This green heating contractor recycles

You know from reading my blogs that Precision Comfort Systems in Central Indiana (Westfield to be exact) is the largest geothermal, green heating dealer in the state. But that’s not enough green. This green heating contractor takes it one step farther. After you purchase a high efficiency heating or air conditioning system from Precision, know that your old system did not go to a landfill. As a green heating dealer, we recycle!

Here is a picture of our recycle shop. Each week we bring in dozens of old inefficient air conditioners. First the refrigerant is reclaimed (collected for recycling) by a Precision EPA licensed technician. Then the air conditioner and furnace parts are brought back to our in-house recycle program. Different metal components are processed, sorted and then grouped together. Then they are transported to the recycle centers.

We recognize that the most energy efficient customers are those who are investing in geothermal systems and high efficiency furnaces and high efficiency air conditioners. These are the same customers who would insist in the most environmentally sound, sustainable disposal of the old equipment. Precision Comfort Systems could not agree more. Despite the extra time involved, you can be assured that your old air conditioner nightmare that caused you so many problems, was fittingly dismembered and disposed of properly. Who knows, perhaps your old air conditioner will be part of the next windmill project or a solar collector.

Go Green in Indy with Geothermal

We all want to Go Green in Indianapolis, but which is the best route? Truthfully, the “go green” habit changes that cost nothing and help you consume less are the best. But if you are also looking to go green on a larger scale, a geothermal heating and cooling system is your best investment.

I included a picture in this post of what we have to look forward to with our upcoming Central Indiana winter weather. This is part of a current ad we are running for Precision Comfort Systems, but it also is a great way to get a feel for what geothermal energy really accomplishes.

You wake up on a cold winter morning but your home is probably warm. Even when you go green, you never escape the seemingly endless need for winter heating. It’s automatic. The thermostat clicks on and the home demands heat.

What are your choices? You can go out and harvest some wood. You can move to the tropics. You can purchase heat with traditional gas, oil and electric heating systems. Or, you can can really go green with geothermal and harvest (actually borrow) some heat from your backyard. Of course moving the heat inside will still use some electricity, but only a fraction of the amount compared to a standard electric furnace.

Green Geothermal heating uses the heat stored in the ground. This is actually solar heat since the sun is what warms the ground. Think of your yard as a very convenient, maintenance free solar collector and heat storage device all in one. Talk about going green! It turns out all of us with some kind of yard have a giant solar energy system just waiting for a geothermal system to connect the heat to the home!

Call Precision Comfort Systems the geothermal specialists. We serve Westfield, Fishers, Noblesville, Carmel, Zionsville, Hamilton County and all of Central Indiana.

Avoid high Propane Prices in Central Indiana

Are you heating your home with propane (LP) gas? Considering the high propane prices in Central Indiana, you need to read this to save some serious money. The current price of LP gas in Hamilton County, Indiana, is around $2.50 per gallon. This can translate into heating costs of $2000 per year! Imagine how far ahead you would be if you could keep $1500 of this expense every year?

Propane heat is one of the most expensive ways to heat your home. But what alternatives do you have? Here is an easy way to make a quick comparison between different heating systems and fuels. From your past heating bills we can estimate how much heat your home needed last winter. The unit of heat we use is called a BTU. (A BTU is a very small amount of heat so you need several million of these BTUs each winter.)

Let’s say your home needed 65 million BTUs last winter. Your 90% LP gas furnace can make one million BTUs for $30.86 if the gas cost is $2.50 per gallon. So your winter fuel bill ends up being about $2000 because 65 million X $30.86 = $2006. Does this unreasonably high propane bill sound familiar?

Geothermal saves $1000 to $2000 per year!

A geothermal heat pump in your home will not change the amount of heat you need. But the geo system can make (actually, move) the same one million BTUs for a mere $7.53 if the cost of electricity is $.09 per kWh. So now your winter heating bill is 65 X $7.53 or $489. Do some quick rounding and you can see about $1500 per year in geothermal energy savings! In a more extreme example, your furnace may only be 80% efficient and your electricity may only cost $.075 per kWh. Now your geothermal heating savings is over $1800 per winter!

And the geothermal air conditioning savings are added to the winter savings!

Precision Comfort Systems will help you with all your options and even update you on the 30% geothermal federal tax credit. We can help you decide if your next propane furnace repair is a wise decision. Maybe it’s better seen as a good opportunity to invest in a new system. Before you spend more money on your next propane tank refill, or your next furnace repair, or even your next air conditioner service, call the heating and cooling specialists at Precision Comfort Systems. 317-867-2665.

Who performs geothermal service is important

Indianapolis area homeowners with a geothermal heating and cooling system, take note. You were very wise when you decided on the very best energy savings investment. But your need to make wise decisions does not end after the initial investment. Who does your seasonal geothermal service is your next most important decision.

