Author: Hector Waldo

Energy Usage in Your Home

Written by Hector Waldo on October 18, 2022. Posted in Blog, Featured, Reduce Utility Bills.

Typical homes contain dozens if not hundreds of energy-consuming parts. Heating and cooling systems, light bulbs, refrigerators, coffee makers, vacuums, and many more items in your home depend on electrical energy to operate. Let’s take a look at the energy users and learn more about which consume the most electrical power.

Heating and Cooling Systems

It is very likely that your HVAC system is the largest energy user. Even if you heat your home with natural gas, bottled gas or oil, the heated air does not circulate around your home without a blower that is powered by an electric motor. Ceiling fans are great to keep warm air circulating; ceiling fans are powered by electric motors.

Conventional air conditioners are big users of electrical energy. Electrical-powered compressors generate cool air and electric motor-powered blowers circulate the cool air. Heat pumps and geothermal systems are highly efficient for heating and cooling. They use the natural heat in the air and underground to heat and cool your home. But they require electric motors to pump and circulate the air and coolant that heat and cool the home.

In most homes, the heating and cooling systems are the largest user of electrical power. These systems typically account for nearly 50% of your total energy usage. Your toaster oven and hair dryer may be energy hogs, but they only get used occasionally. Your heating and cooling system operates nearly year round and nearly 24 hours every day.

Refrigerators and Freezers

Refrigerators and freezers are appliances that also require electrical power 24/7/365. Modern refrigerators are well insulated and well-sealed, making them highly efficient. A full freezer with solidly frozen food and a good seal is especially efficient. The frozen foods themselves keep the temperature low with the compressor motor seldom needing to run. Less than 5% of total home electrical usage should be attributed to refrigerators and freezers.

Water Heater

A conventional tank-type water heater requires 10-12% of energy usage. Gas-burning water heaters use much less electrical power, but gas is still part of home energy costs. The greatest inefficiency in a tank-type water heater is they keep water hot 24/7/365—all day, all night and all through your out-of-town vacation. A tankless water heater only heats water as you use it, making it significantly more efficient. The energy savings is not enough to justify replacing a working tank-type water heater, but when the tank needs to be replaced, it is a good idea to consider tankless.

Washer and Dryer

Laundry machines are big electrical users, using as much as 12-15% of total electrical usage. Power usage can vary significantly depending on the number of loads to be washed and dried. Newer machines with larger capacities make it possible to wash fewer loads with improved operational efficiency.

Lights and Other Appliances

Light bulbs, microwave ovens, computers, televisions, phone chargers, coffee makers, cooling fans, power tools, and all other small appliances account for the balance of home electrical usage. Most of these items are only used occasionally, while some are on 24/7/365. Think of the little lights in your doorbell button, your coffee maker, and charging station that indicate power is on.

Make a count of all of the items in your home that require electricity. Don’t be surprised if there are over 100 light bulbs and at least 50 small electric-powered devices. Individually, they don’t consume much electricity, but collectively they can account for nearly a quarter of total usage.

Look for efficiencies in all areas. Look to your heating and cooling system for the biggest efficiency improvement. Keep your home a little cooler in winter and a little warmer in summer. Keep your heating and cooling system in good working condition, and get it tuned up every year. When it comes time for a replacement, purchase a high-efficiency system from Semper Fi Heating & Cooling. We also offer professional and expert solutions for water heaters, water softeners, and attic insulation projects.

In the Air That You Breathe

Written by Hector Waldo on October 17, 2022. Posted in Air Duct Cleaning, Featured.

It’s widely accepted that the indoor air in your home is as much as five times more polluted than clean, outside air. What pollutants are found in indoor air, where do they come from, and most importantly– how can you reduce or eliminate them?

