5 Tips for Improving Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality This Summer

Poor indoor air quality and indoor air pollution are problems that plague virtually every home and all other buildings. The EPA estimates that the air inside most buildings contains three to five times more pollution than the air outside the building. In extremely hot climates like Arizona, indoor air quality is generally always much worse during the summer since most people tend to keep their AC constantly running and their windows always closed. Part of the reason for this is that cooking and many of the cleaning products you use give off various pollutants. Many of the building materials in your home and even your furnishings and electronics also continuously emit potentially harmful chemical pollutants known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Whenever your home stays closed up without fresh air coming in, the concentration of all of the pollutants continues to rise. The good news is that there are some simple solutions that can help improve the air quality in your home so you and your family can stay healthy and breathe more easily. 1. Only Open Your Windows When Necessary Arizona luckily doesn’t have as big of issues with pollen or mold spores in the outdoor air as other...

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7 Summer HVAC Tips to Stay Cool and Save Money

As summer temperatures rise, maintaining a cooler home becomes a necessity. Consider some of these summer HVAC tips from the pros at to help you stay cool and save money. 1. Prioritize an Air Filter Change For air to flow efficiently throughout your home, it’s important to replace your AC’s air filter regularly. Professionals recommend changing the air filter once every three months, while others recommend changing the air filter as often as once a month. The more often you change the filter, the better the air flows. When the air filters trap excessive dirt, allergens, and contaminants, it’s harder for the HVAC unit to pump air throughout the home. The filter is meant to collect dirt so that it doesn’t float through the air and compromise the indoor air quality. However, without proper cleaning or replacement, the filter isn’t as efficient. When the HVAC unit works harder to pump clean air through the system, this increases the energy bill at the end of the billing cycle. Keep costs as low as possible as you maintain a better quality of air by changing the air filter on a designated schedule. 2. Get a Professional Inspection While some home improvement projects...

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Staying Cool When It’s Extremely Hot

The summer of 2021 was brutally hot in many places. In 2022, it wasn’t much better. Temperatures regularly rose over 100F (38 C) in many places where such temperatures were unheard-of. Climate control is essential in these situations. Indeed, that kind of heat can be life-threatening for many folks, including seniors, those with underlying medical conditions that are susceptible to the vagaries of heat, or even just individuals who experience heat stroke. There are several ways that you can “beat the heat” even during extreme heat. At , we can help you stay cool even during the worst heat waves. Read on to find out more. Central Air Upkeep Central air conditioners need love too. You should have yours checked at least every two years if not every year. In Mesa, Arizona, where we all experience powerful heat every summer, we can provide you with exemplary service that will keep your central air purring contentedly. We give free estimates on such upkeep and repairs, and if you don’t happen to have the cash on hand or room on your credit card to pay for it all at once, then we offer financing options on approved credit through Wells Fargo. The...

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Get Your HVAC Ready for the Hot Weather Ahead

With the arrival of warmer temperatures and the sun shining more intensely, it’s time to consider preparing your HVAC system for the upcoming summer months. The right preparation and maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your home cool and comfortable. It can even help keep energy bills in check! From checking your air filters to scheduling a maintenance appointment, these simple steps can ensure your HVAC system is in tip-top shape and ready for anything this summer brings. Clean Your System One of the most essential steps in preparing your HVAC system for hot weather is to clean it thoroughly. Over time, dirt, dust, and debris accumulate in the system, reducing efficiency and potentially causing breakdowns. In addition, dirty HVAC systems can circulate contaminants, allergens, and other harmful particles throughout your home, which can have adverse health effects. Cleaning your HVAC system ensures that it runs efficiently, effectively, and safely to improve indoor air quality. The process of cleaning an HVAC system typically involves several steps. A professional HVAC technician will start by turning off the power to the system and removing the access panels to inspect the interior components of the system. They will then clean the...

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How to Replace Your HVAC System’s Air Filter

Your HVAC system’s air filter plays a critical role in keeping your system operating efficiently. However, filters are often neglected, which can not only reduce your system’s efficiency but also cause additional repairs and cut away your system’s service life. Use this guide to learn why it’s important to change your HVAC system’s air filter, how often to change it, how to choose the right filter, and how to complete the change, whether your filter is located in the air handler or behind the grill for a return vent. Effects of Neglected Filters Air contains a wide variety of contaminants that can clog and damage your system if they’re allowed to flow into it. Air filters pull many of these contaminants from the air as it enters the system. However, that means that they will eventually clog, restricting the airflow the system gets. The restricted airflow into your system will initially reduce your system’s heating and cooling efficiency, increasing your energy costs. Less airflow through your system also prevents the system from transferring the amount of heat it’s intended to during a normal cycle. For a traditional heating system, this means trapping heat inside the system, potentially causing it to...

