Cosy fire.

Turn the thermostat down!

It’s that time of year again when nothing beats watching TV with the fire on and a big mug of hot chocolate. It’s all about staying warm and cosy, but energy costs can sneak up on you and you would be amazed at the savings that can be made by simply putting on a sweater (or cuddling up to your special someone under a blanket) and turning the heating down just a few degrees. Cool at night is naturally better for the human body. We sleep better when the room is cooler….your sleep will be deeper and the kids will get up less.

The best way to do all of this is a programmable thermostat, which will automatically warm your house just before you wake, and then turn the temperature down when everyone is out during the day. It can then be programmed to ensure you always come home to a warm house, and cool again for sleep time! Programmable thermostats are reasonably inexpensive and will pay for themselves very quickly in the middle of winter.

Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area.
We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!

The little guy!

Have you ever felt like the small guy?

Managers and business owners know this feeling well. Whether you have one small location or 125 stores across the country, there always seems to be someone bigger than you. This can make you question your business and yourself.

Our philosophy is to ALWAYS think big! Believe that nothing can stop you, there are no limiting factors, and you can do everything your competitors do…but better. Changes in technology and marketing tools mean that small businesses can access the same markets as the big companies. Printing costs are a fraction of the old costs. Facebook, Twitter and other social media are free. Producing videos, commercials, websites and software is within the reach of everyone. A little bit of research will almost always show you a newer way of doing something, and it’s usually easier and cheaper than the old way of doing things.

A good example of this in the HVAC/Energy Management industry is the recent changes in control systems. In the past they were large and bulky, the software needed a dedicated computer to run it (which also meant room for an extra computer), the parts in the system were proprietary, meaning you were stuck with a certain company even if you disliked the service you were receiving. All of this meant that the costs were out of reach of all but the biggest companies. Now, with recent technological advances, we can install systems for a fraction of the cost, the system is built with common parts, and everything is accessible on the web.

It may not be big, but it IS clever!

Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area.
We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!

Top 5 ways save money on HVAC systems

1. Program your thermostat. One of the easiest ways to save money is to control the number of operating hours, to ensure it’s only on when it’s needed! Less usage will also translate as less maintenance costs and, of course, less energy consumed. There are now internet controlled stats on the market which mean you can control settings anywhere at the touch of a button.
2. Changing filters. Dirty, clogged up filters will affect the efficiency of your a/c system. Ideally filters should be changed every 3 months to ensure optimum performance.
3. Cleaning coils and fans. Similarly, dirty coils and fans will increase energy consumption of your equipment and cost you more. Equipment should be cleaned at least once a year.
4. Updating equipment. The older the machine, the slower and more energy thirsty it will be! Regular maintenance will prolong the life, but eventually it will be much more cost effective to replace aging systems.
5. Cleaning burners. If heating burners are allowed to get dirty they will clog up and prevent proper combustion of the gas. This will affect the efficiency of the unit.

Please click here for more information.

How your building is wasting your money.

What is the biggest cost in running a building?

Energy! (Lighting, cooling and heating)

How can you control these costs?

Well, you could try asking your staff to turn down the thermostat and turn off unused lighting. However, this rarely works because:

• no one remembers
• thermostats are too confusing to use
• too many people press buttons, without knowing what they’re doing…
• which ends up with some areas cooling whilst others are heating
• and finally, units are left to run 24 hours a day, all of which costs you a fortune

In the past the so called solution was a building control system which costs tens of thousands of dollars. Control of this building system would be put on a computer in the basement, together with a very confusing program, which the maintenance staff were expected to run.

But now there’s new technology that makes management of energy costs and comfort levels easy — a building control system that can manage either one stat on its own or an entire building, and can be controlled from any computer in the world.

Please click here for more information.

Blower Wheel

Back to basics again this month, the blower wheel is the bit of your equipment that pushes air through the ducts to heat or cool your space. There are lots of different ways of pushing air, but most manufacturers have settled on the ‘squirrel cage’ fan. This is basically just like the wheel you used to have your pet hamster run around in! In this case though a motor turns the wheel, while fins on the outside of the wheel grab the air and push it down the duct work.