Central Air Circulation

By design, central heating and air conditioning circulates the same air over and over inside of your home. Air is drawn into the cool air vents of your HVAC system, then the same cool air is heated or cooled depending on the season and pushed back out through your heating and cooling vents. The same air is circulated over and over. Unless some fresh, outside air is drawn into your home, the same dirty air continues to circulate over and over.

Dust and Pollen

It is no secret that dust accumulates in your home. If you don’t dust your solid surfaces occasionally, your home will definitely fail the white glove test. The dust doesn’t just settle on your floors, tabletops and bookcases; it also settles on your furniture, carpets, and curtains. The dust gets in from outside when your windows are open, when your pets come inside, and from your shoes and clothes. Seasonal pollen is usually included with the outside air duct, making its way inside. If anyone in your family is susceptible to allergies, they know when the pollen level is high.

With no fresh air, the same dirty air just keeps circulating and getting more concentrated, but fresh outside air introduces even more dust and pollen. There are solutions. The air filter in your central air system is the number one solution to improving indoor air quality. What is the best way to improve the purity of the air in your home? Use a good filter and change it often. Regular dusting and vacuuming will significantly improve your indoor air too.

Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Sanitizing Products

There is irony in that the products we use to clean, disinfect, and sanitize our home removes grime from surfaces but leaves volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air we breathe. Some of the products that release VOCs include furniture polish, dishwasher and laundry detergent, oven cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, bleach, air fresheners, hair spray, and other personal care products.

Formaldehyde is a harsh human respiratory system irritant. Unfortunately, formaldehyde is present in most homes because it is found in building materials. There is no safe level of formaldehyde exposure, exposure should be reduced as much as possible.

Mold is a VOC that can cause health problems. It can grow in areas where there is excessive moisture. In your home, mold might be found in leaking pipes, roof and window leaks, and areas that have been flooded. An air conditioner or dehumidifier will help keep your humidity level low and reduce the risk of mold growth.

The VOCs can be removed with activated carbon air purifiers. The professional technicians at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling can install a REMO HALO air purifier in your ductwork that will capture the VOCs. Over years, your air ducts collect dust and dirt. Semper Fi can clean and seal your air ducts.

Should You Replace Both the Inside and Outside Parts of Your Air Conditioner at the Same Time?

Written by Hector Waldo on October 6, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Air Conditioning Repair, Air Conditioning Replacement.

Summer is winding down, and you may be hoping that your old air conditioner will keep working until cooler weather arrives. Even if your air conditioner is not cooling your home the way it should, waiting for cooler weather might work out, or it might not. One thing you can be certain of is that your air conditioner problems are not going to fix themselves over the winter. Waiting and hoping is not a good strategy.

Call the experts at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling to assess the problem. A minor repair might be all it takes to keep your air conditioner working well into the future. Fail to make the minor repair, and your air conditioner might not make it through the rest of summer and fall. The technicians will do everything they can to keep your system working, but sometimes replacement is more practical than repair. You may need to decide if an expensive repair on a system with significantly limited life expectancy is a good decision.

Inside, Outside, or Both

When you make the decision to replace your air conditioner, you have a second decision to make. The outside unit of your air conditioner, also called the condenser unit, is the most likely to be the first major repair to cause you to consider a replacement. The inside unit needs service and occasional repairs but generally is less expensive. If the compressor goes out on your outside unit, the cost of replacement is substantial. Should you replace the outside unit only or both inside and outside units?

Why You Should Consider Replacing Both

Newer systems are more energy efficient. If you replace both units, you can expect that your new air conditioner will save you money through lower utility bills in the future.
You will have a multi-year warranty on your new air conditioner. Your system will still need preventative maintenance and possibly some minor repairs, but the expensive parts will be covered by the warranty.
Replacing both inside and outside units at once is significantly less expensive than replacing outside now and inside a few years in the future.
Older air conditioners often contain older refrigerants, the kind that harm the atmosphere when released and possibly cause refrigerant poisoning if they leak. Newer refrigerants are better and significantly less harmful to the environment.
If you replace both inside and outside units at the same time, all of the components of the system are sure to be compatible. If you replace the outside unit this year and the inside unit in five years, you may end up with a system that is not perfectly compatible. An incompatible system may not cool as well as it should and may cost more to operate.

