Combating dry indoor air

When winter’s chill strikes, cold air starts to seep into your home through cracks and crevices—while warm air flows out. Your first instinct may be to crank up the heat, but warmer temperatures rob indoor air of moisture, blanketing the inside of your home with a desert-like oasis of dry, stuffy air.

With humidity levels at an all-time low, the overly dry air pulls moisture from everything it surrounds, causing a variety of issues affecting health, comfort and home. They include:

• Aggravated allergies or respiratory illnesses
• Scratchy, sore throat or excessive cough
• Dry, irritated nasal passages
• Dry, itchy skin
• Chapped lips
• Static shocks
• Cracked, peeling wallpaper
• Warped or cracked wood
• Damage to household furnishings

The good news is, these problems can be resolved by keeping humidity levels in balance.

Adding humidity to heated, dry air with an efficient, whole-home humidifier—like the Humidifier—helps to restore the proper balance of moisture inside your home and eliminate problems associated with dry air. Plus, because humidified air feels warmer than dry air at the same temperature, you can lower the thermostat and still feel comfortable, resulting in extra savings on your monthly utility bills.

Stay warm and save!

Want to get better heating performance while lowering monthly energy costs? Follow these tips below to increase your home’s heating efficiency:

Choose a system with automatic, precision control

The newest technology will automatically provide just the right amount of heat and airflow to keep your home perfectly comfortable, regardless of the temperature outside. Lennox developed the SLP98V gas furnace with innovative Precise Comfort™ technology to make automatic adjustments—in increments as small as 1%—for the ultimate temperature control. Custom settings can be selected for effortless year-round comfort.

Take advantage of dual-fuel options

You can enjoy even better efficiency with a gas furnace that’s designed to be paired with an electric heat pump. Dual-fuel systems seamlessly alternate between heating with electricity when temperatures are above freezing, and heating with more efficient gas when it’s colder outdoors.

The simplest advice: turn it down

Saving energy on your home’s heating can be as simple as turning down your thermostat at night or while you’re away during the day. Using a programmable thermostat makes it easy. Keeping your thermostat between 68-72°F while you’re at home—and lower while you’re asleep or away—can help reduce your heating bill dramatically.

Get comfortable with a home energy audit

How can you identify and prioritize home upgrades that will also reduce your energy bill and make your home more comfortable? With a do-it-yourself home energy audit!

Like the home energy audits offered by many utility companies, the DIY audit starts with a simple walk-through of your home to assess energy wasters and improvements to eliminate them.

Here are three important places to start:

1. Inspect your cooling/heating system

Heating and cooling accounts for nearly half your home’s energy usage. Improving efficiency here can make a noticeable difference on your monthly energy bill.

• Your HVAC system should be inspected at least once a year. Your Lennox dealer can check and clean your equipment to help control energy usage.
• If you have a central heating and cooling system, the filters should be checked monthly – especially during high-usage seasons – and replaced as needed (at least once every three months) to keep the system working efficiently.
• Check ductwork for streaks of dirt that indicate air leaks. These should be sealed with duct mastic. Insulate ducts or pipes that extend through unheated spaces.
• If any HVAC unit is more than 15 years old, a newer system can greatly reduce your energy usage and lower your energy bill.

2. Assess your lighting

Lighting makes up about 10 percent of your electricity costs.

• Examine the wattage of your light bulbs. If your lamps are using 100-watt or larger bulbs, consider a 60- or 75-watt replacement.
• Install compact fluorescent bulbs in areas where lights are left on for hours at a time.
• Move lamps away from your thermostat. The heat produced by traditional light bulbs can be sensed and may force your air conditioner to work harder.

3. Eliminate drafts

Reducing air leaks or drafts can reduce your energy usage by 5 to 30 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy and make your home much more comfortable.

• Look inside for gaps along the baseboard or edge of flooring and where the walls and ceiling meet.
• Look outdoors at exterior corners, where siding and chimneys meet and areas where the foundation and exterior brick or siding meet.
• Rattle windows and doors: Any movement means possible air leaks. If you can see daylight around a window frame or door, there is a leak that can often be fixed by caulking or weather stripping. Check storm windows for a tight fit. If new, high-performance doors and windows are too expensive, low-cost plastic sheets can be installed over windows to block air.
• Plug or caulk air leaks from or around electrical outlets, switch plates, attic hatches and window-mounted air conditioners.
• If you’re having trouble locating air leaks, you can try this simple building pressurization test:
  • Close all exterior doors, windows and fireplace flues
  • Turn off all combustion appliances, including gas-burning furnaces and water heaters.
  • Turn on exhaust fans in the kitchen and bath.
  • Dampen your hand to feel any cool drafts, or burn an incense stick to look

The furnace filter: The forgotten hero of your heating and cooling system.

