What is energy management?

This is a phrase that you hear a lot these days….but how many people actually know what it means? We hope this helps!
Energy Management is the control of your energy usage. It can be as simple as a sticker on a light switch, telling people to turn off the light when leaving the room; to a fully computerised building control system.
Any equipment that’s running is consuming power. Anything that is not  required to run 24/7 can be controlled by a system and automatically turned off.
Alarms can be added to let you know when there is a problem that needs your  immediate attention.

What is a heat pump?
This is a question I get a lot! Most of us have been in this trade for so long that we take it for granted that everyone knows but let’s step back and try to answer the question…

 
The simplest answer is a heat pump is an air conditioner that can run backward. This means that in the winter the outside coil will get cold and the inside coil will give off heat, and vice versa in the summer. It is a very versatile and energy efficient piece of equipment that would benefit most homes and workplaces.

Did you know….?
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty to protect the earth’s ozone layer and phase out the production and importation of ozone depleting substances. As of January 1st 2010 the next phase out took effect, from now on, no new R-22 equipment can be manufactured or imported, and the annual allowable amount of HCFC’s is reduced by 75%.
What is R-22?
R-22 is a gas, which is the main refrigerant used in air conditioning equipment.
What does this mean to you? Does your equipment use R-22?
95% of the Air Conditioning equipment in use today is using R-22.
What can you do?
Maintain your equipment properly and professionally, use some of the many energy management ideas to cut down on run-time with, and reduce the load the best you can (i.e. keep windows and doors closed etc).

Season’s greetings!

Christmas is almost upon us and, as an early Christmas gift, we are offering a great deal on furnace services. For just $119.99 we will service your equipment and make sure you are safe and warm for the Yuletide season. This offer will end on 22nd December, so make an appointment fast and you’ll have one more thing ticked off your Christmas list!

Still 10% off furnaces – offer ends soon.  Read October and September for details.

Thinking of a new furnace? Here’s what you need to know before buying.

With new furnaces there are three main variables to the cost:

• the efficiency percentage
Old furnaces are 60% to 80% efficient. The high efficiency furnaces are 95%+ efficient because they take more of the heat out of the gas. This cools the gas so much it can be vented with plastic (PVC) pipes out the side of your house.

• the choice of gas valve
With the old, mid efficiency furnace, the gas valve opened 100% until it got warm, and then the blower motor came on. Unfortunately, during this time, all the heat goes up the chimney! Newer furnaces will fire on a low/high or on a modulating gas valve (at 25%), which will save a lot of gas, and therefore money during the heating cycle.

• the type of blower motor.
The new blower motors, which move air around your house, are now variable speed ECM motors. This means they will ramp up and down slowly, providing quiet and efficient air distribution whilst reducing overall utility consumption.

With our years of experience and our eyes on costs, we are beating competitors on services and price.

And, even though the cold weather is now upon us, we are still offering 10% discount on all service and installs. (see September’s posting below for more details). Make sure you don’t miss out on this great offer.

So call now and ask questions, get a quote, or make an appointment.

Are you ready?

With cold weather just around the corner we are offering a warming 10% discount on all furnace work, until the end of November (St Andrew’s Day!). As our usual rates are very competitive, this is a deal you can’t afford to miss.

Do know about the mid efficiency furnace ban 1st January 2010? Contact us now (residential and commercial) for quotes, with questions, or just if you need some friendly, reliable help. Call (604) 262-5844 or email [email protected].

Is a tripped breaker an electrical problem?

I recently got a call from a customer who had a problem with a breaker tripping on their new heat pump unit. The breaker was changed for a new larger one but the problem persisted.

It was time to discover what was happening – so I paid them a visit to see what was going on. I put the unit onto the cooling setting and the unit went into heating mode! The current climbed till the breaker tripped. Why was the heating coming on when it was 80°F in the room?

Well, I talked to the staff and found out that they had tried to adjust the schedule and somehow the settings got lost in the stat or it had been put back to factory setting (which would not work for a heat pump). I reprogrammed the stat and unit worked fine, but the customer had no cooling for a day (in the height of summer!) and it also cost them hundreds of dollars – all because their staff were not trained in using the stat!

Are today’s thermostats too complicated? Look at our energy management page for a simpler solution.