The one or both decision is much like a decision you may have faced with your car. It is expensive to replace the engine, and if you do, you have a car with a great new engine but concern about other car parts breaking down. Replace both inside and outside, and you have a new car.

Call the experts at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling at 480-616-3636 and make an appointment to discuss the options for air conditioner replacement or repair.

Finding and Fixing a Refrigerant Leak in Your Air Conditioner

Written by Hector Waldo on September 27, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Air Conditioning Repair.

Water is a chemical compound that has the ability to change form. At low temperatures it is ice, at mid-range it is liquid, and at high temperatures it is steam. There is a different form-changing class of chemical compounds in air conditioning systems generally referred to as refrigerant. Refrigerant changes from liquid to gas and back, as it is used to cool the air in your home.

Without refrigerant, your air conditioner cannot cool the air. Not only do you need refrigerant, but within a fairly narrow range you need the right amount of refrigerant under the right amount of pressure. Your air conditioner does not consume refrigerant; it circulates the same refrigerant over and over.

Sometimes the pipes that contain the refrigerant in your air conditioning system develop leaks. In the normal course of operation, an air conditioning system can lose a small amount of refrigerant. Your HVAC technician may recommend a “top-up” of the refrigerant levels on your system as part of routine maintenance.

The Basics About Air Conditioning

The concept is simple: collect heat and take it outside, produce cool air and bring it inside, then distribute the cooled air around the inside. The actual work is a little more complicated. Heat from inside is collected from the air intake ducts throughout your home. The heat is absorbed by the refrigerant and moved outside where it is compressed, causing it to cool. Heat is discharged outside and the cooled air travels back inside where it is distributed and picks up more heat to keep the cycle going over and over.

Stand next to the outside unit and you will feel the heat being distributed outside. Stand in front of a cool air outlet inside and you will feel the cooler air coming out. Heat discharges outside, cool air is distributed inside, and the cycle is repeated over and over again.

Finding the Leak

If there is a significant refrigerant leak in your air conditioning system, you may notice symptoms like the following:

Ice buildup on the coils
Cool air coming into your home is not as cool as it should be
System running longer while the time between cycles is less
Puddles of liquid by your outside unit
Utility bills going up because your system is running longer
Unusual sounds (listen for a bubbling sound)
If the leak is bad enough, your air conditioner will stop cooling entirely

An air conditioner service technician has the skills and tools to measure refrigerant levels and determine if the refrigerant is so low that it is causing your system to not operate as it should.

Fixing the Leak

A big part of fixing the refrigerant level is finding the leak. The first place a technician will look is the coils; small cracks in the coils can cause slow leaks. Repairing a refrigerant leak is usually not a do-it-yourself task – call an expert technician. Technicians have specialized tools to find and repair leaks. Small cracks can be patched; multiple cracks and other signs of advanced wear might mean that new coils are needed.

Failure to repair a refrigerant leak can cause big damage to other parts of your air conditioning system. A refrigerant leak serious enough to develop obvious symptoms is in need of prompt attention.

The service technicians at Semper Fi can help you understand your options for repairs. They are dedicated to helping you get as much life out of your older system as practically possible and offer competitive, cost-effective system replacement options as needed.

Call Semper Fi at 480-616-3636 to make an appointment for a technician to check your system’s refrigerant level and add whatever is needed to get your system back to working like new at full efficiency.

Signs That a Heat Pump Needs to Be Replaced

Written by Hector Waldo on September 13, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Blog.

