A/C Designs of St. Augustine, LLC Blog: Posts Tagged ‘hvac tips’

HVAC Tips to Reduce Allergens in Your Home This Spring

Monday, March 15th, 2021

Tree pollen and other allergens can trigger sneezing and other unpleasant symptoms during spring. Routine HVAC maintenance can help lower your risk of dealing with pollen and other seasonal allergies. Keep the following allergy-fighting tips in mind to help increase your indoor air quality and reduce allergens in your home. 

Check Your Filter

Changing your HVAC system’s air filter is a highly effective way to keep allergies at bay. Air filters catch allergens and other particles that lower your indoor air quality (IAQ). Over time, trapping these particles causes these filters to become dirty, lowering your air quality. A clogged filter also allows more allergens to circulate throughout your home, which can cause allergy symptoms to flare up. 

You should replace your air filter every three months. Make a plan to check these filters on a regular basis. You might need to change them sooner if the filters are dirty or clogged. When changing air filters, make sure you use filters with the right Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating. 

The MERV rating tells you how well your air filter performs at removing allergens and other particles. If you have allergies, using an air filter with a MERV rating of eight or higher will offer enhanced filtration. 

Eliminate Dust and Debris

Pollen isn’t the only springtime allergen you need to worry about. Mold and dust can also cause allergy symptoms throughout spring. Getting rid of dust and debris in and around your home can help prevent these allergens from causing respiratory problems and other complications. 

You should clear debris and dust away from your outdoor unit. This helps reduce the presence of these allergens in your home.

You can also eliminate dust around your indoor unit as well. Wipe down this area, and make sure you vacuum and sweep to get rid of as much dust as possible. Keep in mind that some allergens can be hidden away. Check your air ducts and clean them if you see mold, dust, or other debris.

Schedule a Maintenance Appointment

For best results, call an HVAC professional for annual maintenance on your unit. Your HVAC technician will inspect your HVAC system’s vents and ductwork to make sure everything is in good condition. HVAC technicians will clean dusty vents and eliminate mold and other debris from your ducts. They can also recommend other ways to improve your home’s IAQ, such as by using a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture and lower the risk of mold.  

Scheduling preventive maintenance for your HVAC system regularly helps it perform efficiently while reducing allergens in your home. It is recommended to have HVAC maintenance at least once or twice per year.

Following these tips can help you and your family fight your allergies this spring. Join A/C Designs Preferred Maintenance Program to stay on top of your allergies year-round.

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How Your HVAC Unit Can Affect Your Health

Monday, February 22nd, 2021

With heightened stress levels, lower immune systems, and an international pandemic, it’s more important than ever to stay healthy. Your HVAC system plays a major role in determining your indoor air quality (IAQ) and therefore, your HVAC and health have an interesting relationship. Since this is the air you’re inhaling all day, you should take steps to ensure a healthy home environment. 

Unclean air raises your risk of getting sick. If you start to notice any of the following symptoms, it’s time to check your air quality. An HVAC contractor in Jacksonville, Florida can help you boost IAQ and maintain a healthy home at all times. 

At A/C Designs, we offer electronic air cleaners and air purifiers to reduce germs, allergens, and other harmful particles in your home. We also have other air quality solutions available, including UV germicidal lights and air duct cleaning. Our technicians can help you determine the right solutions for better air quality.

Asthma or Allergies

If you’ve been experiencing bad asthma or allergy flare-ups, your air quality could be the reason. Dirty HVAC filters or ducts can cause dust and other asthma and allergy triggers to float throughout your home. Breathing these particles in can cause you to have asthma or allergy symptoms, such as trouble breathing, sneezing, or itchy, watery eyes. 

Changing air filters is an important part of preventing this from happening. Make sure you check and replace your air filters every couple of months or more often if needed.

Decreased Cognitive Performance

HVAC and health issues can affect your ability to concentrate, make decisions, and use other cognitive skills. For example, being in a room that’s too hot can cause distractions while working or make it difficult for your kids to get their schoolwork done. Turn down your thermostat setting to ensure a more comfortable environment at home that’s not too warm during winter. 

When it’s hot out, make sure your air conditioning is running properly. If your HVAC system doesn’t seem to be working right, schedule an AC repair service as soon as possible.

Headaches

Getting a headache from time to time isn’t unusual. However, if you’ve been experiencing frequent headaches, this could be due to your HVAC system. Dusty or dirty air ducts can lower the air quality in your home, resulting in chronic headaches. Headache may also be caused by dirty air filters or rooms that are overly warm. 

You should have HVAC technicians check your HVAC system, including your ductwork, to see if any cleaning or other maintenance is needed. This will help minimize your frequent headache episodes and improve your home’s overall comfort.

