We recently had the opportunity to visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to perform a repair on one of the air conditioning systems.  It was an awesome experience to see the facility and the shuttle launch pad.  Check out the pictures:

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Noah Wood, Star Quality Air Conditioning, Inc.

Phone: 772-299-9818

You want your home to be safe, secure, and comfortable.  You want it to be warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and to not cost you a fortune in the process.  But what if the very system that brings you this security is also a breeding ground for serious health issues?

Don’t pack up just yet.  There could be a low cost, easy solution.

“The more your ‘sealed’ home is for energy efficiency, the more germs, pollutants, and allergens it’s keeping in,” says Noah of Star Quality Air Conditioning. “In order to maintain humidity and temperature levels, the same air is continuously recycled throughout a home. This increases comfort, but it can also increase health risks. Breathing certain mold spores can cause illness – or even death – and they can develop inside the dark and damp environments of your duct system”

In fact, indoor air can be up to 70 times more polluted than the air outside your home.  So what can you do? Star Quality Air Conditioning recommends these measures for maintaining a healthy home:

·         Have ventilation systems cleaned annually to help eliminate dirt and mold growth.

·         A qualified technician should check to be sure that all return air is run through the filter system.

·         Verify that the filter system meets size requirements for peak operation.

·         Ask about purification devices that can eliminate condensed moisture from the air conditioning systems. Technology has yielded many inexpensive, easy solutions.

Noah told us “You don’t have to choose comfort or health.  You can have both for your family.  It’s simply a matter of taking minor precautions.”

These precautions are part of Star Quality Air Conditioning’s effort to educate the public.  Star Quality Air Conditioning wants to show homeowners certain energy and health saving techniques that can save hundreds of dollars in needless expenditures each season.

You can get a free indoor energy survey and more tips on maintaining a healthy home by calling Star Quality Air Conditioning at 772-299-9818. 

 “What better way to celebrate being a heating and cooling professional than to offer real benefits to our customers and community?  That’s what being in service is all about,” says Noah.

For more on Indoor Air Quality

Did you know that almost 50 percent of the average homeowner’s energy bill goes toward heating and cooling? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its ENERGY STAR® Home Sealing program, has recommendations on how you can trim these costs by as much as 20 percent, increase the comfort of your home and protect the environment.

What is Home Sealing?

ENERGY STAR Home Sealing is a process for improving the “envelope” of the home — the outer walls, ceiling, windows and floors. ENERGY STAR recommends:

• adding insulation to stay comfortable during cold winter nights and hot summer days;

• sealing air leaks to stop drafts and get the full performance from insulation; and

• choosing ENERGY STAR labeled windows when replacing old windows.

Air leakage from cracks and gaps throughout the home can equal as much air flow as leaving a window open all year long. These leaks force the heating and cooling equipment to work harder to keep your family comfortable—and your energy bills are the proof.

Home Sealing Benefits

A well-sealed and well-insulated home can improve the comfort of rooms that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. ENERGY STAR Home Sealing helps you save money and improve indoor air quality by preventing pollen, dust, and pollutants from entering the home. Also, decreasing the amount of moist air that leaks through the house can reduce mold and mildew growth on or inside walls and ceilings.

Fifteen percent of all greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming, are generated from the energy used in houses nationwide. Therefore, the less energy used, the less air pollution is generated.

Getting Started

For the best results, ENERGY STAR recommends that Home Sealing be performed by a home energy professional in your area. These experts use special diagnostic tools and equipment to locate your home’s leaks and then customize the most effective improvement plan. A professional will also perform a combustion safety test to be sure all your gas or oil burning appliances are working properly.

Homeowners can begin saving energy and money immediately with some of these “do-it-yourself” measures. Sealing air leaks around windows, weather stripping doors and adding insulation, especially around attic hatches, are all relatively simple, cost-effective projects that the average homeowner can safely and effectively tackle.

About ENERGY STAR

Helping Americans improve the efficiency of their existing homes and recognize efficient new homes are just two ways consumers can benefit from EPA’s ENERGY STAR Program. The ENERGY STAR can be found on more than 35 different product categories, including appliances, lighting, home office equipment, consumer electronics, and heating and cooling equipment. ENERGY STAR also offers tools that help you find out how efficient your home is and what type of improvements can help you make a change for the better. Last year alone, Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR saved $6 billion on their energy bills and reduced pollution equivalent to that of about 12 million cars.

Homeowners can contact the following home energy professional for more information or estimates on having Home Sealing performed on their houses:

Star Quality Air Conditioning http://www.starqualityair.com/duct_systems.html

Every one is familiar with power outages and brownouts and it is common to protect small home elctronicas such as computers with a simple surge protector. However, most may not be familiar with how important that same concept is for your most cherished home appliance, your heating and air condtioning system. One item we all must think about when considering your HVAC unit is an HVAC surge protector.