No matter what kind of blower you have, it will get dirt on it and decrease the efficiency of your system. If it is not cleaned over a period of time it will eventually damage your equipment. This brings us back to last month’s blog and the importance of filters. Filters help to reduce the amount of dirt reaching the blower wheel, helping to keep your equipment in top condition.

Simple things make all the difference. Getting the basics right will save you a lot of time and money down the line.

Blower wheel

Squirrel cage wheel

Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and Electrical company, serving Vancouver and BC area.
We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e- mail us too!

What is A/C?

A basic question, but a good place to start.

Air conditioning is basically the movement of heat from one place to another. Heat pumps, ice rinks, geothermal systems and even your home refrigerator all use this principle.

An air conditioning system is a sealed system with refrigerant in it, which is pumped around a loop. There are 4 basic parts in the system:

1. the compressor, which is basically a pump to push the gas (refrigerant) around the loop;

2. the metering device, which is just a valve which controls the flow of gas;

3. & 4. an inside coil and an outside coil. One gets hot and one gets cold. In the case of a heat pump, the system can change which ones are hot or cold.

There are also endless lists of parts that can be added depending on your needs, but these 4 make up the basis of all systems.

 Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and  Electrical  company, serving Vancouver and BC area.
We actively encourage feedback, comments and questions. You can leave a  message here, or look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can always e-  mail us too!


When do I need an Energy Management system? Not a question we ever hear, but it’s very obvious to us when people should be asking!

It’s now that time of year again….it’s cold, it’s busy, and staff are run off their feet. This is the season when there is no time to check any of your equipment; and that’s unfortunate, because this is when it is working at its fullest capacity. This is where a building control system or an energy management system really starts to pay for itself, especially if you have many locations or many units. All of them can be set or checked remotely…..easy!

With a properly set up system in place for the winter you will be maximizing your savings in several ways. You will only be using energy (heat) when the space is occupied. One member of staff (or your service provider) can quickly go on-line and check any problems, and either fix it there or call a technician to the problem if needs be. These systems can pay for themselves very quickly and, not only will you save money, you’ll also make huge savings on time.

Wishing you all a peaceful Festive Season and a prosperous New Year.

I didn’t know I could do that….

“I didn’t know I could do that” – the most common response we get  when explaining energy management systems to new customers!  Energy Management is simple…from turning off a light switch to full,  integrated systems; it’s all intended to make your life easier and save  energy.

In the bad old days energy management systems needed a dedicated  computer, lots of expensive software, and tied you into a contract  with  one company who held all your information. These days all you  need is  a box that plugs into your router. This is combined with easy  to use  graphics, which can be customized just for your building or  business.  And, because it’s web based, replacement parts are easy to  come by  and can be serviced by any company. Of course, all of this  makes the  costs much less, which opens up an opportunity for  smaller businesses  and buildings to use this system. With  programmable thermostats,  motion sensors for lights, and entire  building control systems – your  options today are much greater, and  more affordable, that ever before.

Let us show you something you ‘didn’t know’!

Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and  Electrical  company, serving Vancouver and BC area. Our focus is Energy   Management –  saving you money whilst saving the environment.

Sometimes the simple solutions are the best ones.

A small company were spending a fortune on heating and cooling, so they  came to us for advice. As they had the older style mercury thermostats on  their equipment, we advised that they update the equipment to  programmable stats. All that was required for the changeover was some  additional wire for the rooftop units so, after a little wire pulling, the new  system was installed.

Well, they were stunned with the difference this simple solution made to  their bills. The fans were not running all night, and the heating and  cooling came on only when it was needed. And, with the savings they  made on their energy bills, the new equipment was paid off in just a few  short months.

Sometimes small alterations equal big savings!

Caledonia Integrated Services is an Energy Management, HVAC and  Electrical company serving Vancouver and the BC area. Always putting  customer needs first, we constantly look for ways for you to save energy  and money.