It’s a bright, sunny morning, and you don’t have a care in the world.  The birds are chirping, the coffee is hot, and the forecast calls for blue skies all day.

Then, in a fit of panic, you suddenly remember that it’s been a while since you changed your furnace filter. How many times has this happened to you?

Probably never.  Most people don’t give their furnace filters a second thought.  But maintaining your furnace or air handler’s air filter is crucial to your indoor air quality. Improve every breath with these helpful tips.

Why filter at all?

Today’s homes are built better than ever.  And while tighter tolerances and better seals are great for insulation, they also trap contaminants inside the home so they circulate over and over. That is, until they’re drawn into somebody’s lungs where they can trigger disease, allergies and other respiratory difficulties.

Basic isn’t always best

The type of filter you install will have a huge impact on indoor air quality. The least expensive air filters are usually made of a loose fiberglass mesh, are about an inch thick and cost about a dollar each.  While they’ll protect your furnace from larger particles, they don’t do a lot towards protecting your lungs from tiny particles.

High efficiency can be highly effective

Inexpensive, one-inch fiberglass filters may not provide enough filtration to affect the quality of your air. Instead, consider a pleated, high-efficiency filter like the Carbon Clean 16 filter which has a MERV 16 rating to achieve the highest possible filtration efficiency. While a more expensive option, it will do a better job of capturing the contaminants that would otherwise circulate in your home.

Don’t forget to check

The frequency with which you change your air filter can depend on many factors, including the type of filter you’re using and the amount of contaminants (dust, dirt, cooking fumes, smoke) your home generates.  Checking your filter at least once a month is always a safe bet.  If it’s visibly dirty or dark, it’s time for a change.  If you have a professionally installed air filtration system, have it maintained according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

Size your filter correctly

A filter that’s too small will let dirty air pass around it.  A filter that’s too big will not fit properly in your system.  Make sure you’re using the correct size for your furnace.  You can verify size either by checking the size of the old filter you’re replacing, or by checking the owner’s manual of your furnace.

The cleaning power of a powered air cleaner

For the most effective whole-house air cleaning, consider investing in an electrostatic air cleaner or other powered solution.  Many of them use an electrical charge to gather smaller particles that filtration cannot catch.  And some, like the PureAir™ Air Purification System, use multiple technologies in unison to clean, deodorize and purify the air for a truly healthier, cleaner environment.

Find your home “comfort zone”

You know the drill: Excessively hot in the summer, extremely cold in the winter. The in between? Completely unpredictable.

When it comes to maintaining home comfort during seasonal transitions, adjusting the indoor temperatures according to outdoor conditions can prove a bit tricky. If you live in a multi-level home, it’s more than likely you’re familiar with the routine. Heat rises up, making second floor rooms too hot while the main level is cool. During the opposite season, you’re left with a too cold basement and a warm main floor. New homes can also present uneven heating and cooling issues, with dramatic temperature swings coming into play due to architectural features such as large glass windows, vaulted ceilings, and lofts, as well as glass-enclosed patio rooms. Add to that balancing sun-facing south rooms with north-facing rooms receiving excess wind, and you’ve got a recipe for high temperature variances.

With different areas of the home to make comfortable and each family member having different temperature needs, it may seem like it’s time to bring on the “thermostat wars.” Fortunately, zoning offers an easier fix.

Home Zoning Solution

Zoning provides homeowners with the ability to heat and cool various areas of the home through separate temperature-controlled areas or “zones”—typically three to four designated areas. Working with your HVAC, a zoning system will increase, reduce or shut off heating and cooling in each zone by opening and closing dampers located inside the home’s air ducts.

A thermostat, along with a control panel on the inside wall that regulates damper function, allows each zone to be controlled independently. When heating or cooling is programmed for any zone, the appropriate equipment is turned on. The dampers to zones not requiring heating or cooling will close, and the conditioned air will instead be directed to the programmed zone until the thermostat reaches the desired temperature, thus maintaining comfort levels while reducing energy use and utility costs. In fact, if a homeowner uses a zoning system properly, it can pay for itself in as few as two to five years.

