Most of us focus quite rightly on temperature control when it comes to home comfort: keeping our households cool in the heat of the summer and warm on those chilly winter nights. But that’s not the only thing we should factor in when it comes to a healthy and comfortable home. Indoor air quality plays a role as well: cutting down on germs, dust, and similar contaminants. If your home doesn’t quite feel the way it should, an air filter might be the best option for you.
There are a number of reliable products on the market that can meet your indoor air quality needs. We recommend MicroPure air purifiers in particular based on their reliability, their value for the money, and their innovative way of addressing a number of different IAQ issues in a home. And right now, we’re offering a special on indoor air quality consultation that can help determine what your specific needs may be.
Basic filters often rely on screens to remove dust particles and other contaminants from the air. MicroPure Total Home Active Air Filters go far beyond simple screens, however: providing comprehensive filtration for all manner of contaminants. The technology was initially designed by NASA for use in the International Space Station, making it some of the most effective in the world for cleaning germs and purifying the air.
The system works through the use of ionic oxidation: a combination of proprietary metallic technology and UV lighting that creates natural ionic air scrubbers. As air passes through the system, the air scrubbers are distributed throughout your home: dealing with contaminants in the air even if they don’t pass through the HVAC system.
It makes for an incredibly potent means of cleaning the air: targeting viruses, germs, and contaminants of all varieties. This includes mold, mildew, and allergens as well as bacteria and viruses. As a result, your air feels fresher and cleaner than it ever did before, and in many cases, instances of family illnesses will decline as well. (For this reason, we strongly recommend MicroPure systems for homes with vulnerable family members such as infants, the elderly, and people suffering from conditions such as asthma.)
The best part about the MicroPure Total Home Active Air Filter is that it’s designed to work well in any home. It can be easily installed in most HVAC systems with the help of a trained technician and starts working almost immediately to clean the air. It’s available in different sizes to fit the square footage of your home. It also works with different electrical voltages and has a 5-year warranty protecting the power supply to ensure that it keeps working. And right now, we’re offering a free IAQ consultation to give you vital information on the current quality of your air.
If you’ve been looking for cleaner air solutions for your Georgetown, TX home, a MicroPure Total Home Active Air Filter may be a perfect fit. And there’s never been a better time to install one. Call Intelligent Air Services today to learn more!
Autumn is here and winter will be along with before you know it. If your heating system struggled through the previous winter or you feel the time is right to invest in a new system, the fall makes the ideal time to plan and schedule such an operation. Doing so means that you can enjoy the benefits throughout the winter, saving money on more efficient performance and reducing the risk of a breakdown to a minimum.
Planning a heating replacement in the fall also means that you have the time to consider the various factors involved in selecting the right system for your home. Every household is unique and since heaters represent a serious investment in your home, it behooves you to consider all of the factors that go into a new heater. Here are three of the most pertinent ones you should consider when making your choice.
Heaters are designed to produce a certain amount of heat, balanced against the needs of the home. If the heater is underpowered, it will run and run all day without ever making the home feel comfortable. If it’s too large a similar problem occurs: the heater will turn on, warm the house too quickly, and turn off again, only to activate once again a few minutes later as the cool air lowers the temperature. The process is known as short cycling, and since most heating systems use far more energy turning on and turning off than they do simply running, the cost in wasted fuel and wear and tear can be high indeed.
An ideal heater is sized to the unique contours of your home: neither too large nor too small, but just right.
Once you have settled on the size of the heating system, the next question to answer is how efficient it is. Heaters measure efficiency according to AFUE, which stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency. It’s a simple percentage, gauging how much of the system’s consumed energy actually goes into heating your home and how much is lost to waste. The higher the rating, the more effectively the system will run, and the less you will have to spend on heating costs compared to heating systems with lower AFUE. You should seek out a system with the highest AFUE rating within your stated budget.
Most homes in the area use forced-air furnaces, which make use of the same ducts as your air conditioner and provide cheap and efficient heat. But they’re not the only systems out there and depending upon your home, an alternative option may be the best for you. For example, heat pumps combine the effects of a heater and an air conditioner into one, while ductless heating systems deliver comprehensive coverage for homes that can’t support the ducts required for a forced-air system. Talk to your service technician to determine if one of these options is right for you.
