Is Your House Cold?

Even in Arizona we can experience uncomfortably low temperatures that bring in the extra blankets, hot cocoa, and dreaming about summer.  Regardless of how you spend your time during the winter months, I am sure your family has many practices to ensure your house is as warm as is practical.  So instead of increasing the temperature on the thermostat, savvy and cost conscious people attempt other methods to stay warm. And although wearing 15 layers of clothing and drinking obscene amounts of hot beverages is an option there are other ways that are much more effective. Before I show you good methods I will warn you of some common mistakes you should avoid.

Please do NOT use these methods for warmth:

• Close doors to unused rooms
• Use space heaters (especially while sleeping)
• Close vents in less busy rooms

Even though some of these may seem to help temporarily, they usually cause more severe issues.  Using a space heater without a watchful eye is obviously a potential hazard, but overall it is likely to be more expensive than an efficient heat system.  In a house with ductwork of any kind, closing a door to an unused bedroom is not a good idea because it creates a gap in the air flow cycle (Blog about air flow coming soon).  Closing a vent to a room can cause the same issue, but it can also cause damage to the HVAC system itself.  If the air is pushed all the way through a duct only to get to the end of a closed vent, the only place for it to go is backwards.  This can lead to worsening duct leakage, poor air pressure in other vents, and a harder working HVAC system.

So, what can you do to help keep your house warmer? That’s a great question with answers below:

• Upgrade your insulation
• Hang heavy curtains to cover leaky windows
• Open your blinds during daylight hours and close them during the night
• Look into programmable thermostats

These solutions vary in their effectiveness to maintain a warmer (and cooler) home, but none-the-less work wonderfully.  Energy efficiency and HVAC system care is just as important in Arizona’s winters as it is in the summers here.

If you have any further questions or would like to schedule an appointment to make your home warmer, we would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Arizona Home Energy Audit

 

You should get an energy audit because unless your home is 100% efficient (which it is not), you are wasting money every year on aspects of your home that could be fixed or upgraded.  You probably don’t believe me or think this sounds self-explanatory, but the most common areas that you daily lose energy and money in your home may surprise you. 

For example, you probably remember your mom telling you that leaving the lights on or leaving the refrigerator door open was like throwing money away because it used energy.  At least my mom did, and although moms are never wrong and those two tips do help, there are more important considerations when you want to save money on your energy bill by making efficient improvements.  The following factors are what an auditor will use to investigate those important considerations for a more efficient home.

• The location and number of air leaks in the building envelope.
• How much leakage is occurring from HVAC distribution ducts.
• How effective is the insulation inside walls and ceilings.
• Any existing or potential combustion safety issues.

Although this list may sound basic and easily self-diagnosed, there is a complex process that must be followed in order to completely understand a home’s energy, comfort, and safety issues. There are a few indications you can look for to see if further issues may exist.

• It is too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter.
• Moisture seems to linger around windows and doors.
• Dust is a constant resident in your house.
• Your energy bill is taking fun spending money out of your pocket. 

If you have experienced some of these problems, you should schedule an energy audit today! The home energy audit is a great opportunity for APS and SRP customers in Arizona, because it is usually $400 or more.  But through the Home Performance with EnergyStar program the price is only $99. 

Another benefit of an energy audit through APS or SRP is the potential to save even more money.  If you follow the solutions that an auditor prescribes you can save money on your monthly electric bill, primarily your heating and cooling portion.  You would also be eligible for certain rebates based on what the audit revealed.

We would be happy to answer any questions you may have and we would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Spray Foam Insulation – The Solution

Have you ever heard a friend or neighbor complain that their house was too hot or cold, and it was too expensive to change the thermostat? If you don’t have one of those friends, its likely because you have been that person.  Now don’t get me wrong, no one likes to pay a lot of money for something they could do without.  But having an uncomfortable home is not something to complain about when it can be fixed instead.

There are many culprits when it comes to your house not being a comfortable temperature throughout.  Your HVAC system may need some work, it may be too expensive to run your system, or you could be conditioning the great outdoors instead of your home. 

You are probably thinking that last one sounds crazy.  But let this illustration prove my point. 

 

Homes are rarely built in a way that stops air from traveling between the indoors and outdoors.  As a result, the following components of your house cause the air inside to leak outside.  These numbers from the U.S. Department of Energy are averages for homes across the nation so it is important to understand each individual house is unique in its good characteristics as well as its flaws.  It takes an expert in building science to be able to determine where major and solvable issues occur. (Energy Audit)

Although there are many methods to solve air leakage issues, the most effective and efficient is to create an air barrier/sealed envelope.  Essentially those two terms simply put is the status of a house that is well sealed off from the outside.  The best way to accomplish (really the only way) is through the installation of spray foam insulation. 

