The Hot and Cold Facts

Do you know how to save money on your summer AC bill?

alrostl — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:30:46 +0000

Your summer electric bill can be a real eye opener. However, here are some steps that will help you keep it under control.

1. Check your room register settings.Are you air conditioning rooms that are not used? Do you have rooms that are cold when others are comfortable. Change the settings on the registers to help balance the system.

2. Check the system air filter on a monthly basis. You may be surprised many particles are floating around your house. A dirty air filter will make your system work much harder and therefore cost more money.

3. Simply raise the temperature setting on your thermostat. There is no reason to keep your home as cool when no one is home. Consider a programmable thermostat to raise the temperature when you are at work and school. It only takes about 30 minutes to cool your home back to your comfort level.

4. Have your air conditioning system cleaned and check by a professional. There are parts of the system that collect dirt and need to be cleaned by trained technician. In addition, if the coolant is not sufficiently filled, the system will run longer than ideal. Both of these require extra electric to cool your home.

Call Alro today at (314) 427-9932 or (636) 947-7072 to receive a
FREE in-home consultation.

How often should I change my air filter?

alrostl — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:51:21 +0000

How often to change your air filters can depend on several factors:

the type of air filter you are using
the overall air quality of your home
pets, pets, pets..
occupancy of the home, and
the level of air pollution and construction around the home

For your standard 1″-3″ air filters, the manufacturers basically tell you to change them every 30-60 days, which is actually a great rule of thumb. But general rules aren’t always for everybody. If you suffer from light to moderate allergies, you could upgrade the air filter or change them even more often. Or, if you’re in a more remote area, less occupied home (like a vacation home) and there are fewer cars around, annually may be quite sufficient. Why do pets matter so much? They have a tendency to shed, which can clog your air filter quick and with great success. Of course the air filter is just doing its job by capturing pet hair and dander, but extremely dirty filters can cause extremely weak HVAC performance.

Here is a quick and short guideline:

Vacation home or single occupant w/o pets or allergies: 6-12 months
“Average” suburban home w/o pets: every 90 days
Add a dog or cat: every 60 days
Add more than one pet or have allergies: 30-45 days

What is the advantage of running the blower fan all the time?

alrostl — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:36:44 +0000

Some of today’s high tech furnaces are designed with a 2 stage fan motor. Fan motors in these types of units are designed to run all of the time. The advantage is that you keep the ambient temperature of your home more constant by continually circulating the air and evening out hot and cold spots in your home. Believe it or not, most of these units will operate less expensively if the fan motors are allowed to operate 24 hours a day.

Your ALRO technician can advise you on what type of new furnace will give the best service to you and your family. Call us at (314) 427-9932 for details.

Why is a humidifier so important?

alrostl — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:49:43 +0000

This is an easy one. A healthy environment requires a certain amount of humidity and that is what the humidifier does—puts humidity, or water, into the air that you breathe. Without a healthy humidity level, your nose dries up, you experience static shocks from walking on carpet, your wood furniture and floors dry out and you can actually get more colds. The heat that comes from your furnace is just that—dry heat; no moisture. A humidifier is an investment that improves the quality of your living environment.

ALRO stocks humidifier that will be perfect for your home. Call us at (314) 427-9932 for details.

www.alrostl.com

Can replacing my furnace filter really save money on the cost of heating my home?

alrostl — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 02:49:32 +0000

ABSOLUTELY! Your furnace’s biggest enemy is dirt. Furnace filters are designed to keep dirt from circulating in your home and from clogging up your heating system. A very good friend once told me to imagine placing a 10 pound bag of flour in my furnace and think of it being blown around the house by your furnace. This is not an exaggeration! Replacing your furnace filter will prevent this flour (or in actuality dirt) from clogging up your air handler, your ducts and your vents. A clean system requires less energy to circulate the warm air that you are paying for. REPLACE YOUR FILTER!!!

If you have a question about which type of filter is best for your particular furnace, call ALRO at (314) 427-9932 and we can advise you.

How do I reduce the amount of dust in my home?

alrostl — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:13:16 +0000

It is relatively easy to decrease the amount of dust that is in your home. Three actions that you can take are:

Change your air filters—I can’t tell you how many people don’t do this on a regular basis.
Add an electronic air cleaner to your HVAC system—this will remove finer dust particles from the air in your home
Have your air ducts cleaned—dust builds up in your air ducts over time and must be cleaned.

Find our more from our video about the differences in furnace/air conditioning filters:

Click here to view video

For more information, don’t hesitate to call me at Alro Heating and Cooling, (314) 427-9932. The Old Sarge thanks you.

How do I pick a Reliable contractor?

alrostl — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:25:14 +0000

The best way to shop for a reliable heating and cooling contractor is to do a little research and gather information from:

Neighbors, friends and family—are the techs on time?
Check companies with the Better Business Bureau—what is the company’s rating?
Try out a few—do the techs leave your home neat and clean?
Does the company specialize in HVAC servicing—focusing on one service means better trained techs

Watch our video for more information: Click Here!

For more information, don’t hesitate to call me at Alro Heating and Cooling, (314) 427-9932. The Old Sarge thanks you.

New Service Manager to serve you better!

alrostl — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:32:58 +0000

ALRO Heating and Cooling welcomes our newest member. A tip of the ALRO Helmet goes out to Ron Frazer who has joined the ALRO Army as Service Manager. Ron has spent the last 35 years providing St. Louis Families with the finest heating and cooling equipment, maintenance and service. He has seen our industry from the inside out as Director of Operations, Director of Purchasing and Service Manager. Ron has also been certified as an Installation Specialist, earned both his EPA and Puron Certification as well as a Certificate of Installation.

We welcome Ron Fraser as a member of the ALRO Heating and Cooling Team.

As a homeowner, what simple steps can I take to increase the efficiency of my furnace and save on winter energy costs?

alrostl — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:42:10 +0000

That is an excellent question and one that all of us wrestle with in the winter. Here are a few easy things that you can do to increase the efficiency of your furnace and save on winter energy costs.

Change your air filter—the biggest enemy of your furnace AND your air conditioner is dirt. Your HVAC system works harder if it has to push comfortable air through a dirty filter. Air filters come in many sizes and many types, but your HVAC service company can recommend the best one to purchase for your particular situation.
Invest in a professional fall maintenance program—most HVAC companies call this a Clean and Check. At your request, a service professional will visually inspect the operation of all components of your furnace, making certain that it is running at peak efficiency. This should, among other items, include oiling the motors, cleaning the burners, inspecting the filters and checking the gas lines for leaks.
Winterize all exterior doors and windows. Keep all of the precious heat that you pay for INSIDE your house. Application of weather stripping on doors and windows can make your home tight and more energy efficient.
Insulate your attic—a home that is not insulated loses heat through the attic. This is easily prevented by adding insulation.
Purchase an automatic thermostat with set-back function—this will allow you to lower the temperature of your home when it is not occupied or at night.

For more information, don’t hesitate to call me at Alro Heating and Cooling, (314) 427-9932. The Old Sarge thanks you.