Category : air conditioning

12 Ways to Save Electricity

HVAC maintenance

At Oliver, we know how important the environment is and how many people are working hard to reduce their carbon footprint. That’s why we put together a list of 12 tips on how to save electricity (and in return, save money):

1. Block/use the sun

In the summer, direct sunlight on your house makes it warmer, which means your air conditioner will need to work harder to cool it. Use your blinds and invest in thick curtains to block sunlight out during the day. In the winter, open your blinds or curtains to let the sun warm up your house.

2. Unplug your appliances

Even when you’re not using them, appliances that are plugged in can still use electricity. The best thing to do is unplug any appliances that you’re not using.

3. Don’t overpay for utilities

In Pennsylvania and many other states, you can choose your own electric provider, so shop around for the one with the best rates. You may be able to save more than you think.

4. Use/install ceiling fans

Ceiling fans make you feel nearly four degrees cooler in the summer and can push warm air downward in the winter to make you feel warmer. This means you won’t have to run your heater or air conditioner as often, which saves electricity.

5. Put lamps in the corner

When you put your lamps in the corner, their light will be reflected off of two walls instead of just one, which makes the room brighter and lessens the amount of lamps you need.

6. Keep your home warmer/cooler

In the winter, lower your thermostat a few degrees and you’ll save money on your energy bills. In the summer, turn it up a little.

7. Hang your clothes to dry

Instead of wasting energy using your dryer, hang your clothes to dry on a clothing rack or outside on a clothing line.

8. Switch light bulbs

Switch out your incandescent light bulbs to ones that are energy efficient. These days, bulbs like LEDs, CFLs, and halogens all use less energy than traditional fluorescent ones and also last longer.

9. Ditch the oven

Instead of a traditional oven, use a microwave or toaster oven to heat up your leftovers. You’ll use a lot less electricity.

10. Fill your freezer

Freezers work more efficiently when they’re full, so try to keep your freezer fully stocked. You can even put frozen containers of water in there just to fill it up.

11. Service your HVAC unit

Each year, have a professional (like our HVAC maintenance specialists!) inspect your HVAC unit and make sure that it’s running efficiently. If it’s not, you could be wasting energy.

12. Run full loads

Like freezers, dish washing machines and clothes washing machines both are more efficient when full, so make sure you fill them both before you run them through a cleaning cycle.


When to Replace Your Commercial HVAC System

Commercial HVAC Repair

Like home HVAC systems, commercial HVAC systems are important to the comfort of those inside the building, however, there are usually many more people to please. That’s why it’s important to know when you should replace your commercial HVAC system – you don’t want your students, employees, volunteers, etc. to have to work in an uncomfortable environment.

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Why China’s Growing A/C Market Could Be Problematic

air conditioning installation

While the use of air conditioners is increasing throughout the world, it’s growing exponentially in China. Here, our air conditioning installation company shares this interesting Quartz article by Zoe Schlanger that explains just how large that growth is and what could happen if it continues:

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A Helpful HVAC Glossary

HVAC services

When it comes to HVAC services, our experts are always talking in industry terms. However, we know you may not be familiar with what “HSPF” stands for or what a programmable thermostat does, so we’ve created a basic HVAC glossary to help. If you have a term that isn’t defined in this article, feel free to “ask the expert.”

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5 Things That Contribute to Indoor Air Pollution

indoor air experts

We spend most of our lives indoors and much of this time is spent at home, so why breathe indoor air that’s dirty? At Oliver, we know clean indoor air can mean a happier, healthy life – especially for those who suffer from breathing problems or allergies. Here are five things that can contribute to indoor air pollution and lead to coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, and even more serious situations:

Dirty Ducts

As air flows through your home, airborne particles are pulled into your ductwork and after awhile, you’ll begin breathing these particles as they start circulating through your home. Keeping your ductwork clean is an important part of keeping your indoor air clean and with a duct cleaning from our indoor air experts, we can get rid of the dust, dirt, dander, and more that have been circulating through your system.

