How big is my footprint?

Changing a few everyday habits can change the size of your carbon footprint. Little steps add up over time, like growing some of your own vegetables or nudging your thermostat up a degree or two on summer evenings.
Using the sun's power can help reduce the greenhouse gases needed to run your home comfortably, as well as your utility bills. That may mean adding skylights or installing an air conditioner or heat pump that is solar-ready, like the new SunSource™ Home Energy System from Lennox. These systems use roof-mounted solar modules to harness clean, sustainable energy from the sun and use it to run the home's central cooling and heating system.
If you'd like to calculate your current carbon footprint, try this online calculator from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Energy Savings Calculator from Lennox can show you other ways to walk more lightly on the earth.

Considering Solar…?

Some thoughts from our friends at Lennox:

It can't get much cheaper than free.Solar-energy systems allow you to capture free sunlight and convert it into usable power in your home.

It’s clean.Solar energy can be used to heat and cool your home, but it has almost no impact on the global climate. By comparison, electricity generated by power plants produces carbon dioxide emissions that scientists say pose serious threats to the environment.

It’s infinitely renewable.While nonrenewable energy sources like oil, gas and coal are becoming increasingly scarce, the sun’s energy is limitless. Wherever sunlight shines, electricity can be generated.

It can reduce your utility costs.Having a system that creates solar energy means you use less electricity from your utility company, and that can contribute to lower heating and cooling costs. This is significant, especially when you consider 56% of energy use in a typical U.S. home comes from heating and cooling*. (*U.S. Department of Energy statistics)

It increases your energy self-reliance.The more sunlight harnessed by the system, the less electricity you need from your utility supplier.

It can also increase your home’s value.An investment in a solar-energy system may improve the value of your home, thanks to its ability to lower the cost of heating and cooling. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have shown that home values rise an average of $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills.

It’s extremely reliable.The sun has been around for billions of years and is likely to burn on for billions more to come. And when you consider how a trusted name like Lennox is putting it to economical use in the home, it’s easy to see solar energy’s future is bright.

Air filter change… How often really?

For your health as well as the life of your HVAC system changing your filter every month is a good plan. Not only are you reducing pollen, dust and other allergens, you are also keeping dirt and other particulates from building up in your system. This build up can lead to your system failing earlier than it should. Your air conditioner or heat pump will have to work harder to push air through a dirty filter. Keeping you cool this summer shouldn’t mean a higher than necessary electrical bill either.
Check on the filters every month. If it is dirty, replace it. Otherwise, replace that filter, at the very least, every 90 days.

Bigger is not always better.

So the addition to the home is complete and now it is time to address the cooling and heating system. Put in a system that is too small and it will not have enough power to keep your homes climate comfortable. Go too big and the system will cycle on and off frequently, wasting a lot of electricity as well as shortening the life span of the unit.

Getting the size right will help keep the electricity bills low and the home feeling just right. If a remodel is in your future, an HVAC professional can give you the guidance as to what size unit would be the way for you to proceed with. The dealer will also be able to test the air flow of the installed unit and adjust it accordingly. Tuning in the air flow will help make a difference in the performance of the unit as well as saving you money by doing so.

There are plenty of other ways to save money and we would love to answer any questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

10 Tips for a safer home this summer

1. Keep your garage door opener inside your home, instead of in your car, when it’s parked outside. Put it with your car keys so you don’t forget it when you leave.


2. Make a plan for summer storms. Assemble a disaster kit with first-aid supplies, water, canned food and a NOAA weather radio at a minimum. A backup generator will keep the lights on during unexpected utility outages.


3. Organize a neighborhood watch. It’s an effective way to prevent crime, and a good way to get to know your neighbors better.


4. Protect your home’s air from chemical vapors and other contaminants. Choose an air purification system with a MERV 16 filter to remove vapors, odors, mold spores, viruses, bacteria, pollen and allergens.


5. If you buy a new TV or computer, don’t leave the empty box out for trash pickup.Break down the package and turn the flat sheets blank side up, or take it to a recycling center.


6. Control ozone pollution inside your home. Some ionizers and air cleaners actually create ozone; choose one that doesn’t.


7. Trim bushes and trees away from windows and doors to reduce hiding places for vandals. Tree limbs and branches should be trimmed no lower than seven feet from the ground.


8. Close your garage door. Keep doors and windows locked and remember to activate your burglar alarm when you leave for vacation.


9. Control mold by reducing humidity. Mold can cause headaches, trigger allergies and turn your home into a serious health hazard. Humidity levels should be kept between 30 percent and 50 percent.


10. Keeping a large dog bowl at your back door may help fool intruders. It suggests the presence of a big dog in your home!

Top 10 Tips for spring storm preparation

1. Find your safest place to wait out a storm.

If you don’t have a basement or storm shelter, choose a small room without windows such as a bathroom or central closet. Discuss this location with everyone in your family.

2. Create a storm emergency kit. In a waterproof container, place flashlights, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, blankets, a first-aid kit, non-perishable food and a large container of drinking water.
3. Invest in a generator. If your power goes out, a home generator can restore electricity safely in as little as 10 seconds.

4. Survey trees for weak branches. Remove loose tree limbs to keep them from falling on your home or car during a storm.

5.Buy a NOAA Weather Radio. Available online or from electronics stores, weather radios broadcast warnings, watches and other weather information from the nearest National Weather Service office 24 hours a day, even when the TV or other radios are turned off.

6. Put aside some emergency cash. If the power is out, ATMs and credit cards can’t be used.

7. Secure artwork and other loose items. Use v-hooks instead of nails to mount paintings, which will allow artwork to shift without falling off the wall.

8. Clear your yard. Keep bikes, shovels and other items in the garage so they aren’t flung around by windstorms.

9. Document your home’s contents. Walk through every room of your home to prepare a list of possessions, taking photos and videos, to help with insurance claims later.

10. Check your insurance policies. Make sure your home and auto policies provide adequate coverage for wind and hail storms.

There is $500 to save from five rooms in your home.

Smart energy efficiency will lower your utility bills.  Here are 5 places to start.

·       There is $215 in your living room – Start by replacing 5 bulbs on the most used fixtures.  Compact fluorescent bulbs can reach a savings of $65 each in one year.  Not only do they use less energy, but they have a life span reaching 10 times longer than the incandescent bulbs you are now using.  That means savings for years to come.  Follow that up with a Lennox ComfortSense 7000 thermostat and add another $150 per year to the living rooms savings.  In the summer, for instance, this unit will managing your cooling dollars by lowering the temperature while you are at home and let it alone while you are at work or sleeping.

·       $145 is sitting in the bathroom.  By replacing your shower a 2.5-gallon per minute model and keeping your shower time to 10 minutes you are going to be saving 5 gallons and up to $145 per year.

·       You can gather up another $74 from the laundry room.  Buying cold-water laundry detergent will save $24 - $40 in fuel costs to heat water each year.  $34 is stuck in the lint trap.  Cleaning this trap out each load will help increase the drying efficiency of your dryer.

·       Find $36 in your basement.  Take the temperature down on the hot water heater a little to 120 degrees.  This small adjustment can reach as high as $61 each year in savings.

·       Check the kitchen for another $35.  Just one drip per second from a leaking hot water fixture equals 1,661 gallons of water in just one year.  Fixing these leaks is an easy way to save electricity or natural gas.

This list can go on and on.  Some homes will even be able to save more per room than our estimates.  The point is that every little bit helps.  Starting room by room makes it easier to get hold of things and start heading down that road of energy efficiency.

Source: James & Morris Carey