Archive for the ‘Thermostat’ Category

Save Money on Heating with Your Smart Phone

Monday, May 21st, 2012

Most Kirkland residents are getting comfortable playing games and checking emails on the tiny screens of their smart phones.  Some are even watching movies and music videos, and for many, the smart phones has become a tool that helps save them money.

Have you considered the many practical ways a smart phone can be used to perform valuable functions in your home?  New apps can assist homeowners to greatly reduce energy costs associated with heating their homes, and minimize the size of their carbon footprint. The solution to one of our biggest problems is in your hands.

Smart Homes

New technology is both visible and invisible in many more ways around your home than just your giant TV screen or computer.  New homes today are being configured with wireless technology that does much more than connect you with the World Wide Web. Today homeowners can control their wireless thermostat while waiting in the grocery store line.

From the garage door opener that welcomes you to the alarm clock that sends you on your way, improvements are capable of being built-in or retrofitted into every nook and corner of the way you live, all controlled by your fingertips on the screen of your smart phone.  The technology is available and the only impediment today is finding the way to distract average consumers from their entertainment apps to learn how they can utilize the tool to increase their comfort (and give them more time to play).

One Touch Convenience

Instead of a brash buzz from the digital alarm clock on the nightstand, imagine being lured awake by the soft sounds of classical music and the succulent aroma of your favorite coffee brewed freshly to your specification.  From your phone, you can remotely direct this dream into reality.

On a cold winter night without wastefully leaving the heat on all day or risk of burning the house down, you can return from the workplace to a cozy home with a soft glow in the gas fireplace.  The oven is pre-heated and ready to roast.  The big screen is poised to play that game you couldn’t watch last night.  Even the car has been warmed up and waiting to comfortably get you on your way.

Cool When You Need to Be

As the reality of climate change sinks in, the wacky weather patterns that are bringing unpredictable heat spells and cold snaps creates unusual inconveniences.  A sudden front may waste energy cooling a home that is already under an unusual cloud.

From your phone away from home, the new technology enables you to check the temperature inside and out and adjust the thermostat accordingly.

The Best is Yet to Come

The growing awareness of environmental change and our ability to impact it for better or worse is creating a “can-do” attitude amongst inventors, supply-side providers and consumers.  Improve the HVAC technology in your home by simply calling Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning

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Reasons Your Heat Pump Can’t Maintain the Right Temperature in New Castle

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

When you set your thermostat in New Castle for a certain temperature, you expect that your heat pump will either heat or cool it to that temperature, right? When you want 72 degrees, you don’t expect to have the temperature stay stuck at 70 degrees while your heat pump struggles futilely.

Sometimes heat pumps have trouble maintaining the right temperature, especially in heating mode. It’s not uncommon, and it has a number of potential causes. Run through this checklist to see if it is something you can fix yourself:

  • The outdoor unit is iced up. Running a defrost cycle can usually fix this.
  • A snow drift in encroaching on the outdoor unit, making the unit too cold to work properly. Shovel it away and see if that fixes the problem.
  • The outdoor unit is not running at all. Sometimes this is simple enough to fix on your own. Read the manufacturer’s instructions to troubleshoot the problem.
  • Too much cold air is getting in the house for the heat pump to keep up. Make sure your doors and windows are closed to keep that valuable heat inside.
  • Your vents are closed. It may seem obviou, but problems like this can sometimes be attributed to user error. Make sure your vents are open to allow heat in.

This is by no means an all-inclusive list, and it covers just those causes that you could potentially fix yourself. There are many other possible culprits out there that could be more sinister and require professional heating system repairs.

Some of these include:

  • The compressor is not running.
  • A compressor valve or reversing valve is faulty.
  • The thermostat is malfunctioning or needs to be recalibrated.
  • The refrigerant level is low or there is a problem with the flow of the refrigerant.
  • The heat pump needs routine maintenance.

If your heat pump is not working properly for several days, especially after you have tried some of the DIY solutions above, call Bob’s Heating & Air Conditioning right away. Your heat pump may need repairs before a bigger problem develops.

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