Cooling Your Home: Don't Sweat It- Los Angeles Air Conditioning

As the mercury rises, so can the costs of keeping your home cool. And while news reports about high energy prices may have you in a sweat, the Federal Trade Commission has some tips that your Los Angeles air conditioning experts would like to share with you to help you save money while keeping your home cool this summer.

Do an energy audit to help detect waste and gauge the efficiency of your current cooling system. Your utility company may offer free or low-cost energy audits, or you can conduct your own. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) offer tips and checklists at http://www.homeenergysaver.lbl.gov/. The home "walk-through" can help you spot areas that need attention or problems that, if fixed, could save you money. For example:
Check your attic, attic stairway, attached garage walls and basement to make sure your home is insulated to DOE-recommended levels for your geographic area. When inspecting and buying home insulation products, look for the R-value. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power.

• Have your central Los Angeles air conditioning (AC) system serviced each spring. Your utility company may provide this service.
• Hire a professional to seal and insulate leaky ducts, and to ensure that the airflow distribution system serving your equipment is operating at peak efficiency
• Clean or replace AC and furnace filters once a month or as needed, and seal holes around plumbing and heating pipes.
• Install a programmable thermostat. You can save money by keeping your house warmer than normal when you're out, and keeping the setting at 78 F when you're home.
• Install drapes, shades, blinds or another window covering. Keeping them closed during the day blocks the sun and the heat from the sun's rays.
• Consider replacing single-pane windows with double-pane windows with high-performance glass. Look for low-emissivity (low-e) or spectrally selective glass. In warmer climates, select windows with spectrally selective coatings to reduce heat gain. In colder climates, select windows that are gas filled with low-e coatings on the glass to reduce heat loss.
• Open your foundation vents each spring if your home has a crawl space under it.
• Install ceiling fans. The air circulation promotes cooling in the summer and heating efficiency in the winter.
• Prune back shrubs and remove debris, like grass and leaves, that may block airflow to your air conditioner.
• Plant a tree. Landscaping is a natural way to shade your home. Well-placed trees and shrubs not only deliver shade, but also add value to your property.
• Shade room air conditioners from direct sun to reduce their workload. Clean the filters once a month and replace them as necessary to promote energy efficiency. Lower the setting when you go out to reduce operating costs.
• Apply a reflective coating to your roof. Dull and dark-colored home exteriors absorb 70 to 90 percent of the sun's energy. Light-colored surfaces reflect most of the heat away from your home.

If you're buying a new Los Angeles air conditioning system, make sure it is sized correctly (bigger is not always better) and installed properly for cost-effective use. When selecting a new unit, be sure to consider high-efficiency models. While energy efficient appliances may cost more up front, they may save you money in the long run. To compare models, check the black and yellow EnergyGuide labels, which the FTC requires on most major appliances, including central and room air conditioners. The labels provide useful information about products' energy efficiency and estimated annual operating costs. Air conditioners with higher energy efficiency ratios are more energy efficient.

Ask your utility company about a budget billing plan to protect against sudden or unexpected price increases. Your provider takes the amount of energy you use during one year and pides your monthly payments into equal parts. At the end of the season, you pay any outstanding balance or your provider credits any overpayment to your next monthly bill.
If you're on a fixed income and have trouble paying your utility bills, contact your utility company. They, or your state or local government, may have energy assistance plans to help you pay your energy bills.

Protecting Your Cold Cash

When energy prices rise, so does advertising for a host of energy-saving products and services - including some that are overpriced or just plain bogus. Be wary of devices, gadgets and energy-saving products that promise drastic reductions in home cooling costs or extreme energy savings. For example:

• Read the energy-saving claims carefully and, if possible, get independent information about a product's performance.
• Be wary of unsolicited offers from door-to-door salespeople and high pressure personal or telephone sales pitches from contractors offering Los Angeles air conditioning systems, windows, roofing, and other home improvement projects.
• Make sure that a contractor is licensed and reputable: Ask your friends and neighbors for referrals; ask the contractor for customer references; and check out potential contractors with the Better Business Bureau, state and local consumer protection officials, and your state licensing agency. The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives you three business days to cancel a contract if you sign it in your home or at a location other than the contractor's permanent place of business.

Clear Your Home of Asthma Triggers

Los Angeles Air Conditioning is always here to give you the best information, tips and tricks. Visit our Facebook page and follow us on twitter for more information just like this!

1. Your children will breathe easier
2. Act now against asthma at home.
3. Asthma is a serious lung disease.

During an asthma attack, the airways get narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. Asthma can even cause death. If you have asthma or a child with asthma, you are not alone.About 17 million Americans have asthma. Asthma is the leading cause of long-term illness in children. The air that children breathe can make a difference.

Asthma may be triggered by allergens and irritants that are common in homes. Help your child breathe easier: consult a doctor and reduce asthma triggers in your home. Clear Your Home of Asthma Triggers.