Spray foam insulation creates a continuous air barrier due to its expanding nature.  The spray foam adheres to most any surface and fills all the nooks and crannies that other insulation cannot.  Spray foam insulation can minimize the air leakage for walls, floors, ceilings, ducts, fireplaces, plumbing entries, fans, vents, and electrical outlets. 

• Although spray foam insulation in Arizona is great at sealing your home and separating indoor and outdoor air, it has many great benefits.
• It saves money on electricity because you aren’t wasting energy by heating and cooling the great outdoors.
• Spray foam also reduces the amount of sound that can travel through typical walls.
• Pests and rodents are also kept out by spray foam insulation because of the air seal (don’t worry they don’t like to eat it either).

If you are looking to maintain a better comfort level in your home and save money while getting the many great benefits of a healthier home, then spray foam insulation is the stuff for you! If you have any further questions or would like to schedule a free estimate, we would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Contact Us!

Arizona Winter Insulation

Arizona is widely known for being hot, and for the most part that assumption is true.  But for those of you who have never experienced a desert winter, it can be bone chilling.  Maybe not to those of you from the Midwest or other snow dumped lands, but definitely for us native Arizonans.  You see, when our average temperature during the summer is consistently over 100 degrees Fahrenheit our ability to withstand cold falls somewhere in the mid 70s.  So, when the dry air brings in temperatures in the 20s and 30s, we are way outside our comfort zone.

Regardless of where you are from or where your range of comfort falls, having a home that stays within that range is important.  One of the most effective ways that you can maintain a consistent temperature throughout your home is making the improvements your home needs the most.  Since every house is different the same solutions will not solve any issues you may be experiencing.

For instance, if you have one room that never gets warm in the winter, turning the thermostat up will not help. Instead you need to determine what is wrong with the makeup of your home that causes the issue.  Maybe your duct work to that room is leaky, or it is farthest away from HVAC system.  Maybe the insulation for that room is missing or damaged.  Although there are many other factors that could be the cause of uneven room temperatures, these two are the most common, but easily fixed.

Winter is a great time to make home improvements that will tangibly improve your home for several reasons.  Contractors are usually in their slower season which means lower costs for your project.  Work is completed faster since installation teams do not have to battle with heat exhaustion.  You can also get the home improvements in before the end of the year for tax purposes.  Not to mention the money you can save on your energy bill sooner.

So, if you would like to learn more about how you can improve your home’s energy efficiency and comfort do not hesitate to contact us for a free estimate.  We would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Christmas Porridge and Attic Storage

Christmas time is beautiful.  Lights are being strung, decorations are being hung, and carols are being sung.  For many it is a favorite time of the year.  But the long-standing question remains a debate: when does the season actually start? When is it ok to start singing about Frosty and pulling out those decorations from storage? Some people say one must wait until after Thanksgiving, while others explain that Christmas is a deep-rooted part of their identity and therefore, a specific time cannot be set on the appropriate celebration period (starts celebrating in August). 

Although I believe the Christmas spirit should commence on the 1^st of December, I often accept the practice that Christmas starts the midnight after Thanksgiving thanks to certain members of my family (my mother). Regardless of when you may officially start your Christmas count down, the grueling process of locating and organizing the decorations may take a few days anyways. We have all tried to find that one strand of lights or baby Jesus for the nativity scene. It is especially frustrating when you thought you packed everything in storage so well the year before.

So when you pack everything away after this year’s festivities, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

• Do not store anything in your attic unless
• It was properly converted into a safe storage space
• It was originally designed for storage
• Or if you do not care about your stuff or your home
• Keep decorations in plastic bins to keep pest, water and scent damages to a minimum
• Build a small shed in the backyard installed with spray foam insulation
• Donate decorations you never use to a local church or shelter to spread the Christmas cheer and limit your storage needs
• Create detailed labels with the contents for each box so you can find that specific strand of lights

At the end of the Christmas season, just remember that time spent with your family and friends is the most important thing to pack away until next year.

If you would like to know why you shouldn’t store boxes of stuff in your attic, or you are interested in insulating your new shed, give us a call! We would love the opportunity to share our expertise on spray foam insulation and everything about attics.