Call the pros at Intelligent Air Services for quality heater replacement services in Manor, TX.
As summer turns to autumn, local residents are going to be using their air conditioners less and less and their heating systems more and more. This makes it an excellent time of the year to schedule maintenance for both halves of your HVAC system. It will do both of them good and can help ensure that you get a comfortable house in the most efficient manner possible.
Regular maintenance most closely resembles a tune-up for your car. Routine maintenance is not intended to address any specific issue, but rather to check for any issues that may be developing, as well as taking care of little problems like loose bolts and clogged filters. Such problems rarely merit a repair call on their own and can be addressed as part of maintenance. If something more serious is required to head off a potential issue, the technician can note it. If the required tools are present, they can perform a formal repair immediately. If more is required, they can find a good time to perform repairs that meet your schedule.
In the case of repairs, it’s always better to catch the issue sooner instead of later. In the first case, it doesn’t give the damage as much time to spread, which means you’ll likely pay much less for the repair job if you can spot it soon. For air conditioners, the fall gives the technician a chance to assess problems that may have developed while it ran all summer. For heaters, it’s a chance to stop any problems before you need your home kept warm. Either way, regular maintenance gives you an early jump on those problems.
Beyond that, maintenance helps the system perform more efficiently by addressing all those little issues that can leech your HVAC system of power. Loose components rattle in their housings, clogged filters restrict the flow of air, and so on. All of that forces the system to work harder than it should: raising both the monthly rate of operating the system and the chances of a more serious breakdown.
In fact, when applied regularly over time, maintenance can help extend the life of your HVAC system. It lowers the risks of breakdowns later in the system’s life and helps ensure that when repairs are needed, they tend to cost less than they might otherwise. Indeed, when applied regularly over time, it can help extend the life of your HVAC system for months or even years in some cases.
Fall makes the perfect time to do this because the weather is mild but not yet cold. That gives you time not only to schedule maintenance at your leisure but to deal with any additional repairs (if needed) before you require your system to heat your home. Contrast that with having to scramble in the wake of an unexpected breakdown, when you often have to rearrange your life to deal with it.
To schedule maintenance for the HVAC system in your Austin, TX home, call the pros at Intelligent Air Services today!
Summers are long here in the Austin, TX area, and tend to last well into September. Sooner or later, however, the temperatures will drop, and you’ll be turning off your air conditioning system in favor of your heating system. Before you do, however, you may want to think about the overall age of your system. If it needs replacing, now is the time to do it: before the heating season begins, when you still have time to prepare and schedule a replacement in a timely fashion.
In most cases, you haven’t run your heater often during the last few months. That means any lingering problems may have grown worse through non-use. At the very least, you likely haven’t had a chance to check the system for any problems. It pays to run and check your system every fall, just to make sure there’s nothing waiting to spring on you the moment you need your heater the most. Ultimately, only you can decide if your heating system is in need of replacing. There are, however, a pair of factors that will allow you to make that decision. Now is the time to evaluate those factors and decide if your old heater is ready to be put out to pasture.
Most heating systems have a warranty, which covers the parts they came with for a set time. If they break down before the warranty expires, you won’t have to pay for a replacement part: only the labor cost of installing it and the use of any smaller components (such as bolts or fittings) that may be involved. If your warranty is still in effect and will be throughout the entire winter, you’re probably safe using your existing heater over the winter. If it’s expired, however, you should consider carefully the second factor in making this decision: the cost.
Repair costs tend to be higher as your heater gets older, and if it suffers a breakdown after the warranty has expired, you might be more willing to spend that money on a new system instead of sinking it back into the old one. Alternately, if you have experienced more than two repair calls in the last 12 months—even if they were comparatively minor—you might think twice about conducting a third repair. This doesn’t mean that you need to replace your existing heater immediately, only that you might want to be prepared if it breaks down in the middle of winter. (You can discuss options with your technician, set money aside for a potential replacement, and so forth.)
Alternately, there may be nothing overtly wrong with the furnace; but its inefficiency has caught up with it and it now costs a great deal to run even if it’s fully functional otherwise. If you’re worried about high heating bills during the coming months, now might be the time to replace the heater so you can enjoy the savings of a more efficient unit.
For quality heater replacement in the Round Rock, TX area, call Intelligent Air Services today!