Heating and cooling systems are complex mechanical/electrical systems. They work hard with repeated cycles day and night year-round to keep your home warm and cool. Conventional central furnace and air conditioning systems typically have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years. Heat pumps tend to have a longer life expectancy of 15 to 20 years. A few years before your heat pump needs to be replaced, you may start to see signs that it is not operating at peak efficiency. You may experience warm and cool areas within your home, or it may just take longer for it to get to the temperature you have it set for.

Repair Frequency

Initially, HVAC technicians can make repairs to get your heat pump back into good condition. Occasional repairs can be expected at any time. If your heat pump is more than 12 years old and the repair frequency begins to occur more often, you could be seeing signs that a replacement is going to be needed in the next few years. You may find that more and more worn-out parts need to be replaced. When the cost of repairs add up to half the cost of a replacement, then it is time to look seriously at replacement.

Run Cycles

Normally, your system should cycle as your thermostat tells it to turn on and off. If it is staying on longer than usual or running constantly, there is a problem. It is time to call a service technician to diagnose and repair the problem. It is possible that you have a thermostat problem, and your thermostat can be repaired or replaced. It is also possible that you have a heat pump problem that needs attention. It could be an early sign that a replacement will be needed soon.

Air Quality

Stale air and humidity are also signs of a malfunctioning heat pump. If you notice a difference in your interior air quality, your heat pump should be inspected. A heat pump that is nearing its life expectancy can cause changes in air quality.

Other Signs

Low coolant is a likely sign that there is a coolant leak that needs to be repaired. If you find that your heat pump is no longer keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer, it is probably approaching replacement time. Rising energy bills when there has not been a rate increase is a sure sign that your heat pump is becoming less energy efficient. You should seriously consider getting your heat pump replaced in order to lower your energy bills.

Are you hearing noises from your heat pump that weren’t there before—especially grinding and banging? Then, it is time to get it inspected and get a service technician’s opinion if a replacement is needed. A carbon monoxide leak is a serious potential health problem for your entire family. If your heat pump has a carbon monoxide leak, it is definitely time to make arrangements for replacement without delay.

Call Semper Fi Heating & Cooling

The professional technicians at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling have extensive experience with servicing and installing heat pumps in Mesa and the entire Phoenix metro area. They can inspect, diagnose and repair problems. They can give good advice if your heat pump has reached the point where it needs to be replaced. At Semper Fi Heating & Cooling, we also offer fast and affordable solutions for plumbing emergencies.

Why Is No Warm or Cold Air Coming Out of Some of My Vents?

Written by Hector Waldo on September 6, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Blog.

If the vent is open, and if it is properly connected to the ductwork, then the problem is probably an air intake vent. The fundamental principle of a central heating and air conditioning system is that room air is drawn into ducts where it moves to a central unit for heating and cooling. Then, it’s blown out other ducts and into your home from the air supply vents as warm or cool air. Eventually, the air is drawn back into the intake vents and the circulation cycle continues over and over. Along the way, the circulating air provides other benefits.

Filter Pollutants

As room air makes its way through air intake, ducts, heating or cooling, supply ducts and out the supply vents, it passes through a filter. The filter is your first defense in keeping harmful particles out of the air that you breathe.

There are other systems that can be installed to kill the germs that are circulating in your indoor air. The REME HALO is a highly recommended air purification system that you can install in ductwork, but it is not a replacement for the air filter. For clean air, there is no replacement for heating and cooling system air filters. Use a good filter and change it often. Once or twice a year is not enough. Use good filters, buy them in bulk, and change them frequently. The cleaner the filter, the cleaner the air in your home.

Maintain Air Pressure

Your HVAC heating and cooling system is a recirculating system. When warm or cool air comes out of the supply vents, an equal amount of air must go into the intake vents. Your home has been engineered for balanced airflow. If the intake vents are blocked or otherwise inadequate to balance the supply vents, the system will not work properly or efficiently. The heating and cooling system of your home demands balanced airflow. You may find that some are not heating and cooling as well as others.

