When Is It Time to Replace My Heater?

Your heating system uses 29% of all your annual energy in your home.  That’s more than anything else in our home!  Making sure it is working most efficiently makes sure that it’s keeping us toasty and warm.

There are some signs that your system may have reached the end of its useful life -

Old Age

If your heater is over 16 years old or more it’s time to get an estimate on a new system.  As system age their efficiency levels drop, meaning it has to work harder.

Higher Energy Bills

If you’re noticing a rise in your PECO Bills then you should have your system evaluated by a professional.

Frequent Repairs

Just like anything we purchase if you have frequent repairs on your heating system then it’s time to get an estimate for a new one. 

Uneven Temperatures

If some rooms are too hot while others are too cold, or you’re constantly adjusting the thermostat to try and make the house more comfortable, you may want to consider replacement.

Yellow Burner Flame

 A properly functioning gas furnace has a flame that is blue with a small yellow tip at   the flame’s inner cone. If your flame is almost entirely yellow, this signifies that you have a very serious and potentially dangerous problem as it could be producing carbon monoxide.

Some things you can do to help the lifespan of your system –

Get your heater maintenance by a professional every year. 

Replace your air filters every 1 to 3 months.

Install low level Carbon Monoxide detectors on every floor of your home, including close to the heating system.

Get an estimate to replace your system so you can make a proactive decision rather than a reactive decision for your family.

How Do You Know If It’s Time to Replace Your Air Conditioner?

Sometimes it seems like our homes are a moving target. Just as soon as you get one part of the house just like you want it, something needs tending to in another area. So, for most of us, we’re always on the lookout for the next big thing that’s going to show up – invited or not – on our “home maintenance” to-do list.

Now, when “air conditioning system replacement” comes up on that list, that’s quite a significant situation. Home comfort systems are a sizable part of your home investment, so it’s never something to take lightly. But when it’s time, three things should be on your evaluation list:

System Age – If your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, you could save up to 20 percent on cooling and heating costs if you replaced it with a unit that has earned the Energy Star label.

Repair/Energy Costs – A home comfort system has what’s called “operational” costs. If your system is racking up repair bills and guzzling up your energy dollars, you may be overdue for an efficiency upgrade.

Uncomfortable Environment – A home comfort system is supposed to create a comfortable home environment, right? Well, if you’re not comfortable, take note. Are some rooms too hot or too cold? Does your home have humidity problems? This could be a sign of poor or improper equipment operation. 

If you have any questions... Call DiFilippo's Service Company 610-240-4789

DiFilippo's Service Company

Time to Dust Off a Few Energy Saving Ideas

Have you ever considered how much the dust that’s gathering in your home is costing you in energy bills?

When dust builds up on the registers and vent covers in your home, for example, it becomes “insulation” that blocks the air’s path into the room. The harder a system has to work to keep your home comfortable, the more you pay in utility costs.

So as you look ahead, a thorough dusting with special attention to registers and vent covers is a good idea. Other ideas?

§  Close drapes to keep out the hot daytime sun, especially on south- and west-facing windows.  Sunny windows make air conditioners work 2 to 3 times harder.

§  Close fireplace dampers or glass doors. Going up the chimney with a bound may serve as a dramatic exit for Santa, but don’t allow your cooled air to use that same escape hatch.

§  Position your refrigerator away from sunny windows, hot water heaters, warm air from heating ducts, radiators, stoves and other heat sources. The heat makes cooling harder for your refrigerator. 

How Do You Know If It’s Time to Replace Your Air Conditioner?

Sometimes it seems like our homes are a moving target. Just as soon as you get one part of the house just like you want it, something needs tending to in another area. So, for most of us, we’re always on the lookout for the next big thing that’s going to show up – invited or not – on our “home maintenance” to-do list. Now, when “air conditioning system replacement” comes up on that list, that’s quite a significant situation. Home comfort systems are a sizable part of your home investment, so it’s never something to take lightly. But when it’s time, three things should be on your evaluation list: System Age – If your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, you could save up to 20 percent on cooling and heating costs if you replaced it with a unit that has earned the Energy Star label. Repair/Energy Costs – A home comfort system has what’s called “operational” costs. If your system is racking up repair bills and guzzling up your energy dollars, you may be overdue for an efficiency upgrade. Uncomfortable Environment – A home comfort system is supposed to create a comfortable home environment, right? Well, if you’re not comfortable, take note. Are some rooms too hot or too cold? Does your home have humidity problems? This could be a sign of poor or improper equipment operation. To learn more about improving energy efficiency in your home, visit our website: www.difilippos.com

Is Your Home At the Center of An Energy Loss Vortex?

