It’s a never-ending battle: the thermostat. Whatever the family dynamic in your home, it can be difficult to agree on the optimal indoor temperature during each season. The key to achieving the best compromise is to strive for efficient heating. Efficient heating means using less energy while still maintaining an even level of comfort throughout your home. She’ll be warm enough, he’ll be cool enough, and both will be happy with the energy savings. If you don’t already have a propane or oil furnace in Eden, you may want to consider this type of system. A lot of older homes have these furnaces, leading consumers to wrongly assume they are outdated heating sources. But heating oil and propane are still relevant in the HVAC industry for its many benefits.

Top Benefits of Heating with Oil and Propane

1. Efficiency. Heating oil burns hotter than natural gas, meaning your furnace makes significantly more heat with the same amount of fuel.
2. Comfort. Since oil burns hotter than other fuels, it provides an even, long-lasting heat that gives you a higher level of comfort throughout your home. Everyone will feel consistent warmth wherever they are in the home, meaning the thermostat war can finally end.
3. Availability. Not every home has access to natural gas lines. Heating oil is a readily available alternative where gas isn’t feasible. In recent years, natural gas shortages have caused prices to skyrocket and customers to worry. Heating oil has not been in scarce supply, keeping prices reasonable and oil customers happy.
4. Safety. Oil exists in a liquid, non-flammable state in a tank on your property. To become flammable, it must be heated to at least 140 degrees to convert it to a gas, meaning it is an extremely safe heat source.
5. Cleanliness. Heating oil and propane have come a long way in terms of its clean burning properties. With proper furnace maintenance, they release less pollutants.
6. Furnace longevity. Propane and Oil furnaces simply last longer than many other heating systems, averaging 30 years or more with regular maintenance.

Propane or Heating Oil Can Put the Thermostat Battle to Rest

The key benefits of propane or heating oil that help end the battle of the thermostat are the first two listed: efficiency and comfort. Heating oil burns really hot, which means your oil furnace in Eden requires less fuel to create the same amount of heat as other fuels. If your system is well maintained for optimal efficiency, then it should eliminate cold spots and maintain a consistent temperature throughout your house.

Thinking of switching to propane or heating oil for their many benefits? Contact Carolina Fuels for a recommendation on a new propane or oil furnace and save on fuel delivery and furnace maintenance. Call (336) 273-8663.

Most homes today have a HVAC System (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) of some type. Whether you have a forced air furnace and air conditioner combination, a heat pump, or separate heating and cooling systems, regular maintenance is necessary to keep your home’s comfort system running smoothly. Your HVAC system is made up of moving parts and an electrical system. These parts need periodical care and sometimes replacement. At least twice a year, when the weather changes, it’s important to schedule professional air conditioning and heating repair in Greensboro.

HVAC Maintenance Tips:

1. Replace your filters. This is something you can most likely do on your own. For best results, change your filters every one to two months, especially if you are in a newly constructed home. At the very least, replace your filters quarterly, being sure to change filters right before you switch from air conditioning to heat and back. Your HVAC company will replace your filters for you during your routine maintenance appointment.
2. Clear out around your outdoor unit. This is especially important in the spring before you turn on your air conditioning for the first time. Remove weeds, leaves, and other debris that tend to collect around your outdoor unit. As the weather is often still warm enough for AC into the fall, you should clear out around the unit during this season as well, especially because it could collect leaves. The outdoor unit needs to be able to move air unencumbered.
3. Get your propane or oil tank refilled. The frequency of heating fuel tank refills depends on a few different factors such as the size of your tank, the weather, the size of your home, the temperature you prefer to heat your home to, and more. If you’re not currently on a refill schedule with your supplier, it’s wise to start automatic fuel delivery. Your supplier makes sure you never run out by refilling your tank on a predetermined schedule. A completely empty tank can cause problems with your furnace as well as the tank itself and other equipment.
4. Schedule a tune-up from your HVAC company. Twice a year, during seasonal changes in the spring and fall, you should have professional maintenance performed on your system, sometimes referred to as a tune-up. A trained technician will clean, inspect, and repair your furnace and air conditioner so that it runs efficiently.