If intake vents are blocked, your system still attempts to blow the same amount of air out of the supply vents. Pressure in the ducts will increase, causing the blower to work harder, which will increase your utility bills. Additionally, the pressure will cause ducts to leak, which will increase costs even more. Increased wear on your blower will eventually reduce the lifespan of your system.

It is important that you do not put furniture in front of air intake vents. Do not put rugs over them; do not close or obstruct them in any way. Nothing comes out of intake vents, but it is very important that unobstructed air be able to go into them.

Contact Semper Fi Heating & Cooling

With the high temperatures in Arizona, it is important that your heating and cooling system perform as it has been engineered to operate. Remember, change your filters often and do not obstruct your air intake vents. If you have questions about the operation of your system, get in touch with the expert technicians at Semper Fi.

Keeping Your Air Conditioner Operating Better and Longer

Written by Hector Waldo on August 23, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Blog.

Lifespan of an Air Conditioner

Your air conditioning system is one of the bigger investments you make for your home. Like other equipment you purchase, your air conditioner will eventually wear out. Questions we often hear are, “How many years should an air conditioner last before needing to be replaced? How do I get a longer life out of my air conditioner?” There are no universal guidelines. We have serviced units that are 25 years old and replaced units that are 10 years old.

Lifespan/Location

The long and scorching hot summers in Arizona mean that air conditioners work hard day and night for many months every year. Air conditioning systems in Arizona are generally on the shorter side of lifespans than they are in cooler climates. A lifespan of 10 to 12 years is about average for Arizona.

An air conditioner that has been well serviced on a regular schedule will last longer than an infrequently serviced system. Poor maintenance like not changing the filter often and not having routine tune-ups can cut the life of your air conditioner in half. If you are diligent about tune-ups ad preventive maintenance, you could increase the life of your system to double the average. A 20-year-plus lifespan for a well-maintained system is possible even in Arizona.

What YOU Can Do to Extend the Life of YOUR Air Conditioner

Change the Filter

The simplest, easiest and most important thing you can do is to change the filter often. The filter keeps dirt and grime out of your air conditioner as well as out of the home air that you breathe. A dirty filter will impede the airflow into your air conditioner, causing it to overheat. Dirty air can also cause electrical problems. Changing the filter is simple and easy, and it will reduce repair requirements and add extra life to your entire system.

Keep YOUR Condenser Clean

The condenser is the outside unit of your air conditioning system. Being outside, the condenser is exposed to the weather year-round. Leaves, grass, bushes and debris can block the clean airflow into your condenser unit. Keep the area around your condenser clean and give your entire system years of additional life.

Install a Smart Thermostat

Cooling your house when no one is home is a waste of energy and a missed opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a high-efficiency air conditioning system. A smart thermostat can adapt to your lifestyle, keep you comfortable when you are home, and extend the life of your air conditioning system.

Professional Tune-Up

The professional technicians at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling will perform a 29-point professional tune-up that includes a complete unit inspection, light coil cleaning and a written report of findings. If repairs are needed, have them done immediately. Your investment in time, attention and professional repairs will significantly extend the life of your air conditioning system while keeping your home cool and energy efficient for many years.

All About Short Cycling

Written by Hector Waldo on August 23, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Air Conditioning Repair, Blog.

If your heating and cooling system is less than 15 years old, it is very likely that you have a high-efficiency air conditioner. As an Arizona resident, you know that even with a high-efficiency system your monthly electrical charge for air conditioning can be substantial. If your monthly electrical bill is higher than you expected, your air conditioner may not be operating as efficiently as it should. It may be something you can fix yourself, or it may be time to call a heating and cooling expert.

What Is Short Cycling?

Even on the hottest days, air conditioners do not run continuously. They operate in cycles. The cycle starts when your thermostat senses that room temperature has reached the maximum temperature setting. You hear the air conditioner turn on and begin circulating cooler air inside your home. The cycle ends when the inside temperature has been reduced by a few degrees and the air conditioner turns off and waits for the temperature to rise again before starting another cycle.