That's not quite as far-fetched as it seems. See, your home comfort system worked very hard to keep you cozy all Winter. Now with Summer around the corner, you sure don't want system wear and tear to create a black hole in your wallet. I think we all know how expensive space programs can be!

This might sound funny to say but right about now, we usually hear an increase in complaints. Oh, I probably wouldn't be telling you this if these complaints are about us (they're not!). What I mean is, right about now, we start hearing complaints about high energy bills.

Now, it's not like we're physicists. Yet, we actually can have an impact on the energy costs in your home. When operating properly, your home comfort system will work more efficiently and save energy – which can mean lower monthly energy bills.

That's why each spring, we get calls for system tune-ups that effectively increase the efficiency of home systems – and help prevent untimely breakdowns of your home comfort system.

Hope we'll be heading to your home soon. If you didn't have us out last year, you may not realize how much better your system could have been protecting your personal comfort, your energy bills … and more. But don't make that mistake this year.

Is Your Home At the Center of An Energy Loss Vortex?

That’s not quite as far-fetched as it seems. See, your home comfort system worked very hard to keep you cozy all Winter. Now with Summer around the corner, you sure don’t want system wear and tear to create a black hole in your wallet. I think we all know how expensive space programs can be!

This might sound funny to say but right about now, we usually hear an increase in complaints. Oh, I probably wouldn't be telling you this if these complaints are about us (they’re not!). What I mean is, right about now, we start hearing complaints about high energy bills.

Now, it’s not like we’re physicists. Yet, we actually can have an impact on the energy costs in your home. When operating properly, your home comfort system will work more efficiently and save energy – which can mean lower monthly energy bills.

That’s why each spring, we get calls for system tune-ups that effectively increase the efficiency of home systems – and help prevent untimely breakdowns of your home comfort system.

Hope we’ll be heading to your home soon. If you didn't have us out last year, you may not realize how much better your system could have been protecting your personal comfort, your energy bills … and more. But don’t make that mistake this year.

Learn more about how proper equipment operation affects energy costs. Call DiFilippo's Service Company today. 610-240-4776

Weather Alert: It's Cold

There’s an app for this, there’s an app for that. There’s hardly anything we do or enjoy that can’t benefit from a little technological assistance, right? As a matter of fact, I recently heard of a “winter wake up” app, which combines the functions of an alarm clock with online weather forecasts. The result is that if your app determines that wintry conditions are going to create delays in getting to work, it’ll wake you up a little early so you’ll have more travel time.
Well, you don’t need an app to know the conditions your heating system is facing. Cold temperatures are going to make it work extra hard. Plus, if you haven’t had it serviced before the season begins, you run the risk of having an undetected carbon monoxide leak that could cause serious risks for your family’s health.
That’s why we’re so big on recommending routine maintenance on your system. It’s just a good idea any way you look at it, and this helpful report illustrates some of the benefits.

Why Your Heater Could Give You the Cold Shoulder

Does your home heating really have to be so sensitive? You ignore it – intentionally neglect it, even – for six months. Then when you have a real need, you ask, “How about a little heating help?” Then your system practically coughs in your face. If that.
Sounds like the two of you could use a little professional help. I’m actually not kidding about that part. Before you ask your heater or furnace to keep you toasty warm for winter, you should give it the resources it needs to do the job right. That means getting your system professionally serviced so you won’t have to worry about it breaking down during freezing temps – and you can rest easy knowing it’s operating safely for your family.
To learn more about a terrific offer on system service, take a look at this info, Prevent Costly Winter Heating System Repairs.

I’m Glad You Asked…

“But why?” you may ask. “Why should I get my furnace tuned up when it seems to be working fine?” Well, I was hoping I’d get a chance to answer that question. It’s just something you might call “taking care of business.” There are certain things we do that may be inconvenient at the moment – but they keep us from having to take care of something much worse down the line.

