Residential Heating and Air Conditioning Blog: Archive for the ‘Air Conditioning’ Category

Understanding Your AC Efficiency Ratings

Monday, September 4th, 2023
energy-star-label

Energy efficiency is more important to consumers now than ever before, and they pay more attention to efficiency ratings for a range of devices. Thanks to the ENERGY STAR program, part of the US Department of Energy, consumers have an easy way to identify appliances that have passed the requirements for lower energy consumption and eco-friendly performance. 

Air conditioners use more electricity than almost any other household appliance, and that makes understanding their efficiency ratings a key part of lowering monthly bills and having an energy-saving household. We know all about the importance of AC efficiency in Minneapolis, MN, and we’re going to take a closer look at efficiency ratings in this post. When it comes to choosing a new AC for installation, always work with professionals who can help you find the system that has the right combination of efficiency, size, and performance for your household.

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Don’t Push Your AC Too Hard at the End of Summer

Monday, August 14th, 2023
thermometer-going-red

August and September often bring out the hottest weather of the summer. That can spell bad news for air conditioning systems which have already put in several months of hard work keeping homes chilled and comfortable. As the heat ramps up, ACs are at a higher risk of failing or losing cooling capacity because of the strain and overwork. 

We don’t want you stuck with a failed air conditioner during the dog days of summer—although you can always depend on us for air conditioning repair in Eden Prairie, MN or elsewhere in the Twin Cities when you need it. We have advice to help you lessen the cooling load on your air conditioning system and see that it remains reliable until it shuts off at the end of the year.

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Possible Thermostat Troubles That Will Affect Home Comfort

Monday, August 7th, 2023

The thermostat is critical for the comfort of your home. It’s where you interface with the HVAC system to set your desired temperature and to create a schedule for turning the heat on and off. 

Thermostats can malfunction in several ways, and often it’s difficult for homeowners to tell when the thermostat is at fault for a problem with the heating or cooling. To help you better understand when the thermostat is causing comfort troubles, we’ll look several malfunctions for thermostats in Minneapolis, MN.

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Common Reasons for an Underperforming AC

Monday, July 31st, 2023
man-with-a-fan

During a hot summer, if your air conditioning system starts to work less effectively, you will definitely know it! Although your air conditioner is turning on and blowing out cool air from the vents, it feels hotter and more humid than normal.

You’ll feel tempted in a situation like this to drop the thermostat setting lower—but please don’t. If you normally can get comfortable during the summer on even the hottest days with a 78°F thermostat setting, but now you have to drop it down to 72°F, that means something is wrong with the HVAC system that must be addressed. We’re going to look at the common causes for an underperforming cooling system and when you need to call for air conditioning repair in Eden Prairie, MN

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The Benefits of Installing a Smart Thermostat

Monday, July 3rd, 2023
Intelligent home automation system: controlling house temperature with a multimedia touch screen display, mounted on an apartment wall and wireless connected to a main computer unit. Intelligent system for energy saving, climate control and environmental conservation. Temperature is expressed in Fahrenheit degrees (see more images from my portfolio for other units). Shows thermometer, warm and cold air conditioning icons, relative humidity and current temperature.

Many homeowners have a digital thermostat, although some may still have a manual thermostat that uses sliders and dials to change the temperature. But more and more homeowners are installing smart thermostats that they can control remotely and which handle many functions on their own. 

You may think that your standard thermostat is good enough to get the job done, but we recommend you consider a smart thermostat and the benefits that come with it.

When you’re ready to schedule service for thermostats in Eden Prairie, MN, we can help see you get the right smart thermostat for your needs. In the meantime, you can learn more about the multiple benefits of using a smart thermostat with your HVAC system. 

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Your AC and Energy Use: Some Important Facts

Monday, June 26th, 2023
air-conditioner

It takes plenty of energy to power a heating system through winters in the Twin Cities. But don’t underestimate what it costs to run air conditioning in Minneapolis, MN during our summers, which are often hot and have the extra burden of humidity from all our lakes. 

How much does it cost to run an air conditioning system? You might have some idea based on changes in your electric bills when summer starts up, but today we want to look into the facts about how your AC uses electricity.

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Demystifying the 5 Top Myths About Home Air Conditioning

Monday, June 19th, 2023
air-conditioning-unit-tops

In the (relatively) short time that ACs have been parts of homes, several myths and misconceptions have risen about them. Some are relatively harmless trivia, but others can have a major impact on comfort and energy use in a home. We want you to know the real deal when it comes to air conditioning in Eden Prairie, MN, and throughout the Twin Cities, so we’ll break down several of the biggest myths about AC systems.

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Why Is Water Leaking From My AC?

Monday, June 12th, 2023
water-spill-on-floor

If you listen to your air conditioning system when it’s running, you’ll occasionally hear the sound of water dripping. That’s not because your air conditioner uses water to run. The way it cools the air is with refrigerant, which draws heat from inside the house and then transports it outside. The water is a byproduct of this process—and sometimes it may leak from the AC.

If you see water pooling around the indoor air conditioner, please don’t just mop it up and ignore it. That leaking water is a sign of a problem with the AC that can quickly get worse and lead to the system shutting down, so it’s best to call for us for AC repair in Minneapolis, MN

Below, we’ll take a look at why water leaks can occur and what they mean.

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Some Special Tips to Help Your AC This Summer

Monday, May 22nd, 2023
air-conditioner-cabinets

The most basic way you can help your cooling system run more efficiently and effectively this summer is to arrange with our team for professional air conditioning maintenance in Minneapolis, MN. If you’ve already done that, then you’re off to a good start for summer cooling.

In this post, we’ll explore some of the “next steps” to improve your AC’s performance, efficiency, and reliability through another warm and humid summer. Once we go beyond maintenance, there are many ways to help your air conditioning system work its best.

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Let’s Talk About Your AC (And If You Need More)

Monday, May 15th, 2023
air-conditioner-unit-being-repaired

Spoilers for this post: You probably don’t need more refrigerant! If you do, it’s a repair situation.

We thought we’d get the crucial information out of the way first, because people often have mistaken assumptions about how air conditioners use refrigerant. They might hear from a source that it’s a good idea to get the refrigerant “topped off” before summer rolls around, or that you’ll need to have routine refrigerant refills to ensure the AC doesn’t run out of it.

To which we’ll ask: “When was the last time you needed to have the refrigerant in your refrigerator refilled?” We’ll bet the answer is never—unless the refrigerator was broken.

Well, the refrigerant in an air conditioning system is the same. Unless the AC is leaking refrigerant (in which case call us for air conditioning repair in Eden Prairie, MN), you won’t need to have any additional refrigerant put into it during the system’s service life.

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