September 23, 2014
General Heating & Air Conditioning has several measures in place to help problems get fixed right the first time. Callbacks, or requests for service techs to come redo work that was supposed to have already been completed, can be frustrating for the customer and costly for the business. One contributor to The Air Conditioning Heating Refrigeration News calculated that the average callback cost his business $3,000. This figure takes into account the cost of the tech’s time, travel expenses, the cost of any parts that have to be comped to the customer, and the revenue lost because the tech wasn’t serving a new customer. At General Heating & Air Conditioning, we are well aware of the costs of callbacks to our customers’ satisfaction, our reputation, and our bottom line. That’s why we have many measures in place designed to make callbacks all but unknown at our company. Training Naturally, one of the first barriers to unnecessary callbacks is superior technical training for all employees. We require all of our employees to earn NATE certification in HVAC service & repair. We also encourage our techs to pursue ongoing education in the specific areas that interest them most so that they can become…...
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August 18, 2014
Learn how heat pumps work and how to measure their efficiency. You probably never thought that you could use your heater to cool your property. But with a heat pump, that’s exactly what you get a two in one system that can be configured to cool or heat your property as needed. Here are some important things you need to know about heat pumps. How Heat Pumps Work The principle behind a heat pump is the ideal gas law, which describes a direct relationship between the pressure and the temperature of a gas. As pressure rises, so does temperature, and as pressure falls, temperature does too. The heat pump makes use of this process by having a gas to expand in one side of the system and contract in the other. In cooling mode, gas is allowed to expand in the indoor portion of the system, which draws ambient indoor heat into the gas. Then, the gas gets pumped to the other portion of the system and pressurized until it turns into a liquid. The liquid now pushes heat out into the outdoor air, “dumping” it. Then it can return back to the other side, ready to absorb more heat.…...
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August 15, 2014
Tips for improving the integrity and efficiency of your ductwork. According to experts, the typical air duct system loses between 25 and 40 percent of the energy put out by your heating or cooling system. Here are some tips that should help minimize this energy loss and lower your utility bills. Check and Seal Leaks First and foremost, it is essential to have your ducts tightly sealed and completely intact if you want them to route all heated and cooled air into the spaces you care about, rather than into an attic, basement, or drop ceiling. A good first step is to inspect the ducts visually for any sections that may have become detached or for any obvious holes. You can seal holes and joints using a mastic, butyl tape, or foil tape. If you don’t want to do the inspection yourself, or fear there may be holes too small for you to find, you can contact a professional HVAC contractor such as General Heating & Air Conditioning to perform a home performance test to check for duct leaks. Insulate the Ducts If your ducts pass through an unheated or uncooled portion of the building, ambient temperatures are going to…...
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August 11, 2014
When used wisely with proper filtration equipment air conditioning can be very beneficial for health. Recently there has been some controversy as to whether or not air conditioning is good for you. However, most of air conditioning’s detractors are actually complaining about over-air conditioning, which can indeed create temperature and humidity differentials that can be a shock to the system. However, it is clear that using air conditioning wisely in combination with quality air filtration equipment can offer serious health benefits. Cleaner Indoor Air Today’s homes have tight building seals to improve energy efficiency. Unfortunately, this also traps lots of contaminants inside the home. Dust, mold spores, pet dander, skin flakes, pollen, and other allergens can quickly build up to the point where they begin to negatively affect your health, causing allergic symptoms like eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as the potential for asthma or other respiratory problems. Viruses and other airborne pathogens can also travel around in the air inside a home. Fortunately, every air conditioner comes with a filter that can help to trap airborne allergens and prevent them from recirculating throughout the home. If you want additional protection, you can upgrade your filter or else…...
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August 8, 2014
Tips to get better energy efficiency from your air conditioner. Upset about the amount of money you’re spending on cooling each month? You might be using your air conditioner wrong. Here are some tips that will help you use your air conditioner smarter to optimize efficiency and save money. Don’t Compromise Your Thermostat Reading Occasionally people will inadvertently arrange their furnishings in a way that interferes with the thermostat’s ability to get an accurate reading. For example, if you allow your thermostat to get direct sun or place a lamp or TV too close to it, it could get tricked into thinking your home is hotter than it really is. This will cause the air conditioning to kick on and you’ll end up paying for cooling you don’t need. Keep Your Thermostat Set as High as You Can Stand Some people keep their heat set on 72 and their AC set on 70, so that their home is actually colder in summer than in winter! This is not only illogical, it’s expensive. The greater the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor air, the harder your air conditioner will have to work and the higher your energy bills will be. Try…...
