There’s no question that you want to stay warm and comfortable in your home, but that doesn’t mean you have to waste electricity to do so. Many homeowners don’t realize that they’re not effectively using their heat pump’s thermostat. Let’s explore the simple ways you can reduce your energy consumption. Continue reading “Your Heat Pump’s Thermostat: What You Need to Know for Winter Programming”
If you’re eagerly anticipating a much-needed family vacation, make sure everything’s in order before you head out. By completing the following measures before you pull out of the driveway, you can enjoy peace of mind on your trip, knowing you’re keeping your home safe and sound during your absence. Continue reading “Keeping Your Home Safe and Sound When You’re Vacation-Bound”
Trying to stay comfortable in Long Island’s mid-year heat and humidity can get expensive, but these 10 tactics will give you a good head start on controlling your summertime cooling costs. Continue reading “Taking Charge of Summertime Cooling Costs: 10 Foolproof Tips”
Long Island Experiences Enough Outages to Make It a Good Idea to Have Back Up Power
You can do any number of things to help ensure the comfort of your home for yourself and your family — from properly maintaining your heat pump to installing a programmable thermostat. However, without power, these efforts are pointless. Hurricanes and winter storms are fairly common occurrences on Long Island, which is why many homeowners in the area are installing an automatic standby generator.
These generators offer many benefits for homeowners, particularly when power outages occur.
A severe storm near your home can easily knock out power for days at a time, as we know all too well. As a result, you might lose any food you have stored in your refrigerator, in addition to any medications that are affected by temperature extremes. Some home occupants rely on electrically powered medical equipment such as ventilators. The loss of power for these individuals is a serious issue. Even for those who have no serious health problems, having a standby generator is a great convenience when it comes to maintaining a comfortable home, particularly when temperatures are extreme.
Automatic standby generators offer many advantages over portable units. For instance, while portable units have to be refueled by hand with gasoline after a few hours of operation, automatic standby generators are commonly fueled by natural gas, and thus are directly connected to the home’s gas fuel line. This means the automatic standby generator is always ready to be used, and will automatically start up when it detects that the power has gone out. In addition, a large generator can produce enough power for your entire home, while a portable unit might only be able to power a few items.
Because it connects directly to your home’s utilities, you should employ a professional to install an automatic standby generator. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact T.F. O’Brien Cooling & Heating. With over 75 years of experience, we are proud to serve the people of Long Island, and our team of experienced professionals is more than happy to help you.
Our goal 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.
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We have talked before on this blog about zoning systems and the improved comfort and temperature control they can bring to your Long Island home. If you are considering getting a zoning system installed, there are six important design elements that you need to keep in mind. Continue reading “Your Home Zoning System: 6 Key Components Of Excellent Design”
Here on Long Island our summer days are beautiful, yet incredibly hot and equally humid. So it isn’t uncommon for homeowners to run their air conditioners nearly every day. Naturally, you don’t want to spend these glorious summer days worrying about the state of your home air conditioner. And with proper care and maintenance, you don’t have to. Continue reading “If You Don’t Know Anything About Your Home Air Conditioner, Remember These 7 Things”
If a trip away from Long Island is in the cards this summer, make sure to prepare your home before you leave. Taking the time for basic home maintenance will not only save you money, but it can also save you from returning to unwanted surprises or costly repairs. Continue reading “Vacationing? First, Take Care Of These Home Maintenance Musts”
Are You Getting Higher Energy Bills? Learn Why It Might Be HappeningIf your home comfort is not up to par, it will generally result in an unpleasant living environment that leaves you feeling stressed and uncomfortable. When decreased home comfort combines with high energy bills, look to the following three possible problem areas in your home. Then, take action to remedy the problem. Continue reading “Diminished Home Comfort And High Energy Costs? 3 Possible Problems”
Learn How New Programmable Thermostats Affect HumidityDuring a Long Island winter, probably the only blast of humidity that you may feel is after someone takes a shower and forgets to turn on the bathroom fan to circulate the air. Continue reading “Humidity Control, Not Just Heat and Air, From Your Programmable Thermostat”
Homeowners often face the decision of whether to repair or replace their furnace. Before making this important decision, answer the following questions:
Consider repairing if:
Consider replacing if:
A general rule of thumb that can be helpful in deciding whether to repair or replace your furnace is to add up your energy costs for the past winter and multiply by 20 percent. Divide that number into the cost of buying and installing. This is an estimate of how many years it will take to recoup your investment.
Of course, you can also count on T.F. O’Brien for expert advice on repairing vs. replacing your furnace. We can walk you through the options and help you make an educated decision. Call us if we can help.