It’s like going to the doctor for a checkup each year. Maybe nothing’s wrong, but if something is starting to develop, we want to find it quickly before it gets worse. Our health matters to us, so this makes sense. The same is true for going to the dentist. No one enjoys the ritual of cleanings and dental checks, but they keep our teeth “tuned up,” you could say, so we can keep enjoying our favorite foods.

Now that we’re headed into Winter, our furnace or heater will matter to us even more. So we want to do a preventive checkup to make sure it’ll be in good shape on the days and nights when we’re counting on it for our comfort and safety. Would you like to learn more? Take a look at this free report, What’s the Big Deal About Tune- Ups?

You’ve Been Breathing WHAT?

Quick question: what’s the worst thing you’ll breathe today? Yeah, I know. It’s an odd thing to ask, but you might not be aware of the odd things that end up in your indoor air.

For example, have you ever heard of something called a Volatile Organic Compound? Well, whether you’ve heard of it or not, there’s a chance you just breathed one in. That’s right. Just while you were sitting there, you may have just breathed in a Volatile Organic Compound.

Believe me, this is something that’s very common. That’s because VOCs are gases that are emitted by a wide array of common products, including paints, varnishes, cleaning supplies, printers, glues, permanent markers and so forth. And the VOCs that fill our airtight homes are a part of what’s led to the declining quality of indoor air in recent years.

If you’d like to learn more (and I hope you do), take a look at this free report, Why Is Indoor Air So Much Worse than Outdoor Air?

Now or Later? And the Big Impact that Small Question Can Have

At some point any of us will say, “I’ll deal with that later.” There is, after all, only so much our “now” can hold. Whether limited time, limited money, limited mental energy, limited physical energy or a mix of all of those at once, the “now” that’s right in front of us for handling issues has to be well managed.

So you want to make good choices – the kind that looks past the now to what’s coming later. Maybe you’ll ask a set of questions like: In the future, will this action help prevent prospective problems that will cost me more time, more money, more inconvenience and be really uncomfortable at an unfortunate time?

That’s the sort of question you might ask yourself when you’re considering routine maintenance on your home comfort system. When you look at it in the context of “now or later,” it’s pretty easy to figure out the answer that makes the most sense.

Uncovering the Mystery of Maintenance

Maybe you’ve invited a service technician to your home before (yes, we do think of this as “invited” because we’re glad to be chosen by you). But once he got there, you started hearing clicks and clanks and simple expressions like, “Hmmm.” So you start wondering, “What in the world is he doing?”
Well, I can sympathize. It isn’t fun to have a stranger in your home sort of doing his own thing, as if you don’t need to be involved. That’s why our techs explain what they’re going to do, and then when they’re done, explain what they did. It takes the mystery out of maintenance. It reassures you about what’s taking place on a very important piece of equipment in your home.
Maintenance involves specific steps, particular to the equipment. In fact, we can tell you now what kinds of things are going to take place to save you energy, convenience and comfort.

Lost in Translation

How about a quick language test? Ever hear of the terms SEER and EER? Well, if it’s near dinnertime, you might think that SEER sounds like something you do to a steak, and EER sounds like corn just off the stalk. So maybe I’m just hungry, but I’m not talking dinner – I’m talking comfort.

And therein lies the problem. If you don’t share a common language, it’s hard to understand what someone is trying to tell you.

This concept is true in all sorts of ways – whether it’s English vs. French, or text message acronyms vs. correct spelling in complete sentences, or industry terms vs. what words people actually understand.

All industries seem to have an “insider language,” where words and technical terms are thrown around as if they should make sense to everybody. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

We see that often as our customers are trying to choose the most energy-efficient solutions for their home, but sometimes they feel like things are lost in translation. If that could be you, you might appreciate this brief report on, “The Language of Energy Efficiency.” 

When Waiting Doesn’t Make Sense

Here’s one of my all-time favorite phrases: “I’ll deal with that later.” Actually, I misplaced my sarcasm font or I would have used it just then. But a lot of people I know really do like that phrase.

Sort of like “deferred maintenance.” This is a concept known by businesses and institutions with property, buildings and equipment that basically means, “We don’t have the budget to repair what’s declining as it is declining, so we’ll deal with it later.” It’s easy to sympathize with the approach of waiting until something is broken until calling for a repair. But it can also be a costly approach.

Homeownership isn’t really any different. We have to keep an eye on the systems and infrastructure that keep our home running. Your air conditioning system, obviously, is in this equation.