Humidity

Moisture is the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew, which means if your home is too humid, you could be at risk for breathing in mold spores. Not only is this unhealthy, but it can cause problems for those who are allergic to mold. Investing in a dehumidifier can reduce the amount of moisture in your home and help your family breathe easier.

Smoke

If someone in your family is a smoker and does so indoors, they’re adding a variety of airborne pollutants to your indoor air. (In fact, they say the air pollution caused by cigarettes is up to 10 times worse than diesel car exhaust.) Pollutants can also come from cigars and E-cigarettes, which many people are turning to these instead of traditional cigarettes. While E-cigarette smoke isn’t as bad as cigarette smoke, it can still dirty indoor air.

Pet Dander

Many people believe that pet dander simply refers to hair, but this isn’t true. Pet dander is actually dried skin cells that fall off of your pet and either float around in the air or settle on surfaces. Many times, these cells attach to your pet’s hair and when their hair falls off, it can bring dander with it. With a mix of hair and dander floating around your home, you’re likely to breathe it in on a regular basis.

Dirty Filters

Homeowners tend to run their heat or air conditioning without thinking about their HVAC filters. However, your filters can only trap so much dust, dirt, pollen, dander, and more. Once they’re filled, your HVAC system will circulate these particles throughout your home, so our indoor air experts recommend regular HVAC maintenance. Change your filter every three months or so – even more frequently if you have pets or someone in your family smokes.

Don’t expose your family to dirty indoor air – take action to keep it clean and keep your family healthy. Change your HVAC filters, vacuum your carpets, dust your surfaces, and clean your air ducts on a regular basis and you’ll have a happy, clean environment.


How the IoT Is Helping Colleges Save on Their HVAC Costs

HVAC contractor

Today, the Internet of Things is one of the most extensive and fascinating ideas for the modern world. The IoT joins together vehicles, home appliances, and devices using electronics, sensors, and software. This creates a network of elements that are interconnected – and the idea is only growing. In fact, experts estimate that the IoT will consist of around 30 billion objects by 2020.

As an HVAC contractor, we’re always interested in how new technology will affect the HVAC world. In this EdTech article, Alan Joch writes about how higher education institutions are using the IoT to save money on HVAC:

“Consider this scenario: A facilities engineer on a college campus discovers a failure in an HVAC controller that may cause the system to dump too much cold air into a room.

To compensate, the HVAC system reheats the extra cold air to maintain the desired comfort level, wasting energy and money in the process. The room’s occupants have no reason to contact facilities managers, which means technicians aren’t aware of the glitch.

Problems like this are common, costly and tough to solve. But institutions are starting to use the Internet of Things (IoT) — pairing connected sensors with analytics software — to fix them. And they’re saving big money in the process.

Energy engineers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln were mindful of simultaneous heating and cooling issues when they implemented an environmental fault detection and diagnostics system two years ago. So, as they installed thousands of networked room sensors, they included an algorithm designed to spot HVAC breakdowns.

“Lo and behold, a room in the Law College showed up with the heating and cooling problem,” says Lalit Agarwal, the university’s director of utility and energy management.

Fixing the flawed air conditioner damper saved the university a modest $300 per year in excess energy costs. But the financial implications go well beyond that, Agarwal says: “Think about how many rooms we have on our campus. If just 5 percent of them have the same failure, we are looking at thousands of dollars a year in excess costs — for just one type of problem.”

In fact, by Agarwal’s estimate, data-driven energy management activities have yielded about $200,000 in cost-avoidance savings in one year. Those savings likely will grow as facilities engineers continue to combine IoT with other technologies to proactively address HVAC issues that waste energy.

Says Agarwal, “We’ve had instances where technicians show up to fix a classroom’s ventilation system, and the instructor says, ‘But I didn’t call for anybody.’ The technicians say, ‘We know, but you probably would have in a month.’”

