Articles in the Featured Category 
Cooling, Featured »
Whether you have a Fedders, GE, Haier, Frigidaire or another Air Conditioner, the number one complaint so far this HOT summer season is why won’t my air conditioner work? It just seems to blow hot air…or doesn’t seem to cool very long at all.
Unfortunately there are a lot of different reasons for this. Some of them are easy to understand and fix. Others, well, they aren’t so much.
Filters. Air conditioners work on the heat exchange through air train of thought. Namely, they force air into a compressor, the air is …
Featured, Home Energy Tips »
Believe it or not, there are numerous ways to actually get your old, inefficient furnace replaced for free, or at least at very little cost. And we’re talking about quality, Lennox furnaces, Rheem, Carrier, etc.
Basically, you take advantage of the numerous credits and rebates that are floating out there right now. During the down time (the warmer months, or months just coming out of the cold season right up to the end of summer) a lot of heating contracting companies and the furnace manufacturers are int he middle of a …
Do It Yourself Projects, Featured, Home Energy Tips »
Right now your home could be losing a lot of energy. We’re not just talking about a few pennies either.
We could be talking hundreds of dollars per year. And that’s really just the average home.
The first step is to find where your home uses energy. That is where an energy audit comes in. An energy audit is really the examination of your home’s energy usage and loss. It could be loss from waste, inefficiencies, bad conservation, aging appliances, faulty insulation or building materials, wear/age of the home, etc.
When done correctly, …
Electricity, Featured »
Let’s be clear:
Even if you have a natural gas dryer, it still has an electrical cost. That is, it still uses some level of electricity to run. The heaviest electrical cost is the motor which rotates the cylinder and tumbles the clothes. Electricity in a gas powered dryer does not provide heat.
My natural gas dryer, rated at 6A @ 120VAC, in theory, consumes 720w of power.
This comes right from the label on the dryer.
Putting the electrical consumption to the test
Of course, I no longer believe labels. I want to see …
Electricity, Featured »
My recent experiment with how much energy it takes to run a microwave really had me thinking…if the label was a little off on the microwave, could the labels on other appliances be wrong as well?
No sooner than I turn around in my house from the microwave to find the coffee maker sitting right there. Of course! Coffee. I love coffee, like most other people. I run my coffee maker everyday because its far cheaper to make coffee at home than go out and buy a cup of coffee on …
Do It Yourself Projects, Featured »
If there’s one thing I’ve learned doing home energy audits, repairs, and consultations its this: you always need to have the right tools for the job. Its true in any profession, any contracting gig, or even any job. You need the tools. Tools help you develop your skills. The two, I’m convinced, go hand in hand.
So, do you have a home energy toolbox? It doesn’t have to be an actual toolbox, it could be a bag, cardboard box, or just an abstract idea and collection of tools.
Every homeowner needs an …
Do It Yourself Projects, Featured, Heating »
Summer is winding down, and the seasons aren’t the only thing in transition. Your energy bills are about to change too. For those of us with cold winters, the nights will get chilly and soon the leaves will be falling. For those in warmer climates, well, you’ll be experiencing a more pleasant transformation, where you’ll see your air conditioner usage decline and your energy bills go down somewhat dramatically.
No matter where you live, a change in season means a change in your energy usage. Since the biggest change right now …