Home Commercial ▼ Duct Cleaning Fabrication Residential ▼ Company ▼ Contact ▼ Chuck's Heating & Air Conditioning AIR & METAL CRAFTSMEN Is it time to upgrade your home heating system? May 22, 2018 by Chuck's Heating Most homeowners don’t think give much thought to their HVAC systems unless happens to make them take notice. It’s usually a lot more efficient and cost effective to not wait until something breaks before having an HVAC system serviced. Homeowners should call for regular maintenance and ask their HVAC professional whether it might be time for improvements or an upgrade to the system. There have been many recent advances in HVAC technology that homeowners can take advantage of to improve energy efficiency and cost effectiveness. Here are a few factors to consider. Rise in Energy Costs If you have recently noticed a rise in the costs to keep your home comfortable, it may be your air conditioner or heat pump is not operating as efficiently as it once did. Have your unit inspected to be certain. Increasing Noise Level Do you notice an increase in the amount of noise produced when your system is operating? This could be a problem with your heating or cooling unit, but sometimes the sizing of your ductwork can contribute to this as well. Frequency of Repairs If you find your heating or cooling unit needs regular repairs, it may be time to weigh the costs of repairs against the purchase of a system upgrade. Inefficient If your heating and cooling unit can’t keep up with your comfort needs, it might be the wrong size for your home – especially if you recently put an addition on your house. Poor performance could also be due to leaks or weaknesses in your ductwork. Age of System Your heating or cooling unit will only perform efficiently and effectively for so long. Consider replacing your air conditioner or heat pump if the unit is older than 10 years. Rooms Too Hot or Too Cold Rooms that are too hot or too cold can be symptomatic of several issues including poor airflow, duct problems, inadequate insulation, or failing equipment. For a proper diagnosis, contact a professional. Excess Humidity Excessive humidity inside your home can be symptomatic of poorly performing equipment or leaky ductwork. Have your unit inspected to be sure. A professional may recommend a dehumidifier for your home. Excessive Dust An excessive amount of dust inside your home might indicate problems with your ductwork. They may need to be sealed or cleaned. Is a home sale on your horizon? Upgrading your HVAC to a new more energy efficient system offers great incentives to potential buyers. The cost of upgrading can often be counterbalanced in the sale price of your home. For questions, give Chuck’s a call any time or get a free estimate. Contact Chuck’s today to learn more about energy efficient alternatives, special financing, or to learn more about our HVAC services. Tips to Increase Your Home’s Value May 15, 2018 by Chuck's Heating You may be in the market to sell your home or in the process of remodeling. A smart approach in either case is to work to save money and increase your home’s value. When it comes to plumbing, certain upgrades will give homeowners a greater return on their investment dollar for dollar. Here are a few plumbing-related tips that add value to your home: 1.)Upgrade your kitchen Changing your sink, faucet, and adding a garbage disposal can increase the value of your home. The expense of remodeling a kitchen can be high but usually pays for itself – sometimes in multiples – my increasing home value and the amount of equity you have in your home while you occupy it. 2.) Water filtration Water filtration will remove pollutants and chemicals from you main drinking source which is great for the health of your family. Installing a whole-house water filtration system is allows you to avoid spending money on such things as bottled water and replacing water pitcher filters. This will pay off in both convenience now and future value when it comes time to sell. 3.) Bathroom updates A full bathroom remodel isn’t necessary to increase your home’s value. Minor bathroom updates on things such as fixtures, showerhead, faucet, sink and toilet can improve the overall look and functionality. By installing water-saving fixtures homeowners also save money and conserve water which is great for the environment. 4.) Repair existing plumbing problems Many homeowners ignore small plumbing issues such as slow drains, leaky faucets, running toilets, water spots on the ceiling, etc. Constant leaks can become costly repairs and increase water bills. Before listing your house, make sure you have any and all existing plumbing issues fixed. 5.) Add luxuries Add a utility sink to your laundry room or garage. Add an outdoor faucet to both front and back of your house. Install a natural gas line (if service is available to your home) directly to an outdoor grill or fireplace. Small upgrades to the plumbing in your home can increase value and provide you with ease and comfort! Contact Chuck’s today to learn more about energy efficient alternatives, special financing, or to learn more about our Plumbing services. Spring Checklist for your HVAC System May 8, 2018 by Chuck's Heating Winter is over which means that spring is here around the corner in Vermont. Chances are you may have put some level of strain on your heating system during the winter months to keep warm. You don’t depend on your heating system in spring which makes it the perfect time to do HVAC maintenance to make sure your cooling system is running properly and efficiently for when summer hits. Below is a spring HVAC checklist for Vermonters. Change Your Air Filter You should be changing your air filter on a regular basis in order to ensure the proper airflow throughout your home. If you don’t change your air filter regularly, dust and dirt will build up to the point where it will obstruct your airflow. This will make it harder for your HVAC system to cool or heat your home properly, affecting both your comfort and your energy bills. Check with Chuck’s to find out the proper frequency for your particular system. Check Operation of All HVAC Units Turn on all of your HVAC system’s units to make sure that they are working properly. If your HVAC system isn’t cooling or heating your home to the temperature you’ve set, then you have