The Right Fluff

 Ok, picture this,

the attic is recently blown full of fiberglass insulation and you are happily waiting for the lower power bills for the next couple of summer months, Did you have all the duct work tested & sealed before you did that? What about your aluminum wiring or possibly the pex or polybutylene plumbing joints that are leaking all over the country?  Maybe even the cable guy or security system guys have to go up there…Did you get that work done first?  The Key to insulation is that its fluffed up for maximum R-value , if somebody has to work in your attic after you’ve insulated, then the new stuff is going to be all matted down & not worth a hoot…so much for your R-49 insulation project.

If you have dust issues or high power bills you should get a test of the duct or building envelope before you insulate, these issues can be way more costly than the benefit you will get from insulation. Don’t get me wrong Insulation is very important… but timing is everything!!!

So figure out what you might need done in the attic, schedule the inspections, & estimates, work, testing, etc. etc., and set a plan in motion; if it takes a year, then It takes a year… no big deal, However, here is what you should be thinking about before insulation…

 Duct Leaks ~ Do you have excessive Dust or Hot & cold rooms?  This is important because it indicates that there may be an issue in a specific part of the house or with the ducts in the attic. 

  High Utility bills ~ Just do a review of last Summer’s bill & see if it went way up, if you are on level-pay, look at your actual electricity usage  or consumption, If you have high power bills it could be that you need insulation or duct sealing.

Get the right kind of fluff!!!! Don’t have somebody crawling thru you new insulation job because you got out of sequence on your energy upgrade… If you need help with a project plan

Call us at (850) 677-0020

Remember, for our area Gulf Power recommends  R-49 insulation & the code is R-39 on new construction at a minimum…

  So Get Your Fluff Right!

 Go to our website for more Health, Comfort & Energy tips

www.gulfcoastaircare.com

or E-mail Todd@gulfcoastaircare.com

Spring Checkup 2016

Here on the Gulf Coast, it's the 3rd full week of April, and even though we are enjoying pleasant weather, it is time for the "Dreaded Spring HVAC Checkup"... Now is the time to have a service company like Gulf Coast Air Care, to inspect your unit & see how things are looking going into the Summer season; warmer weather  will be here before you know it.
I know this is an easy inspection to let slide,  but its better to check it out before you get too far into the season.
Lets do an analogy... you don't check the oil in you car when you run to the grocery store, or when heading off to work every day, but this inspection is like going on a 5000 mile family Vacation/Adventure.... and nobody wants to break down on that trip, its just a hassle.
 So you check the oil, fill us the windshield washer fluid & adjust the tire pressure before you head out on the road... That is what you need to do for your A/C equipment this Spring. Get an inspection before you head out into the long hot Summer..
Just food for thought.
If you would like help, tips or advice regarding your Comfort or Health or Energy usage for you home or business...Contact Gulf Coast Air Care
 or go to our website at www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Spring Time Prep

Time to get that HVAC system looked at for the long hot summer season that will be here before you know it.
here are 3 things to check so you  don't have a problem...



1) Change the Air filter & put in a clean one




2) find the drain-line & make sure it clear, not buried underground & not all plugged up with mud or slime; the secret is to make sure there is clear water coming out & not some slimy gunky stuff clogging up the works!!

3) Get an inspection done by your HVAC company and make sure they check the refrigerant levels, the amp draw on the compressor and the condition of the outside unit including a visual inspection of wiring & smaller components like the capacitors & contactor... I know this sounds a little complicated or technical but just make a quick note & ask the tech , he won't take any short cuts because your using lingo her can relate to!!!


If you follow these 3 tips, you wont get any big surprises on the 4th of July with a house full of Guests & an A/C system that cant keep up with the heat-load... You know the old Fram oil filter commercial...You can pay me now or pay me later.  Don't let that happen to you

If you need any help with any of this,
Air Filter, Can't find the drain line or its clogged or need a check up
Call us at Gulf Coast Air Care (850) 934-2768
www.gulfcoastaircare.com

Summer A/C Secrets for Hot Humid Climates

Ok we've reached that point on the calendar where we all are paying attention to our thermostat & our power bill. 
At least here on the Gulf Coast...
The secrets are as follows:

#1)
Do not run your A/C system with the "fan" in the "Fan ON" or "ON" position
Use the "FAN AUTO" or "AUTO" position unless you want mold growing in your ducts and in your home.  The fan in "AUTO" (setting on the thermostat) will allow the blower fan to cycle on and off with the A/C  as it runs normally thru the day; if you leave the fan in the "on"  position it will run continuously & never let the water drain off the coil.  Thus pushing the re-evaporated water into the ducts & down through the system where it will be wet enough to sustain mold growth.

