Archive for March, 2012

Our NATE Certified Technicians

Friday, March 30th, 2012

Ashtabula | Apple Heating and CoolingYou can feel confident in the service you will receive when you hire Apple Heating and Cooling. Our technicians are NATE certified and highly trained. NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence, and is the “leading non-profit certification program for technicians in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry and the only test supported by the entire industry”. Apple Heating & Cooling has also earned membership in the NATE Quality Circle Contractors, which is gained by employing at least 80% of field technicians with NATE certification.

Whether you need a estimate, a diagnosis, or a full installation, at Apple Heating and Cooling the whole team follows our core values of honesty and integrity. Don’t take our word for it, see what our customers say:

As always we are extremely happy with the service technician who, in this case, was Mark. Efficient, very knowledgeable and friendly. Answered all my questions with a good answer and a smile.

- Harold & Caroline M.

 

We switched from another company to Apple years ago because of your friendly technicians and great service. The other company always seemed to overcharge us and not do very good work. Your technicians always do a great job. We recommend Apple all the time.

- Carol M.

Apple Heating and Cooling proudly serves Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga and parts of Cuyahoga County . We promise to work hard for you to be your choice for heating, cooling and indoor air quality in Northeastern Ohio.

 

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Common Ashtabula Heat Pump Performance Problems

Monday, March 26th, 2012

Your Ashtabula heat pump needs to work year round to provide heat and air conditioning. This is why you want to make sure it’s performing as efficiently as possible to save on energy costs and prevent break downs. You should schedule an annual maintenance check-up and inspection with a certified Ashtabula HVAC technician to test the efficiency levels.

However, there are a few common causes of performance issues to be aware of so that you can be sure your heat pump performs at optimal levels. Call Apple Heating & Cooling if you have questions about heat pump performance issues, or to make an appointment for an annual inspection and professional cleaning.

Airflow Issues

There should always be a certain amount of airflow (measured in cubic feet per minute) in your heat pump to maintain proper efficiency levels. If the airflow is less than 350 cfm per ton, it could increase your energy costs. You should make sure your HVAC contractor checks the airflow whenever your heat pump is inspected. Always keep the coils clean. Sometimes the ducts are not the right size, or the fan speed needs to be increased, but often cleaning the coils will help airflow, which is why it is important to clean and maintain the components of your heat pump. A certified technician will know what methods are best, so if you suspect an airflow problem with your heat pump, call a professional heating technician.

Air Leaks in the Duct System

Inefficient or poorly-designed duct systems may not distribute air properly throughout your home because of potential air leaks. There should always be a balance between the intake and return air in a forced air system, which helps maintain a neutral pressure within the house and increase efficiency. Some contractors argue over how tightly a house should be sealed for this reason, but if your heat pump is losing heat through leaks in the air ducts, this will greatly affect its efficiency.

Improper Refrigerant

Refrigerant leaks are another common cause of low performance levels in heat pumps. Most heat pumps already have refrigerant when they leave the factory and shouldn’t have any issues. Heat pumps that are charged with refrigerant when they are installed can sometimes have the wrong amount of refrigerant. Either too much or too little refrigerant will lower the heat pump’s efficiency and performance levels. Always check the recommended refrigerant amount or ask an HVAC technician before you add refrigerant yourself.

If the heat pump in your Ashtabula home isn’t working properly, it is also affecting your heating bills. Call Apple Heating & Cooling to set up an appointment.

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Learn how to get 0% APR with equal payments for 36 months AND Get a FREE Apple iPad2 AND a FREE Media Air Cleaner!

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Invest in a qualifying high efficiency system and receive 0% APR with equal payments for 36 months AND Get a FREE Apple iPad2, AND a FREE Media Air Cleaner!

Ashtabula | Apple Heating and Cooling | Trane

Save up to 35% on energy bills with a new high efficiency Trane heating and cooling system from Apple Heating & Cooling. Purchase a qualifying system before June 14th and you will receive 0% APR with equal payments for 36 months, a FREE Apple iPad2, and a FREE Media Air Cleaner. At Apple Heating & Cooling we serve residential and commercial customers in Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula Counties, as well as the eastern portion of Cuyahoga county. Our products and services include sales, installation, maintenance and repair of heating and air conditioning systems. Included under that general heading are gas furnaces, central air conditioning systems, heat pumps, geothermal systems, solar systems, hot water and steam boilers and mini-split air conditioners. We also offer products to improve indoor air quality including humidifiers, high-efficiency air cleaners, ultraviolet sanitizers, air cleaners and duct cleaning.

