze, causing an updraft to expel hot air from the attic. Powered by electricity, the powered roof ventilators work best if you don’t get a steady breeze. Rust-proof aluminum or ABS plastic is the best choice for your roof ventilators, since they won’t rust like steel models.

Solar Powered Ventilators

If your roof faces south and you live in an area that gets a lot of sunny days, then solar powered ventilators can be quite effective and are easiest to install since no electrical wiring is needed!

Additional Resources on Roof Vents, Attic Fans and Ventilation

• Attic Fans
• Attic Ventilation For Homes
• Solar Dynamics Roof Fans
• Whole House Fan
• Roof Ventilators

This year especially, with energy costs rising, we all want to stay cool and comfortable at home without spending a fortune!

So, we have compiled a list of the top ten ways you can lower your air conditioning bill, along with links to other Rafter Tales stories on conserving energy and how to lower your home utility costs.

1. Watch the thermostat; keep it between 74 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit. If you set it any lower, you’re just throwing money away!
2. Check the weatherstripping on your windows and doors; even small cracks let the cool air escape.
3. Insulate your attic or add attic insulation if needed. Also, if your walls have inadequate insulation, your air conditioning savings could justify adding insulation throughout your home.
4. Install ceiling fans in your home and be sure they are directing the air in the optimal direction to keep your rooms cool. Heat rises, so rooms on the second story are prime candidates for ceiling fans.
5. Keep curtains and blinds closed during the daytime; especially windows that get direct sunlight.
6. Consider adding window tint to your windows.
7. Keep windows open at night to cool the house, closing everything up again when the sun beats down on your home.
8. If you have an older air conditioning unit, it may be worth upgrading to a new, energy efficient model.
9. If necessary, plan to be out of the house during the hottest part of the day and go to the mall, a movie theater or other cool place for a couple of hours.
10. Before the weather gets hot and your local serving company get busy, have your air conditioning unit checked and be sure all filters, air ducts and other components are clean and operating correctly.

The Energy Star program is a voluntary labeling program sponsored by the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Energy Star label helps businesses and consumers easily identify highly efficient products, homes, and buildings that save energy and money, while protecting the environment.

Appliances labeled with the Energy Star logo save you money by using less electricity and water than other appliances. Although energy efficient models sometimes cost more to purchase initially, any extra up-front cost can often be made up with savings on your utility bill.

Home improvement products found with the Energy Star logo include appliances, heating & cooling equipment, home electronics and lighting. In terms of appliances, the Energy Star program includes clothes washers and dryers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and window unit air conditioners.

An appliance receives the Energy Star rating if it is significantly more energy efficient than the minimum government standards. The amount by which an appliance must exceed the minimum standards is different for each product, and depends on available technology. Energy Star rated products are always among the most efficient available on the market.

The refrigerator is the single biggest energy user in most households, aside from the heating and cooling system.

A typical refrigerator made around 1990 uses over 900 kilowatt hours per year—that’s the same amount of energy you would use by leaving a 1,250 watt hair dryer on for a month. And the older your refrigerator is, the more power it burns. Energy Star refrigerators incorporate a number of advanced features to save energy while keeping your food fresh.

To make a better refrigerator, manufacturers use:

• Better insulation
• More efficient compressors
• Improved heat transfer surfaces
• More precise temperature and defrost mechanisms

With improved insulation, the compressor needs to run less often. Since the compressor runs less often and therefore produces less heat while it is running, the kitchen remains cooler. This in turn reduces the need to air condition as much to maintain the same comfort level. Energy Star refrigerators must exceed minimum federal standards for energy consumption by at least 20%.

Energy Star dishwashers save by using both improved technology for the primary wash cycle, and by using less hot water to clean.

Construction includes energy efficient motors, and other advanced technology such as sensors that determine the length of the washing cycle and the temperature of the water necessary to clean the dishes.

A significant savings can be realized by minimizing the amount of hot water needed. Dishwashers use built-in electric heaters to heat water to a temperature hot enough to clean the dishes effectively. Energy Star dishwashers minimize the amount of water needed, saving the energy required to heat it in addition to other efficiencies.

Water heating represents between thirteen and seventeen percent of residential energy consumption, making it the third largest energy end use in homes, behind heating and cooling and kitchen appliances.

Water Heaters are the only major appliance that the Energy Star program does not address. The U.S. Department of Energy is in the process of establishing an Energy Star residential water heater program.

Also not directly addressed by the Energy Star program is cooking appliances such as ranges, cooktops or ovens. This is because these use less energy than refrigerators and freezers, which run 24-7, or dishwashers, which have to heat a lot of water.

Here’s another fact to think over; if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star bulb, enough energy would be saved to light more than 3 million homes for a year, would save more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gas build up equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. These light bulbs are called Compact Florescent bulbs, and can last for years and use up to 70% less energy than traditional light bulbs.

So, remember to look for the Energy Star label when shopping for major home appliance products to be sure you get the most efficient models available. You’ll save money and help conserve our natural resources!

The baseboards of your home are a great place to install a heating system because of the principle that heat rises. Through the use of a baseboard heater, your whole home will be able to be heated, from the floor on up.

Baseboard hot water heating systems work well because the "heaters" that bring warmth into the room are installed low to the floor, typically along the baseboard; water is heated in a boiler tank in the utility room just like the water used for the hot water plumbing in your house. This water is heated, either by gas, oil or electricity in a system that is similar to, but separate from the water heater that supplies your plumbing system.

These systems are clean because they are totally enclosed, so you do not have to worry about dusty air being blown through vents all over your house, and they are extremely quiet because of the way they work.

This is a great system for families like mine where not everyone likes the same temperature. It is almost like having a different thermostat for each room of the house, but significantly less expensive. However, not all baseboard heater systems have the problem of the water-cooling significantly from the first heater to the last.

You can buy a system that has a flow control valve on each of the heaters, which is adjusted so that a smaller amount of water flows through the first heater, and so that the excess flow is diverted around and on to the next heater in the system.

With the stress on our electrical grids and power supply concerns; more and more homeowners are opting to use solar heating for either part, or their entire home heating needs!

Solar heating harnesses the power of the sun to provide solar thermal energy for solar hot water, solar space heating, and solar pool heaters.

A solar heating system saves energy, reduces utility costs, and produces clean energy.

Many people opt for solar heating for their outdoor swimming pools, which can take huge amounts of energy to heat.
The efficiency and reliability of solar heating systems have increased dramatically since they were first introduced, making them attractive options in the home or business. But there is still room for improvement.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its partners are working to design even more cost-effective solar heating systems and to improve the durability of materials used in those systems. This research is helping make these systems more accessible to the average consumer and helping individuals reduce their utility bills and the nation reduce its consumption of fossil fuels.

To help more Americans benefit from these systems, the U.S. Energy Policy Act implemented a 30% tax credit for consumers who install solar water heating systems. To be eligible for this tax credit, the systems must be certified by the Department of Energy’s non-profit partner, the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation (SRCC).