Lennox’ Harmony III™ Zoning System offers customized comfort for every corner of the room, dividing your home into four different temperature zones to virtually eliminate hot and cold spots. By directing airflow only to certain areas, the Harmony III Zoning System works with your heating and cooling system to deliver optimum performance without continually operating at peak capacity. Plus, since lower speeds translate to lower sound levels, homeowners can enjoy increased comfort in peace and quiet.

When combined with a Lennox® variable speed furnace, the Harmony III works even more efficiently to provide precise comfort throughout the home, all year long.

Get smart about home energy efficiency

Did you know as much as half the energy consumed in your home goes to heating and cooling?

If you haven’t replaced your HVAC system with a high-efficiency, ENERGY STAR® qualified model, you’re probably spending significantly more on home utility bills—up to 20% more if your heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, and up to 15% more if your furnace is more than 15 years old.

Here are a few more steps you can take to increase energy efficiency and savings in your home:

Close the envelope

Insulating and sealing the exterior of your home, often referred to as the “envelope,” can help keep air from leaking into the home from the outside, or vice versa, helping you to save up to $200 per year on home heating and cooling costs.

Seal the ducts

Duct sealing can save up to $120 per year in coastal areas, and as much as $190 if you’re inland.

Install a programmable thermostat

An ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat can save you up to $100 per year in coastal areas and over $150 inland. Lennox’ icomfort Wi-Fi Touchscreen Thermostat lets you set your home’s temperature to save energy from anywhere in the world, using a smartphone, tablet or laptop. It also offers a live weather forecast and automatic updates for added convenience.

Add a power strip to areas with high-traffic devices

Using a power strip in home offices or entertainment areas can help you save up to $100 annually on your utility bill.

Replace old windows

Installing new, ENERGY STAR windows in place of old windows can save you between $150-500 in annual energy costs.

Install a new shower head

A new 2.5 gallon-per-minute shower head can help you tuck away an extra $145 a year in electricity costs, in addition to saving you 5 gallons of water per shower.

Add a ventilation fan

Installing a ventilation fan to control moisture, mold and mildew growth in the bathroom can save you up to 60% more energy than standard models when using an ENERGY STAR qualified model.

Replace incandescent lightbulbs

Substituting CFL bulbs for just five of your highest-use fixtures can save up to $70 per year on home utility bills.

Replace old appliances with new, high-efficiency models

For the greatest savings, choose ENERGY STAR approved models: They’re up to 40% more efficient than standard models. Here’s a breakdown of how much you’ll save by replacing your home appliances with an ENERGY STAR approved model:

• Dishwasher—Save up to $40 per year on utility bills when replacing a 1994 or older model.
• Refrigerator—Save 20% per year on home energy costs. Unplugging an extra refrigerator in the basement or garage can equate to an additional $300-700 per year.
• Washing machine—See approximately 30% in energy savings per year compared to standard washers. Full-sized washers save 10-20 gallons of water per load.
• Clothes dryer—Save more than $135 a year if your dryer is over 10 years old.
• Water heater—Save up to $80 per year on gas bills; larger families will see even more savings.

For more energy-saving tips, take a virtual home tour with ENERGY STAR’s Save Energy @ Home tool.

Source: EnergyStar.gov.

Seasonal home energy tips

Up to 50% of your home utility bill comes from costs associated with heating and cooling. And as the unusually hot temperatures of summer continue into the early months of fall, consumers are looking for more ways to stay cool while saving money on monthly utility bills.

Energy Savings Expert Bobby DiFulgentiz, who recently appeared on San Diego’s KUSI-TV/IND (7/19/2012), offers homeowners a few energy and cost-saving tips. View energy savings video.

His tips include:

Performing basic home maintenance

A little preventive maintenance goes a long way. Change your air filter every one to three months to help your home comfort system run more efficiently. It’s a simple step that can have a big impact on home energy use.

Making DIY improvements

Keep cool air in and hot air out. Purchase a tube of caulk from your local home improvement store, walk around your home, and seal any visible cracks.

Invest in LED light bulbs. It’s a bigger investment up front than a standard light bulb, but you’ll save big in the long run—one bulb can last as long as nine years. CFL light bulbs are also a good choice—but less efficient than LED bulbs.

Keeping up with the latest technology

Install a programmable thermostat, like the Lennox iComfort® Wi-Fi thermostat, which keeps temperatures under control from anywhere in the world using a smartphone, tablet or laptop to help you to save energy. Remote access, along with a live weather forecast and automatic updates, offers an added level of convenience.