an issue with either your thermostat or your HVAC system and you’ll want to schedule professional maintenance. You should also make sure that none of your HVAC units are making strange sounds or producing strange scents – these are all signs of potential problems and should never be skipped as part of your spring HVAC checklist. Tighten Electrical Connections Electrical connections that are faulty can make the operation of your HVAC system unsafe and can also end up reducing the lifespan of your HVAC’s major components. This should be a regular step in a spring HVAC checklist for Vermonters. Clean & Lubricate Indoor HVAC Components All of the HVAC system’s indoor components, including the blower fans and coils, should be cleaned and lubricated to ensure that they work as efficiently as possible. Cleaning and lubricating these components will also help to prevent any problems from developing in the near future. Clean the Outdoor HVAC Units (Your Air Conditioner or Heat Pump!) Clean out any leaves, grass or dirt that may be blocking your vents. If you don’t clean them out, it will restrict the airflow in your home, which will reduce your HVAC system’s efficiency. Check Your Air Conditioner’s Refrigerant Levels Because temperatures are going to begin going up as summer gets closer, you’re going to want to make sure that your air conditioner is in peak operating condition. Check the refrigerant levels to make sure that the unit will cool your home efficiently and effectively. Read more about checking your air conditioner’s refrigerant. These maintenance tasks should be performed to make sure your HVAC system is performing properly after experiencing heavy use during the winter, and also to prepare it for the upcoming summer months. While many of these tasks can be performed on your own, we recommend that you have a professional technician perform an HVAC inspection every spring. Contact Chuck’s today to learn more about energy efficient alternatives, special financing, or to learn more about our HVAC maintenance services. Why You Should Stop Hand Washing Dishes May 1, 2018 by Chuck's Heating 1.) It’s a health issue Sponges soak up everything (bacteria included!) Studies show that the average kitchen sponge is dirtier than a toilet seat. Excess food particles are being washed off with hand washing but using a kitchen sponge adds bacteria to the dishes and utensils you eat with. Dishwashers will sterilize your dishes removing most of the bacteria and food particles. Homeowners should be sure to practice careful hygiene when cleaning kitchen surfaces. The study mentioned above also found that attempts to clean or sanitize sponges by microwaving or washing them led to only a short-term decrease in the number of germs. Such attempts at sanitizing sponges might cause potentially harmful bacteria to grow back in even greater numbers. Instead of attempting to clean kitchen sponges, experts suggest replacing them weekly. Although this generates a lot of waste and means that all of these kitchen sponges are just ending up in landfill. Replacing kitchen sponges often is a temporary and poor solution to a larger problem. 2.) Water-efficiency It’s more water-efficient to use a dishwasher than to wash dishes by hand which means you’ll save money. By washing dishes in the dishwasher rather than washing them by hand, it uses less water. This is especially true if you’re using a new energy efficient dishwasher, which can save gallons of water per load. Newer diswasher models are more efficient than the models from 20, 10, or even 5 years ago. This means most homeowners can save more than double the amount of water than it would take to wash by hand. It’s worth it in the long run to invest in a good, energy efficient dishwasher. 3.) You’ll save time This leaves more time to relax, read a book, go for a walk, spend time with your friends and family. Every minute counts which makes your dishwasher literally, a “life saver”. If you spend up to an hour per day washing dishes by hand but only 15 minutes to load and unload a dishwasher, this adds up to 15.2 DAYS PER YEAR in time that you save. That’s over 3 years of your life you can reclaim! If you want more time, lower costing utility bills and less bacteria, then invest in an energy efficient dishwasher! Contact Chuck’s today to learn more about energy efficient alternatives, special financing, or to learn more about our plumbing services or to get dishwasher recommendations. Our New Website April 12, 2017 by Chuck's Heating Chuck’s contracted with Essex Junction, Vermont-based Earthlogic to assist with production of a new mobile responsive website. Earthlogic was just named the Best Website Developer in Vermont by a recent poll conducted by Vermont Business Magazine. Click here to learn more. “We wanted our new website to better reflect the quality, knowledge, and experience that Chuck’s offers to its customers”, said Brian Brewster, Chuck’s Chief Financial Officer. “We believe the new site will better serve the needs of our customers, will help to educate our local community on new energy efficient product alternatives that are available to them. Technology is advancing rapidly in HVAC and Chuck’s works hard to stay on the leading edge. We believe our new site better reflects that.” The site includes a glossary of terms that help to clarify products, services and technologies that usually leave prospective customers scratching their heads. Customers can frequently take advantage of special financing and incentives so that projects they have been putting off for years might be more accessible and beneficial in the short-term. Improvements in enery efficiency benefit the environment as well as the pocketbook over time. Contact Chuck’s today to learn more about energy efficient alternatives, special financing, or to learn more about our custom metal fabrication services. And of course, please let us know what you think of the new site. We’d love to hear from you. APPLY FOR JOB OPENING NEED SERVICE? REQUEST A QUOTE NEED FINANCING? INFORM Chuck’s Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. is a family owned business serving the Colchester, VT area since 1977. Whether you need climate control, plumbing, or a new stainless kitchen counter, Chuck’s is the place to go! 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