Archive for the ‘Energy Efficiency’ Category
09.22.2021
5 Fall Home Heating Tips
Happy First Day of Fall! Eleanor has 5 tips to keep it from being a ruff winter. 1) Change your filter every 60-90 days, or every 30 days if you have pets. A clogged filter makes your system work overtime, driving up energy bills. 2) Make sure you aren’t covering your home’s air vents and returns with furniture, rugs and drapes. Proper air flow prevents hot and cold spots in your home. 3) Take a walk around your home’s interior and exterior, looking for leaks and gaps around doors and windows that could be sealed or fixed. Don’t let the air you’re paying to heat escape your home! 4) Speaking of air escaping, when’s the last time your ductwork was inspected? According to the Department of Energy, an average of 30% of all heated and cooled area escapes into attics, crawlspaces and basements due to leaky ductwork. Yikes! Heating these spaces is literally throwing money away. 5) You wouldn’t let your car go a year without maintenance, and you shouldn’t let your HVAC system do the same. A Fall Tune-up is the easiest way to keep it in tip-top shape and avoid major repairs when temperatures plummet. Plus, you can […]
02.28.2021
The State of HVAC and How it Affects You
With 2020 thankfully behind us, here’s what we see ahead for 2021 concerning your comfort and air quality systems. Knowing you rely on us as your HVAC provider, we want to share important information of what we see as upcoming challenges. 1) Possible Equipment Shortages COVID has had an ongoing impact on manufacturing, and we saw regular shortages of systems and accessories industry-wide last year. We’re already starting to see minor disruptions in 2021, and want to make sure you can get the equipment you need. If you are in a situation where the loss of air conditioning will create a health emergency, we strongly encourage you to schedule maintenance early. Our techs can advise if a replacement is in your best interest. If you’ve been holding out for a new system, it would be wise to get an estimate soon so your order can be placed and scheduled. We currently have a full inventory of a wide variety of components so if the above relates to you, please request a free estimate today and be first in line while all options available. 2) Maximize Indoor Air Quality at Home & Work For over 25 years, we’ve been delivering cutting-edge […]
09.13.2019
“Ouch! How Can I Lower My Electric Bill?”
As the summer heat drags on and power bills spike, homeowners frequently ask us for ways to lower their energy costs. Here are some top tips and a method for finding the energy culprits throughout your house. Shade is Your Friend Close blinds and curtains on the sunnier side of your home. Also considering using a tinted UV window film on windows that get a lot of sun. You can barely see the tinted film, but you’ll definitely feel less heat entering your home. Fall is also a great time to plant trees or bushes that will eventually become tall enough to provide you with shade and privacy. Time Your Energy Usage See if your power company offers reduced electricity rates during certain hours of the day. (known as “off-peak hours”) If you run your dishwasher, do your laundry, charge your car, etc., during off-peak rates, you can save money. Take a Peek Behind the Fridge When’s the last time you cleaned the coils behind or under your fridge? Dirty coils make your fridge work harder, so be sure to carefully clean them a couple of times a year with the soft brush tool of your vacuum cleaner. This will […]
08.07.2019
7 Energy-saving Tips for Your Home Appliances
There are several simple things you can do to prevent your appliances from running up your energy bill in the summer. Of course, the easiest way to cut down your energy bill is by buying new, energy-efficient appliances. Not in your budget? Try some of these simple home energy saving tips for appliances: Wash full loads of laundry in the washer and full loads of dishes in the dishwasher. This will cut down on the overall number of loads and reduce energy usage. Turn down your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. This will use less energy to heat the water. Do not over dry clothes. A moisture sensor can avoid unnecessary dry time. Keep your lint screen clean in your dryer. Empty it after every load. Separate heavier clothing into a separate load from light weight clothing. Towels take longer to dry than t-shirts. Ensure your refrigerator/freezer door has a tight seal. One way to test a door seal is the paper test. Put a piece of paper between the door and the fridge, close the door and then pull the paper. If the paper offers no resistance and slips out easily, it’s time to replace the gaskets. For maximum efficiency, set your refrigerator to 36-38 […]
10.29.2018
Georgia Power Rebates: Up to $750 for Switching to Electric Heat Pump
Ready to reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home by up to 30%and stay comfortable all year round? Only the efficiency of an electric heat pump system can deliver both. Schedule your switch today and you could even get a rebate of up to $750. The Benefits of Switching to an Electric Heat Pump: All year comfort Heats and Cools Year-round Efficiency Lower long-term operating cost No flame or combustion Ready for one of our friendly comfort consultants to share affordable and efficient options for your home *and* to take advantage of these amazing rebates? Contact us today!
