Luckily, a number of warning signs will let you know that it’s time to call in a professional. The Electrical Safety Foundation International strongly advises that you have the wiring in your home inspected if you encounter any of the following signs:

1. Your home has frequent power outages. If you constantly have to reset tripped circuit breakers or replace fuses, then you need to call a certified electrician.
2. Your home has electrical incompatibilities. Basically, the branch circuits — such as the circuits of wiring that go from the electrical panel to the kitchen or a bathroom — may not be rated as highly as the fuses or circuit breakers in the electrical panel.
3. There is an interruption in the electrical circuit somewhere in the wiring in your home. This is shown through flickering or dimming lights or electronics that turn on and off on their own.
4. The sound of electricity — such as buzzing, sizzling or zapping — is coming from anywhere in your electrical system.
5. The wiring in your home is overheating. Electrical components such as face plates, switches and fixtures might be hot, discolored from heat or give off a burning or melting smell.
6. Your wires are visibly damaged. This includes wires that are cut, frayed or have missing or cracked wire cover insulation.
7. If you see visible electricity. Any electrical arcs or sparks are a major cause for concern.
8. You are shocked by any wiring or appliances in your home. Even a weak current poses a great danger to you and your family’s safety.

The professionals at LBA Heroes will be more than happy to inspect the wiring in your home. Contact us if you are experiencing any of the above electrical warning signs. We have been proudly servicing the Kansas City area since 1985!

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

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Here are the factors that likely will contribute to the initial cost of your geothermal installation:

• Home weatherization: If your home has poor insulation and/or air leaks, it takes more energy to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. On the other hand, a well-sealed and insulated home holds on to heated and cooled air better, allowing you to choose a smaller-sized geothermal heat pump and bring down the cost of your geothermal installation.
• Size of the heat pump: Larger homes need more heating and cooling. This is another factor that impacts the size of the geothermal heat pump. Other factors include climate, home layout, number of occupants, sun exposure and more. Expect an HVAC contractor to size your geothermal heat pump according to these factors. The larger the heat pump, the higher the up-front and operational costs.
• Size of the underground loops: The heat pump’s size and your climate are the most profound factors when sizing the underground loops. The larger the system, the more piping is required and the higher the installation cost.
• Condition of your ductwork: In most cases, this isn’t a significant factor, but if your contractor needs to install or adjust ductwork, the cost of your geothermal installation goes up. If the contractor simply needs to seal and insulate the ductwork, you can expect the cost to be relatively small.

So how much is the cost of your geothermal installation? Clearly, the easy answer is “it depends.” In the end you’ll have the best experience if you choose a contractor based on experience and quality, as well as price. Learn more by contacting the professionals at LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing for your Kansas City area home today.

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

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Backed by Energy Star’s 20 years of experience

The federal Energy Star program has been around for more than two decades, assisting consumers with finding the most energy-efficient products and appliances available, including not only heating and cooling equipment, but refrigerators, televisions, windows and even ceiling fans. So why did Energy Star create the Most Efficient label?

Quite simply, it was out of necessity. In case you haven’t guessed with all the smartphones and tablets around, technology has come a long way. This includes an increase in energy efficiency. If you take a quick look at an appliance store, you’ll notice that nearly every piece of equipment now carries the original Energy Star label. This is because improved technology, along with the successful marketing of energy efficiency, has resulted in most products meeting the minimum standards required to earn the label.

When the Most Efficient label was introduced as a pilot program in 2011, it was clear that Energy Star meant business. Not only could manufacturers no longer decide which of their models carry the label (Energy Star now handles that task), the stricter criteria clearly showed that any equipment that earned the new label would represent the best that energy efficiency has to offer. To illustrate, here are a few examples of the new criteria:

• Furnaces must possess an AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating of 97 percent or greater.

• Gas-powered boilers must possess an AFUE rating of 95 percent or greater; for oil-powered boilers, the AFUE rating must be 90 percent or greater.

• Central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps must possess a Btu/h rating above 65,000.

For more expert advice about the Most Efficient label, or for any questions relating to home comfort, please contact the friendly professionals at LBA Heroes. We have been serving the greater Kansas City area for more than 27 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Kansas City, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about the most efficient label and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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1. Conduct an energy audit of your home yourself, or contact your gas or electric provider to see if they offer incentives to offset the cost of a professional audit. You can do your own, though it won’t be as thorough, by turning on your home’s exhaust fans and walking around your home’s interior perimeter with a lighted incense stick or candle. Wherever the smoke wavers, you’re likely to find an air leak. The leaks are often found around exterior doors, windows, and places where pipes, wires and cables enter the home. They may also occur at the plate between your basement and the first floor. Seal cracks with caulk or expanding foam, and openings around doors and window sashes with weatherstripping.
2. Keep the filters for your HVAC system clean. The airflow through the blower slows when the filter is dirty, making it work harder. A dirty filter allows dust to collect on the parts inside the blower, which makes it harder for the air rushing through it to exchange the heat, increasing your energy bills.
3. Have your HVAC equipment serviced annually by a trusted HVAC contractor. An annual visit can turn up small issues that interfere with the efficiency of the system, raising your heating and cooling bills. These professionals can stop small problems from becoming larger issues, saving energy and money.
4. Consider a programmable thermostat. These devices save energy when they’re programmed to adjust the temperature for your HVAC system based on when you’re home and when you’re gone or sleeping. It’s easy to forget to change the temperature based on occupancy. Most programmable thermostats have settings for a five-day work week with two consecutive days at home on the weekends. You can also override settings if you’re home or away unexpectedly.

