Start with a major scrubbing:

• Empty rooms completely before cleaning. This allows access to every spot where dust can hide. Remove rugs or carpeting before cleaning, if possible.
• Empty closets before cleaning. Afterward, cover clothing with garment bags or plastic bags to prevent accumulation of fibers. Put shoes and other items in tightly sealed plastic boxes. Remove items from the floor so it can be cleaned easily.
• Scrub the floor, woodwork and walls. Pay particular attention to out-of-the-way corners and areas throughout the room (floor and ceiling) as well as the closets.
• Clean wood, linoleum or tile floors with water, oil or wax. Make sure linoleum flooring is securely cemented or attached to the floor.

After that, keep after the dust before it accumulates:

• Clean rooms as thoroughly as possible at least once a week. Vacuum carpets or clean floors, dust shelves and and clean the closet.
• Use a moist cloth or oil mop to clean furniture, shelves, hard flooring, window frames and sills, the tops of doors and other surfaces. This will ensure you pick up the dust rather than just move it around.
• Wash curtains and machine-washable bedding at least weekly. Put mattresses and box springs in plastic or allergen-proof covers.
• Use a high-efficiency filter in your heating or cooling system. Install a whole-house air purifier, if possible.

Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling has been providing expert heating and air conditioning sales and service to customers in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio for 55 years. Contact us today for more information on dust control, indoor air quality and ways to keep a clean and dust-free home in every season.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Dusting image via Shutterstock

Supply ducts are easy to identify and keep free of blockages that could reduce the amount of heating or cooling that gets into your house. However, return ducts are an equally important part of the overall air circulation system. Optimal airflow requires tending to the return ducts and keeping them sealed, insulated and clear of obstructions.

Multiple-room return systems position a return duct in each room where heated or cooled air is delivered. This type of duct return is very efficient at returning air to your HVAC equipment, but it can be expensive.

Central return systems are more common and economical. They use large vents or grilles installed in central areas of your house, such as in hallways or under the stairs, and attached to the return ducts. They require jumper ducts or transfer grilles between each room in the house and the central return duct.

To get the greatest efficiency from central return ducts:

• Install a central return register on each floor of a multi-level house. This ensures that sufficient amounts of air are brought back from all points in your home.
• Install jumper ducts or transfer grilles in every room that receives conditioned air and in each room with a door.
• Place a return duct in each room (with a door) that has two or more supply ducts. This ensures an adequate air return from rooms that receive a greater amount of conditioned air.

Based in Cleveland, Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling provides professional heating and air conditioning sales and service throughout Northeast Ohio. Contact us today with any questions about effective ductwork design or other home-comfort issues.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Air vent image via Shutterstock

An air-source heat pump exchanges heat in the air to create heat for your home. When the temperatures drop below freezing, heat pumps have to work harder to deliver warmed air; some units switch to an electrical coil that uses three times the energy to create heat, compared to extracting it from the air. When you set heat pump thermostats back at night and then turn it up in the morning for more warmth, you may trigger the electric coil’s operation, increasing your electric bill.

A standard heat pump thermostat turns on the electrical strip when the temperature inside your home falls 1.5 degrees below the thermostat setting. Depending on how far you set your thermostat back at night, you could be spending more energy dollars by turning the temperature down than if you left it at the same temperature day and night.

However, you can avoid this situation by using special heat pump thermostats that override the command to turn on the supplemental heating. These thermostats use intelligent heat recovery, also called adaptive heat recovery. Instead of sitting idle during the night, these thermostats calculate how much the heat pump needs to run during the night to keep your home hovering above the 1.5-degree difference, avoiding using the supplemental heating strip in the morning to deliver the heat you need.

Programmable thermostats use technology that only uses the emergency electrical heating when it’s excessively cold and your system isn’t recovering well enough to maintain enough heat in your home, which helps you lower your heating bills throughout the heating season.

If you’d like more information about programmable heat pump thermostats and how they can save you money during a Cleveland area winter, contact Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling for more information.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Good idea image via Shutterstock

Air-source heat pumps work by taking warmth from the atmosphere to provide heat and hot water for your home. They offer clean, renewable energy, are simple to install and can work in reverse as an air conditioning unit in the summer. In fact, high-efficiency heat pumps also dehumidify the air better than regular central air conditioners, resulting in less energy consumption and enhanced comfort in the summer.