Ensure Top Performance from your HVAC System with Maintenance from Berico

If you’re not already a Comfort and Protection Service Plan Member, you should get started now. Berico offers a complete, affordable package including HVAC maintenance and fuel refills. And it’s all automatic so you don’t have to remember to schedule it. Caring for your system through seasonal changes is easy when you leave it to Berico. Save money by avoiding emergency heating repair in Greensboro and using less energy with an efficient, tuned-up HVAC system. You also get a discount on your propane or heating oil by bundling your services. Sign up for a Comfort and Protection Service Plan today and experience the benefits. Call (336) 273-8663.

Are you aware of the benefits of yearly HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) maintenance? It keeps your heat and air conditioning running properly and efficiently, reducing the chance of system breakdowns and saving you money. Alamance Oil offers annual service agreements that include tune-ups twice a year, among other benefits. The advantages of such an agreement with your Burlington furnace repair service include:

1. Savings. You save money in a lot of ways with a yearly maintenance contract. Regular maintenance keeps your HVAC system in good working order so that you avoid unexpected breakdowns and costly emergency repairs. You avoid paying after hours fees if your system breaks down in the middle of the night, and your energy costs are lower when your system is running more efficiently.
2. Discounts. If your HVAC company is also your heating fuel supplier, you receive a discount on fuel deliveries—at least you do if you’re a customer of Alamance Oil. You also enjoy 20% off diagnostic fees and repairs and $50 in bonus bucks per year that can be used toward new equipment.
3. Convenience. It’s easy to forget about your furnace or air conditioner until something goes wrong. When you have an annual contract with your HVAC company, your maintenance happens automatically, as do fuel deliveries. Your chances of HVAC breakdowns are virtually eliminated and running out of propane or heating oil simply won’t happen.
4. Added perks. You essentially become an MVP customer. Emergency and after hours fees are waived for you, and you receive priority service. You receive reliable service from trained, certified HVAC technicians who are familiar with every brand and model of heating and cooling equipment.
5. A longer lasting system. You’ll get more years of operation out of your furnace and air conditioner when they are well maintained throughout their lifetime. Dirt, wear and tear, lack of lubrication, and other problems cause your HVAC system to work harder or improperly, which eventually leads to early system failure.

A Comfort and Protection Service Plan from Alamance Oil Offers All of These Benefits

Do you want to have all of the above advantages when it comes to your home comfort? It starts with a reliable HVAC company like Alamance Oil. One of the biggest advantages of being an Alamance Oil customer is that all of your home comfort services can be handled by just one company. Heating and air conditioning repair, maintenance, replacement, and installation as well as heating fuel delivery is all offered by a business you know and trust, or soon will. Additional home comfort services offered by Alamance Oil include gas log service and installation, generator installation and maintenance, and even commercial services such as fleet fueling and fuel delivery. Sign up for a Comfort and Protection Service Plan from Alamance Oil today and see for yourself all the advantages. Call (336) 273-8663.

Thinking of doing a home renovation? Whether it’s just one room or your entire home, you can prepare to save money by keeping energy efficiency at the forefront of your project. Most houses, especially older homes, could benefit from new technology. Major advancements have been made in the manufacturing of appliances, insulation, plumbing, and more that allow homeowners to use significantly less energy. While you’re renovating, you might as well save yourself some money now and in the future by making some energy saving improvements such as a new heating and air system.

Before you start your remodeling project, it helps to have a professional energy audit performed on your home to uncover any energy drains that could be costing you extra each month. Berico offers free energy audits for anyone who wants to reduce their household energy usage.

Potential Areas that are Energy Drains in Your Home

• Appliances
• Ducts
• Lights
• Plumbing
• Electronics
• Air conditioners
• Furnaces
• Windows
• Doors
• Insulation
• Basements
• Attics

Outdated appliances or leaky ductwork can waste a lot of energy in your home. Places where cold air leaks in during the winter or where hot air gets in over the summer cause your HVAC system to work much harder and run more often to heat or cool your home. Older appliances waste a lot of energy when compared to newer appliances. Even the type of lightbulbs you use can make a difference. Remodeling gives you the opportunity to reevaluate your home and make energy efficient upgrades.

