Tag: Cooling

5 Benefits of a Heat Pump Installation

Jan 15, 2020

5 Benefits of a Heat Pump Installation

  • Cooling
  • Heating
heat pump installation in Kingston by North Shore Home Energy

Heat pumps are another method of heating or cooling your house, like an air conditioner or furnace. However, it doesn’t heat or cool the air in your house like a traditional system. Instead, it regulates your home’s temperature by moving heat from warmer areas to cooler areas. Getting a heat pump installation from North Shore Home Energy will give you a great alternative from typical heating and cooling options. Read our list below to see why getting a heat pump might be an option for you! 

Here are five reasons you should consider a heat pump installation:

 

No fuel storage necessary

Various heating and cooling systems use different types of fuel, such as oil, propane, or other alternative fuel. Because of this, you’ll always have to keep a supply in your house. With a heat pump, you don’t have to worry about how much fuel you have. Heat pumps use nothing but electricity, and can always operate as long as they have power. 

 

Long lifespan

If you’re diligent about keeping them in good condition, heat pumps can last a long time. On average, heat pumps can last 14 to 15 years if cared for properly. Like many appliances, it’s a good idea to get your heat pump inspected annually and perform maintenance. If you take care of your heat pump, it will take care of you. 

 

Heating and cooling combined

If you want to keep your home temperate, you’ll generally need to buy and manage two different systems. However, like a combined HVAC system, a heat pump can pull double duty by keeping your home warm during the winter and cool during the summer.

 

Fewer carbon emissions

Heat pumps have a reputation for their high energy efficiency. Because of this, they’re likely to reduce your carbon footprint. For instance, water source heat pumps, which move heat to/from a water source, can reduce your energy usage by 30-60%.

 

Energy efficient

Heat pumps are very energy efficient when compared to similar options like gas furnaces. Not only do heat pumps run on electricity, which is cleaner than gas or oil, but they are also very efficient at using it to move heat. As a rule of thumb, heat pumps operate best when the difference between the source and supply temperatures is very little.

 

What makes North Shore Home Energy one of Kingston’s top heating and cooling companies?

With over 25 years of experience in the cooling and heating industries, North Shore Home Energy is dedicated to providing top-quality service to homes, businesses, and restaurants. Our attention to detail, on-demand service, and fair pricing will keep your home running smoothly year after year. In addition, we’re a proud participating contractor with the Mass Save program. Ask us about rebates up to $3,500 and 0% financing for seven years. Call North Shore Home Energy today to learn more about how we can help you with a heat pump installation.

By nshec

6 Reasons to Get HVAC Duct Repair

Oct 25, 2019

6 Reasons to Get HVAC Duct Repair

  • Cooling
  • Heating
HVAC duct repair in Kingston by North Shore Home Energy

Getting an HVAC system for your home requires you to also get ductwork installed in your home. It can look out of place in your home, but those ducts are very important for your HVAC system. When these ducts get damaged, they’ll become useless as the air they’re supposed to transport leaks out of the ducts. Calling for HVAC duct repair requires you to be able to know that your system has a problem. At North Shore Home Energy, we can tell you about some of the problems you should look for.

Here are six issues that require HVAC duct repair to solve:

 

Dirt and dust

HVAC ducts use your home’s air, which means airborne contaminants can travel the ducts. Fortunately, most of them can be stopped by the replaceable filter the HVAC system has. However, the filter can get clogged, allowing dust to get in and damage the inner workings of the HVAC system. If your ducts are getting too dirty, you might need to switch the filter.

 

Decreased airflow

HVAC systems work by circulating your home’s air through ducts and expelling heated or cooled air through vents. However, several issues can weaken the airflow, making it hard to heat or cool your home. You might have an animal’s nest in the ducts, or the ductwork might be damaged or disconnected. Best-case scenario, there’s just some furniture or a rug blocking a vent. If you follow the ducts to where the air isn’t flowing as strongly, you might find the source of the problem.

 

Damaged ducts

Damage to your ducts, such as holes and tears, can leak the air you’re trying to heat or cool. The holes make it harder to regulate your home’s temperature and your HVAC system will become more inefficient. If your ducts are getting too holey, call us today to get them patched up.

 

Higher energy bills

Energy bills usually rise during the summers and winters. However, rising energy bills can also be caused by damaged appliances and systems. Take a close look at your HVAC system’s filters, refrigerant levels, and fans. Also, the problem can be caused by worn-down electrical connections. In those cases, you should call a professional electrician to fix those.