Below are five common asthma triggers found in homes and what you can do to reduce you and your child's exposure to them. Not all of the asthma triggers listed here affect every person with asthma. See your doctor or health care provider for more information.

Secondhand Smoke

Asthma can be triggered by the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar and the smoke breathed out by a smoker.

• Choose not to smoke in your home or car and do not allow others to do so either.

Dust Mites

Dust mites are too small to be seen but are found in every home. Dust mites live in mattresses, pillows, carpets, fabric-covered furniture, bedcovers, clothes, and stuffed toys.

• Wash sheets and blankets once a week in hot water.
• Choose washable stuffed toys, wash them often in hot water, and dry thoroughly.
• Keep stuffed toys off beds.
• Cover mattresses and pillows in dust-proof (allergen-impermeable) zippered covers.

Pets

Your pet’s skin flakes, urine, and saliva can be asthma triggers.

• Consider keeping pets outdoors or even finding a new home for your pets, if necessary.
• Keep pets out of the bedroom and other sleeping areas at all times, and keep the door closed.
• Keep pets away from fabric-covered furniture, carpets, and stuffed toys.

Molds

Molds grow on damp materials. The key to mold control is moisture control. If mold is a problem in your home, clean up the mold and get rid of excess water or moisture.

• Lowering the moisture also helps reduce other triggers, such as dust mites and cockroaches.
• Wash mold off hard surfaces and dry completely. Absorbent materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, with mold may need to be replaced.
• Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.
• Keep drip pans in your Los Angeles air conditioning, refrigerator, and dehumidifier clean and dry.
• Use exhaust fans or open windows in kitchens and bathrooms when showering, cooking, or using the dishwasher.
• Vent clothes dryers to the outside.
• Maintain low indoor humidity, ideally between 30-50% relative humidity. Humidity levels can be measured by hygrometers which are available at local hardware stores.

Pests

Droppings or body parts of pests such as cockroaches or rodents can be asthma triggers.

• Do not leave food or garbage out.
• Store food in airtight containers.
• Clean all food crumbs or spilled liquids right away.
• Try using poison baits, boric acid (for cockroaches), or traps first before using pesticidal sprays.

If sprays are used:
Limit the spray to infested area.
Carefully follow instructions on the label.
Make sure there is plenty of fresh air when you spray, and keep the person with asthma out of the room.

Also...

House dust may contain asthma triggers. Remove dust often with a damp cloth, and vacuum carpet and fabric-covered furniture to reduce dust build-up. Allergic people should leave the area being vacuumed. Using vacuums with high efficiency filters or central vacuums may be helpful.

When your local weather forecast announces an ozone action day, stay indoors as much as possible.

For more information visit your Los Angeles Air Conditioning experts website!

You can request information from EPA's:

Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse (IAQ INFO)
P.O. Box 37133
Washington, DC 20013-7133
(800) 438-4318, or
(703) 356-4020 (local)
(703) 356-5386 (fax)
iaqinfo@aol.com

A Little AC History -Los Angeles Air Conditioning

Humans having the desire to stay cool and comfortable during the summer heat has been around long before Los Angeles air conditioning was invented to make that happen. Back during the 1830s people started to mess around with the idea of using ice and a machinery to cool the air they lived in. Dr. John Gorrie was an American physician who lived in Florida at the time. He is credited with the first attempt at building an air conditioner.

Basically what Dr. Gorrie designed was an ice making machine. Air was blown over the bucket of ice to create a cooling effect. There were tons of people suffering from yellow fever and malaria during the 1830s and he was searching for a way to cool the hospital rooms that were filling up with sick patients.

Another attempt at air conditioning was involved with a close to death experience. In 1881, President James Garfield needed to be comfortable. A box of clothes that were covered and soaking up melted ice water was made by navy engineers. A fan was set next to it blowing hot air overhead. It actually worked and was able to lower the rooms temperature by about 20 degrees. This was great however, it was not an efficient way to cool the air because it used up about half a million pounds of ice in just two months.

During 1902 we start to see things a little close to modern day Los Angeles air conditioning. Willis Carrier made an "Apparatus for Treating Air." He lived in Brooklyn, New York and worked for Sackett-Wilhelms Lithographing and Publishing Co. This machine lowered humidity.

The son of John "Bet a Million" Gates, Charles Gates, had the first house that was ever air conditioned. That sounds like today, los angeles air conditioning is most everywhere in LA county now. This was back in 1914. The first AC's were ridiculous, huge and really expensive. They were incredibly dangerous too because they used toxic ammonia to cool the air!

The Carrier company started the industry in 1922 by using a compressor to make AC's smaller. Movie theaters really made the cooling industry take off. In 1925 air conditioning was on Broadway at the Rivoli! After that air conditioning started being installed everywhere- trains, stores, offices etc. 1928 was a big year for The US House of Representatives. They had an air conditioner installed in the Senate, White House and the Supreme Court!

