Much has been made of the advances in solar electric power during the last few years. This type of technology tends to move forward rapidly in just a short amount of time. Here in sunny California, homeowners have a number of incentives to install solar panels on their property. The benefits are considerable and should never be underestimated. If you’re thinking about using solar power to run your system, now is the time to act. Some of the benefits of such a system can include to following:
The Benefits of Solar Electricity
January 29th, 2018Solar Panels Are Easier to Install Than Ever
January 15th, 2018
Solar panels have been moving forward in leaps and bound over the last few years as the technology becomes less expensive and more effective. California is one of the best places in the world to take advantage of those advances. We get copious sunshine all year, and homeowners interested in saving money on their electric bill would do extremely well to install them. The benefits are immense and there’s never been a better time to follow up on your options.
Help Your Heating System Perform Efficiently
January 9th, 2018
Winter has finally arrived, and while we’re not dealing with cold weather the way the East Coast has, we get our share of cool days and chilly nights. You’ll need to run your heating system more often almost by default in the wintertime, and that means you’ll be paying more on your monthly heating bills than you would during other points of the year. But just because you’re paying more doesn’t mean you should pay more than necessary. You can help your heating system perform more effectively, and cut into those costs in the bargain. Here are a few tips on the best ways how.
3 Factors to Consider When Installing Solar Panels
January 1st, 2018
California is blessed with sunshine, and with incentives from the state, solar panels are getting easier and more affordable to install. If you’d like to do your part for the environment while cutting your electricity bills down to nothing, there are few better ways to do it than with solar energy. If you’re thinking of adding solar panels to your home, now is an ideal time to do it, and technicians are standing by to help you plan and install your system.
Before you do that, however, you should start thinking about some of the factors that will be involved. The sooner you can get a handle on them, the sooner you can start enjoying the benefits solar energy has to offer. Here are a few things to talk over with your service technician as you start the planning process.
Signs You Need Heating Repair
December 18th, 2017
California winters are never as cold as they are further east, but here in the Central Valley, we get our share of freezing cold nights and early morning frosts. You need a reliable heating system not only to keep your home comfortable, but to prevent potential health issues for those nights when the mercury drops well below tolerable levels. And if your heater needs repair, now is the time to properly take care of it.
That means moving swiftly when signs of trouble arise with your heating system. In many cases, a serious problem displays symptoms weeks or even months in advance, and while you should never try to diagnose (much less repair), a heater without proper training and licensing, you can still spot those signs simply by watching your heater as it runs and looking for anything out of the ordinary. If you’re unsure, check out how to tell if your furnace is working efficiently to identify early performance issues. Chances are that you have already run your system this fall. The next time you turn it on, look for the following common signs that something is wrong.
How Does Solar Electricity Save You Money?
December 12th, 2017
We live in sunny California, and even when it rains in the winter, we can expect a lot of sunshine no matter what the time of year. Solar technology has been available for a long time, but it keeps getting more efficient and easier to set up. For the right property, investing in solar panels can end up saving you a great deal of money. How? Read on for the answers.
How to Cut Down on High Heating Costs this Winter
December 4th, 2017
Our winters are never as bad here as they are in other parts of the country, but we still get chilly nights, and regular frosts are not unheard of. A good heating system can be your best friend during the coldest parts of the year and can help your family stay healthy as well as comfortable when the temperatures really drop.
We’re used to paying more for our monthly heating bills in the winter, and in some ways, there’s no getting around that. Increased use means increased cost, period. However, just because you’re paying more to use your heater doesn’t mean you should pay more than necessary, and those higher bills don’t always have to be as high as they can sometimes get.
There are a number of ways to reduce the costs of running your heater in the winter. Some of them are very easy to implement, and you might be using them already. For example, setting the thermostat a few degrees cooler than you might normally can shave precious dollars off of those monthly bills, and dressing warmly inside can keep you comfortable without having to waste money running the furnace. But if you’re looking to do more than that, there are a number of options you should consider.
Test-Run Your Furnace Before the Winter
November 20th, 2017
Winter, and the first real cold snap, is still not yet upon us but it’s usually a good idea to start up and run your furnace or heater this time of year. Whether you’ve just purchased your furnace or are hoping to coax one last season out of an older one, a test run is always a good idea in these relatively mild weeks before winter begins in earnest.
Check Your Heater with Timely Maintenance
November 13th, 2017
The weather is getting colder by the day, and if you aren’t running your heating system on a regular basis already, you soon will be. Imagine the trouble you’ll have if you turn on your furnace in the middle of a cold front and have it fail to turn on or demonstrate some other kind of problem. A timely repair service can get the problem dealt with, but far better than fixing problem is preventing it in the first place.
Flush Your Water Heater This Fall
November 6th, 2017
Water heaters are one of the most reliable appliances to be found in a home, and they usually do their job quietly and without complaint. Indeed, most of them are tucked away in the basement, closet, or garage, and unless something goes wrong with your hot water, you rarely have cause to think about it. Unfortunately, there’s a flip side to that reliability: most people aren’t able to notice problems with their water heaters until the problem has gotten quite bad. In many cases, by the time you notice a problem, the entire water heater needs to be replaced instead of just repaired.
One important way to spot problems with your water heater before they bite you is to schedule annual service from a trained technician. they will check the water heater for signs of trouble, attend to little maintenance jobs like replacing the anode rod (which prevents rust inside the tank), and otherwise make sure that the water heater is functioning as it should. Doing so can also help extend the life of the system as well as helping it perform more effectively overall.