Category: Air Conditioning

Top Benefits of Using a Smart Thermostat

You’ve probably heard of the smart thermostat. You may even know someone who uses this device in their house. But do you really know how it can benefit your home? It’s about more than just keeping your home at a comfortable temperature. In this post, we’ll discuss how using a smart thermostat can benefit you and your home comfort. Smart Thermostat Benefits So you’re thinking about switching to a smart thermostat? Here are just a few of the benefits you can enjoy with this: Save energy One of the greatest benefits of switching to a smart thermostat is the energy savings! Depending on your current home comfort habits, using a smart thermostat to manage and automate your home climate can help you save a significant amount on your monthly energy costs by helping you use your HVAC system more efficiently Stay comfortable A smart thermostat makes it even easier and more convenient to keep your home comfortable. These easy-to-use devices make programming your home climate to fit your schedule simple and stress-free. You can even adjust the temperature from your smart device to account for any fluctuations in temperature throughout the year. Analyze your energy usage Many smart thermostat devices

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Whole home performance evaluations

Paying high costs for energy in your home is never what anyone wants to do. However, there are solutions and answers to help you pay less when your energy bills come due. Home Performance is a complete approach to making your home more energy efficient and provide comfort in your home environment. What is Whole Home Performance?  Home Performance includes many different factors in the home. Contractors trained in Home Performance are skilled to offer complete home improvements to make your home more energy efficient. This includes insulation, energy efficient lighting and appliances, as well as furnace and air conditioner upgrades. The benefits of the Home Performance upgrade include decreasing and eliminating energy waste in the home, as well as cold drafts and musty smelling air. Your comfort, health and the long term value of your home will increase. Your home environment will also be cleaner while you enjoy lower energy bills. Cost of Whole Home Performance Your upgrade will start with a thorough home inspection and evaluation to determine the current energy use of your household. After this, your Home Performance contractor will make suggested improvements that suit your budget and the priorities you have in your home. They

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The Benefits of Controlling Your Indoor Air Quality

Are you suffering from headaches, congestion or fatigue? These symptoms could be caused by poor indoor air quality. Start monitoring your IAQ today. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 93% of their time indoors. If you fall into this category, you are breathing indoor air for nearly every minute of your life, which means that the quality of that air is extremely important to your health. If you’ve been experiencing nagging health symptoms, such as persistent headaches or congestion, indoor air quality (IAQ) could very well be the culprit. Health Effects of Poor IAQ Breathing in an environment with poor IAQ can have numerous short-term and long-term effects on your health, including: Exposure to certain pollutants can also cause long-term health effects, including respiratory disease, cancer and heart complications. The importance of monitoring IAQ, both in the home and in the workplace, cannot be emphasized enough. What Controls IAQ? The IAQ in your home or office is largely controlled by the performance of your HVAC system. There are many conditions that can negatively affect your system’s performance, such as microbial growth and moisture. Microbial growth can be increased by the presence of heat and humidity, which can cause

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HVAC Rebates

HVAC Rebates and Federal Tax Credits

Your home’s HVAC system is one of the most expensive items to replace. So, we don’t blame you for trying to find the best possible deal. But did you know that your heating and air conditioning unit is also one of the most expensive appliances to operate? Even with brand new equipment, a shoddy installation or an inefficient unit can result in years of unnecessary expense in the form of high utility bills. That’s where specials and promotions like HVAC rebates and federal tax credits come into play When you take advantage of deals like rebates and tax credits, you can get a high-quality installation of high-quality equipment for a very reasonable price. MightyServ has been helping homeowners in Los Angeles take advantage of these limited time deals since 1963. We believe in taking care of our customers, which starts with giving you the same information we’d give our own family members. We’ve put together this blog to give you all the info you need, but we will help you with the rebate redemption process every step of the way.  What’s the difference between an HVAC rebate and tax credit? An HVAC rebate is a discount on your purchase in

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Smart Ways to Retain Heat During Winter

During the colder months, most people tend to spend more time indoors and turn up their heating systems. Because of this, utility costs can soar and many people might be paying more than necessary. The good news is, it is never too late to make a few changes in your home so you can improve your comfort levels and save money. Here are some of our top recommendations. Air Conditioning and Heating Tips While you will need professional service every now and then to keep your heating and air conditioning units in the best condition, there are other ways to warm up your home. These simple and inexpensive solutions not only contribute to energy efficiency but also let you maximize heat in your living space. Take Advantage of Your Curtains. Even on cold days, the sun can still bring warmth. Leave your curtains open during the day to capture as much as of the free heat. Once the night settles in, shut your drapes. This provides an extra layer of insulation to prevent warm air from escaping your home. Your windows should not have leaks or gaps so the heat stays in and drafts stay out. Install a Programmable Thermostat. Instead of manually adjusting