If you like the idea of reducing your carbon footprint, air-source heat pumps may be your best bet. The pumps are low maintenance and should last at least 20 years. Like refrigerators, they run on electricity. But perhaps their best feature is that they can provide up to four times the amount of energy as they consume.

As appealing as all this may sound, air-source heat pumps are not well suited to every home. If you’re considering one, first ensure that:

• You have plenty of space outdoors for a unit, which is usually affixed to a wall or placed on the ground. Either way, it will need a large, unobstructed area so that air can move freely around it. A sunny location — for obvious reasons — is best.
• Your home is fairly well insulated to minimize heat loss.
• You would be replacing a coal or electric heating system so that you can recoup the cost of purchasing an air-source heat pump more quickly.
• You don’t plan to use a radiator-based heating system, as these require higher water temperatures.

To learn more about air-source heat pumps, contact the experts at Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling. We’ll inspect your home and meet with you to decide if this exciting technology is the right fit for you.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Heat pump image via Shutterstock

Sizing
The first step is determining how much energy your home needs to be adequately heated. This is a crucial step and you can’t simply look at the size of your current furnace. It may have been incorrectly sized to begin with or your home’s heating needs may have changed over the years.

An HVAC expert can perform a heating load calculation to provide you with the information you’ll need to choose the right size. This will keep you from ending up with a furnace that can’t provide the heat you need or operates inefficiently.

Efficiency ratings
AFUE is the standard rating for the efficiency of heating equipment. It stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency and is based on how much fuel a system is able to convert to heat that directly warms your house. The higher the rating, the more efficient the system and the lower your heating expenses will be. Though the initial cost of a more efficient system will often be higher, the savings it helps you create can help to offset the difference in up-front cost after a few years.

Rebates
The Energy Star program, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, has several incentives in place that make it easier for homeowners to purchase energy efficient products. Products that meet the established standards are clearly marked and often come with rebates that help with the cost of furnace replacement. You can also use this site to find Energy Star products.

For more tips on budget furnace replacement that won’t force you to sacrifice comfort, contact Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling today. We have proudly served Northeast Ohio for more than 50 years.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Fortunately, once you know why an attached garage can compromise your home’s air you can take the necessary precautions to keep yourself and your family safe while improving the air quality of your home.

When your home has an attached garage, it gives the dangerous air impurities a way to enter your home. Fumes from vehicles are the most common cause of poor indoor air quality associated with an attached garage. These toxic fumes are deadly in large quantities and can creep into your home. The best way to prevent them from compromising your home’s air quality is to not allow your vehicle to idle while inside the garage. Instead, pull your vehicle out of the garage and let it warm up in the driveway.

Opening windows in the garage and in the house regularly also can improve your home’s air quality. Not only will this allow fresh air to blow into your home, it will also help push out fumes trapped in your garage.

Implementing these simple steps into your daily routine can improve your family’s health. Contact us at Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling for more information on how you can improve the air quality in your home. Serving the Greater Cleveland area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Attached garage image via Shutterstock

Dual-fuel systems can be retrofitted onto your current furnace to provide you with their benefits. The heat pump will stay in operation as long as the temperature is above 35 degrees. It draws warmth from the outside air and brings it in. By not using your furnace during this time, you save substantially on your heating costs by taking advantage of heat transfer rather than having to burn fuel to create heat.

Once the temperature drops below 35 degrees, your heat pump will turn off and the furnace will come on. Since the air is too cold to use as a heat exchange medium, your furnace will be able to warm your house much more thoroughly. But by using the energy-efficient method as long as possible, you will be able to save on your heating costs.

Heat pumps are also effective throughout the summer. Using the same basic principles as during the winter, they remove heat from inside your house and send it outside. Dual-fuel systems may be more expensive than more traditional options but the savings they will help you create will offset the difference in price over the life span of the system.

An HVAC professional can perform a long-term costs analysis specific to your home so that you can see the difference in savings. For more information about dual-fuel systems, contact Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling today. We have proudly served Northeast Ohio for more than 50 years.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Energy efficiency image via Shutterstock

Excessively dry air causes discomfort issues like skin irritation, sore throats and high amounts of static electricity.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, you should keep your home’s relative humidity between 30 and 60 percent. The most efficient way to moderate humidity throughout your home is with a whole-house humidifier.