IoT Optimizes HVAC Operations

IoT lets institutions collect heaps of data on energy usage and, just as importantly, analyze that data for wasteful consumption patterns and opportunities to optimize HVAC operations.

“Energy management is right up there among the most compelling applications for IoT because it often results in direct cost savings,” says Steve Hoffenberg, the director of industry analysis, IoT and embedded technology at VDC Research.

To reap these savings, institutions combine low-cost digital sensors with analytics software in on-premises systems or cloud services designed for Big Data. Some implementations use onsite gateways that, among other duties, filter raw data streams to keep extraneous information from clogging local area networks and analytics engines.

“Ideally, the analytics should be self-learning, so that it understands energy consumption patterns for a specific building and optimizes it based on actual usage, such as real-time occupancy,” Hoffenberg says.

On the horizon, he says, are energy-related IoT systems that mix building sensory data with third-party weather data to help facilities staff manage energy consumption based on prevailing environmental conditions.

Successful Deployment Requires Collaboration of IoT Stakeholders

The rewards of IoT can be significant, but Chuck Benson, assistant director for IT, facilities services, at the University of Washington, says stakeholders may need to align their priorities. “There needs to be a lot of coordination to get these departments to work together closely,” he says.

In particular, IT and operations staff tend to approach such projects in unique ways. “These professionals even see time differently: IT people are patching and changing systems on a daily and weekly basis. OT people think in terms of buildings that last decades,” Benson says. “It takes work, and regular meetings that start early in the process, to bring these two groups together.”

Increased Data Output Creates Troubleshooting Efficiencies

At Nebraska, the environmental fault detection and diagnostics implementation uses more than 60,000 sensors to monitor the campus’s HVAC and computerized maintenance management systems. An electronic dashboard displays summary data, including updated insights about energy consumption and alerts when HVAC performance dips.

“Engineers get enough information to see possible faults and get a starting point for determining potential causes,” Agarwal says.

Multiple databases support the platform, including those running Microsoft SQL and the open-source MariaDB technology. In addition, Agarwal and his staff are always on the lookout for innovations in data-driven energy management. “Cloud-based machine learning applications in Microsoft Azure and similar technologies may help systems learn how to reduce the time needed to identify HVAC faults,” Agarwal says. “That is definitely an area for us to investigate for the future.”

The university’s fault detection and diagnostics system also supports an ongoing building recommissioning project. So far, more than a dozen buildings have been reconditioned for energy efficiency.

“After we perform a full tuneup on HVAC equipment in older buildings, the IoT sensors, working in conjunction with the detection and diagnostics system, enable us to keep our eye on performance, so we can keep the systems running as optimally as possible over time,” Agarwal says.

Recommissioning has reduced overall energy consumption by 17 percent and counting, he adds. “We’ve addressed barely 10 percent of the 130 buildings, so we expect even greater savings as we continue on this path,” Agarwal says.”


What Happens When You Don’t Maintain Your HVAC System?

HVAC maintenance

At Oliver, we’re always telling our customers how important HVAC maintenance is. A reliable HVAC maintenance plan can keep your unit running smoothly, improve its reliability, and extend its lifespan. Some of our service calls are made because the HVAC unit hasn’t been properly maintained. Here are some things that could happen when you don’t have a maintenance plan:

Improperly Functioning Thermostat

When your thermostat doesn’t function properly, your HVAC unit may not turn on when it’s supposed to or turn off when it’s supposed to. Not only is this bad for the unit, but it also affects the comfort of you and your family.

Dirty Coils

Your HVAC unit’s evaporator coil is located on your indoor unit and works much like a radiator to make sure that the air flowing through your ductwork is heated or cooled properly. A dirty evaporator coil can restrict airflow, which can also dramatically reduce your unit’s efficiency. The dirt can also harbor mold and mildew, giving your indoor air poor quality.