An air conditioning surge protection system is a logical, low-cost solution to the problems that can occur within your system in the event of an unexpected power outage. A simple surge protector will protect your system from electrical surges by shutting it off in the event of an electrical surge caused by lightening, utility outages, hurricanes, and so on.

Each home experiences 300-plus potentially damaging electrical surges per year. Home appliances and HVAC equipment, which depend on electronics, are sensitive to these surges. These units are a costly investment for the homeowner, and there typically is no protection.

A surge is a high-amplitude, short-duration electrical fluctuation that can cause harm to electrical, electromechanical, and electronic equipment. Surges are caused by lightning, utility events, and internal events:

Interested in surge protection for your florida home’s air conditioning system? Click Here

By Gary Lampasona, For The News

As America reacts to bioterrorism, officials remind us that more people risk death from the flu than from anthrax infection.   For the foreseeable future, there’s no reason to think otherwise.  Yet planning for a future where those risks increase is another matter. 

Long before “anthrax” became headlines, indoor air quality was a concern for heating and air conditioning contractors.  In America today, people spend up to 93% of their time indoors.  Because tighter, more energy efficient building construction has led to reduced natural ventilation, indoor air pollution can be up to 10 times greater than outdoor levels. 

Noah of Star Quality Air, points out that his industry is now taking indoor air quality discussions to a new level.  

“Air conditioning and heating systems filter the air we breathe,” he said.  “Their protection - especially in commercial establishments - will become even more crucial as we deal with threats of bioterrorism.”

Security procedures for people who maintain air conditioning and heating systems will be a consideration, Noah noted.  “So many times, a technician will walk in and say, ‘I’m here to look at your air conditioning system’ and be waved right on through.  I’m not promoting paranoia, but there are some simple steps to take such as verifying the name of the individual and the company, verifying the work to be performed and informing security about the maintenance.”   

“Just as cockpit doors are being strengthened on airplanes,” he added, “we may also have to look at making access to air conditioning systems more difficult.” 

For additional protection, ultraviolet (UV) lights and their ability to destroy airborne germs are among options being considered. “We’ve installed UV lights as a means of sterilizing indoor air and are encouraged by the potential here,” said Noah.

“Air filtration has advanced with technology. Home filters can stop particles is down to about 3 microns; even smaller for special applications. So there is a potential defense here and I’m confident that research is going on around the clock.

“This is a new day, and these discussions will be ongoing,”Noah said.  “But we’re doing what we can to be reasonable and safe.”

Dirt.  Five year olds love it, plants can’t live without it, and you’re breathing it in every day.  Not just breathing it in—you’re paying to inhale the largest cause of your home’s dust and allergy problems.

You’re probably thinking that’s an exaggeration.  But the simple truth is that you are paying to run your heating and cooling system, more and more as the weather heats up.  And since dirt is the number one cause of system failure—90% of all failures, in fact—chances are good that dirt is keeping your system from running at peak efficiency.

Before you invest in a family set of gas masks or prepare for a nomadic existence in the Sahara (hey, at least then you won’t be paying for the dirt), you might want to give your heating and cooling professional a call.

“Your system works hard,” says Noah of Star Quality Air Conditioning. “It’s constantly circulating and cooling the air that keeps your family comfortable. Like anything else that works, it gets dirty and has to be cleaned.”

There are a few questions to ask yourself before having your system cleaned:

·         How long has it been since your HVAC system was cleaned?

·         Are there pets in the home?

·         Do any family members experience burning in the eyes, nose, or throat while in the home?

·         Does your climate have high humidity?

·         Do any family members show symptoms of mild to severe allergies?

Noah told us “System failures caused by dirt, as well as expensive repairs, can be avoided with a little preventative maintenance.  Most people don’t realize how much money they can save by making sure their system runs efficiently.”

Learning the precautions is part of Star Quality Air Conditioning’s effort to educate the public during “Appreciate Your Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Professional Week”.  Star Quality Air Conditioning wants to show homeowners certain neglected maintenance items that can lead to thousands of dollars in repairs or system replacements.

You can get your ventilation system inspected, plus receive other energy saving tips for free by calling Star Quality Air Conditioning at 772-299-9818 or visit our service plans.

Welcome to the Florida Home Comfort Resource Center. This page has been created to keep a continued log of articles, tips and information about your home comfort system.

If you are looking for a Vero Beach heating and air conditioning company or our Comfort Protection Plan, please call us today at 772.299.9818 or complete our online service request form.