 

See your independent Trane dealer for complete program eligibility, dates, details and restrictions. Special financing offers valid on qualifying systems only. All sales must be to homeowners in the United States. Void where prohibited. The Home Projects™ Visa™ card is issued by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank. Special terms apply to qualifying purchases charged with approved credit at participating merchants. The special terms APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. 0% APR: The minimum monthly payment will be the amount that will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the special terms period. For newly opened accounts, the regular APR is 27.99%. The APR will vary with the market based on the U.S. Prime Rate. The regular APR is given as of 1/10/2012. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. The regular APR will apply to certain fees such as a late payment fee or if you use the card for other transactions. If you use the card for cash advances, the cash advance fee is 5.0% of the amount of the cash advance, but not less than $10.00.

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Wickliffe Heat Pump Tips: Common Questions about Heat Pumps

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Even if you installed a heat pump in your Wickliffe home years ago, you may still have questions about the normal operation of your indoor and outdoor units. Here are answers to a few of the more common questions about heat pumps.

Do I need to schedule a heat pump maintenance visit before each season, or just once a year?

Scheduling a yearly maintenance visit is necessary to the proper upkeep and safe operation of your Wickliffe heat pump. This also extends the life of the system and helps it run more efficiently. However, scheduling a visit before the heating and cooling seasons isn’t necessary, unless you’ve had any concerns or issues with your heat pump.

Should I be concerned about the steam coming from my outdoor unit?

All heat pumps have a defrost cycle that melts the frost off of the outdoor coils in the winter. The steam rising from the outdoor unit results from the defrost cycle. If you notice that the defrost cycle lasts longer than ten to fifteen minutes, or if it cycles on and off frequently, you should call a service technician to look at your heat pump. There could be an issue with airflow that is affecting the compressor.

I just installed a heat pump. Why is my furnace running?

Many heat pump systems use the furnace fan blower to help distribute the heat throughout the house. Unless you’ve installed a geothermal heat pump, your furnace is most likely your backup heater, so it will kick on when the outside temperature drops below 20° F.

Is it really that important to clean my outdoor unit? It’s impossible to keep it clean all the time.

Yes, cleaning the outdoor unit is an especially important maintenance task. Not only does a routine cleaning of all the outdoor components maintain your heat pump’s efficiency and performance levels, it also prevents safety hazards. When you schedule a yearly maintenance visit with one of our technicians, cleaning the coils and outdoor unit is part of the service; however, if you want to clean the coils yourself, have one of our technicians show you how to do this before you attempt it on your own. You could suffer from electric shock if you are not familiar with the proper cleaning procedure. You can also help by making sure that the debris is cleared from around the outdoor unit.

If you have any questions about your Wickliffe heat pump,  or if you’d like to schedule a maintenance appointment, give Apple Heating & Cooling a call any time.

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Apple Wins First Energy’s 2011 Top Participating Contractor for HVAC Installations

Friday, March 16th, 2012

Apple Heating & Cooling is a participating contractor with First Energy’s HVAC program, helping homeowners receive rebates for air conditioning maintenance or for air conditioning and heat pump replacements. We are proud to announce that Apple Heating & Cooling was named the 2011 Top Participating Contractor for HVAC Installations. If you would like more information about this program you can find it here: http://energysaveohio-home.com/hvac

 Cleveland Energy Saving Award

Honeywell, who administers the program for First Energy, was kind enough to stop by our office and present our award in person.

At Apple Heating & Cooling, we’re dedicated to saving you money and reducing your electric and gas consumption. Consumer rebates from First Energy is just one way that we help homeowners take advantage of the savings available. To learn more, call our office at 877-356-3144

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Cleveland Heights HVAC Question: Will My Air Cleaners Reduce Health Risks?

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

There is a lot of talk these days about how important it is to have a good air cleaner in your Cleveland Heights home. If you don’t have one, you’re putting yourself at risk, or so says common knowledge. But, do air cleaners really reduce health risks, and if so, by how much?

What Air Cleaners Do

Before we can say whether an air cleaner has any positive health effects, we must first look at what they do. Air cleaners are designed to remove certain particles from the air inside your home. Different air cleaners are designed for different levels of removal.