 

Hot and cold spots

Do you find parts of your house are still cold even when the heat is on? Damage to your ducts might cause cold air to leak, preventing your ducts from cooling your home. The reverse is also true. Having hot spots when the AC is on can also be caused by duct damage.

 

Strange noises

When you turn on your HVAC, you might hear a popping noise. That’s just the ducts expanding or contracting due to the temperature and is nothing to worry about. However, continuous loud or rattling noises are caused by damaged ducts. It’s also possible that your ducts are too small for your home. Give us a call and we can tell if you need bigger ducts or simply a repair.

 

What makes North Shore Home Energy my best bet for fixing my ducts?

North Shore Home Energy LLC is a small local dedicated HVAC & Refrigeration service company in the North Shore providing excellent service to homes, businesses, and restaurants. With over 25 years in the industry, North Shore Home Energy is here to educate our customers on maintenance and strive for 100% customer satisfaction. Our attention to detail, on-demand service, and fair pricing will keep you running smoothly year after year. We are a proud participating contractor with the Mass Save program. Ask us about rebates up to $3,500 and 0% financing for 7 years. Call North Shore Home Energy today to schedule your duct repair work!

By nshec

5 Reasons to Get Commercial Freezer Service

Aug 16, 2019

5 Reasons to Get Commercial Freezer Service

  • Cooling
commercial freezer service in Kingston by North Shore Home Energy

The refrigeration units in your business are an important part of serving fresh food to your customers. However, this also means you constantly have to be on the watch for problems with your freezers. If they stop working and let your frozen food get bad, you could lose hundreds or thousands of dollars in wasted stock. To prevent these losses, you need to know when it’s time to call someone who can offer you commercial freezer service.

Here are five signs you need to call for commercial freezer service:

 

Spoiled food

The majority of commercial freezers are used to keep food frozen to prevent spoilage. If the freezers break down, they can’t keep the food from spoiling. This means you’ll have to throw out the food because you obviously can’t sell spoiled food. If you notice your frozen food is expiring before their expiration dates, you might have to adjust your freezer’s settings. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to call for repairs.

 

Heavy condensation and frost

In addition to keeping food cold, freezers help keep food dry to discourage mold growth. Heavy amounts of condensation mean you have something wrong with the unit gasket, drain tube, or humidity controls. Similarly, seeing lots of frost in your freezer means there’s a problem with the defrost system or evaporator fan.

 

Leaks

When you see water around your freezers, that’s an obvious sign something is wrong. There are a wide variety of reasons your freezers are leaking. They might be overheating or overworked, they turned off during a power surge, the drain hose might have issues, or it might be something else. Your best bet is to call North Shore Home Energy to take a look at your freezers.

 

Damaged seals

The seals on your freezer doors are designed to keep the cold in and the heat out. However, wear and tear can result in small gaps forming, allowing the cold to escape. This may force your freezer to work harder to stay cool, raising your energy bills and wearing out the freezer faster.

 

Higher energy bills

Speaking of energy bills, as a business owner, you should have a general idea of how much you spend on energy every month. If you’ve noticed an inexplicable increase, something is likely wrong with an appliance or electronic. Inefficient freezers and other appliances/electronics will use more electricity then normally to work, costing you money. If you can’t find why your bills are increasing, it might be worth checking your freezers and other electronics.

 

Why call North Shore Home Energy to fix my freezers?

North Shore Home Energy is a company with over 25 years of history and experience in the HVACR industry. Our family-owned business has been working hard to keep food cold and people comfortable. If you call us today, we can offer a free quote on your purchase. We’re also proud to be participating in the Mass Save program. As a participant of the Mass Save program, you may be able to score a rebate up to $3,500 with 0% financing for 7 years! North Shore Home Energy can help you find refrigeration that meets your needs, the needs of your customers, and the needs of your employees. Contact us today to get started!

By nshec

R22 Refrigerant: Important Product News

Jul 12, 2019

R22 Refrigerant: Important Product News

  • Cooling
R22 Refrigerant in Kingston by North Shore Home Energy

Is your AC an older model from before 2010? If so, then this bit of industry news will be especially important to you. As you may know, your AC uses refrigerant, a liquid chemical inside your AC that allows it to cool air. Refrigerants work by moving between various components in the AC to move heat from one area to another. R22 refrigerant, also known as Freon, is one of the more well-known ones and has seen common usage. However, next year, that’s all going to change.

What’s happening with R22 refrigerant?