Summers mean muggy air and lots of germs, with everything from mold spores to bacteria and germs floating around just waiting to make our lives miserable. Each unwelcome invader can enter a home extremely easily and remain trapped there for some time. We rarely open our doors and window during the hotter months, after all, which means that germs and mold spores can circulate throughout your home without any way to escape.
The best solution to such problems is a UV air purifier installed into the home’s HVAC system. It can help sterilize the air in the house and provides strong protection against germs and other biological contaminants. Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works.
Ultraviolet light, or UV light, is the secret weapon the purifier uses to kill germs. If you recall from science classes in school, UV light can’t be perceived by the human eye, but it can be found in copious amounts in sunlight. (It’s what causes our skin to tan and burn in the sun.) UV lights radiate the same light in reduced amounts, keeping it safe for human beings and pets. Indeed, you can see its effects at amusement parks and concerts: they make white clothes glow in the dark (an effect of the UV light interacting with the chemicals in your laundry detergent).
Those lights may be safe for us, but they’re lethal for germs and bacteria, either killing them instantly or fusing their DNA, which renders them unable to replicate. Either way, it spells bad news for them and good news for your home. The next question becomes where to place such a light in your house where it can do the most good.
When your air conditioner runs in the summer or your heater in the winter, it circulates the air in your home, cycling it through the system and into the ducts gradually. That makes it an excellent way to “scrub” the air in your home without having to use a lot of space. The UV lights are set up at the apex of the ducts: shining an impenetrable web across the width of the ducts so that all the air passes through the light as the system runs.
This means you help keep your air clean and free of germs every time you run the AC (or the heater in the winter). Not only does it make for a healthier household, but it helps improve your air conditioner’s efficiency since you don’t need to open the windows or air out the house in order to “air out” the home. UV air purifiers use few moving parts and require only the periodic replacement of the light bulbs: giving you good value for the money and ensuring that your family is happier and healthier for many years to come!
If a UV air purifier sounds right for your Georgetown, TX, or you already own one and it needs servicing or repair, call Intelligent Air Services today!
Air conditioners are designed to last for many years, and with proper care and maintenance, you can stretch that timetable much further. But sooner or later every system needs to be replaced, and with our summers longer and hotter than ever, you may be forced to make that decision in the middle of a blazing heatwave. The question of replacement is usually triggered by a repair call, though that’s not always the case.
Only the homeowner can determine when the time has come to replace an older air conditioner with a new one. We usually recommend doing so in the spring, before the weather gets too hot, so you can take advantage of the improved efficiency and similar benefits of a new system. Making the decision now usually stems from a sudden breakdown or similar issues related to cost. Depending on the age of the system, repairs should entail careful consideration of how much longer the existing system is going to last. There are a few key factors that can help you make that decision.
In almost every case of trouble with your air conditioner, you should opt to repair any problem instead of replacing the system if the warranty is still in effect, That covers the original parts to the air conditioner, which cuts down on the costs associated with repairs a great deal, leaving you with just the labor to pay for in many cases.
Even if the warranty has expired, it may be more efficient and economical to simply repair the damage and let the air conditioner keep running, at least until the summer is over and you have time to plan for a proper replacement. If, however, the warranty has expired and costs are climbing higher than you think they should, that combination may be enough to merit the installation of a new system.
Excessive costs associated with an older air conditioner tend to come in one of two forms, which may help determine whether you repair or replace the system:
- Repairs: Obviously, if a single repair costs more than you think the system is worth, you’re better off investing the money in a new system instead of sinking it into an older one. But smaller repairs can be a sign of trouble too, especially if they arrive on top of the other. Generally speaking, if your warranty has expired and you face more than two repair calls in a single 12-month period, you might be better off with a new system instead of an old one.
- Monthly Costs: As air conditioners get older, they become less efficient, and while regular maintenance slows that process down, nothing really lasts forever. There might not be anything specifically wrong with your air conditioner, but if monthly costs are getting out of hand–or worse, those costs are accompanied by a breakdown and repair call–then you might be well-advised to get a new system installed in order to ease the pressure off of your monthly budget.
For quality repairs and replacement services in the Manor, TX area, call Intelligent Air Services today!