Whole house humidifiers vs. portable humidifiers
The big advantage of portable humidifier units is that they can be easily relocated to an area right when you need it. However, portable units are not efficient for controlling moisture levels throughout an entire house.

Whole-house humidifiers are typically connected to your existing HVAC equipment. They circulate moisture into your home’s air through your ventilation system, which allows you to control the relative humidity from one  central location.

Humidifying your entire home using portable humidifiers would require multiple units, which would use significantly more energy than using one whole-house unit. Many programmable thermostats can also be connected to whole-house humidifiers, so you can control both temperature and moisture levels to suit your home’s needs.

Maintenance
While they do require professional installation, whole-house units don’t need much maintenance once they’re installed. They draw water from your home’s plumbing system, so you never have to refill them. Depending on the type of unit, and how often it is run, you may just need to change the cleaning filter every several months. If you have hard water, you may also need to wipe away mineral deposits when the filter is changed.

Portable humidifiers are easy to set up but harder to maintain than whole-house units. They have a water reservoir that must be refilled when it runs out. Most models also require more frequent cleaning than their whole-house counterparts.

If you have questions about controlling humidity in your home, or want to know more about humidifiers, contact the professionals at Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling. Serving the Greater Cleveland area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Humidity meter image via Shutterstock

During cold Northeastern winters, air-purification systems are especially convenient for the times when you don’t want to freshen the air by opening windows and doors.

Many people have issues with allergies, asthma and other health problems triggered by poor air quality. Some particles removed from the air by a high-quality air-purification system include:

• Dust
• Mold and mildew
• Chemical vapors
• Bacteria
• Viruses

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns against having mold spores in the air in a building because of the health problems they cause. Regular HVAC filters can remove some spores, but the best purification systems will actually kill mold, bacteria and viruses.

Three primary types of purification systems exist:

• UV treatment systems: The best type of system uses UV (ultraviolet) light to kill germs and mold spores that enter the system, keeping these unhealthy agents from surviving in your air ducts.
• Electric filtration systems: These collect airborne particles like a magnet, and the collection cells are easy to wash out in your dishwasher.
• Media air cleaners: These use disposable filters to remove a large amount of dust and other allergens from the air. They do not remove as many particles as the other systems, and they also require the user to purchase replacement filters. However, they make the air much cleaner than if the building has no filtration at all.

Some people live comfortably without purification systems, but individuals with certain health problems or in certain living conditions can benefit greatly from a purification system. People with the following issues should especially consider a purification system:

• Allergies
• Respiratory problems
• Mildew in the building
• Dust problems
• A home near a source of air pollution, such as a garage with chemicals stored in it or a nearby factory that releases fumes.

In Northeast Ohio, the friendly experts at Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling are happy to help with all of your air-purification needs. Contact us today.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Air purification image via Shutterstock

Frozen pipes can be an expensive headache, but there are things that you can do to prevent your pipes from freezing.

The causes of pipe freeze include the following:

• Sudden drops in the outside temperature
• Inadequate insulation for pipes
• A too-low setting on the thermostat

Water is a unique liquid in that it expands when it freezes. This causes pipes to burst. It doesn’t matter whether you have plastic or copper pipes — both are vulnerable to pipe freeze and they can burst.

Prevent pipe freeze from happening in your home by:

• Adding insulation to your pipes, especially those in unconditioned areas such as crawl spaces and the attic. Or wrap pipes in heat tape, which will keep the pipes from becoming too cold.
• Seal all air leaks located near your pipes. Caulk all leaks around vents, electrical units and other possible openings. You could also use insulation to close off possible leaks.
• Don’t leave your garden hoses connected to the house when temperatures get too low outside.
• Shut off and drain water from pipes that lead to outdoor faucets by using an indoor valve, if that’s possible. Or you can keep pipes warm by dripping warm water from a faucet on an outside wall.
• Don’t turn your thermostat down too far during the night.
• If you have sinks and appliances near exterior walls, open your cabinet doors so your heated air will reach the pipes.
• Don’t let your pipes freeze when you’re on vacation. Leave the thermostat set to above 55 degrees and shut off and drain the water system before you leave.

Contact Arco Comfort Air Heating and Cooling to discuss other ways you can winterize your Northeast Ohio home. We’re always happy to help.

Our goal at Arco Comfort Air is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Sealing air leaks image via Shutterstock