11.16.2017
9 Tips for Fall Home Heating Safety & Efficiency
With winter weather closing in, here are 9 simple and highly affordable ways to make sure your family’s comfort and safety is at its peak before the coldest weather arrives. 1. Change your filter. Swapping your filter will help your system “breathe” when in operation. When it’s clogged due to a dirty filter, it’s literally adding dollars to your energy bills. Normally, swapping at 60 days or even up to 90 may be acceptable. If you have a pet that sheds, closer to 30 days is recommended. Bonus filter tip: Choose the cheapest filters from your home improvement store, unless you have sensitive family members with severe allergies. Those affordable filters will catch the bulk of the dust and dander just fine, saving you some serious bucks over the unnecessary high-end filters. 2. Don’t block vents. Make sure that furniture, curtains, coffee tables and other items are not obstructing your floor vents. Your system was designed to have air flow pouring out of those vents, and when blocked, it will not heat your home properly. Bonus vent tip: If dog or pet hair is bunching up around your HVAC returns, be sure to vacuum it up and keep it out of […]
11.10.2017
Holtkamp is Proud Winner of Georgia Power Award
We were recently honored to attend Georgia Power’s Building Performance Professionals Conference in Macon. As part of this gathering of building performance experts, there was an awards ceremony that took place at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. This facility is very impressive and celebrates the very best in sports performances while displaying tons of memorabilia. We were thrilled when Georgia Power recognized our company for our hard work and for being one of their valued partners that help homeowners save energy. As their only professional partner for their residential HVAC service program in our area, we help homeowners achieve peak efficiency through a careful diagnostic tune-up. Want to make sure your HVAC system is operating at its best? Georgia Power customers can get a $50 rebate towards the tune-up! To get on our schedule before the really cold weather hits, call 770-271-7511 or contact us.
07.13.2017
5 Signs it’s Time to Replace Your Air Conditioner
Wondering if it’s time to pull the pull the plug on your old HVAC system? These 5 signs will help you clearly know when you need to replace the old rust bucket with a modern, efficient and reliable air conditioner for your home. 1. System Age: If your air conditioning system is 10 years or older, you’re living with old, inefficient equipment that’s costing you money every month. Plus, considering the typical life of a system and costly repairs as it ages, it often makes sense to replace 10 year old systems based on new technology and modern efficiency. 2. Expensive Repairs: What’s the point of repeatedly investing many hundreds of dollars in expensive HVAC repairs when a new system with a bullet proof warranty will deliver better comfort and the peace of mind of repair-free service? You’ll be better off spending your money on a new air conditioning system rather than throwing good money at a dying unit. 3. Major Inefficiency. A/C Systems with a low “SEER” rating cost lots of money to operate due to their inefficiency. Modern HVAC systems have new technology that allows them to operate at significantly reduced energy costs, which brings your utility bills down […]
06.12.2017
3 Sneaky Ways Your House is Costing You Money
People ask me all the time about ways to bring down their utility bills, especially in the summer. Of course, the number one thing you can do is to install a modern, energy efficient air conditioning system. (preferably a “dual stage” system, and here’s why.) However, if your HVAC system is in good working order there are plenty of things you can do to boost your home’s efficiency, many of which take little effort or money. As the peak heat of summer begins setting in, here are three sneaky ways your house and your HVAC system are driving up your energy costs and draining your wallet. 1) Get All your Ducts in a Row While you might think that gaps around windows and doors are a leading way to lose energy efficiency, they are not the main culprit for why your utility costs are so high. Did you know the Department of Energy estimates that your house is losing an average of up to 30% of its conditioned air due to leaky ductwork? You’re spending a lot of money to cool that air, and almost a third of it is quietly leaking right into your attic or crawlspace before it ever makes it to […]
04.26.2017
Ask Matthew: What’s the benefit of dual stage over single stage air conditioners?
When helping customers explore their options for air conditioning replacement systems, I often get this question: What’s the benefit of dual stage over single stage air conditioners? When I hear this, I answer it with another question: Would you buy a gas range that could only cook on high? Sure, it’ll get your food cooked, but not very efficiently! Single Stage Air Conditioners Single stage air conditioning systems are either on, or they’re off. There is only one speed, or “stage.” Full blast! Even if it’s a mild day and you’re only trying to cool the house one or two degrees, they run at 100% capacity for shorter periods of time which is inefficient, and can cause uneven temperatures in your home because they’re cycling on and off so much. Also, because they don’t run very long they don’t get as much humidity out of your home’s air, which can lead to a “clammy” and uncomfortable environment. Dual Stage Air Conditioners Dual stage air conditioning systems have two different speeds at which they can run. The system is smart enough to know whether it can run at a lower capacity for milder days and at more gradual, longer run times. On […]