Los Angeles air conditioning today is a common thing. The technology has advanced a lot over the past 75 years and we are here to provide cooling and comfort all over LA county!

Los Angeles Air Conditioning

Los Angeles air conditioning is not always on the forefront of our thoughts. To tell you the truth most of our customers don't even thing about it until it starts doing something they don't like. Too hot, maybe even too cold, is when everyone starts to think about it! Other than that it just goes straight to the back of our head until “BAM!” a problem arises and we are stuck scrambling on what to do to fix it!

Los Angeles air conditioning experts are here to say that we shouldn’t always let that happen. There are preventative steps you can take to ensure that your cooling system is always working properly and your family stays comfortable during these hot summer heats.

It would be a great feeling if the AC was just a magical box that made the room the perfect temperature every time but we are not quite there yet! Something that we’d like to bring attention is that it is not only more than that regarding cooling your home, but it also has an impact of mold and bacteria circulation in the home, overall air quality, the amount of money your family spends on bills and your overall health!

We are not saying that you have to think about your AC all the time but we are simply asking you to stay aware for warning signs. It won’t be too difficult with the Los Angeles air conditioning experts on your side. We provide quick tips on our Facebook page and within our Twitter feed. If you ever have any specific questions or feedback on how we can help you even further give us a call at +1 (800) 321-9494 or simply drop us a comment on Facebook! We promise to get right back to you with the best answer possible.

The bottom line is your cooling system requires maintenance. It is a big mechanical system with working parts that need to be taken care of if you want them to work properly.

Some quick tips:

Find a Professional for service and repair. Los Angeles Air Conditioning experts
Ask about financial incentives and rebates in your area.
Change your air filter every 30 to 60 days.
Get a regular maintenance check/tune up done every Spring.

Los Angeles Air Conditioning Info

Many of you out there who are not Los Angeles air conditioning professionals can still know the basics of how your cooling system works! Los Angeles air conditioning experts are here to provide you with the answers to all those questions you have while trying to figure those units out!

Homeowners, you will be happy to hear that just a little bit of knowledge will go a long way!

Let’s talk about air handler functions. Most of our customers have these types of questions. The first step is to gain a better understanding of how the system actually works.

Air Handler is basically a piece of equipment that handles the air movement within your cooling system. They blow the air over the coils. After the air is conditioned it blows through the ductwork.

In order to heat and cool your home efficiently and comfortable, the handler must be matched to the size of your HVAC system.

This is part of the reason it is so important to have an air conditioner that is the proper size for the space. All the components of the system work together to make sure that the air is properly cooled.

The A/C system’s compressor is the unit that sits outside your home. If its capacity is a 4-ton design, then your air handler should be able to handle that much air capacity. So, at minimum, the handler should be a 4-ton system.

If you ever find yourself wondering if your unit is the correct size for the space in your home that it is cooling feel free to give a Los Angeles air conditioning expert a call today or schedule a service call for a certified HVAC technician to come out and see exactly what is going on with your unit!

Los Angeles air conditioning experts always have the answers and we love that our customers can feel comfortable asking us questions about everything to do with their Los Angeles air conditioning! We have proudly served Los Angeles county for over 30 years and have loved every minute of it!

Energy Efficiency Standards Los Angeles Air Conditioning

Energy efficiency is usually on our minds here in California. The amount of energy emitted from furnaces, heat pumps and central air conditioning units are changing. Arguments over energy efficiency standards aren’t anything new. It is something that has been going on for years. Los Angeles air conditioning experts would like to ask what you think about this topic?

Most recently, consumers were talking a lot about the compact fluorescent light bulbs. Color and the amount of light emitted from them were among the topics of conversation. It is taking awhile to start getting used to these bulbs but we are going to have too because not long until these are the only bulbs on the market. They do cost a little more, that is one of the reasons people have been talking but in the long run they will save you money on electricity. Los Angeles air conditioning experts do recommend purchasing compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL) because it will save you money in the long run and will save energy for our beautiful Southern California.

As far as furnaces, heat pumps and central air goes, most likely prices will be going up again. This is sparking controversy because while the prices are going up the savings aren’t going to be extremely tremendous. This change is more about environmental impact on the world. It is about making smarter decisions for our future as a society as a whole.

To see direct savings will take some time. The price increase for products etc. will eventually lead to energy savings. To help you understand this realistically: The new standards would be able to heat every home in the state of New York for 11+ years straight with the savings over a 32 years period! Savings every is always good too because it means fewer blackouts and there will not be as much air pollution.

The U.S. Department of Energy is who creates the standards for central air, furnaces and heat pumps.

May 1, 2013 is the expected date for the new standards to start taking effect.