If you are wondering why the title included porridge and yet it was not mentioned at all during the post, I will tell you. You can use the word porridge on our website http://swsealco.com/contact-us/ for $450 off a duct seal (for qualifying APS and SRP customers). But I mostly used porridge because it rhymed.

HVAC Systems, Money, and Milkshakes

Have you ever been so excited about a milkshake that you stabbed the straw in too hard and it cracked? Well I have and it is no fun! You spend the rest of your dessert time sucking in air instead of enjoying the Oreo milkshake you had been excited for all day.  No one likes sucking in air when they were expecting ice cream, but especially when it is 110˚F and everything is melting.  But what I hate even more, is when they give you a straw that is too little and the milkshake is perfectly thick so you have to wait until it is essentially melted. 

Although you may have never thought about it in this way, your HVAC system can have the same issues leading to the same frustrations.  It can be a terribly hot Arizona day and your AC is pumping out refreshing cold air, but you aren’t getting any.  Instead your house is sucking in hot air from the attic or the ducts are too small to deliver enough of the AC's output… and it is frustrating just like drinking air when wanted to drink your milkshake.

Now maybe you have never been frustrated by either situation.  You don’t notice hot air coming in through the vents during summer, and you easily solve your milkshake problems by asking for a new straw.  Both of those arguments are legitimate.  But what if I told you that your HVAC system is throwing milkshakes away?  Obviously not literally, but hear me out.

The average ductwork in a house leaks between 10-30% of the conditioned air, meaning that you are spending money keeping the attic more comfortable.  When was the last time you hung out in your attic? Exactly the point, there is no need to spend money on your energy bill simply because you have leaks in your ductwork.  Most people do not continue to use a broken and you shouldn’t continue to use leaky ducts.  I am not saying you should pay to have all your ductwork replaced, but instead repair and seal the leaky ducts.

That sounds expensive huh? Fortunately for you, APS and SRP care about your milkshake money, and have specific rebates in place to offset the costs of a duct test and repair.  Check them out.

APS

SRP

And if you act fast, we are running a deal at Southwest Insealators.  Check it out on our Facebook Page!

Spray Foam Insulation 101

 

            New is always a scary concept.  Change is a constant part of life, but that doesn’t make it easier.  You remember the adjustment from high school to college or your first day at your new job; you were forced outside of your comfort zone.

            But eventually you realized it wasn’t so bad and that maybe, just maybe there was good you could gain from it. Well for many people owning a home for the first time, whether it is a house that needs some fixing up or a brand new build it is new territory with many unknowns.

            Due to a lack of experience, many homeowners scowl the Internet for useful tidbits of information on everything from appliances to insulation.  It is for this reason that I offer you a quick run down on the latter.  More specifically one of the best types of insulation, spray foam insulation.  The following is a brief report on all that spray foam insulation has to offer.

The Benefits

• Creates complete air barrier
• Saves money on your energy bill
• Ensures quieter spaces
• Improves air quality
• Reduces airborne allergens
• Maintains better balanced room temperatures (more comfortable)
• No settling - Constant R-Value
• Can reduce A/C tonnage requirement
• Blocks pests and rodents

The Applications

• Residential
• Commercial
• Industrial/Agricultural

The Types

• Open Cell Foam
• Closed Cell Foam

The difference

          Because spray foam insulation is newer than most other types of insulation, it is a scary commitment.  It is generally speaking more expensive up front, and many doubt the effectiveness and advantages.  Although it is not as widely accepted or implemented, with the right contractor it can make all the difference in a new or existing building.  Here are some links with great information.

Spray Foam Quick Facts
Spray Foam Education

If you need more information or would like to schedule a free estimate, we would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Why You Should Insulate

Don’t worry we won’t waste your time with lengthy details, personal agendas, or sales pitches.  If you are looking for information about what insulation can do for you, look no further.

Why you should insulate your home and business:

• Cooler temperatures in the summer
• Warmer temperatures in the winter
• More even temperatures between rooms
• DOE estimates insulation can save you 15-40% on your heating and cooling bill
• Insulation is earth friendly – if all the homes in the U.S. were properly insulated (based on 2012 IECC) 3.4 million homes could be powered with the saved energy
• Properly insulated houses sell at a higher value and 117% of the cost of insulation is regained
• Insulation lasts a lifetime without maintenance
• Solar panels are more effective and save more money when paired with proper insulation
• Can reduce sound levels within insulated space
• Allows your HVAC equipment to work less and prevent long term damage

Why you should not insulate your home and business:
• You do not like money
• You hate the environment
• You enjoy being uncomfortable

All jokes aside there are few circumstances where an insulation upgrade or installation would not be recommended in Arizona.  If you have an insulation level of R-38 value or higher, any additional insulation is a waste of time and money. If you have a very leaky roof, you should not upgrade insulation until the roof is repaired.  If there is no access to where existing insulation is located, and access costs are too expensive, insulation could potentially be unpractical.