Fall Home Energy-Saving Tips

Fall energy-saving tips

Shorter nights, a new school year and the beginning of football season are an annual rite of passage into fall. They also signal cooler days ahead — and with that comes worry of increasing utility bills due to high heating costs to combat chilly winter temps.

Making small, budget-friendly improvements to lower energy costs around the house can add up to extra cash fast, making utility bills less of a shock to open. Follow these energy-saving tips around the house and the change will add up in no time:

In the laundry room

Wash clothes at a lower temperature, dry laundry outside during warmer months, and use drying racks and hangers as much as possible during cooler months. If you prefer to use the dryer, experiment with setting dry times lower to prevent over drying. Not only will this show an increase of savings on your utility bill, your clothes will be in better shape and won’t come out of the dryer piping hot.

In the kitchen

Refrigerators and freezers are often overlooked when it comes to saving energy. A few ways to increase efficiency:

• Defrost your freezer on a regular basis.
• Keep your refrigerator organized so you can leave the door open less: Every time the door is opened, the refrigerator must work harder to cool down again.
• When storing left overs, be sure to let hot food cool before placing it inside the refrigerator or freezer.
• When cooking on the stove, be sure to boil only as much water as you need: It will take longer to heat bigger pans of water, wasting more energy in the process.
• Cooking larger portions of meals in bulk and freezing ahead will not only save energy, but save time in the future when you need to get dinner to the table fast.

In the bathroom

Take shorter showers and less baths. The less time water is heated, the less energy used. Plus, you can also feel great about conserving a valuable resource.

All around the house

• Lights: Turn off lights when you leave a room. And for increased energy savings, install light dimmers. To save even more—up to 75% less electricity per bulb—switch out regular florescent bulbs for CFL or LED bulbs.
• Electronic cords: Unplug all appliances and charging devices when not in use. Make use of power strips to switch off several items at once.
• HVAC: Install a programmable thermostat, like Lennox’ new iComfort Wi-Fi thermostat, which allows homeowners to adjust their home’s temperature and control energy costs from anywhere in the world, using a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Changing air filters regularly (at least once every three months) will also help your system run more efficiently.
• Windows and doors: Keep drafts at bay and heating bills low by checking for drafts. Fill any cracks with caulk. For added insulation during winter months, consider investing in window insulation film (plastic shrink film applied to the indoor frame with double-stick tape). Heavy fabric curtains, as well as door and window snakes, can also provide protection against drafts.

Save On Home Heating Bills With Solar Energy

When the sun comes up, your energy costs can go down.

With energy costs ever on the rise, you’re probably looking for ways to use less energy without compromising your lifestyle.

One of the most efficient and effective ways you can save energy also happens to be one of the most abundant: solar energy.

Home heating and cooling: your biggest chance at savings.

Perhaps the greatest impact that solar energy can have on your home will be felt in heating and air conditioning. As your home’s biggest consumer of energy, the heating and cooling system can produce substantial savings when integrated with solar energy—especially when the solution is as practical as the Lennox SunSource® Home Energy System.

Adding solar energy can be easier than you think.

Adding a solar energy source to your home heating and cooling system used to require a complicated, costly custom installation. However, with the introduction of SunSource, adding solar energy is much simpler and more cost-effective. Take a look at a typical SunSource system by visiting the Lennox® solar house.

Solar energy blends in perfectly with the rest of your home.

A typical solar installation will make a big difference in your energy savings. But it won’t make a big difference in the appearance of your home. Most of the time, the solar modules in a solar energy system are installed on the roof where they’ll gather the most light, and be the least intrusive on your landscaping and home décor.

Solar modules stand up to the elements and more.

While solar modules may look fragile, they’re actually extremely robust. Premium materials like those used in the SunSource Home Energy System can withstand even the most brutal weather conditions, including heavy rain, hail and snow.

Solar heating and cooling does more than heat and cool.

With a solar-enabled heating and cooling system in place, you will certainly enjoy a reduction in the amount of energy you use to stay comfortable. But the savings may very well be felt throughout your home as well, because energy systems such as SunSource can actually route extra power away from the heating and cooling system and use it to power small appliances in the home.

Too much electricity? Sell it back.

On days when solar panels produce more electricity than you’ll actually need for heating, cooling and small appliances, many local utilities may let you sell that excess electricity back to them, which means you’re actually making money on the energy your panels produce.

See your savings in a different light.

While it’s easy to understand the benefits of solar energy, it’s even more impactful when you can see just how much you can save, right there in front of you. Visit the Lennox Solar Calculator for an interactive example of how the savings can add up in your home. You’ll see just how good the sun can make you feel.