Los Angeles air conditioning experts American Air Conditioning are always here to bring the latest news to you.

Programmable Thermostats in LA Air Conditioning

Programmable thermostats can save you money! Your Los Angeles air conditioning experts are here to let you know that it is wise for your family to use this tool to control your cooling system and use energy efficiently. You system will have the power to turn on and off automatically. This way it will turn on when you are home and turn off when you are away.

There are many different brands out there that can be a good choice for your family. Los Angeles air conditioning experts recommend using one because it is a great way to save money without making a large up front investment. The cost of a programmable thermostat is relatively low.

Different types of programmable thermostats out there:

Clock Thermostats
These are pretty basic. They can be used to set for a cooler period and a hotter period. The same settings will continue each day.

Digital Thermostats
These allow you to set multipole periods through out the day. Each setting can have a unique temperature. You can also label these settings to suite your families needs.

Digital Thermostats with PID Controller
These are a bit more pricy. The built in PID controller is so the thermostat learns the system and it will react to its commands. This is beneficial so instead of setting your thermostat for 78 degrees at 9:00 am and having it turn on at that time, it knows to reach 78 degrees by 9:00am and starting working efficiently to reach that temperature.

Commercial Thermostat
This type of thermostat uses air pressure to determine a hotter or colder setting. There is no clock associated with the programming.

Programmable thermostats allow different options. You can set daily schedules, differently schedules for weekdays and weekends, and the ability to program the thermostat for weekday, Saturday and Sunday use. Some models even allows you to program different settings through out them to the day.If you have a humidifier or dehumidifier attached to your thermostat, you can also set it to increase or decrease the relative amount of moisture in the air to optimize your indoor air quality.

Los Angeles air conditioning specialist are here to help you decide what is best for your home. Call American Air Conditioning & Heating today at +1(800)321-9494.

Los Angeles Air Conditioning Jokes!

It is officially Summer! Los Angeles air conditioning experts came across some funny jokes. We thought we’d share them with you to kick off the season of heat and LA air conditioning. Enjoy!

A customer was continually bothering the waiter in a restaurant; first, he’d asked that the air conditioning be turned up because he was too hot, then he asked it be turned down because he was too cold, and so on for about half an hour.
Surprisingly, the waiter was very patient, walking back and forth and never once getting angry. So finally, a second customer asked why didn’t they just throw out the pest.
“Oh I don’t care.” said the waiter with a smile. “We don’t even have an air conditioner.”

And another…

An engineer died and reported to the pearly gates. An intern angel, filling in for St. Peter, checked his dossier and grimly said, “Ah, you’re an engineer; you’re in the wrong place.”
So the engineer was cast down to the gates of hell and was let in. Pretty soon, the engineer became gravely dissatisfied with the level of comfort in hell, and began designing and building improvements. After a while, the underworld had air conditioning, flush toilets, and escalators, and the engineer was becoming a pretty popular guy among the demons.
One day, God called Satan up on the telephone and asked with a sneer, “So, how’s it going down there in hell?”
Satan laughed and replied, “Hey, things are going great. We’ve got air conditioning and flush toilets and escalators, and there’s no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next.”
God’s face clouded over and he exploded, “What? You’ve got an engineer? That’s a mistake; he should never have gotten down there; send him up here.”
Satan shook his head, “No way. I like having an engineer on the staff, and I’m keeping him.”
God was as mad as he had ever been, “This is not the way things are supposed to work and you know it. Send him back up here or I’ll sue.”
Satan laughed uproariously, “Yeah, right. And just where are YOU going to get a lawyer?”

Do you have any Los Angeles air conditioning jokes? Feel free to post them on our Facebook page! You can also leave a comment and the Los Angeles air conditioning crew will check it out!

Save Money on Air Conditioning-Cheat Sheet!

Save money on your electricity bill!
Air Conditioning Savings Cheat Sheet

1. Your air conditioner must be the right size for the space. If the unit is too small or too big it will compromise the efficiency and cost you more money!

2. Maintenance is the number one way to keep your air conditioner running efficient for a long time. Stay up to date! Have a certified Los Angeles air conditioning specialist look at your unit during Spring.

3. Every 30 to 60 days you must replace the air filter on your air conditioner. If you have a reusable filter wash it out every 30 to 60 days. A dirty filter can ruin everything.

4. The LA air conditioning in your home is usually the biggest energy hog for your family. Think about replacing your unit if it is really old. In the long run it will end up saving you more money.

5. Programmable thermostats help out a lot. It can change the temperature according to when you are home vs not home. It is a great way to save a lot of money without having to make a huge investment.

We are American Air Conditioning & Heating, the Los Angeles air conditioning experts. We have proudly served LA county for over 30 years! Visit our Facebook page for the latest tips and tricks. We are always talking about everything heating and LA air conditioning! Let us know if you have a question, we’d love to help you.