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How to Diagnose Manual and Automatic Zone Damper Issues With Your AC System

Are you having trouble regulating temperature within your home? Chances are, the larger your house is, the harder it will be to regulate the temperature inside it to keep everyone comfortable and happy. These issues can result in areas that are too hot in the summertime and too drafty and cold in the wintertime. As you are attempting to find an even balance, you will end up dueling with your thermostat to keep problem areas and the rest of your home balanced. There is something you can do, however, which is to consider getting a zone damper system. What is a Zone Damper System? A zone damper system is simply installing motorized doors to restrict airflow in specific rooms within your house. If you have a bad HVAC damper, you can no longer achieve proper airflow through the ductwork. This results in too much or too little airflow through the duct and improper temperature regulation within your home. Manual Zone Dampers vs. Automatic Zone Dampers Certain HVAC units are equipped with manual zone dampers for regulating the amount of air conditioning or heat being delivered in a room. A zone control system like this uses levers, which are located outside

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Can I Just Replace the Outdoor Unit on an Older Air Conditioning System to Save Money?

Air conditioning systems are very expensive to replace, and it’s tempting to try to save costs wherever possible. When one unit of your air conditioning system fails, replacing one unit while keeping the older, still-functioning unit sounds like a practical cost-saving measure. However, mismatched air conditioning components can have a negative effect on the efficiency, reliability and life-span of your system. The indoor and outdoor units of a residential air conditioning system function together despite the fact that they are split into two units. As a result, the system suffers stress when the two units have dissimilar components that were designed to work at different levels of efficiency. You Can’t Teach Old Coils New Tricks When mismatched air conditioning components are forced to work together, it can put stress on the older unit and seriously compromise the function of the new unit. Newer condenser coils are more efficient, have a larger, grooved surface area, and employ other enhanced features that improve their performance. Older coils do not have these features, and are often incompatible with new condenser coils. New air conditioning units use thermal expansion valves with a hard shut-off to control their use of refrigerant. However, older units were not

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Energy Efficient Air Conditioners

Energy Efficient Air Conditioners for Los Angeles Homes

Homeowners in Los Angeles looking to replace their air conditioners consider many variables before purchasing. Again and again, our customers cite energy efficiency as a key consideration in their decision making. Installing an energy-efficient air conditioner is not only the eco-friendly choice, it can put a serious dent in your electricity bills. In this article, we wanted to explain the latest technology for energy efficient air conditioners and what LA homeowners should investigate before buying.  Variable Speed, Multi-Speed, or Single Speed AC Units One of the biggest differentiators in air conditioner efficiency is compressor speed. Your air conditioning compressor increases the pressure of your refrigerant, which enables the cooling process. There are three types of air conditioning compressors: Single speed – you are probably most familiar with air conditioners that have a single speed compressor. These units turn on and off like a light switch – there is no in between.  Multi-speed – some compressors can operate at specific speeds, like a ceiling fan with low, medium, and high settings. These systems are sometimes called 2-stage or 3-stage systems. Variable-speed – compressors that run with variable speed are like a light fixture equipped with a dimmer. Instead of having specific

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The Differences Between Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners

When installing a new HVAC system in your home, you will be faced with a decision of whether to select a heat pump or an air conditioner. While they are both designed to keep your home comfortable, they differ in terms of function; even their repair procedure is different. To help you make an informed decision, here is a rundown of their main differences. Key Distinctions Between Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners While a heat pump and an air conditioner share similar components, the way they perform is quite different. Here are some factors that distinguish the two: Use. A heat pump provides both heating and cooling. It expels warm air out of your home during summer and it brings outdoor heat inside during winter. An air conditioner, on the other hand, can only cool your home. Operation. Both systems follow the same principles to condition your home’s temperatures. They use refrigerants to facilitate a process of heat exchange. A heat pump, however, uses a reversing valve built into a compressor to transfer outdoor heat inside your home and increase its temperature. A traditional air conditioner, on the other hand, relies on electric-resistant heat strips within the air handler to produce warm air. It may

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