Summers in south Texas are hot and humid, which puts your air conditioner in the position of having to perform all day every day in most cases. Ideally, your system will be up for the challenge, though in most cases, higher energy bills are inevitable during the summer months. Be careful, however, that the inevitable reality of paying more for air conditioning during the hottest parts of the year masks the fact that you’re paying more than you should. A few tips and tricks can make a huge difference as far as those high monthly costs go.
1. A NEW THERMOSTAT
Thermostats are designed to last a long time, and chances are you have a standard digital thermostat that’s been in place in your home for many years. (If you have an older mercury thermostat, you need to replace it right away. Mercury is poisonous and a mercury switch in your thermostat constitutes an active health hazard.) They make good value for the money, but there are a few catches to the equation: older thermostats don’t take advantage of some of the exciting advances in the field in the past few years.
More specifically, modern “smart” thermostats provide options such as advanced programming features and connection to your home’s Wi-Fi, which can give you a big edge over older models. Smart thermostats can analyze your cooling habits, for instance, and make little adjustments to your cooling schedule to cut down on the cost or adjust to reflect the local conditions outside your house. Other option include the ability to control your system from anywhere in the world via an app on your phone.
2. ZONE CONTROL SYSTEMS
For those interested in a more extensive upgrade, look into the possibility of zone control systems: a series of controlled shutters placed at key locations in your ducts, which divide your home into sections. The shutters can all be controlled independently of each other, allowing you to raise or lower the temperature of each section separate from the rest of the house.
This allows different family members to tailor the temperature to suit their needs without creating any squabbles around the thermostat. But it also means being able to shut the air off in some parts of the home while still running it in others. This can save you a great deal of money in summer bills, as well as reducing wear and tear on your system.
3. MAINTENANCE
A maintenance session for your air conditioner is similar to a tune-up on your car: checking and adjusting little details like loose bolts and clogged filters, as well as checking for signs of more serious trouble that could affect your system in the future. This has two big benefits: it allows you to get an early jump on repairs and it cuts down on waste and inefficiency. If you haven’t scheduled maintenance in the last twelve months, now might be an excellent time to do so.
For top-notch air conditioning repairs and upgrades in the Austin, TX area, call Intelligent Air Services immediately!
Summers in south Texas is hot and humid, which puts your air conditioner in the position of having to perform all day every day in most cases. Ideally, your system will be up for the challenge, though in most cases, higher energy bills are inevitable during the summer months. Be careful, however, that the inevitable reality of paying more for air conditioning during the hottest parts of the year masks the fact that you’re paying more than you should. A few tips and tricks can make a huge difference as far as those high monthly costs go.
1. A NEW THERMOSTAT
Thermostats are designed to last a long time, and chances are you have a standard digital thermostat that’s been in place in your home for many years. (If you have an older mercury thermostat, you need to replace it right away. Mercury is poisonous and a mercury switch in your thermostat constitutes an active health hazard.) They make good value for the money, but there are a few catches to the equation: older thermostats don’t take advantage of some of the exciting advances in the field in the past few years.
More specifically, modern “smart” thermostats provide options such as advanced programming features and connection to your home’s Wi-Fi, which can give you a big edge over older models. Smart thermostats can analyze your cooling habits, for instance, and make little adjustments to your cooling schedule to cut down on the cost or adjust to reflect the local conditions outside your house. Other options include the ability to control your system from anywhere in the world via an app on your phone.
2. ZONE CONTROL SYSTEMS
For those interested in a more extensive upgrade, look into the possibility of zone control systems: a series of controlled shutters placed at key locations in your ducts, which divide your home into sections. The shutters can all be controlled independently of each other, allowing you to raise or lower the temperature of each section separate from the rest of the house.
This allows different family members to tailor the temperature to suit their needs without creating any squabbles around the thermostat. But it also means being able to shut the air off in some parts of the home while still running it in others. This can save you a great deal of money in summer bills, as well as reducing wear and tear on your system.
3. MAINTENANCE
A maintenance session for your air conditioner is similar to a tune-up on your car: checking and adjusting little details like loose bolts and clogged filters, as well as checking for signs of more serious trouble that could affect your system in the future. This has two big benefits: it allows you to get an early jump on repairs and it cuts down on waste and inefficiency. If you haven’t scheduled maintenance in the last twelve months, now might be an excellent time to do so.
For top-notch air conditioning repairs and upgrades in the Austin, TX area, call Intelligent Air Services immediately!