All air conditioning systems and homes are different, but the cooling cycle typically lasts for 15 to 20 minutes. If the cycle time on your system is significantly lower than that, you may be experiencing short cycling.

What Causes Short Cycling?

Following the repair technician’s No. 1 rule, always check the simplest and easiest item to fix first: the air filter. A dirty filter can prevent fresh air from getting into the system, causing it to overheat and shut down. If you are experiencing short cycles, check the filter first. If replacing the filter does not eliminate the short cycling, it is time to move to the next easiest solution: checking the outside air conditioning unit to see if it is frozen. Dirty filters or other mechanical problems can cause outside units to freeze. If frozen, turn the air conditioner off and give it time to thaw.

Another cause of short cycling could be if your system is low on refrigerant. A service technician can check and add refrigerant if necessary. If refrigerant was low, there may be a leak, and a technician can repair that as well. Was your air conditioner replaced in the winter? Cold weather makes it difficult to determine the amount of refrigerant needed. The problem may be easy for a technician to repair.

Loose or corroded electrical connections can also cause short cycling. Call an HVAC technician. If your system is oversized for your home, there is a significant risk that short cycles will develop. Energy efficiency is maximized when the unit is properly sized for the home. Too big or too small of a system will cause operational problems and reduce efficiency.

If you are experiencing short cycling, your air conditioner is not operating at peak efficiency. If your filters have been replaced and short cycling continues, check for a frozen outside unit. If you allow the frozen unit to thaw and it freezes again, then it is time to call a technician. The technicians at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling are highly qualified experts at diagnosing the problem and getting your system back to peak efficiency.

The Most Dangerous Weather Event

Written by Hector Waldo on August 9, 2022. Posted in Blog, Featured.

What is the most dangerous weather event in the U.S. in terms of human deaths? It isn’t hurricanes, tornados or floods, although they cause massive property damage. It isn’t blizzards, snowstorms, freezing temperatures or ice storms. Lightning strikes and forest fires are horrific, but not the leading cause of deaths.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 700 people die from extreme heat in the United States every year. That makes heat the leading cause of weather-related deaths. Extreme temperatures are also responsible for heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion. On a secondary level, people with heart disease and high blood pressure are at greater risk of serious health issues during extreme heat.

Semper Fi Heating & Cooling considers it a true emergency when an air conditioning system stops working during a heat emergency. We dispatch our technicians to get cooling systems working as soon as possible. Proactively, we offer air conditioning system tune-ups for the extremely low price of $17.75 to prevent whole system failures when it gets hot. Beyond keeping your air conditioner functioning when you need it more, there are other steps you can take to assure your health and safety.

Air Circulation

Use fans to mix and move air around your home. Ceiling fans are a great way to move internal air. Box fans, tower fans, personal tabletop fans, or any kind of fan will keep air moving, and moving air feels cooler than still air. Why does the same air feel cooler because it is moving? It is because it actually does keep you cooler.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking water is a good health practice year-round, no matter the temperature. In extreme heat, staying well hydrated is even more important. When our bodies get too hot, they vent water in the form of perspiration. Perspiration cools our bodies, and it evaporates faster when there is moving air. Drink more water on a hot day and you will perspire more.

When you stop perspiring, you are dehydrated and showing an early warning sign for heat stroke. If you are perspiring, drink more water. If you are being active outside on a very hot day and are drenched with sweat, your body is responding as it should; keep drinking water. Cold water is one of the greatest defenses against overheating.

Plan for the Heat

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers several suggestions to prevent overheating:

Stay indoors with air conditioning as much as possible.
Plan outdoor activities early or late when the weather is cooler.
Take cool showers to cool down.
Never leave children or pets in a car.
Wear light and loose clothing.
Pay attention to weather reports and heat warnings.