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August 4, 2014
FBI issues warning regarding non-EPA approved replacements for R-22 refrigerant. Efforts to phase out the polluting refrigerant R-22 have sent prices for legitimate R-22 skyrocketing and a host of low-cost imposters scurrying to fill the void. The FBI warns that some of these fake coolants can be dangerous. Products containing propane are especially worrisome as they have the potential to cause explosions. Why R-22 is Being Phased Out R-22 has been a popular coolant used in air conditioners and refrigeration units for decades. Unfortunately, it is a hydrochlorofluorocarbon, meaning it is an ozone-depleting chemical. Efforts to reduce ozone depletion by phasing out certain chemicals began in the late 1980s, with the signing of the Montreal Protocol. However, the phaseout schedule for R-22 didn’t begin in the US until 2004. Use of R-22 in new appliances has already been banned, but using R-22 to service existing units is still permitted. By 2020, manufacture of new R-22 will be banned, but recycled or reclaimed fluid may still be used to service existing equipment. However, by this point the supply will be very low, hopefully 99.5 percent below the US baseline cap. What to Do If Your AC Unit Uses R-22 If your…...
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August 1, 2014
General Heating & Air Conditioning is an expert contractor that can handle all your AC service in Pasadena. If you’re looking for quality AC service in Pasadena at a competitive price, you’ve found it. Learn more about what makes General Heating& Air Conditioning such a great choice for all your air conditioning needs. We’re Experienced General Heating & Air Conditioning has been providing superior AC service in Pasadena and surrounding communities since 1981. In our many years on the job we’ve seen and solved just about every AC problem imaginable. We have experience in all makes and models of air conditioning equipment, including residential and commercial systems. We also know how to help with other areas that affect AC performance, such as insulation, ductwork, and air purification. We Have NATE-Certified Technicians Our technicians have passed certification exams from the North American Technician Excellence program, which qualifies them as true heating & cooling professionals who can handle all your HVAC needs. With a NATE-Certified tech on the job, you can rest assured the job will get done right the first time. You’ll also know that all precautions for protecting the environment will be followed when working with sensitive chemicals such as…...
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July 25, 2014
If your air conditioner is broken or you just want to use less energy, follow these tips. Many people of the younger generation don’t realize that air conditioning was a rarity in American homes just 50 or 60 years ago. So how on earth did those generations survive without air conditioning? They used some of the following tips. If you would like to save money on your air conditioning bills, or you just need to survive the day until you can get your air conditioning repaired, consider following their example and using these tips to stay cool. Get Better Window Treatments Solar heat entering homes through south- and west-facing windows is a major contributor to hot indoor temperatures. You can reduce this solar heat by using various types of window treatments to keep light out. The simplest thing to do is to invest in blinds or curtains with a reflective white backing. This will help reflect light away from the home, resulting in an average heat gain reduction of around 45 percent according to the Department of Energy. Another option is to install awnings over the windows. This requires more effort and expense, but the DOE says it can result…...
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July 21, 2014
Evaluating new smart technologies available with some programmable thermostats. With more and more people relying on their smartphones to handle every aspect of daily life, it certainly makes sense for companies to incorporate smartphone connectivity into HVAC products. While most manufacturers seem to have simply allowed for existing remote access features to be used on a smartphone in addition to on a computer, some companies are trying to incorporate features that take advantage of the unique functionalities of smartphones. One of these functionalities is geofencing. What is Geofencing? A geofence is a perimeter boundary created around the location of a smartphone or other device, based on GPS or RFID signals. Geofencing has mainly been used to allow advertisers to send targeted messages to users who enter their area. However, it has applications for home automation too, systems can be set to turn on or off based on whether or not the home is within the user’s geofence. Benefits of Geofencing for HVAC Control The main benefit of using geofencing in conjunction with a smart thermostat is that it eliminates the need to schedule. Instead of having to program the thermostat to turn on or off around the times you typically…...
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July 18, 2014
Energy efficient HVAC equipment can save consumers money and help the planet. At the end of June, the Department of Energy released the latest new energy efficiency standard associated with President Obama’s Climate Action Plan of 2013. This standard covers the efficiency of furnace fans, requiring that new furnace fans for 70,000 Btu/hour furnaces consume no more than 1,000 KwH or energy per year. Specific expected benefits of the measure include: 46 percent reduction in energy use Elimination of 34 million metric tons of carbon pollution by 2030 $9 billion in electricity bill savings by 2030 The standard is expected to have such a big impact because furnace fans aren’t just used during heating season. In many homes and businesses, the furnace fan is also used to circulate cool air generated by the air conditioning system. Buying Energy Efficient HVAC Equipment If you are interested in getting the best, most energy-efficient HVAC equipment for your home, looking for the ENERGY STAR labels awarded by the Department of Energy is an excellent place to begin. These labels indicate that the equipment has met the energy efficiency standards set by the government and therefore can be considered a “green” appliance. However, a label…...
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