Category: heating

  1. Home
  2. heating

Look Out for those High Utility Bills This Winter

heating

Well, if you are like me, you cannot believe our heating bills are this high this year. We bought a new home in March of last year. We of course had everything inspected, including the HVAC system. Actually 2 of the 3 HVAC units in our new home were fairly new, one compressor installed in 2019 and another in 2020. We still have one of the original units from when the home was built in 1997.

Everything was going well through the extremely hot summer we had as it related to our utility bills. But all of a sudden, our January and February bill jumped completely off the charts. I thought maybe January was so high because our large family came to stay with us during the Christmas holidays. But when I received the February bill for usage in January, I immediately called the utility company to see what was going on.

First of all, I did not realize it cost more to heat your home than to cool it. Next the home we came from, which we had lived in for 22 years, was heated with a gas furnace and when we purchased a new unit in 2020, we put in a combo heat pump and furnace unit. So our heating bills were not high.

I assumed since we had 2 new units installed at our new home in 2019 and 2020, that since they had no furnaces that both units were heat pumps. Well to my surprise, this was not true. The previous owners put in the same cheaper units as they had previously, which were heated with heat strips.

So, the morale of this true story is before buying a home regardless of the year the compressors were put in or replaced, you need to be ensured they are heat pumps or a gas furnace heating systems being used. Using a Heat Strip heating system can run your utility bill off the charts.

When you are looking for maintenance, repairs, or inspection, I recommend Action Heating and Air Conditioning in Semmes, Alabama.

 Action Heating and Air Conditioning offer an affordable maintenance program to fit your needs and budget. Their technicians have been thoroughly trained to perform the needed services to ensure your HVAC system is ready for whatever winters we may have.

They have been serving the Mobile, Semmes, Theodore, Daphne, Fairhope, Silverhill, Foley, Robertsdale, Loxley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and surrounding areas in South Alabama since 1997. They are in their second generation of ownership with trained technicians that are always friendly and courteous. Please call them at 251 272-5900 if they can help you with any of HVAC system needs. Also, you can check out their website at https://www.callaction.net to learn about them and all the services they offer as well as some informative blogs that you may find interesting.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Humidity in the Winter

humidity

How do I Control the Humidity in My Home This Winter? Humidity could be a problem in your home during the winter months. Below are some tips that can help you control this.

  • By raising the temperature in your home, you can decrease relative humidity. The downside to this is the cost of extra energy.
  • Opening the blinds and the curtains can help let out some air that may be moisture laden.
  • Turn on your exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms to help eliminate moisture. Leaving them on for a little extra time will help.
  • Your celling fans can also help with moisture by keeping the air circulating.
  • May sure that all your appliances have the proper ventilation where needed.
  • Regulate your level of humidity percentage in your home.
  • Fix any leaks that may be causing water to get into your home that can create a moisture problem.
  • If you have a crawl space putting a vapor barrier can help prevent moisture from coming from the ground.

Humidifiers can help but can have some negative effects as well. They need to be cleaned regularly to avoid problems that can occur. Too much humidified air can cause an excess of humidity.

Here in South Alabama, it is good to keep your level of humidity between 40 and 60 percent year-round, this will ensure that you have no moisture issues in your home and under your home if you have a subfloor. This will help avoid any condensation issues.

We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning hope this information was helpful as you deal with humidity this winter.

We have been serving the Mobile, Semmes, Theodore, Daphne, Fairhope, Silverhill, Foley, Robertsdale, Loxley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and surrounding areas in South Alabama since 1997. We are in our second generation of ownership with trained technicians that are always friendly and courteous. Please call us at 251 272-5900 if we can help you with any HVAC system needs. Also, you can check out our website at https://www.callaction.net to learn about us and all the services we offer as well as some informative blogs that you may find interesting.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

My Central Heating Will Not Come On?

heating system

When winter gets here and our central heating system doesn’t heat up your home, what do you do? Well before you panic and call an HVAC system technician, there are a few things you need to check. You may still need a professional after checking but it may save you some money by checking these areas first.

Here is the list:

  • Check Out Your Thermostat

Regardless of what type of thermostat you have, it may require something done when moving from hot weather to cold weather. First make sure it is set to heat. Then turn the temperature up some and see if the heat kicks on. If this doesn’t work, you will need to move to the next step.

  • Check Your Air Filters

You should check these filters regularly. If your filters are dirty your air flow may be restricted, therefore creating a problem for your heat to work properly. May sure that there is nothing too close to your registers or vents that may create blockage of air.