Geothermal service is best when it comes from those most experienced in geothermal technology. When you are tempted to change your service source to someone offering a special tune and clean for a very low price, think again. Many advertising savvy heating contractors are not as familiar with complete geothermal service as they are with traditional furnace cleanings.

A geothermal heating and cooling system, as you know, is very different. This high technology, green energy source needs to be seasonally examined by a trained geothermal technician. But let’s face it, there are probably other techs that could show you their class participation certificate. What you are really looking for is the contractor who deals with geothermal service on a daily basis.

Precision Comfort Systems in Westfield, Indiana has installed thousands of geothermal heating and air conditioning systems in Noblesville, Zionsville, Carmel, Fishers and all of the Central Indiana communities.  We are frequently called on to diagnose a geothermal problem that another contractor could not resolve. These customers are lucky that their problem was noticeable enough to warrant a second opinion. But what about the geo systems that are not quite up to their full potential and no one knows the difference? Don’t take chances. Call the pros.

Precision Comfort Systems is a Water Furnace GeoPro Master dealer and we offer geothermal service on all types and brands of geothermal systems. This includes geothermal loop services. Schedule your geothermal service from the most referred geothermal contractor, today!

Savings?!! Portable Electric Heater Review

Here is the 2011 version of my perennial, portable electric heater review. Since Precision Comfort Systems in Westfield is known as the heating and cooling specialists in Indianapolis, we get many questions about the energy savings claimed by full page ads featuring plug in portable electric heaters. Despite giving you enough text for a long breakfast read, most of these claims are not accurate. In fact, for most families, these plug in portable heaters will actually raise their energy bill.

Here’s the truth. When you create heat with electricity, you have only a few options. Most whole house electric heating systems in the Indianapolis area are heat pumps. Heat pumps and especially geothermal heat pumps are fantastic! The only other electric heat option is to put electricity into some type of “resistant conductor” and this causes the conductor to glow warm and thus gives off some type of heat. You are already familiar with this type of electric heat. It’s in your toaster, your hair dryer, electric stove top and oven, electric clothes dryer, incandescent light bulb, heat lamp… you get the idea. I like to call it toaster heat.

Here’s the science. All electric resistance toaster heat is exactly the same (poor) efficiency. You will always get (a relatively small amount) 3413 units of heat (BTUs) for each unit of electricity (kWh) you put in. No variations. Compare this to a heat pump at 2 to 3 times the efficiency or a geothermal heat pump at 3 to 5 times the efficiency. So adding one of these units normally increases energy costs.

There could be one exception. If you can tolerate your home at a low (example) 55 to 60 degree temperature and then use a portable electric heater in a single, small room kept at 70, you might save some money. But this depends on the type of heating fuel and heating system you use. You may only break even for all the discomfort of a cold home.

One more comment. By code, if the advertised portable electric heater plugs into a normal wall outlet, it can only be 1500 watts maximum. So it is never “more powerful” than the same 1500 watt unit you can buy at the local discount store for as little as $12.00. If you really need a little “spot heat” in your home and do not mind a little increase in your energy costs, look over the choices in the discount store and upgrade to a heater that includes several built-in safety devices. Read more on Portable Electric Heater Safety.

Or, your best solution for any home comfort problem, call Precision Comfort Systems. We are the heating specialists that tell the truth.

This has been my annual portable electric heater review and now I will file it away until next year. With the outrageous profits being made in this scam, I’m sure the ads will continue.

Condemned Furnace Replacement

For a recent Indianapolis area family, it started as a simple, low cost advertisement for a furnace clean and check. The offer was not from their normal heating contractor, but who could go wrong with a low price that promised to “renew your furnace to its original condition?” Now, it has turned into a very expensive proposal for a complete furnace replacement. Did the low price checkup really discover a furnace about to go bad?

The truth? Yes, a checkup is exactly what you need to be sure you furnace is working properly before the winter starts. If there are safety problems, a good quality inspection should uncover the problems. But here is a different question… Is every condemned furnace and resulting furnace replacement truthful and necessary? Unfortunately… no.

How do we know?

Precision Comfort Systems offers a free second opinion. We have been called to a few homes recently because of our longstanding reputation for honesty and precise, technical knowledge about all brands and types of heating systems. These homeowners were told to replace the heating system as soon as possible for safety reasons. What we found was a 12 to 15 year old furnace that had a little dirt, a little rust, or a small adjustment needed, and then the furnace was otherwise fine.

What should customers do if they are surprised with a condemned furnace from a cheap tune-up? There is no better way for homeowners in Westfield, Noblesville, Carmel, Zionsville and Fishers to know for sure if the furnace is really unfit or if the unfortunate coupon clipper has been the victim of an overzealous sales routine. This bothers us. We understand how dependent our customers are to know the truth. Precision Comfort Systems is in the business to earn your trust first, sell you a new furnace second.

