Preparing your Home for Winter

As summer fades away and the crisp fall weather begins, it’s time to start getting your home ready for winter. If you live in an area that has harsh winters and constant snowfall, follow our guidelines for protecting your home from freezing temperatures.

Seal up your home

Start by insulating your windows and doors using weather-stripping and caulking. Place heavy curtains around your windows to keep the heat inside. Open curtains on south-facing windows during the day to capture the warmth and natural heat of the sun. You can also use clear plastic sheets over drafty windows. If your budget allows, consider replacing old windows and bringing in a professional to update your attic, crawl space and/or basement insulation. Proper insulation and new windows will help keep the heat inside, making your home more comfortable and helping to cut down your heating bills.

Ensure your heating system is working properly

Test your heater ahead of time to make sure it’s working by turning your thermostat on. Refer to the owner’s manual for maintenance requirements – you may want to schedule a general tune up before winter starts. Remember to change your filter as needed. If you do notice any issues with your heater, an American Standard Customer Care dealer can come to your home to assess your current HVAC situation.

Decide where to set thermostat

As you are preparing your home for winter, you’ll also want to determine what temperature you’ll keep your thermostat set at. Generally, you should set your thermostat as low as possible to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home, usually between 65 to 70 degrees. If you aren’t home during the day, you may be able to lower it even more. At night, you can lower your thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees and still have a comfortable sleep, though some people prefer not to lower it at night. Having a strategy in place for your thermostat will not only keep your home feeling cozy, but it can also help cut down your heating costs . If you won’t be living in the house year-round, make sure to run the water occasionally and keep the home warm enough to prevent water pipes from freezing in the colder months.

Keep an eye on heavy snowfall

When the snow begins to fall, you’ll want to take a few measures to protect your home. First, make sure you remove snow from basement stairwells, window wells and walls. This will ensure that melting snow doesn’t cause any water damage. Watch for snow accumulation on the downwind side of your roof. Consult a roof expert for a referral for safe snow removal on the roof. You should also ensure your gutters are clear of debris and your attic is well ventilated to reduce the risk of ice damage.

Save on Energy Costs

How to Conserve Energy at Home

American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning offers an array of high-performing and high-quality HVAC systems that work smarter to manage your home energy consumption and help to reduce your electric bill and natural gas, propane and oil costs. Many factors can influence the potential savings on your energy usage, including efficiency rating, lifestyle and having the right-sized system for your home.

We’ll help simplify things so you’re not overwhelmed when trying to find the HVAC system that fits your home perfectly.

• Save money, help the environment.

  American Standard's high-efficiency products can provide much-needed relief from rising utility bills and energy costs, while also helping you do something positive for your community and the environment.

• The right size means everything.

  As an American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning Dealer we will help you select a system that is the right size for you home, so you don’t end up paying to heat and cool space that isn’t there. We’ll also ensure that your HVAC system is installed properly, so you can depend on the highest efficiency possible from your system and learn how to lower your gas bill and save on heating oil, natural gas and propane.

• Commit to maintenance.

  We can perform preventative maintenance before summer and winter seasons that will extend the life of the HVAC system, improve energy efficiency, reduce pollutants and save you money.

• Replace your filter.

  A dirty furnace filter can restrict air flow and increase energy use in your home. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted can save about five percenton heating costs. To increase the efficiency of your furnace , replace or clean filters once a month during operating seasons.

• Look for the label.

  Many of American Standard's high-efficiency products meet the ENERGY STAR ® guidelines for energy efficiency. Just look for the ENERGY STAR® logo.

Zone Systems

Would you benefit from a zone system approach for heating and cooling your home? The short answer is, yes! 

There are many different variables that cause extreme hot spots and extreme cold spots within your home. It may just be that the sun hits a specific room most of the day. Either way, since zone systems were introduced into the HVAC world, that’s no longer an issue. Dampers are installed within your duct work strategically to shift the flow of air.

American Standard has brought Acculink™ Zoning system to life. This system allows you to control the zones from any web enabled device. It even allows you to control the temperature for each specific zone.

Comfort Tailored to every room in your home.

When your system is installed, your home is divided into different areas or “zones,” each monitored by a sensor in constant contact with the Platinum ZV Control. When the system detects a temperature variance in a particular zone, it can direct heated or cooled air to that specific zone using carefully controlled modulating dampers in your ductwork. As a result, you get perfectly heated and cooled air wherever it’s needed, along with the ability to adjust temperatures in different zones. So rooms that receive more sunlight won’t have to be hotter than rooms that don’t, and every bedroom gets a warm and cozy winter.

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Traditional Water Heater vrs Tankless Water Heater - which is right for you?

A Traditional Water Heater stores and preheats 30-50 gallons of water in a tank. That preheated water is used whenever someone showers, does the laundry or washes dishes. The tank then refills to be reheated once again.

A Tankless Water Heater uses a heat source (electric or gas) to warm up cool water on-demand whenever you need it rather than storing hot water in a tank.