Residences in our area spend a lot of time and money keeping their systems running smoothly. A Texas summer is nothing to fool around with, and the more reliable a home air conditioner is the better. That goes doubly so for commercial air conditioning systems, which have a larger load and must work even more reliably than home systems do. You have a business to run, of course, and you don’t want to have to worry about trouble with your air conditioner. A good commercial service can do wonders to ensure that your office is always cool and comfortable.
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT COMMERCIAL AIR CONDITIONERS?
Commercial air conditioners have wildly differing needs to meet than residential air conditioners do. For starters, they have to cool a larger space, which requires greater cooling power. In the case of office buildings, that can often involve multiple stories: the highest of which needs to accommodate the hot air rising from the lower stories.
More precise control is required too, especially in buildings that house multiple clients with different cooling needs. A restaurant may need extra cooling power to ensure that foodstuffs are kept sanitary, while offices with a lot of computers need to compensate for the heat they generate and prevent damage from them.
Most important of all, commercial air conditioners need to function without a fail day in and day out. A residence can sit tight and run the fan until a repair service can arrive. Businesses have no such luxury. A loss of cool air for even a few hours will damage company assets like computers, drive customers away in droves, and force your employees to operate in unnecessarily uncomfortable conditions. All of that can affect your bottom line in both big ways and small. And again: you have a business to run. You can’t afford to take time out of your busy schedule to hassle with the AC.
That’s where we come in.
HOW WE CAN HELP
Professional commercial air conditioning services can make a huge difference, not only when emergencies arise, but for preventing those emergencies from happening in the first place (or at least reducing the risk to a minimum).
That starts with placement, which should entail modular rooftop units if your business can accommodate it. Modular units can be added and subtracted as your needs change. That also allows us to get in and make repairs when needed without having to move through your workspace to do it. We can get the system up to speed and your day-to-day operations won’t be affected one bit.
Speaking of which, emergency services make a big difference when it comes to commercial air conditioning: not only in terms of fixing a problem fast before it affects your bottom line but for working after hours when repairs or replacements won’t affect your employees’ ability to do their jobs. That extends to timely maintenance (which we recommend at least once a year) to check your system over for problems that may be developing.
For quality commercial air conditioning service in Round Rock, TX, call Intelligent Air Services today!
We tend to think of insulation in our homes as a winter feature, working to keep heat in our homes and prevent our furnaces from having to work as hard as they should. But insulation in your home can be far more than a winter feature, and because we have mild winters here in Texas, a number of homes possess far less insulation than they might. In most cases, this can end up costing you money not only in the winter but in the summer too. Insulation in your home can do a great deal more than you think.
When most people think of insulation, they tend to think of the famous pink fiberglass insulation, which is a popular and effective option, but numerous other types of insulation exist, including blown-in insulation. This makes a great option for parts of the home where those famous rolls of insulation simply won’t work, or where they can’t readily fit into an awkward corner.
Whatever the material or the format, insulation works by slowing the transfer of heat, which naturally spreads from warmer to cooler environments. Insulation slows that movement, which allows heat inside your home to remain longer and keep temperatures elevated more readily.
What most people don’t understand, however, is that the process works both ways. Just as hot air inside your home wants to escape to the cooler environment outside, so too does hot air outside your home try to push into the cool space. The temperature flow moves both ways, and for a poorly insulated home, that means hot air getting in while you’re trying to cool things off and making the job of your air conditioner a lot harder.
If you can add more insulation into your home, it makes perfect sense to do so now, before the summer heating season begins in earnest. The savings it can provide you during the summer months—with scorching heat and stifling humidity–readily outmatch savings in the winter when temperatures are cool but not cold. It can save you a great deal on monthly energy bills and help your home stay cool and comfortable no matter how much the mercury rises.
It starts with a consultation with a trained representative, who will analyze your home and note not only where more insulation can be added, but where trouble spots such as open holes, tight corners, and areas where hot air can creep in. With these details in mind, the technician can then proceed with the installation and ensure that your home remains cool in the summer and warm in the winter no matter what the weather is like outside. Considering how mercurial temperatures can get in our neck of the woods, such comprehensive coverage can be beneficial no matter how hot or cold it gets.
If you’re looking for a way to combat high energy bills here in Georgetown, TX, and think more insulation may be the trick, call Intelligent Air Services today