Beyond some of these rare situations, insulation is a great investment for a home owner to create a more comfortable living space while simultaneously saving money for that dream vacation you have always wanted to take.

So if you are interested in anything insulation related, we would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Making Energy Efficiency Affordable

When was the last time someone offered to pay for your lunch? Your answer is probably not as recent as you would like.  Well, we want to change your answer, so lunch is on us today!  Ok so not literally, but we want to help you reallocate your spending money back to the places that you want to, like going out to lunch or finally going on that vacation you've been planning.  How do we do this you ask? Great question!

We start by lowering your energy bill.  Well actually we start with an energy audit, but then eventually it can help you save up to 40% on energy expenditures.  You are probably thinking, "this is just another sales pitch attempting to convince me to buy something that doesn't actually work". Normally I would agree with you because nobody likes a pushy salesman and gimmicks are everywhere these days, but this is different.

The main difference is our participation in a program that emphasizes saving money in a real and certified way.  Home Performance with Energy Star has partnered with APS and SRP in a program dedicated to save you money on your energy bill by improving your home's energy efficiency.  Our energy business, Arizona Going Green, is a certified contractor for the program, and as 1 of the 31 contractors we can serve as your one stop shop for energy efficiency.

Now you are probably thinking that this doesn't sound like the free lunch we had promised you.  In fact it sounds more like we are asking you to spend money.  Well you caught us. In order to save you money you must spend it first.  Although it is counter-intuitive APS and SRP have created incentives in order to show you that the benefits are not imaginary.  Those incentives come in the form of rebates for specific energy efficient home improvements completed by a certified contractor.

We have put together a list of rebates and how to receive them, but here is the breakdown of how it works.

1. Have an energy audit performed on your house.
2. Get building science recommendations for home improvements and choose your projects.
3. Hire a certified contractor to complete the work.
4. Ensure savings performance of your finished improvements with an "out" audit.
5. Enjoy your promised "Free Lunch".

So if you would like a "Free Lunch" on us, we would love the opportunity to earn your business!

Energy Efficient Home Improvements

I hate that to-do list we all put off.  You know the one... mow the lawn, fix the leaky shower head, replace the A/C filters.  The list goes on and on, and tends to spoil the joy of being at home.  Not to mention all the bigger items you would prefer to check off, but go on the back burner, like new counter tops, a new entertainment center, and a new pool. All of which sounds more exciting and adds value to the house, but making big home improvements is often a daunting and expensive task. They always seem to cost more and take longer than originally planned, and when the time comes to choose which improvement to make, the fun one usually gets picked because you can show it off your friends.  Which leaves the rest of home improvements feeling left out.  And of those improvements energy efficiency usually gets excluded from contemplation the most.

But what if I told you that there are some energy efficient improvements that can add value to your home, can be accomplished quickly, and are not as expensive as you thought? You would probably say it’s too good to be true or it’s not as exciting as a new pool.  Well you are kind of right. A pool in Arizona is exciting, but a more efficient home is definitely doable and still has an element of awesome. And I’ll tell you why. 

Improvements such as an insulation upgrade can save you money and make your home more comfortable, especially in the Arizona heat.  

Sealing your air ducts can ensure cleaner air and a healthier environment for you and your family.  

A properly sized and installed A/C can lower your bill while maintaining temperatures much better.

You may be thinking that all sounds too expensive, there is no way those things actually make a difference, or I don’t think my house needs it.  I can see where you are coming from, but before you cross off these options on your potential to-do list, at least consider what your energy company says about checking your home’s energy efficiency.

APS Home Energy Checkup

SRP Home Energy Audit

Basically the concept of these two programs is based on adding value to your house as soon as possible.  What I mean is unlike some home improvements, like those flashy ones we talked about earlier, energy efficient upgrades put money back into your pocket immediately.  Not only do the upgrades lower your utility bill, but the energy companies will grant you rebates once the work is finished.

With that said, your home is a special place, and we only want to help you make it a safer and more comfortable space while also lowering your energy bill. So if you are interested in an energy audit for your home to see where improvements can be made or already know what your house may need, we would love the opportunity to earn your business.