Ratings like the MERV of an air cleaner measure how small of particles the device can remove. Additionally, the type of cleaner will determine what it is best at removing. Mechanical filters are the most efficient at removing dust, pollen, and dander while electronic filters are best for smoke, bacteria and mold spores.

 So, What Impact Does this Have on Health?

The big question then is what kind of health benefits you will gain from a high end air cleaning system. If your home isn’t prone to a large number of contaminants and you have good ventilation, the difference may not be that big, but for those with a well-sealed home, pets, humidity problems or any number of other indoor air contaminant sources, an air cleaner has a tremendous impact on your health.

The problem is that when the house gets sealed up so tightly, we put our bodies at risk of contamination from gasses and pollutants that would otherwise dissipate into the air. Those with asthma are put at an increased risk as they breathe in a variety of different triggers like dust, mold and dander.

An air cleaner removes these threats and while they don’t have a proactive effect on your health – you won’t suddenly lose weight or never again get the flu – they can remove many of the negative effects that poor air quality has on your body.

So, should you get an air cleaner for your home? In most cases, the answer is yes, but if you’re still not sure, consider getting your air quality tested. This way you’ll know exactly what you’re breathing and what kind of impact it’s having on the health of you and your family.

For more information about how to improve your Cleveland Heights home’s indoor air quality, give Apple Heating & Cooling a call today!

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Raffle Winner

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Congratulations to Elizabeth Wood of Austinburg, Ohio on winning a free humidifier installation from Apple Heating & Cooling. Ms. Wood entered the raffle we held at the Ashtabula Home Show this past weekend. The Home Show was a great success, and all of us at Apple Heating & Cooling enjoyed meeting new and current customers. There was a great interest in geothermal heating and air conditioning.

If you are looking for a great new way to keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter, you may want to look into geothermal heating and air conditioning. Many people are not familiar with the particulars and benefits of geothermal systems, but when you learn more about them, you may find that a geothermal home heating and cooling system is just the thing you are looking for. Geothermal is a high efficiency, eco-friendly heating and cooling option with a low cost of operation. You also receive a 10-year Worry-Free parts and labor warranty with your Apple geothermal installation. To top it off qualifying geothermal systems receive a 30% federal tax credit.

Call today to schedule a free in home evaluation and energy analysis, and receive $1,000 off a new geothermal system. Offer expires 3/31/2012

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Shaker Heights Heat Pump Installation Guide: Pros & Cons of Heat Pumps

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

When deciding on any major purchase for your Shaker Heights home, a critical step is to weigh the pros and cons. This helps you to decide on the best option and reach the best decision for your needs and preferences.

Installing a new heating system is a perfect example of a situation in which you would need to weigh pros and cons. There are a lot of options, and not all of them are right for all people. Take heat pumps, for example. They are great devices and serve many people extremely well as home heating solutions, but they are not without their drawbacks. Below are some of the pros and cons of heat pumps to help you decide whether a heat pumps if the way to go for you.

Pros:

  1. Inclusive – A heat pump not only heats your home in the winter but also cools it in the summer, thanks to a reversing valve that changes the flow of the refrigerant. Having one appliance for both heating and cooling can be very convenient.
  2. Energy efficient – Heat pumps are extraordinarily efficient when it comes to energy use. Because they simply move and distribute heat, rather than producing any on their own, they use minimal electricity.
  3. Simple – Operating on the same basic principles as your refrigerator or an air conditioner, heat pumps are relatively simple. More importantly, they simplify your life by putting your heating and cooling solutions in one package and running on electricity, so you don’t need any other fuels on hand.
  4. Inexpensive to operate – In addition to being energy efficient – which lowers your monthly energy bills – many heat pumps are eligible for federal tax credit. You can save a bundle by using a heat pump.

Cons:

  1. May need supplementing in cold climates – In climates where winter temperatures stay below 30 degrees Fahrenheit for a while at a stretch, a heat pump will have trouble keeping up and need to be supplemented.
  2. Don’t work in power outage – Obviously, because they are powered by electricity, a heat pump won’t work in a power outage, unlike some other heating solutions that do not require electricity.

Although the pros clearly outweigh the cons here, the cons are important as well. Carefully consider all these factors and more while deciding whether a heat pump is the solution for you. If you have any questions about whether or  a heat pump will work in your home, give Apple Heating & Cooling a call!

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