Pros and cons of traditional water heaters

Pros:

• Lower initial cost - A traditional water heater installation can be half as much as a tankless water heater.
• Easy and inexpensive to replace - Less installation complications means that there’s less that can go wrong.

Cons:

• Higher utility bill - They heat and reheat water at a pre-set temperature regardless of your water needs. This increases your utility bill—especially during the winter.
• Bigger and harder to place - They occupy more room and can’t be placed outside.
• Can run out of hot water - Ever been the last in your family to get the shower? It’s a chilling experience. This problem can be avoided by purchasing a larger tank (although that will be more in energy costs, as well.)
• Shorter life - Lasts 10-15 years. This means there’s more turnover and therefore you have to buy them twice as often as a tankless water heater.

Pros and cons of tankless water heaters

Pros:

• Saves money in the long run - According to Energy.gov, “For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, demand (or tankless) water heaters can be 24%–34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters.”
• Doesn't take up much space - They are small and can be installed in more places—even outside on a wall.
• Lives longer - Lasts 20+ years. Almost double a traditional water heater’s life.
• Delivers hot water on demand - Provides two to three gallons of hot water per minute on demand.

Cons:

• Higher initial cost - Costs $2800 to $4500 installed (depends on the model and who you get it from).
• Retrofitting adds to upfront cost - Replacing a traditional water heater with a tankless system is more complicated. So that increases the installation cost even further.

Which water heater should I choose?
Pick the water heater that best fits your water usage, lifestyle situation, and budget.

According to Energy.gov, an Energy Star tankless water heaters can save you about $100 annually.

So if you can handle the high initial costs, you can save more money in the long run by switching to tankless. Tankless can also be a good choice for large families because you have more people consistently using more hot water.

However, a traditional water heater may make more sense if you are on a limited income and need a quick replacement.

If you have any questions, please give us a call - 208-246-9716.

How To Improve Indoor Air Quality

Indoor pollutants can enter your home in a variety of ways. While typical house dust is common, cleaning products, new furniture, and visitors can all bring in pollutants that decrease your home’s air quality. Mold, dust mites, and pet dander can also become irritating. This can make you and your family sick or even cause serious health problems.

Removing pesky allergens from your home doesn’t need to be difficult. Here are five steps you can take to eliminate indoor pollution and improve your home’s air quality. 

1. KEEP YOUR FLOORS CLEAN 

Dust, debris, and other allergens can accumulate on your floors. With family members and guests coming in and out of your home, dirt, pet dander and dust can build up. If your floors are not regularly cleaned, those pollutants can fly into the air as your family moves about.

Keeping your floors clean can help eliminate the amount of dust in your home. Vacuum or mop regularly, particularly in high traffic areas. Do what you can to eliminate the amount of dirt or dust that is brought into your home. Ask guests to take their shoes off and leave them at the door.

2. CONTROL YOUR HUMIDITY

Allergens like mold and dust mites are attracted to moisture. The more humidity in your home, the more mold and mites can grow. Keeping the humidity within your home between 30-50% can prevent allergens from growing. 

A dehumidifier is a great way to control the humidity in your home. In the summer, a properly designed air conditioning system can also reduce humidity as well as properly ventilating when showering, running the dishwasher, or using the clothes dryer. 

3. USE NATURAL CLEANING PRODUCTS 

Chemicals in cleaning products can add pollutants into your home's indoor air. While products like bleach or strong citrus scents may make your home feel clean, breathing in fumes from strong cleaning products can be incredibly harmful. 

Instead, opt for natural cleaning products without harsh chemicals. Not only is this better for your family and the environment, but they can also maintain the air quality within your home. Avoid using plug-in air fresheners and aerosol sprays around your home as much as possible. 

4. CREATE A NO-SMOKING ZONE 

Cigarette smoke contains numerous chemicals that can cause infections, illness, and breathing problems. When you exhale cigarette smoke into your home, it lingers in the air and can make breathing for you and your family uncomfortable and even difficult. 

Eliminating cigarette smoke from your home can dramatically increase the air quality indoors. Choosing to smoke outside, or requesting that your guests go outside to smoke, can help keep your indoor air quality at its best. 

5. CHANGE HVAC FILTERS REGULARLY

Your HVAC's air filters help prevent pesky allergens and dust from spreading throughout your home. Changing your filters regularly can dramatically improve your indoor air quality. If they are not changed regularly, air filters can become clogged. Not only does this push your HVAC system to work harder, increasing the strain on your equipment as well as your energy bills, but it also prevents your filter from effectively removing dirt, debris, and dust from the air within your home. Typically your standard air filter should be changed about every 90 days.

 For homes with family members particularly susceptible to allergies or with multiple pets, changing your standard filter about once a month is recommended. Air purification systems can also help to vastly improve your indoor air quality with the use of UV light to detoxify the air in your home and high efficiency filters which trap much smaller particles than standard filters. Combined they combat particles, bio-aerosols, microorganisms, odors and chemical vapors.