We tend to kid ourselves about certain things in life. We often ignore what is good for us. Eating desserts is a great example. I can always justify chocolate or one more piece of the pie. The reality is I do not need another piece of the pie!

Carrots or celery are probably what I should concentrate on, but bring on the sweet stuff like Kolaches! We can talk about Kolaches later, but for now, let’s talk about our heating and air conditioning needs. The same theory applies to that.

The right choices in heating and air conditioning can also improve our health, and comfort, and help us save money. The truth is in black and white, but we still tend to take the easier path. The following examples may help you live a longer and more comfortable life.

  1. Is your heating and air conditioning system capable of maintaining a comfortable temperature or does it struggle? The ideal temperatures range from 73 to 76 degrees. Is your system set at that comfort range?
  2. Has your cooling unit struggled to keep your home or business cool? Heating and cooling maintenance is a necessity to keep equipment running efficiently. 90% of refrigerant temperatures are not accurate and waste energy. In some extreme cases, the equipment continues to run and never meets the cooling needs.
  3. Do you have a good service maintenance agreement that gets licensed technicians to your door when you need them or are you at the mercy of others? Some service maoundintenance agreements tend to be nothing more than a glorified insurance policy. They require fixing obsolete or inefficient equipment rather than replacing it. You pay the price twice. It gets worse. The technicians may not be available for a week or two. Are you willing to go without cooling for that long? Make sure to understand what your service maintenance agreement guarantees and get a good one!
  4. Do you know what level of relative humidity is in your home? The ideal relative humidity to promote health is 40% to 60%. Our lungs and skin perform better between those limits.
  5. Do you have a dehumidifier or is your cooling unit sized properly so it can remove the humidity? A dehumidifier costs approximately $28 a month to operate. They can be the breeding grounds for mold and are otherwise not healthy.
  6. When you opened your utility bill for cooling your home last month, did you feel good about the amount or wish it were much lower? An efficient heating and air conditioning system can cut energy costs by 10% to 70% or more. Some systems cost more to keep than replace!
  7. Would you be comfortable with a heat pump? According to OPPD, 94% of customers rate heat pump heating and cooling comfort as very good or good. Deb and I purchased our first heat pump in 1985; back in the day heat pumps were evolving. We liked it then and the technology is even better today.
  8. How efficient are heat pumps for heating and cooling? According to OPPD, heat pumps can achieve energy-efficiency ratings of 250% to 370% year-r. A comparison for the heating season is most high-tech gas furnaces can only achieve efficiencies of around 94% or so. Heat pumps are efficient because they move heat rather than create it.
  9. Do you or someone in your family have allergy issues and is your air filtration system removing allergen particles? Fiberglass air filters remove approximately 40% of impurities. Pleated air filters remove 70%. Electronic air filters remove 90%. Lennox Pure Air removes over 95%. Trane Clean Effects removes 99.98%. Your lungs are forced to remove what air filters do not!
  10. Have you seen those “too good to be true offers to clean ductwork in your entire home for $79.95”? Gimmicks are occasionally used to get unscrupulous contractors in your home so they can give their sales pitch. Contact the Better Business Bureau to see if companies have an accreditation.

I mentioned Kolaches in the first paragraph, so let’s talk about the more fun stuff. There should be plenty of great foods like Kolaches, Jaternise, duck, and Sauer Kraut at the Wilber Czech Festival next Friday, August 1st through Sunday, August 3rd.

Wilber is a great example of the small-town USA that keeps this country going strong. Yes, Deb and I will be there in the parade with our John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical’s 1954 Chevy panel truck. Wave if you see us!

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