Install a New Heating and Air System for the Biggest Energy Savings

If you really want to see a noticeable difference in your energy bill, start by replacing your biggest appliances like your HVAC system. Heating and cooling account for at least half of the energy usage in the average American home. Advances in technology have brought us high-efficiency HVAC systems that use a fraction of what older systems require. An air conditioner that is even 8 years old is significantly less efficient than a newer model. Furnaces tend to last longer and therefore get replaced much less often than air conditioners, which means there’s a good chance you have an old, inefficient heating system right now. If you are remodeling, especially if you’re adding onto your home, it’s a great time to consider a new home comfort system. Adding significant square footage to your home most likely means you will need a bigger HVAC system that can handle the additional space.

Of course the biggest reward comes from the biggest investment. You may find that HVAC replacement pays for itself in the long run in the form of lower monthly bills. Save money by watching for specials, discounts, and rebates on energy efficient systems from your HVAC company. Many offer discounts to new customers as well as loyal customers on AC and furnace replacement.

Next Stop for Major Energy Savings: The Kitchen

If you’re renovating your kitchen, upgrading appliances is a basically a must. Refrigerators, ranges, dishwashers, and microwaves all use a significant amount of your household energy budget. Upgrading to energy efficient appliances will help keep your monthly utility bills lower, from electricity to water. Besides, new appliances will go a long way toward helping you achieve a fresh look for your kitchen and add significant resale value to your home. Lighting is another aspect of any kitchen remodel that provides an opportunity to save energy. The use of fluorescent, halogen, or LED bulbs require less energy, give off more light, and emanate less heat, thus saving energy in multiple ways.

Bathroom Renovation: Conserve Both Water and Energy for Double the Savings

Remodeling your bathroom offers many opportunities to save money. Start by installing a low flow showerhead in your new shower or tub. Try to avoid the temptation to install multiple showerheads. It may be luxurious, but it doubles, if not triples, the amount of water used when you shower. You can also conserve water with a low flow toilet and reduce your water usage by 500 gallons a year simply by installing an efficient sink faucet. This also allows your water heater to produce less hot water, which saves significant energy. Consider a tankless water heater for the optimum energy savings. It may cost more up front, but the advantages outweigh the costs. A tankless water heater heats water on demand, eliminating the need for a tank and ensuring that there is a limitless supply of hot water in your home.

High efficiency exhaust fans, lighting, and alternate heating elements are some ways to save electricity in the bathroom. Radiant floor heating is much more efficient and feels warmer for bathrooms than forced air heat. Fluorescent, LED, and halogen bulbs work well in bathrooms where a lot of light is required. Installing a high efficiency bathroom fan and using it sparingly can also help use less electricity and regulate indoor temperature.

Insulation: How to Quit Fighting a Losing Battle

One of the biggest energy drains in your home could be lack of proper insulation. When your home was built, most likely, there was insulation installed in all the usual places like walls and ceilings. But as a home settles and endures varying temperatures and humidity, cracks can form in walls, around doors and windows, and in floors. Weather stripping around doors wears out over time as the rubber hardens and cracks. Extra caulking around window pains and door frames can help keep outdoor air where it belongs, outside. Adding or replacing weather stripping around doors goes a long way toward keeping outdoor air from leaking in. A remodeling project is an opportunity to improve on or increase insulation. If you are adding onto your home, make sure the new part is fully insulated from the beginning and you’ll save a lot of energy.

Ductwork is an often overlooked area when it comes to insulation. When you have a forced air HVAC system in place, the air travels through a series of ducts to the vents in each room of your home. If ductwork is leaky or not properly insulated, conditioned air can escape and outside air can get in, causing your furnace and air conditioner to work overtime. Be sure to have the ductwork installed by a professional in any new part of your home to be heated or cooled to ensure proper insulation and operation.

Save on your Renovation with Professional, Reliable HVAC Replacement by the Experts at Berico

Saving energy directly translates to saving money. If you want to save money, start with a free energy audit by Berico. An expert technician will evaluate your home and find your biggest energy drains, then come up with a comprehensive plan to help you fix them. From furnace replacement to ductwork installation, Berico provides solutions to save you money and make your home more comfortable. A home renovation project offers the perfect opportunity to reevaluate your household energy usage and make a positive change. Whether you’re remodeling current rooms in your home, adding on, or finishing a basement or attic space, you can plan for the future and keep energy costs low. Check out the current specials on a new heating and air system and professional installation by Berico.