Our initial evaluation of their facility resulted in an Energy Star score of 31 out of 100. Their current score has now reached 78, which qualifies them to become an Energy Star Labeled Building. There are no other office buildings in the immediate area that have qualified and applied for this distinction and the closest that has is located in Benton, IL.

Thank you to everyone that worked with us on this project and supported us in making this happen for EARC.

Kevin Shekell, President of JE Shekell, Inc. said, “The designed air conditioner (limit) in Evansville is usually 95 degrees,” he said. “When it rises above the 95-degree temperature point, if your air conditioner isn’t checked for maintenance, it sometimes can’t maintain temperature.”

It is important to know if your air conditioning unit is fitted with Vectren’s Summer Cycler device, as it could occasionally shut the air conditioner off to conserve energy on days of extreme heat. If your unit is equipped with the Summer Cycler device, be patient and make sure that your unit does not resume cooling after a short period of time (usually 20 or 30 minutes).

While preventative maintence from our Comfort Specialists is the best way to make sure your air conditioner is running at an optimum level, it is always a good idea to make sure that your unit has new, clean filters.

Don’t hesitate to call JE Shekell, Inc. We offer 24-hour emergency service, 365 days a year. Here are some tips for preventing heat-related illness from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

-Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask him how much you should drink while the weather is hot.

-Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar; these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

-Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.

-Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.

-Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

-NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle.

-Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on:
Infants and young children
People aged 65 or older
People who have a mental illness
Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure
Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

If you must be out in the heat:

-Limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.

-Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage. Remember the warning in the first “tip” (above), too.

-Try to rest often in shady areas.

-Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels).

This information provided by NCEH’s Health Studies Branch.

Read the full Courier & Press article from Monday, June 27th.

1. Beware of the Draft. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, drafts can waste 5% to 30% of your energy use. Place a rolled bath towel or a draft snake under a drafty door. Make sure drafts aren’t giving your thermostat a false reading.

2. Change Furnace Filters. it’s important to replace or clean furnace filters once a month during the heating season. Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy demand. Consider switching to a permanent filter, which will reduce waste and hassle. Did you know that disposable fiberglass filters trap a measly 10 to 40% of debris? Electostatic filters trap around 88%, and are much better at controlling the bacteria, mold, viruses and pollen that cause illness and irritation.

3. Run Fans in Reverse. Many ceiling units come with a switch that reverses the direction of the blades. Counterclockwise rotation produces cooling breezes while switching to clockwise makes it warmer: air pooled near the ceiling is circulated back into the living space – cutting your heating costs as much as 10%.

4. Winterize Your A/C and Water Lines. Drain any hoses and air conditioner pipes, and make sure you don’t have excess water pooled in equipment. If your a/c has a water shutoff valve, go ahead and turn that off. Also, make sure any hoses are drained and stowed away neatly. Turn off exterior water spigots. It’s also a good idea to seal any water leaks around the place — and don’t forget to remove any window A/C units and store them so you don’t invite cold drafts all winter.

5. Turn Down Your Water Heater. While many conventional water heaters are set to 140 degrees F by installers, most households don’t need that much steam, and end up paying for it — in dollars and the occasional scalding burn. Lowering the temperature to 120 degrees F (or lower) would reduce your water heating costs by 6% to 10%.

6. Install Storm Doors and Windows. Installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency by 45%, by sealing drafts and reducing air flow. Storm doors also offer greater flexibility for letting light and ventilation enter your home. Look for Energy Star-certified models. Similarly, storm windows can make a huge difference when the cold wind starts blowing. It may be a pain, but it is well worth it to get them out of the shed or attic and install them for the season. Remember to make sure each is securely shut.

7. Give your Heating System a Tune-up. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted will reduce energy use, saving up to 5% of heating costs. Find out more about JE Shekell HVAC Service Contracts and never worry about servicing your HVAC system again.

8. Adjust the Thermostat. Most households shell out 50 to 70% of their energy budgets on heating and cooling, so why pay for what no one uses? For every degree you lower the thermostat during heating season, you’ll save between 1 and 3% of your heating bill. Make it easier with a programmable thermostat.

9. Use Plastic. An inexpensive window plastic insulation kit properly installed is essentially invisible. Adding a buffer against drafts and extra still air space can give a nice boost to your home’s ability to hold heat.