To learn more about heating and cooling bills and how to trim them, please contact us at LBA Heroes. We’ve provided quality HVAC services for greater Kansas City since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Kansas City, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Lowering Your Heating And Cooling Bills and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Here’s a checklist of items to gather and ways to prepare your emergency kit:

• Purchase a battery-powered radio so that you have a way to listen to the weather and get updates on local conditions such as downed electricity lines and street closures. A smart-phone can also serve this purpose but make sure you have a car charger for it.
• Stock up on bottled drinking water. Most experts recommend having at least three days worth of water, with enough for one gallon of water per person.
• Fill bathtubs and buckets with water for hygiene purposes and flushing toilets if necessary.
• Store a supply of nonperishable goods.
• Collect first-aid supplies. If you know a bad storm’s on the way, also collect several days’ worth of medications that family members rely on.
• Place several flashlights and fresh batteries in the emergency kit.
• Decide on a backup heating source such as a fireplace or non-electric space heater to supply the home with heat, or at least heat one room, so that you and your family stay warm during winter weather emergencies. Be sure that you have enough fuel on hand to power the heater source.
• Consider purchasing a portable or standby generator to power even a few essential circuits.

To stay warm during winter power outages, you’ll benefit from sealing your home to keep heat inside. Make sure that your home is well insulated, that the outer perimeter is tightly sealed, and that windows are energy efficient. These actions have the added benefit of increasing the efficiency of your home year-round.

Don’t let winter weather emergencies catch you unprepared. Take the time to ensure the safety and care of your family. For more expert advice about preparing your home for colder temperatures, or to schedule a free home consultation, contact LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing today. We’ve been serving the greater Kansas City area since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Kansas City, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Winter Weather Emergencies and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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• Sizing the furnace – Using the industry’s leading methodology for sizing, called Manual J — a process established by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) — the contractor will take into consideration multiple factors to establish the home’s heating load. Factors include the home’s orientation, square footage, window location and size, airtightness, insulation, heat-generating appliances within the home, and more.
• Evaluating the ducts – An efficient furnace system must be compatible with your existing ductwork. Therefore, the technician should test the ducts, ensuring that they can provide the necessary airflow for the furnace. The technician may recommend retrofitting ducts if necessary. The evaluation includes an assessment if the airtightness of the ducts, as well as the condition of the insulation. Any leaks should be sealed with mastic or metal-backed tape, and portions of the ducts that run through unconditioned areas of the home should be insulated. Damaged insulation should be replaced.
• Measuring airflow – Often the final step in the furnace installation process, the HVAC contractor will evaluate the system’s airflow. Your furnace requires a precisely prescribed amount of air flowing through it to generate heat and then move that heat into the home’s living spaces. The contractor may adjust the furnace blower or variable-speed air handler to maximize efficiency, home comfort and energy savings.

Along with these steps, the contractor will ensure the proper amount of space around the unit once installed, show you how to change the air filter, and install the proper thermostat to operate the furnace. Choosing a programmable thermostat ensures effective control over heating cycles and system efficiency.

Hiring an HVAC contractor? Consider LBA Air Conditioning,Heating & Plumbing, the greater Kansas City area’s leading HVAC contractor, offering quality furnace installations, air-quality solutions and ductwork assessments.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in

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

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If you notice any of the following conditions in your home this winter, you may require the help of a humidifier:

• Dry or cracked skin
• Sore throat
• Irritated sinuses
• Scratchy throat
• Static electricity
• Chipped paint
• Cracked wood flooring
• Warped molding
• Damaged musical instruments

A whole-house humidifier offers homeowners a number of advantages over using a single portable unit or a series of them. Connected to your home’s heating system, the humidifier releases water vapor into the airstream, and the heated, moistened air reaches your living spaces.

Most whole-house humidifying systems utilize a sensor that reads the indoor humidity level of your home and adjusting the system’s output as necessary. You only need to set the preferred level, and the system does the rest. During a warm spell, as outdoor temperatures climb higher, the humidifier won’t have to work as hard, because the air can hold more moisture. The sensor reads the changes, and adjusts accordingly. As temperatures dip to extremes, the humidifier will ramp up its contribution of water vapor to counteract the dry air. No matter the weather, you’ll benefit from a properly humidified home, improved indoor air quality and last but not least, energy savings.

