Air conditioning can hike up your energy bill during hot summers. However, this doesn’t mean you have to turn off the A/C and be miserable in the heat. Read below to learn some tips to keep house cool without air conditioner by being more “green”.

Fans

Circulating air on a hot summer day helps you stay cool. Ceiling fans or portable fans are useful for cooling off. A breeze is always welcome when you are outside during the summer, so bring the breeze inside your home to cool you down. You can also try to put a bowl of ice in front of your fan so that it blows even cooler air in your direction.

Insulate

Keep hot air out and cool air in by properly insulating your attic. Also, use caulking and weatherstripping around windows and other entrances to prevent cool air inside your home from leaking out. Pulling your drapes closed also prevents heat from coming in by blocking direct sunlight from heating up your home. Keep the sun out!

Reduce Heat Generating Activity

On especially hot summer days, avoid activities and appliances that generating heat. This includes doing laundry, taking hot showers and cooking hot foods. All of these activities generate humidity that gets trapped in your house. Also, turn off heat-generating lights during the daytime.

Plant Trees

Trees are not only beautiful and useful for fresh air circulation, but they also provide cool shade. If you plant trees around your house, that area will be shady and cool; perfect for a barbeque or a get together without the sweltering summer heat.

If you are having issues with your air conditioning, call a heating and cooling service to help you. TalkLocal can connect you with the best professionals in your local area in a matter of minutes.

Effectively cooling your home in the summer months does not necessarily mean the purchasing a fancy central air system.  In fact, window air conditioners are still quite popular and can do the trick for many homes.  As with all household purchases, however, there a few important things to consider when choosing between units.  Here you will find some factors to keep in mind when buying an air conditioning unit as you attempt to beat the heat.

Every purchase of a window air conditioner should begin with a review of the room you intend to cool.  The first factor is size: you want to find the best match possible between the room’s square footage and the machine’s power.  Shopping online is a great way to research this, as there are several online calculators that will translate the area of your room into the most efficient size of air conditioning unit.

Another factor to consider is the function of the area you are trying to regulate.  Rooms that produce more heat or humidity due to their activities (kitchens, laundry or computer rooms) will require a larger unit for the most effective cooling.  The same is true for rooms that are frequently inhabited by more than two or three people (e.g., dens, game rooms).  A machine of higher strength is needed to keep these rooms at a comfortable temperature.

You should also consider the location of the window you will be cooling from.  You want the airflow to point toward the center of the room, as this will maximize the circulation of cool air.  However, not all windows are perfectly located at the center.  Therefore, make sure the unit you choose is able to direct air in the proper direction.  There is no use in purchasing a machine that will only cool one side of the room.

After reviewing the room where your air conditioner will be, another relevant thing to consider is noise level.  Some large air conditioners operate quite loudly, and this can be irritating both inside and outside the house.  Make sure you are aware of how the machine will sound once it is installed in your home.

One mistake many people make with window air conditioners is purchasing one large unit for the entire house.  The machine itself will be extremely pricey–not to mention the cooling costs–and one large unit will fail to evenly cool your home.  A better idea is to purchase several smaller units for rooms with the most traffic in your home.  This will distribute cool air throughout the house at a lower cost.  You can also add a few simple standing fans throughout your home to maximize circulation of cool air.

If you are looking for a place to purchase an air conditioning unit or have more questions about the best way to cool your home, local heating and cooling professionals can help.  Use TalkLocal to quickly and easily get in touch with a company to meet your needs!

Are you considering getting a new heating and cooling system for your house? Buying a new heating and cooling system is a laborious process, as there are currently so many to choose from. These tips should provide you with a good starting point.

1.  Remember, bigger is not always better. Bigger heating and cooling systems are often more expensive, and they can end up costing much more to operate.  And it is not always necessary to install a new heating and cooling system that is the biggest or the most powerful.

2.  Ask neighbors and friends for their advice.  Often times, neighbors and friends have a success story or a complaint that can help inform your decision making process for the better.

3.  Research, research, research!  There are a lot of resources for you to check to make sure you get the best heating and cooling system for your needs.  Read blogs, reviews, check ratings, and seek the opinions of many different professionals.

4.  Ask about the contractor’s previous experiences.  You might get some tips or advice about how to install new heating cooling system and how to keep it in top condition.

5.  Inquire with the Better Business Bureau.   The Better Business Bureau is available as resource for you.  The BBB gets information from consumers and other businesses, and specializes in helps hold companies accountable for following ethical business practices.   There are archives of information here is a lot you can learn about contractors before you settle on one.

6.  Brand new systems often are riddled with problems, so don’t get discouraged.  Be sure to stay in touch with your heating cooling professional until all the bugs are worked out.

For more help with your contractor search, use TalkLocal. They will call numerous heating and air conditioning experts up for you, so you can get the help you need when you need it, even if it’s just a consultation before installation.

We often think of the outdoors as a place to get “fresh air,” but few realize the importance of ventilation in the home–which is usually less than good. You may think the air is cleaner because it is separated from the rest of the world, but simple day-to-day activities and processes within the home can contaminate it and trap it inside.

There is a specific kind of dust that can be found in every home – made up of pollen, dander, skin cells, and many other things that come when animal and plant life are present.  While not dangerous to general health, this type of dust irritates allergies (everyone has subtle allergies!) and decreases the quality of air in your home. Non-living things inside your walls can also secrete air contaminants.  Items such as insulation, carpet, furniture, and building materials constantly release unnecessary particles into your house.  Again, these are rarely dangerous, but do decrease the quality of the air.

Besides constant processes, specific activities within your home may be reducing your air quality.  Smoking, painting, using cleaning supplies, and utilizing combustion sources all contaminate the air.  Some types of these products are obviously less harmful than others (e.g., “green” cleaners, cleaner-burning forms of energy), but nothing leaves the air ideal for breathing.

It may seem we are all doomed to breathe this dangerous air for every minute we spend in our homes…but don’t worry!  There is an easy solution to removing these contaminants from the air:  ventilation.  Whether it be natural ventilation through doors and windows or mechanical ventilation by use of fans and ducts, you need to keep your air moving in and out.  This is especially true of areas that are damp, warm, or particularly susceptible to fumes, such as basements, bathrooms, and kitchens.

Due to this recent concern of poor air in the home, many heating and cooling companies have added indoor air quality to their list of services.  TalkLocal can quickly and easily connect you to these experts for more information on these services.  After submitting a service request online, you can talk to a local heating and cooling company on the phone in as little as 90 seconds–and be well on your way to breathing cleaner air!