Introduced back in the 1950s, R22 became the AC refrigerant of choice for the residential heating/cooling industry. However, two decades later, people noticed that the usage of R22 and some other refrigerants was depleting the ozone layer. Because of this, various worldwide organizations, including the EPA, created the Montreal Protocol. The Protocol is a plan to slowly phase out ozone-depleting refrigerants worldwide. Starting in 2003, countries started enacting progressively heavier limits on R22 usage, with certain variants being banned from being produced and imported. At the dawn of 2010, Americans could no longer make equipment that used R22. However, R22 could (and still can, for now) be made and imported for use in pre-existing equipment. Come 2020, chemical manufacturers will completely stop making new R22, marking the effective end of its common usage.

Because R22 is soon going to have a much more limited supply, the prices are going to start increasing. In addition, older ACs need more frequent servicing, increasing demand for R22. Combined with strict regulations on recycling/reclaiming it and the fact that only EPA-certified technicians can buy it means the prices only increase further. This means homeowners will be paying a heavy premium to keep an older AC unit working.

So what should I do?

It’s obvious that it’s going to get more expensive to service your AC if it uses R22. If you ask one of our professionals, they’ll likely suggest you upgrade your model. North Shore Home Energy offers a wide variety of AC units from the leading brands, including Trane and Lennox. While it’s possible to retrofit your old AC to use R401a, a newer and more ecologically friendly refrigerant used by most modern AC units now, it can easily cost as much as a new unit, if not more. In addition, this almost always voids warranties and can break the unit if not done properly, meaning you’ll have to get a new unit anyway.

But how exactly do you know if your unit uses R22 refrigerant? As a rule of thumb, AC units made before 2010 generally use R22. If not, then it most likely uses something else. If you want to be sure, take a look at your unit’s nameplate or the user’s manual. You can usually find the nameplate on the outdoor condenser on your central AC system. If that fails, our technicians can always help you figure it out!

Call North Shore Home Energy today to learn more about R22 refrigerant or schedule an AC replacement!

By nshec

AC Savings in Kingston: Cool and Cheap!

Jun 07, 2019

AC Savings in Kingston: Cool and Cheap!

  • Cooling
AC savings in Kingston by North Shore Home Energy

When the summer heat rolls in, you’ll likely want to stay cool. This means you’ll be using your AC a lot over a few months. However, keeping your AC on all summer will generate some hefty electricity bills. There are plenty of things you can do, big and small, to get some AC savings in Kingston this summer. Let the experts at North Shore Home Energy give you some advice on how to stay cool without breaking the bank.

Here are six tips on getting some AC savings in Kingston:

 

Stay on top of your AC’s maintenance

When was the last time you gave your AC maintenance? If the answer is earlier than “this spring,” you should call us to give it an inspection. Getting your AC an inspection can do a lot to improve your energy savings. The AC won’t have to work as hard to cool, it’ll have less mechanical issues, and any grime built up in your AC will be cleaned out. It’s a simple bit of advice, but it’s very good advice at the same time.

 

Upgrade your thermostat

Programmable thermostats are a great way to help conserve your AC’s energy usage. A major feature in these thermostats is that they are programmable and can follow a schedule. This lets you automatically adjust the temperature around the household’s schedule, so the AC turns off when nobody’s home. Other useful features include the ability to keep a constant temperature and other high-tech features.

 

Keep your home sealed

In a battle between the Sun and your AC to determine the outside temperature, the Sun will win hands-down. Because of this, you want your home to stay well-insulated. A poorly insulated home will leak cool air and let in hot air more easily. At a basic level, you can fix this by caulking leaky windows and insulating doors leading outside. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive examination, call one of our experts to check your home.

 

Close the blinds

If you have windows letting in sunlight, that can make your home hotter than you want. During the hotter parts of the day, close your blinds to keep out the sun to keep the temperature down. In addition, this also helps keep cool air inside your house.

 

Be a fan of ceiling fans

You don’t always need the air conditioner to stay cool. The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that a ceiling fan can make a room feel 10°F less and uses 10% of an AC’s energy. There are also smart ceiling fans that can be set on a schedule, similarly to smart thermostats.

 

Get zone control AC

Zone control AC lets you choose individual areas to heat or cool. You probably have one or two parts of the house you don’t use very often. With zone control, you can cool certain parts of the house less or not at all. This lets you save money on unnecessary cooling.

 

What makes North Shore Home Energy a local expert in optimizing my AC performance?

North Shore Home Energy has over 25 years specializing in installing cooling systems. Whether they are residential high efficiency forced air systems, central air conditioning, or ductless mini splits, we know them all. Our state of the art ACCA-approved HVAC software helps us provide proper heat load calculations so we best know how to install your AC. Call North Shore Home Energy today to learn more about our cooling services!

By nshec