At Semper Fi, we know that keeping your air conditioning running at maximum output is an absolute necessity in the hottest months, so we respond to calls quickly. However, on some days, it is nearly impossible to keep up with the calls. The best option is to have your air conditioner inspected, repaired or replaced in cooler months so you are ready for the heat. But when the unexpected does happen and your air conditioner stops cooling your home on the hottest days, call us at 408-616-3636. Keeping you cool is always a priority for us.

Improving the Energy Efficiency of Your Home

Written by Hector Waldo on August 2, 2022. Posted in Air Conditioner Troubleshooting, Blog, Featured.

Have you received record-high utility bills? Are you setting new records for energy costs every month? Are you looking for ways to reduce your utility costs? Take a look at the appliances and equipment in your home and get an understanding of how much each of them contributes to your overall utility costs.

Heating and Cooling Systems

In almost all homes, heating and cooling systems are the biggest users of electrical power. The motor that powers the fan that moves warm and cool air through your ducts and all through your home works day and night year-round. In warm months, the motor in the outside unit of your air conditioner also runs day and night.

By some estimates, nearly half of your home’s electrical usage goes to power your heating and cooling systems. Being the biggest user of electrical power, your heating and cooling system offers the biggest opportunity for significant savings. Newer systems are significantly more energy efficient than older systems. If you have a system that is more than 10 years old and is requiring annual repairs, it may be time to consider a replacement.

If your heating and cooling system is not keeping your home temperatures at a comfortable level, it is undersized or in need of repair. A heating and cooling system that is properly tuned will operate more efficiently. Supplemental heating and cooling appliances are often expensive to operate and a sign that your central system is not performing as it should.

Water Heaters

While much less expensive to operate than a heating and cooling system, a water heater is still a major contributor to your utility costs. Like other equipment, newer models are more energy efficient. If your water heater needs to be replaced, energy savings will help offset the cost. However, the energy savings with a new water heater is not enough to rush the purchase before a replacement is truly needed. Turning down the temperature of the hot water is a money-saving move. Dishwashers have their own means to heat water, washing machines can do their job with cold water, and most people mix hot and cold water for bathing and showering.

When a replacement truly is needed, look into a tankless water heater. With a traditional tank system, hot water is ready for you on demand overnight, during work hours, or while you are on vacation and it is not needed. Tankless water heaters produce hot water as you need it and only when you need it.

Refrigerators

Energy-efficient modern refrigerators use less energy than older refrigerators. Replacing an older refrigerator with a new energy-efficient one is probably not going to have a quick payback. A better option is to adjust the temperature. Increasing the freezer and refrigerator temperature by a couple of degrees will save you money on your utility bill.

Washers & Dryers

As with any appliance, newer models are more energy efficient. Washing in cold water is always a good option. Washing and drying fewer but larger loads is another choice that can save substantial money over time.

Lighting

Make a trip around your home and count the number of light bulbs you have. Count the bulbs in your refrigerator, oven, microwave, porch and patio lights, closet lights—count them all. Most homeowners would be surprised at the number of bulbs they find. Collectively, those bulbs may be using up to 10% of your total electrical energy bill. Replacing incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs will reduce energy consumption by more than half.

Smaller Appliances and Electronics

The average home has a large assortment of mostly smaller devices that collectively account for a significant portion of electrical energy usage. These may include toasters and other countertop cooking appliances, entertainment centers, televisions and cable boxes, gaming consoles, fans, computers, electric ovens, phone chargers, and much more.

While some of these devices require significant electrical energy to operate, most of them do not operate continuously, so total electrical usage is small. Computers should be set to go into sleep mode when not in use.

If you are using fans or small heaters to keep your home comfortable, there are more efficient options. Talk to the technicians at Semper Fi Heating & Cooling to learn more about what you can do to lower your utility bills. You can also contact us for dedicated attic insulation services in Peoria, AZ.