Our experienced technicians can quickly diagnose your HVAC issues and get you started on the path to repair. Contact A/C Designs today for all of your HVAC repair needs in order to prioritize your health. Keep in mind that we also offer air conditioning installation in Jacksonville, FL if you need to replace or upgrade your HVAC system.

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HVAC Tips for Working From Home

Friday, February 12th, 2021

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people are working from home indefinitely. When you’re home all the time, it’s even more important to make sure your HVAC system is running efficiently for a comfortable living and working environment. Maintaining your home’s comfortability can boost your productivity. Keep these HVAC tips for working from home in mind to create the ideal work environment in your house.

Use a Fan

If your home workspace has a ceiling fan, turning it on can help cut down on cooling costs when it’s hot out. Using a ceiling fan can also provide circulation to improve your comfort overall. If you don’t have a ceiling fan, consider using a small desk fan or a standing fan that oscillates. Turn your portable or ceiling fan off when you leave the room to prevent wasting energy.

Purchase a Zoning System

You don’t necessarily need to keep your entire home at the same temperature while you’re working. A zoning system allows you to control temperature settings in different areas of your house throughout the day. You can keep your home office or workspace heated more in winter while lowering the temperature in the rest of your house, which helps you save money on your energy bills. Consider looking into air conditioning installation in Jacksonville, FL in order to add a zoning system to your home.

Install an Air Purifier

When you’re working from home, it’s important to make sure the air you’re breathing in every second is free from toxins of chemicals. An air purifier can reduce dust and other particles in the air, providing you with a healthier workspace at home. Having a whole-house air purifier installed ensures that you have good indoor air quality (IAQ) throughout your house. Keep in mind that air purifiers also help eliminate germs and get rid of odors in your home.

Change the Filters

HVAC systems have air filters that trap contaminants, dust, and other particles in your home. You can end up with clogged air filters if you don’t change them on a regular basis, which will lower your air quality. 

You should check these filters once a month, and replace them with clean, new filters as needed. You might have to replace your air filters more often, such as every month or two, if you have pets in your home. Air filters can become clogged with pet dander over time.

Use a Dust Cloth

Surfaces in your workspace or home office can quickly get dusty, resulting in poor IAQ. You should use a dust cloth regularly in these areas to prevent dust from building up. Keep microfiber dust cloths handy in your home office, so you can easily wipe down surfaces as often as possible for a healthy work environment.

If you need AC repair in Jacksonville, FL or if you need help keeping your home comfortable 24/7, our team at A/C Designs can help. Contact us to learn more about how to save on your HVAC needs.

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HVAC Energy Saving Tips for the Holidays

Monday, December 14th, 2020

Christmastime is one of the most wonderful times of the year — and it is also the time of year when the most energy is used around the home. Heating bills go up as temperatures drop, and that’s compounded by frequent visitors coming through your doors. Here’s a list of tips and tricks to help cut down on energy usage during the holidays.

Essential Tips for Saving Energy This Christmas

It’s good to save money year-round, but at Christmastime in particular, you could use some extra savings in your pocket — and energy savings are a key way to do that. Reduce your energy usage in the following ways:

  • If you’re expecting to be away from home a lot over the holidays, there’s no need to let your heating and cooling system keep your home at the ideal temperature when you’re not home. Invest in a wifi-enabled thermostat to remotely control temperature, set your heating lower before you leave, or turn off the air conditioning to save.
  • Holidays mean lots of people coming and going through your doors — and sometimes those doors are left hanging open, which lets warm or cold air out. Save your AC unit some trouble by making sure that doors are closed when people aren’t using them.
  • Many people make Christmas meals to celebrate the holidays, but perhaps you’ve never noticed the indoor temperature going up just a notch while your oven is running. That’s right, cooking with your oven is a good and frugal way to help heat up your home using the heat generated by the machine. You can cut down on your power bill and have a hot home-cooked meal at the same time.
  • Enroll in an HVAC maintenance program so that technicians can monitor your heating and cooling equipment. Routine maintenance lowers utility bills and prevents problems before they can become costly.
  • Don’t just keep the power on. Be it whether you’re leaving a room or the house, remember to turn off unused applications and lights. That goes for power strips too, as they can still hog energy even if you don’t notice them easily. Turning the power off whenever you can is not only good for the environment but also your power bill.
  • Go for energy-efficient Christmas lights. Choose LED ones over traditional light bulbs or other sorts of fancy electronic decorations that eat a lot of wattage.

Contact A/C Designs to Help You Save 

There are other ways you can save, too, such as zoned heating and cooling systems that allow you to use less energy in areas of the home that you aren’t actively using. If you’re looking for services concerning air conditioning in Jacksonville, Florida, contact A/C Designs and let us help you figure out ways that you can get those energy bills lower.

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