10. Use Caulking and Weatherstripping. Seal up gaps with caulking and weatherstripping. Take a close look at places where two different building materials meet, such as corners, around chimneys, where pipes or wires exit and along the foundation. Carefully move a lit stick along walls; where the smoke wavers, you have air sneaking in. And heating or cooling sneaking out. Another method to find leaks is to have someone on the outside of the house blow a hair dryer around each window while you hold a lighted candle inside. If the candle flickers or goes out, you need to caulk or weather strip around the frame.

11. Add Insulation. Insulation is one of the best ways to save energy and money at home. It can make a big difference to add more insulation between walls, and make sure your attic floor and basement ceiling are well covered.

12. Insulate Your Pipes. Pay less for hot water by insulating pipes. That can also help decrease the chance of pipes freezing, which can be disastrous. Check to see if your pipes are warm to the touch. If so, they are good candidates for insulation. Use the same method to determine if your hot water heater would benefit from some insulation. You can get pre-slit pipe foam at most hardware stores. Cut it to size and fasten in place with duct tape. Ideally, choose the insulation with the highest R-value practical, which is a measure of its heat-blocking power. Pipe insulation is often R-3 or, for batt styles that you wrap around, a stronger R-7.

13. Seal Your Ducts. Studies show 10% to 30% of heated (or cooled) air in an average system escapes from ducts. Properly sealing ducts can save the average home up to $140 annually, according to the American Solar Energy Society. Plus, you’ll have better protection against mold and dust.

14. Upgrade Your Furnace. If your furnace is old you could save a lot of money in the long run and improve your home’s value by upgrading to a new unit. Talk to the Comfort Specialists at JE Shekell about the latest options available.

You may frequently hear the term “HVAC,” which is used to describe home heating and cooling systems. The acronym stands for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning–which are the 3 primary functions of a home system. They control air temperature and humidity, and maintain the quality of the air in the home.

Central Systems

Heating and cooling systems may be classified as central or local. Central heating and cooling is the most standard method, and is defined by a system that produces warm or cool air in one central area and then distributes it throughout the home. There are many types of systems that work as central systems, from traditional split systems to packaged product systems.

Products typically used in central heating and cooling systems include:

• Heat Pumps
• Air Conditioners
• Gas and Oil Furnaces
• Fan Coils
• Evaporator Coils
• Single Packaged Products
• Controls and Thermostats

Local heating and cooling, on the other hand, produces warm or cool air at the location where it is needed and serves small spaces. Room Air Conditioners and Duct-Free Split Systems are examples of local heating and cooling.

Heating

Heating systems keep your home warm and comfortable. If you live in a particularly cold climate, the function of your heating system is a high priority.

Most central heating and cooling systems are classified as forced air systems, because they send air through ductwork for distribution. The ductwork can contain products that filter or clean the air.

Radiant systems create heat and deliver it using components such as radiators that distribute the heat into the home. Boilers are a traditional radiant heat source.

Typical heating products include:

• Heat Pumps
• Gas and Oil Furnaces
• Fan Coils
• Boilers
• Single Packaged Products

Cooling

Whole-home air conditioning systems are central systems that rely on ducts to deliver cooled air throughout the home. An air-conditioning system provides cooling, ventilation, humidity control and even heating (if using a Heat Pump) for a home. Air conditioning units cool refrigerants like Puron Refrigerant and Freon and deliver them to evaporator coils, which dissipate the refrigerant and blow cool air into ducts for delivery throughout the home.

Products such as room air conditioners are local cooling options for smaller areas within homes. Instead of delivering cooled refrigerant to a coil and then to ductwork, a room air conditioner contains all the components in a single unit and blows air directly into a room.

Air-conditioned homes often have sealed windows, because open windows would disrupt the attempts of the control system to maintain constant temperature.

Typical air conditioning products include:

• Heat Pumps
• Central Air Conditioners
• Evaporator Coils
• Single Packaged Products

Specialty Products—Duct-Free Split Systems (DFS)

As the name implies, a duct-free split system does not rely upon air ducts to route treated air through your home or office. Instead, these specialty products are added for a specific room, such as a home theatre, an exercise room, a garage, or other room where adding ducts is impractical. These comfort systems can supply heating, cooling, or both, and are a split-system in that the condensing unit sits outside your home while the indoor unit sits unbotrusively on the wall to control and direct the airflow. These Carrier systems are full-featured and couldn’t be any easier to operate.

