1. Seal any unwanted cracks or breezes in foundations, walls or windows.

2. Leave kitchen or bathroom cabinet doors open if they contain water pipes.

3. Insulate any exposed piping that may be on an outside wall or under a building.

4. Use a heat tape if you have exposed pipes under a mobile home. Make sure you check the heat tape to make sure it is in good working condition.

5. If you are planning on going away for an extended time during the colder months, be sure to install a phone monitoring system. A Freeze Alarm can contact you by phone to let you know if your house temperature has dropped below a certain point. Do not leave the thermostat below 55-60 degrees.

6. Have neighbors or family watching your home while you are away even if you have a Freeze Alarm. Have them check the house once a day. A home can freeze within a 24 hour period.

7. We strongly suggest if you are planning on being away for the winter, that you winterize your home. A plumbing technician can drain your system so there is no need to worry about your house freezing up while you are away. This also helps to save you money on your heating bill.

No one wants to deal with broken pipes, so take some action on these tips this winter!

Believe it or not, having a mini-split duct Air Conditioner/Heat pump can save on your fuel cost!

For every KW unit of energy put into a heat pump, you get 3 in return reducing your heating bill up to 40%.

An added benefit of air conditioning is that it cools your home in the summer by removing the amount of humidity.

The mini-split duct A/C units, have a sophisticated air cleaning system which will help reduce the amount of allergens in the air you breathe.

Having an A/C unit will help give reduce your carbon footprint by giving you an alternative to fossil fuels.

The new mini-split duct units are up to 40% more efficient to run than your standard window units.

We hope that answers a few of your questions about this new product!

We install Thermal Hot Water Solar Systems, and have a lot of information that you might find useful.

Here are a few of the benefits of solar panels so you can judge for yourself. Of course give us a call (897-3027)  if you have any questions about them!

 Benefits of Solar Panels

A Thermal Hot Water Solar System can reduce your Carbon Footprint by supplying up to 80% of your domestic hot water needs.

And 30% of all families energy costs goes to domestic hot water.

So let’s do some math!

Take your total heating cost for the year and minus 30%. for example, if you use 1200 gals of fuel each year, multiply that by the cost of fuel per gal. $3.49. That would be $4,188.00 per year. Take 30%of tha number and that is what you could be saving per year having a Solar System. 30% of $4,188.00 = $1,256.40 savings!

If a solar system costs, $10,000.00, it will be paid back in 6-8 years depending on the price of oil.

After eight years your hot water is FREE!

Remember, until 2016, you also receive a 30% federal tax credit. On a $10,000.00 system , you will automatically get back $3,000.00.

You are paying a fixed price up front for the system, once it pays itself back, you are putting money in bank.

1. An efficient heating system is only as efficient as the house its in.

We recommend sealing around any cracks in windows, doors, the chimney and any attic access. Remember, any crack is equivalent to leaving a window open!

2. Have your heating system serviced every year by a qualified technician.

Make sure they are performing an efficiancy test and are testing out all compnents. An efficient system will save you money by using less fuel.

3. Government studies have shown by turning down your themostat more than a few degrees at night or during the day, actually uses more fuel to heat the house back up to the desired temperature when you are there.

Keep your home a comfortable level when you are there and only go 2-3 degrees lower when you are not.

4. If you have an older style boiler with a tankless coil, your system is using more fuel by maintaining a constant hot water temperature.

You wouldn’t leave your car running all of the time having it ready for when you wanted to use it, so why have your heating system do the same?

Think about changing to a cold start boiler or installing an On-Demand Hot Water Heater. Only make hot water and use fuel when you need it.

5. Check your attic. If you have 6 inches or less of insulation, double the amount to get a better fuel savings on your heating bill.

Just like Mom used to say, you lose heat from your head so wear a hat, the same goes for your house!

We hope you can enjoy winter without spending an arm and a leg heating your home!

What have you done to save money on fuel?