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12 Common Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air quality is a critical factor in promoting health and safety. Poor indoor air quality can contribute to numerous health problems, including headaches, fatigue, allergies, and asthma. It can also make the air downright unpleasant due to stuffiness and odors. While there is a wide range of sources of poor indoor air quality, some are particularly common. By understanding and addressing these 12 common sources, you can take steps to ensure the air inside your home is as clean and healthy as possible. 1. Cleaning Products Household cleaning products often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can cause serious indoor air quality problems. Common products, such as air fresheners, furniture polish, oven cleaners, and floor waxes, can contain VOCs. When using these products, it’s a good idea to open your windows and to use fans to allow the fumes to ventilate outside. Consider switching to all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products, which are safer for your indoor air. 2. Cooking Fumes Burning food, frying foods high in oil, and boiling sugars release oils and particles that can pollute your indoor air. Even if you can’t see or smell the fumes, they can settle on walls and furniture and become an indoor...

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Should You Invest in a Heat Pump or Furnace?

If you’re building a new home or your existing home is due for a new heating system, there are many options on the market to choose from. Two of the most popular include a home furnace and a heat pump. Knowing the difference between the two will help you to better understand which one is best suited to fit the needs of your household. What Is a Furnace? Furnaces are the most widely used heating systems throughout the entire United States. A furnace can run on electricity, natural gas, oil, or propane. An electric furnace uses electricity to heat up a coil inside of the unit. Then, its blower motor will force air over the heating element to be warmed. Next, your ducting will deliver all that warm air throughout the various rooms of your home. If you want a furnace that is powered by natural gas, oil, or propane, it works via the combustion process. The actual fuel itself will be ignited by an internal system igniter. This combustion process creates heat which is forced through the ductwork in your home to deliver warm air to all of the different rooms. What Is a Heat Pump? A heat pump...

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Can You Actually Save Money By Using a Heat Pump?

There’s nothing like adjusting your thermostat and hearing your heating system kick on to help heat your home on a cool Mesa night. Unfortunately, every time you crank the heat up, your utility bill also increases. If you’re tired of paying high utility bills, the good news from is that other options are available. One option that many local homeowners opt for is a heat pump. Why do so many people choose this option, though? Furthermore, can a heat pump actually save you money, or is it just trendy because it’s one of the newest types of systems available? To answer these questions, check out this in-depth guide to heat pumps. Electric Furnace Inefficiencies Any time you’re dealing with energy transformation, you have to deal with the loss of energy. When energy changes forms from one form to another, you will inevitably lose some of that energy, making the process less than 100% efficient. In electric furnaces, though, you don’t actually lose too much energy when transforming electrical energy into heat energy. The heating elements are quite effective at slowing down the flow of electricity and heating up. The problem comes when you consider the fairly high cost of electricity...

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11 Things to Check If Your Furnace Won’t Work

There are several reasons why your furnace might stop working effectively. It can be difficult to troubleshoot and diagnose the problem without professional help. However, you can take some simple steps to ensure that your furnace is in good working order before calling for assistance. 1. Check the Thermostat The thermostat is responsible for controlling the temperature in your home. If it isn’t working properly, this could be a major reason your furnace is not functioning as intended. Check to ensure that the thermostat is set correctly; if not, adjust the desired temperature, and see if that solves the issue. Additionally, check any batteries within the thermostat (if applicable) to ensure they are still operational. You should also check that the thermostat is set to “Heat” or “On.” If it is set to “Off,” then your furnace will not be able to work properly. When it’s set to “On,” you can know that the thermostat is not the source of your furnace’s problems. 2. Examine Your Air Filter An air filter keeps dirt and debris from entering your furnace and clogging its components. After a while, this filter can become clogged with dust or dirt, which can cause your furnace...

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Possible Reasons Your Heat Pump Won’t Turn On

In hot, dry climates like Arizona, heat pumps are by far the most effective and energy-efficient way of cooling and heating your home. As with any other type of HVAC unit, a heat pump can potentially suffer from a variety of different issues that can affect how well it works or potentially cause it to not run at all. If you can’t get your heat pump to turn on, here are some common reasons this happens and how they can be fixed. Thermostat Issues If your heat pump won’t turn on when needed, the first thing you’ll want to do is check your thermostat. Make sure that you have the thermostat set to heat or cool and that the temperature is set to where it should be. You’ll also want to make sure that the thermostat isn’t showing a low battery alert. If the batteries are completely dead, nothing will show up on the thermostat display. The display will usually still work if the batteries are low, but they may still not have enough power to enable the thermostat to send the signal for the heat pump to turn on. If the thermostat is set correctly and the heat pump...

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