By investing each year in routine maintenance, you can save long term on the cost of repairs, extend the life of your equipment and avoid inconvenient breakdowns. It’s simple logic, and only takes a little bit of planning, which means – dare I say? – dealing with it now. But that doesn’t have to be scary. Read "Make Plans for Air Conditioning Maintenance" for quick tips for maintaining your system.

Your Best Bet

How about taking a moment to reflect on one of my most favorite, most fun words in the whole world: maintenance.

Well, maybe it doesn’t sound like a “fun” word to you, like it does to me.

So why all the excitement? Well, I get excited about lower energy bills and fewer repairs – both of which are the results of maintaining your home comfort system. Not making sense yet? Think of it this way…

Maintaining your car keeps it in its best condition. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle keeps you in your best condition. Maintaining a steady income provides for what you need. No matter how you look at it, maintenance is the best bet for good results.

And your home comfort system isn’t any different if you want it to perform at its highest efficiency for your best comfort.

If you’d like to know more about how maintenance helps and what it involves, take a look at this free report, “The Perks of a Well-Maintained Air Conditioner.”

Lost in Translation

How about a quick language test? Ever hear of the terms SEER and EER? Well, if it’s near dinnertime, you might think that SEER sounds like something you do to a steak, and EER sounds like corn just off the stalk. So maybe I’m just hungry, but I’m not talking dinner – I’m talking comfort. And therein lies the problem. If you don’t share a common language, it’s hard to understand what someone is trying to tell you. This concept is true in all sorts of ways – whether it’s English vs. French, or text message acronyms vs. correct spelling in complete sentences, or industry terms vs. what words people actually understand. All industries seem to have an “insider language,” where words and technical terms are thrown around as if they should make sense to everybody. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. We see that often as our customers are trying to choose the most energy-efficient solutions for their home, but sometimes they feel like things are lost in translation.

Decisions, Decisions…

Are you the sort of person who says, “I may be indecisive, but I’m not sure.” If given the choice between “Yes, No or Maybe,” do you look for the checkbox that says, “All of the above?” You have my sympathies… Making decisions is no laughing matter, and homeowners are faced with a slew of them. Some are smallish, like selecting new towels for the guest bathroom. Some are a little larger, like choosing a new bed for the guest bedroom. Some are even larger – like figuring out how to avoid in-law houseguests once they find out about your new towels and bedroom set! And believe it or not, some decisions get even more sizeable than that – like whether or not to replace a home comfort system. Well, if you’re in the “fact-collecting” mode for that last one, we’ve got some information that can help. With the summer we’re having in Paoli, PA, your air conditioning unit is experiencing a heavy load. But is it up for the job?

What’s the Deal with All These Allergies?

Breathing is the most natural, normal thing in the world. Yet, for some people, it’s not as easy as it looks. Allergies kick in, and suddenly a pretty spring day becomes a nuisance for all the pollen it’s producing. Unfortunately, staying indoors doesn't always provide relief. And that’s because of all the germs that got trapped inside in winter, the dirt and pet dander the furry ones bring in, the cooking smoke that billows up at dinner time, not to mention the household products that come out during your rash of spring cleaning.It’s enough to make you sneeze and snort your way through the day. Still, there’s a way we can help. No, we’re not physicians, but we do know a thing or two about indoor air… and we’d be glad to share that info with you. Call us at (610) 482-4153 for more information!

How About a Little Extra Cash this Month?

Most of us would say, “Yes, please!” In fact, knowing that the air conditioners are going to get cranked up soon, some of us would also say we could use that extra cash for our energy bills. But here’s the other side of that thought: reducing your energy bill could be the way you get extra cash every month.

As home comfort systems get older and fall into disrepair, they start using up more and more energy – which sends your bills upward and onward. Yet replacing an energy-sapping system with an efficient energy-sipping system would make a significant difference in the energy costs you shell out each month. 

Finding the Right Solution to a Common Question

We hear this over and over from our customers: “What can I do about my high energy costs?” Actually, there’s a lot we can suggest, such as good energy habits at home.  That includes regular maintenance of your home comfort system – primarily because this can be the source of up to half of your home’s energy use.

As the years go by, however, at some point the better choice will be to replace an old, energy-guzzling home comfort system with a new energy-efficient model that costs less to operate month after month. This can be a big decision for the homeowner, but it doesn’t have to be a hard one.