During the summer, your outside HVAC unit’s condenser coil is responsible for eliminating the hot air that is sent to it. The cleaner the coil, the more efficiently it can handle the hot air. If your condenser coil is dirty, your unit’s efficiency can dramatically drop, hiking up your energy bills and reducing the unit’s lifespan.

Dirty Filter

The role of an HVAC air filter is to filter out pollen, allergens, dander, and other airborne particles that can harm your health. A good air filter will give you high-quality indoor air that can not only prevent illnesses but also shorten them. When your air filter is dirty, airborne particles aren’t filtered; instead, they enter your home through your ductwork and are breathed in by you and your family.

Blocked Condenser

Your condenser is one of the most important parts of your HVAC unit. It’s responsible for desuperheating, condensing, and subcooling to make sure the air that flows through your home is the right temperature. A blocked condenser means the heat transfer that usually occurs won’t be able to take place and the condenser’s temperature will rise. When this happens, your HVAC unit won’t operate efficiently and if not taken care of, your condenser could burn out.

Leaks

Leaks in an HVAC unit can be caused by several common scenarios: the drain hole is blocked with dirt or debris, the condenser pump is broken, the seals on your unit aren’t tight, or your hose is clogged or blocked. All of these things can occur if you don’t properly maintain your HVAC unit.

Power Malfunctions

As part of our maintenance plan, we’ll perform an annual 21-point inspection where we’ll make sure that your HVAC unit can power up properly and power down properly. If it can’t, you’ll run into a lot of frustration when your home is too warm or too cool and you can’t run your unit properly in order to adjust the thermostat.

Dirty Blower

The role of your HVAC’s blower is to circulate the warm or cool air throughout your home. When it gets dirty, it requires more energy to operate, which increases your energy bills. If a blower gets dirty enough, it will fail and once it fails, it’s a sign that more problems are to come. If this happens, many HVAC companies recommend replacing your entire HVAC system.


8 Things That Are Transforming the Future of HVAC

HVAC company

As the world becomes more and more advanced, new designs and ideas are emerging to make HVAC an efficient, easily accessible part of our lives. Here, our HVAC company shares eight of the latest developments that are transforming the heating and cooling world:

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The Best HVAC and Electrical Services for Your Healthcare Facility

When it comes to air quality, the experts at Oliver Mechanical Services understand that hospital and healthcare facilities are held to high health standards. In addition, we understand the importance of things like lighting, computer systems, telephone wiring, and more. That’s why we offer professional commercial HVAC and electrical services to make sure your healthcare facility is in ideal shape.

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Why OMS Is Great for Office Buildings

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For more than 40 years, Oliver Mechanical Services has been offering HVAC and electrical services to the area’s office buildings to help make sure they run smoothly. We offer professional, factory-trained technicians and the latest materials and technologies to take care of all of your installation, repair, and maintenance needs.

Employee Production

When you run a business, one of the most important things you should do is keep your employees happy. When you have happy employees, you have hardworking employees, and much of the time that happiness comes from a comfortable work environment. After all – it’s hard to work well in a place that’s constantly too hot or too cold.

At Oliver Mechanical Services, we can make sure that your office environment is the right temperature all year round. We offer high-quality, energy-efficient HVAC systems that are designed to meet the needs of any size office building. With a new installation, we can help you save money on your monthly or quarterly energy bill and if your current system is in need of a repair, we can fix it quickly to get you back on track. We even offer custom-made ductwork that can help your HVAC system run at optimal efficiency.

Don’t let an old or inefficient HVAC system ruin your office building’s comfortability and hinder your employee work production. Contact us today to get things back to working well.

Electrical Issues

Office buildings have lots of different electrical needs, from telephone wiring services to computer hookups and more. If you’re in need of an electrical service, let our professionals take care of it. We can address virtually any electrical issue you may have – even if it’s as simple as a retro-fit lighting installation for your lobby, parking lot, cafeteria, or bathroom. We’ll take care of it quickly.


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