Since humid air feels warmer than dry air, you’ll be able to turn down your thermostat a few degrees when the air has been humidified, thus saving you on your energy bills.

For more expert advice about whole-house humidifiers, contact LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbingtoday. We have served the Greater Kansas City area since 1985. Give us a call or visit our website for more information.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Kansas City, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Whole-House Humidifiers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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• A two-stage compressor varies the use of refrigerant for heating (and cooling), so that the system can operate at peak efficiency according to the heating or cooling load of the home on any given day. Over the course of the winter season, a two-stage compressor means homeowners can maximize savings, with the compressor running on its lower speed when temperatures are warmer, and as temperatures rise throughout the course of a day.
• A variable-speed air handler allows a heat pump to deliver conditioned air at levels determined by your home’s temperature needs. Standard air handlers are limited to one speed: High. No matter what the home’s load, the air handler operates at full blast. A variable-speed system, however, adjusts its output, operating nearly continuously at lower speeds, responding to the needs of the home. This saves energy, provides more balanced heating and cooling, and better air filtration.
• A heat pump with improved coils delivers peak efficiency. To make a better coil, manufacturers utilize higher quality materials, or they may design a compact coil with an overall larger surface space to take on more refrigerant.
• Demand defrost control saves homeowners money by limiting how often the defrost cycle runs, a mode that consumes a lot of energy. With demand controls, the heat pump only runs the defrost cycle as needed, when its sensors actually detect the presence of ice on the coils.
• A desuperheater feature takes excess heat generated by the heat pump during its cooling mode and uses it to efficiently heat water for home use.

When it comes time to upgrade to a heat pump, the features you choose can either make or break your investment. Get expert help from LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbingwhen choosing heat pump features. We’ve been serving the Greater Kansas City area since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Kansas City, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about heat pump features and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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You’ll benefit in the following ways if you seal your ductwork:

• Comfort – It’s fairly easy to understand how leaky ducts adversely impact home comfort. If some of the heated air your furnace generates escapes through ducts that leak, the full portion of conditioned air never reaches your living spaces. If you have noticed cold zones in your home, you may need to seal your ductwork.
• Indoor air quality – Ducts that leak can also degrade indoor air quality, particularly if portions of the system are located in areas like the attic, crawl space or outdoors. When ducts leak, it’s possible for particles of insulation, household chemicals and outdoor pollution to enter into the home through leaks.
• Home safety – Gas-powered equipment is designed to safely vent carbon monoxide (CO) to the outdoors. However, ducts that leak may be prone to “backdrafting,” a process where that CO is drawn into the ducts, and then delivered into the home.
• Energy savings – Perhaps the most significant perk, homeowners can cut high energy bills significantly by closing up duct leaks. When conditioned air escapes before arriving at its destination in your home, your heating equipment will have to compensate for that lost air by generating more heated air.

Don’t let leaky ducts rob you of valuable heated air, energy dollars and comfort. For more expert advice on heating topics, or if you’d like to seal your ducts with expert HVAC assistance, please contact LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbingtoday. We’ve been serving the Greater Kansas City area since 1985 with quality HVAC services, ductwork solutions and indoor air quality equipment.

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

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Detectors are akin to basic health checks: Fail to conduct a particular check, and you may not be alerted to potential health problems early on. The same holds true for CO detectors. If they’re not in the right places, you and your family may not receive warning of CO hazards in time to prevent serious health issues — or even death.

Give the detectors in your home a once-over with these tips for the best locations. Place a carbon monoxide detector:

• Close to the bedrooms. If the bedrooms in your home are separated, place a device outside of each sleeping area.
• On each floor of your home, if you have more than one story.
• High up on the wall, but not on a ceiling. When equipment that generates warm air releases CO, it will generally rise with that warmer air to the top of a room.

Where you shouldn’t place a carbon monoxide detector is just as important as where you should. Do not install a detector:

• Right beside or above equipment that burns fuel and emits carbon monoxide. This type of equipment will release a tiny amount of CO when it starts up, which may cause the detector to sound its alarm when there is no danger. As a result, you may become desensitized to the urgency of the alarm.
• Near areas that generate humidity, such as a kitchen or bathroom. This may also trigger false alarms.

Does your carbon monoxide prevention plan follow these guidelines for locating detectors? Be sure that you take the time to install a CO detector in all of the appropriate areas in your home to ensure optimal protection. In addition, consider purchasing a detector that can sense low and high concentrations of CO — both of which can imperil one’s health.

Contact LBA Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing today for more information about carbon monoxide detectors and home safety. Serving the Kansas City area since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Kansas City, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about carbon monoxide detectors and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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