Typical Duct-Free Systems:

• High-Wall Systems
• Under-Ceiling Systems
• In-Ceiling Systems

Thermostats

The term “thermostat” commonly refers to any unit that controls the operation of a heating and cooling system. Thermostats are used to turn on heating or cooling systems to bring the home to a set temperature. In addition to basic temperature control, programmable thermostats can be used to manage the timing of the system’s functions, which can control overall energy use and costs.

Learn More

Learn more about the many aspects of heating and cooling, including the types of systems available, how to find the ideal system for your home, how health and air quality impact your home, how energy efficiency can save you money, how heating and cooling impacts the environment, and the many terms and phrases of heating and cooling.

• When buying a window air conditioning unit, more is not necessarily better. Base the size of the air conditioning unit on the size of the room, the other factors that affect the temperature in the room, such as how many windows it has and whether it faces south, north, etc. An air conditioning unit that is too big for the room will work harder and cost you more.
• When you’re shopping for a central air conditioning system, make sure the SEER number (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) is 13 or better (14 in warmer climates). A less efficient system will cost you more to run. Look for an EER (energy efficiency ratio) of 11 or higher for room air conditioners. A high efficiency unit costs more, but if you live in a hot climate, it will pay for itself in a few years by reducing electricity bills.
• Perform regular maintenance on your air conditioning unit. Replace the filter monthly during the cooling season and have a professional service your system at the beginning of each cooling season.
• A cooling system is one of the biggest energy guzzlers in your home (second only to your heating system, depending on where you live). If you have an old air conditioning system with a SEER rating of less than 8, it may be worthwhile to consider replacing it with a more energy efficient system. You should be able to recoup the cost in just a few years.
• Install a programmable thermostat so you can vary the temperature according to when you’re home. Set it to 78 degrees when you’re home. If you’ll be gone for more than a few hours, it makes sense to set the air conditioning at 85 degrees while you’re gone.
• Make sure your air conditioning condenser is located in a shady spot and has room to dispose of the heated air it removes from your house. Don’t crowd it with shrubs or anything else.
• Plant shade trees and shrubs around your house to help reduce the heat of the sun, especially on the west and south sides. This can reduce your cooling costs by up to 30%.
• Close drapes on the sunny side of your house.
• Install awnings on the windows on the sunny side of your house.
• Sealing up air leaks in your house will reduce your air conditioning costs as well as heating costs.
• Caulk or seal places where utilities come into your home (plumbing, electricity, dryer vents, etc.).
• Fill gaps around chimneys.
• Weatherstrip around drafty windows and doors.
• Install energy efficient ceiling fans and run them on hot days. If it’s just a little too warm for comfort, use the ceiling fan without air conditioning. If it’s hot enough to require air conditioning, using the ceiling fans at the same time allows you to raise the temperature setting by five degrees, which will reduce your costs. Use the ceiling fan only when you’re in the room, because running the fan doesn’t actually lower the temperature. The moving air increases the amount of evaporation from your skin and helps cool you off.
• The darker the color of your house, the more heat it will absorb, so if you’re building, buying, or considering repainting, choose lighter colors for the exterior.
• Thirty percent of the heat in your house is absorbed through the roof. Make sure your attic is properly ventilated. Vents in the eaves allows cooler air to enter. A ridge vent or an attic fan can significantly reduce your cooling costs.
• Consider putting reflective window tint on your windows to reduce the amount of heat absorbed.
• Any heat that’s generated inside your home has to be removed by your cooling system, so avoid generating heat inside your home whenever possible. Cook on your outdoor grill as often as possible, or use a crockpot and the microwave oven. Use the ‘air dry’ setting on your dishwasher.
• Close off rooms that you aren’t using and the cooling ducts to those rooms.
• Make sure the cooled air coming from your air conditioning vents is not obstructed by furniture or draperies.
• Turn off lights when not in use. Lights produce heat, which makes your air conditioning system work harder (and cost more).
• Your computer and other home office equipment also generate heat. Turn them off when not in use.