Summer Energy Savings Tips
- Raising the set-point by 2 degrees in the summer for an approximate 23 percent cooling energy savings
- Lower your thermostat by 3 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) at night while you are sleeping and when no one is home
- If you have a programmable thermostat you have the option of changing the temperature setting automatically during the nights and during the work day when no one is home
- Install an energy star programmable digital thermostat
- Keep your air conditioner in the shade. An air conditioner exposed to direct sunlight will use 5 percent more energy than a shaded one
- Turn up your temperature when you go out and shut down your system when you area away for extended periods
- Leave your furnace fan on continuously to circulate cooler air from the basement up to other floors. Some furnaces have a way of opening a duct to draw even more cooler basement air into the system
Know the energy efficiency when choosing an air conditioner
SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It’s a number that describes how well air-conditioning equipment works. A higher SEER is calculated by dividing the amount of cooling supplied by the air conditioner or heat pump (Btu’s per hour) by the power (watts) used by the cooling equipment under a specific set of seasonal conditions. A higher SEER rating may be more expensive; however it will pay for itself over the course of its lifetime.
What is an EER?
Energy Efficiency Ratio of a cooling system measures how efficiently the system will operate when the outdoor temperature is at a specific level (usually 35°C /95°F). A higher EER means a higher efficiency.
Important Tips for Maximum Combustor Effectiveness
Burn natural wood only. Do not burn trash, garbage, artificial or paper logs, gift wrappings, coal, lighter fluids, chemical starters, treated or painted wood, driftwood or chemical cleaners. These may contain chemicals that could de-activate the catalyst.Catalytic combustor temperatures above 1800F (1000C) will shorten the life of a combustor. Combustor temperatures between 1400F and 1600F (760C – 870C) are common, but operating temperatures between 700F and 1400F (371C – 760C) are recommended.Full catalytic operation occurs at catalytic combustor temperatures above 700F (371C). Combustor glowing only occurs at temperatures above 1000F (538C). With aged combustors, there will be less glowing, but as long as the combustor reaches light-off temperature of 500-700F (260-371C) catalytic operation is very effective.
THE COMBUSTOR DOES NOT HAVE TO BE GLOWING TO BE OPERATING EFFICIENTLY.
To prevent damage to your combustor, do not – drop the combustor
DO NOT Run water through the combustor
DO NOT Remove the metal band from the combustor
DO NOT Scrape the inside walls of the combustor
DO NOT Use compressed air to clean the combustor