  • Check your Power Source

For instance, does your heating system work off natural gas, is your pilot light lit? Is your gas control valve turned to the on position? On a unit that works off electricity, be sure your circuit breaker is on.

If all this is fine, the next thing to do is check your condensation pan. If it is full of water, you need to drain it and make sure it is not clogged. Your unit may have an automatic cut off if this pan is full to ensure that it does not overflow and cause damage to your walls or floors.

  • Check Your Motor

If the motor of your heating system is overloaded your system will shut down. This can happen because of dirt. Turn the system off and wait a while for it to cool down. You can try this a couple of times. If it doesn’t work, you will need a professional to check it out. On a furnace system you need to check the blower compartment, if the light is flashing red or not at all you will need this inspected.  

With all this checked out and your heating system is still not coming on, then it is time to call a professional.

We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning have been serving the Mobile, Semmes, Theodore, Daphne, Fairhope, Silverhill, Foley, Robertsdale, Loxley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and surrounding areas in South Alabama since 1997. We are in our second generation of ownership with trained technicians that are always friendly and courteous. Please call us at 251 272-5900 if we can help you with any of HVAC system needs. Also, you can check out our website at https://www.callaction.net to learn about us and all the services we offer as well as some informative blogs that you may find interesting.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Heating Your Home This Winter

heating

There are several things that you need to consider when efficiently heating your home. We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning would like to share some information with you as winter approaches. We always hope for a mild winter but as always it is too early to make that call.

Here are some things you should consider when looking to efficiently heat your home.

  • If you are considering a new heating system, you should investigate a heat pump system. In the South, where we live, a heat pump system can effectively heat your home using electricity more economically than a furnace heating system. An air source heat pump system is an efficient heating system with low maintenance costs, and it should last a long time.
  • Use a smart thermostat. Program it to turn down or off when you are away from home. Also program it to reduce the heat when you are warm under the covers when sleeping.
  • Look at zoning your system if possible so that it only heats the rooms that you are using versus every room in your home.
  • Check your insulation. Insulation is important to help reduce the amount of heat you can lose.
  • Timers are another option that you can use to turn off the heat when you are away and turn it on and up shortly before you return so that you walk into a warm home. Timers can be used similarly when you go to sleep and rise in the morning.

We hope these tips were helpful. We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning have been serving the Mobile, Semmes, Theodore, Daphne, Fairhope, Silverhill, Foley, Robertsdale, Loxley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and surrounding areas in South Alabama since 1997. We are in our second generation of ownership with trained technicians that are always friendly and courteous. Please call us at 251 272-5900 if we can help you with any of HVAC system needs. Also, you can check out our website at https://www.callaction.net to learn about us and all the services we offer as well as some informative blogs that you may find interesting,   Our technicians have been thoroughly trained to perform the needed services to ensure your HVAC system is ready for whatever winter we will have this year.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Action Heating and Air Conditioning.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Cool Weather Is Here- My Heating System?

heating system

Cool Weather is Here- My Heating System? Well, we suddenly have gone from scorching hot weather to real fall weather which in South Alabama has not been seen in many years. The big question is will we really have a true winter in 2023-2024. Some people say we will have the coldest winter in years, it is still questionable.

So just to be safe, it would be a good idea to be prepared. In being prepared for winter your central heating system is a major component of being ready. So how do you ensure that our heating system is prepared for the winter ahead?

  • Check your outside coils. This should be done every 6 months. If your coils are not clean, the system will not absorb the heat from the atmosphere.
  • Always check your air filters every month to ensure they do not need to be changed. Being changed regularly if needed helps with the air flow through your system.

Some people think regular maintenance by a professional HVAC technician is over kill, but I will assure you that with regular maintenance the changes of your system failing is less likely.

We at Action Heating and Air Conditioning offer an affordable maintenance program to fit your needs and budget. Our technicians have been thoroughly trained to perform the needed services to ensure your HVAC system is ready for whatever winter we will have this year.

We have been serving the Mobile, Semmes, Theodore, Daphne, Fairhope, Silverhill, Foley, Robertsdale, Loxley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and surrounding areas in South Alabama since 1997. We are in our second generation of ownership with well-trained technicians that are always friendly and courteous. Please call us at 251 272-5900 if we can help you with any HVAC system needs. Also, you can check out our website at https://www.callaction.net to learn about us and all the services we offer as well as some informative blogs that you may find interesting.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

© 2019 Action Heating and Air Conditioning. All Rights Reserved.