This leads us to secret number 2:


 #2) If your system is sized correctly for the home & heat load, if will probably run all afternoon on the hottest days of the year... you see, design temperature is the very highest temperature your climate will see for short periods of time.   The rest of the A/C run time is usually below that design temperature so the heat load is not high enough to require a big unit that can handle all temps in all cases.  The unit need s to work a little bit on the hot days to keep up. This is proper design by size. ( for BTU's)
This  seems counter-intuitive to some people because all they think about is their power bill but if your A/C unit can cool the building down in just a few minutes, on the hottest days...IT IS OVER SIZED...!
Remember , BIGGER IS NOT BETTER when it comes to Air Conditioning
THE LEADS INTO OUR LAST SECRET
#3)
Longer run times in our hot & humid climate will allow the A/C unit to pull more moisture from the indoor "conditioned" space... In other words, if your unit runs 4-6 minutes and shuts off because it meets the temperature requirement on the thermostat, then you're not getting all the De-humidification you could from your system... let it run... you'll be cooler & have less humidity in the indoor space... now this should only happen when there is a heat-load on the house like afternoon sun or higher temps during the day, if it runs all the time on cooler days  or like, when it rains & cools things off... THAT is another problem.

Think Duct leakage or Duct Sizing. Time & time again we see spiffy new A/C equipment hooked up to a ratty 'ol duct system, you know 30 year old duct & 30 day old equipment... not a good fit and definitely not the result you want from your "home comfort system"...

The last thing is NOOO secret...
Get your duct leakage checked!  If you have all the ducts leaking if won't matter how you run the system your are Air Conditioning your attic or crawl space

For more information contact Gulf Coast Air Care 

New Guideline from the Dept of Energy ...BAH

“The Department of Energy is now saying WHAT?”

We have to put in a minimum 14 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) Equipment ? (The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the equipment, in regard to energy cost or usage, similar to a MPG rating on a car) 

 

What does this mean for the average consumer? 

 • Better energy efficiency
• Better comfort & healthier Indoor environments
• Less wear & tear on our equipment
• Less energy consumed overall by the home “comfort system”

 Well, not so fast DOE... There are some pretty serious unintended consequences for all these changes. What if the duct system is not sized correctly? (very common)... What if the duct system is leaking air? (often they are, after many years of service)

 I see the good intentions but I want to make sure the consumer has true comfort & health in their indoor climate; raising the bar on energy efficiency is only part of the deal. If there were a focus on duct leakage, plus airflow & air balance in each room....it wouldn’t matter what SEER rating they require.

 In the retro-fit market (Existing Construction) there are many previous “sins” of days gone by... under sized supply-air duct, return air openings that are too small, and often times, over sized equipment leading to systems that are ill-suited to provide comfort to the occupants.

So before you go off Willy–Nilly and consider buying a new High SEER unit, let’s do a little diagnostic test & see what other demons lie in the system waiting to burn through your energy dollars every month.

The key is looking at the entire house as a system, ‘All things considered’ if you will.

 In our experience, we find other issues that are common problems, which when corrected, will save way more money than increasing to High SEER equipment. And a lot less expense.

 Lets look at one common example: a house built in the 1970’s or 80’s, 1500-1800 sq.ft (square feet), originally a 2.5 Ton system for the cooling load. Over the years, the system has been changed 2 times, both times, nobody looked at the duct system, both times the SEER rating increased with new equipment (as a result of newer, more efficient equipment available in the market) & the size was also increased to 3 tons because “the system just didn’t cool the house very well”. The duct has degraded in the attic all these years & the required insulation value of the duct materials is now R-6 (1.5 inch duct-board as opposed to old 1” R-4) that was originally installed; plus the whole system is filthy dirty. 14 SEER equipment makes these issues worse unless you fix the problem You will be “money ahead” if you correct the existing problems before you go on and increase the Energy efficiency rating of the equipment. The whole picture needs to be taken into account. Don’t go changing equipment, “up-sizing” capacity & increasing SEER rating without first looking at all the parameters that effect comfort & healthy indoor environments.