If your otherwise functional furnace is condemned during a routine checkup, this is a serious diagnosis. It may need attention immediately. But call for a second opinion from a local, trustworthy company who is known for their honesty.

Time to close crawl space vents

When I drive through neighborhoods in the winter, I cannot help but notice how many homes still have their crawl space vents open. This is a huge mistake in terms of trying to keep your home comfortable and your energy bills low. Here’s the scoop.

Home foundations are typically a basement, concrete slab or a crawl space. Of these, normally the crawl space is the only one with vents to the outside. Venting the crawl space is no longer a good idea in our energy efficient homes with heating and air conditioning ducts in the crawl space. These spaces under the home should be considered a “conditioned space” which means they are heated in the winter and “conditioned” in the summer. This post deals primarily with winter heating but here is another post about summer.

Think of your crawl space as a short basement. It should  be insulated around the perimeter on the inside of the crawl space walls. Now this space will be a warm space in the winter. Many homes with a crawl space will have the heating ducts in this area and these ducts perform best when they are in a warm space in the winter. Crawl space vents need to be closed, sealed and insulated to keep the cold winter air out of this area. Note that simply closing the louvers from the outside will seldom seal this opening properly. In addition to closing the louvers, you should go into the crawl space and seal the opening with a tight fitting plug and then add insulation.

Allowing cold air into an otherwise conditioned space can increase energy costs, cause the heated air in the ducts to be cooled, create cold floors and even add to the dryness of your home. If you close your crawl space vents and you are still having comfort issues, call Precision Comfort Systems. We are the home comfort experts in Noblesville, Westfield, Carmel and all other Indianapolis area communities. We discover the real reasons you are not comfortable!

What should you do with these vents in the summer? Check back in May and I will tell you the truth about sealing up these vents forever. Wouldn’t that be great to eliminate the twice per year chore of going into the crawl space?

Comfort Insights: new site for home comfort info

Of all the Indianapolis heating and cooling contractors, there is one I would like to tell you about!

Hi, I am Energy Man Dan and I have just opened our new website and the new Comfort Insights blog for Precision Comfort Systems. I hope you will add the Comfort Insights blog to your favorites and come back frequently. This is the place to get the best information about home comfort.

Precision Comfort Systems is known as one of the best Indianapolis and Central Indiana heating contractors. How can you know this is true? First, read our website to see how we are the heating and air conditioning contractor you are looking for. (In the future this will be even more obvious as I add more information  about how to keep your home and family comfortable and be energy efficient at the same time.) Then, make the Precision Decision and let us prove to you that we stand behind our claims.

Welcome to the new Comfort Insights blog. I hope you browse our new website for the best energy efficiency information. If you have any contacts, send us a message!

Reduce your high energy bill

How can I reduce my high energy bills? Your home energy costs depend on several factors. In an effort to minimize your energy usage, or at least understand where your energy is going, it is important to know which appliances and  family habits contribute to the greatest (and least) energy consumption.

Someday we may use sophisticated meters and be able to see our family’s energy use itemized in a statement, just like our grocery bill. Then, if the bill total seems too high, you can simply scan the list and find the items contributing to the high bill. But we are not quite there yet.

So how do we discover the cause of a high bill? In most homes in the Midwest, the greatest energy user is home heating. Next largest is the air conditioning or the water heating, depending on the amount of air conditioning used or the number of people in the family. These three highest energy users can account for 60% of your home’s energy use. So if we are considering changes, we should start with these three items that make the largest impact.

If you have high energy bills, what should you do next? You could call your utility company or a home energy inspection service, but these sources usually recommend that you consult with a knowledgeable and qualified heating and cooling contractor to be sure your systems are working properly. Heating and air conditioning performance testing is a very specialized science and only trained technicians can perform this service.

So go directly to the experts. Precision Comfort Systems technicians are heating and cooling specialists. They understand that your home’s energy efficiency depends on a properly working furnace or heat pump or air conditioner. But what’s more, they also understand how these systems interact with your home.

The best comfort and highest energy efficiency is achieved when a specialist is able to inspect all energy related components at your home.

Indianapolis Home Heating Safety

Your home is special. It is more than the walls and roof that protect your family from the harsh Indiana weather. It is the place your family feels safe. You need to feel confident that your safe haven will always keep your family comfortable and healthy. Indianapolis home heating safety is our business.

Precision Comfort Systems recognizes that your heating and air conditioning system is more than just another appliance. It is the device you trust to burn fuel safely for winter survival. When you call Precision Comfort Systems, you can relax knowing that our expert technicians are not only specialists, they are trustworthy. They are there to make sure your home remains safe, comfortable and energy efficient.

Whether you need a brand new geothermal heating and cooling system or a tune-up on your old traditional furnace, our Precision team will treat your home like the special place it is. Discover why your friends and neighbors have already made the Precision decision!