THE DIAGNOSIS
The smartest thing you can do is get a blower door test & check the following:
• House leakage “gaps cracks & holes” (find air leaking from outside to in)
• Duct & HVAC performance (how much capacity & air flow do you actually have)
• Duct leakage (how much conditioned air leakage is there in the duct system)

THE FIX
 • Repair the leaky duct work.
• Seal “gaps cracks & holes” in the building envelope.
• Balance the airflow in the entire HVAC system.
• Correctly Size the equipment to the true Heating & Cooling ‘load’ of the house.

This idea is so much more practical than a policy that try’s to make a “one size fits all” rule... Higher SEER ratings are good, however, not all homes are built the same; Not all systems are designed & installed the same... With a little testing & information we can really make a huge impact on Energy savings’ for the individual homeowners and for the consumption of energy on the whole country.

 Call today to get your Diagnostic Test scheduled so you can quit throwing wasted energy dollars into your attic duct system every month and you’ll have a comfortable, healthy, energy efficient home. Our number at Gulf Coast Air Care is (850) 934-2768 or call us from anywhere Toll free (866) 934-2768

Happy Easter

This occasion is just ripe for a Religious discussion but suffice it to say that we live in America where we can worship in our own way to whatever we believe our God to be... ( in Most cases, Government excluded)
We must remember that our forefathers founded this country on the basis of a broad overview of Christianity,  not as a way to promote Christianity but to include the idea or to acknowledge that there is a GOD or " Higher Power" and we should be cognizant of this fact.
They were Christians, That was their basis of reference.  We should not eliminate the idea or acknowledgement of Religion or GOD but stop "only the promotion of one specific religion".

As my Mother used to say as I was growing up, "It takes all kinds to make a world"... She shared her simple view that there are a multitude of different people and we all may do different things to achieve what we need to get peace or comfort or tranquility in all of our lives.
The forefathers were very wise; let us NOT  take the concept of GOD out of the equation at the insistence of one or a few, over the belief's of a great many.
No Specific Religion of the STATE... but an unquestionable  Acknowledgement of GOD

HAPPY EASTER, God Bless America

Winter Proved the point...Summer is coming, Don't leave an ENERGY MESS in your air ducts

An Ounce of Prevention or a Pound of Cure 

 Do you have the Winter Ice Storm “High power bill hangover” ? 

Wait till summer hits again for 5 solid months…

Many of us had the experience of the heat pump freezing up during the recent ice storm and through the long cold winter we had this year in Pensacola; then we tried to heat the house with our emergency back-up heat strips.   If you have central air only,  that’s the way the heat runs all the time.   Now we need to deal with the consequences. ("the dreaded power bill")

It’s easy to blame it on the cold weather but a tight duct system would have kept the furnace from running as much as it did.  

 Yes, it was cold but the more air we can direct into the house & keep from leaking into the attic or crawl space the lower our power bill will be.

 I heard a Gulf Power rep say they set a record for power usage on the local grid during our recent cold snaps.  Imagine if you could somehow save that energy all Summer long?   

The same effect happens in our warm humid climate during the air conditioning season but it lasts a lot longer than just a couple days. It’s all about Gaps, Cracks, & Holes.  Most of the duct systems we Inspect & clean have some sort of leakage that could be tightened up or corrected. 

Here’s our recommendation:

1) Get  a duct  leakage test  If you don’t know how much it leaking, then you’re guessing about the fix;  with a leak test of before & after you’ll know how good the investment is for future comfort  and energy savings.

2) Repair the duct leaks.  It’s best to do this in the cooler weather so the hot job doesn’t kill a work crew (i.e. less labor) and you’ll get a better price asking a company to work in your attic now rather than in June or in July when you get that monster power bill from the summer duct leakage.     

 3) INSULATE your attic. Be sure you have the other work done in the attic before you blow in any insulation; that needs to be the last step.

For More Health, Home Comfort, & Energy Tips go to www.gulfcoastaircare.com     or 

Call us at (850) 934-2768 …and if you need help or expert advice, please ask!