Keeping pests at bay can be a constant battle for homeowners. Like most of us, we appreciate nature but prefer it to stay outside in nature and not in our homes. You may think you have sealed up every spot where pests could enter your home, but there’s one area you may have overlooked: your HVAC system. Unfortunately, your heating and air conditioning system has to allow air to come in and go out, and that opens up your home to the potential for pests to enter. Prevention is the best measure, because once pests get in, it’s a lot more difficult to remove them. Here are some ways to keep your HVAC system pest-proof from your Reidsville air conditioner specialists, Carolina Fuels.

• Seal ductwork. Make sure there are no holes or openings in your ducts where pests could get in. Insects can get in through even the smallest of holes. Seal up any openings you can see. This also keeps outside air from seeping in and reducing your HVAC efficiency.
• Install screens over vents and flues. There are places where air has to be vented out. Cover your vents and flues with screens to keep bugs and other pests out while ventilation can still occur as it should.
• Keep the area around your outdoor AC unit clear. The outside unit is a common favorite place for pests, but keeping it clear of weeds, leaves, and other debris can deter pests from the area. You could even use a non-toxic pest repellent around it.
• Have your system inspected by Reidsville air conditioner specialists. Yearly maintenance can go a long way toward preventing pests from getting in through your HVAC system. A thorough inspection would reveal any existing pests and any potential areas where pests could enter. Maintenance typically includes cleaning and repairing any potential problems. And you get the added bonus of better efficiency from your air conditioner.

• Have your ducts cleaned. Keeping the inside of your ducts clean offers many benefits, such as removing pests and any evidence of their nesting. It also makes your ductwork less desirable to pests looking for a place to nest.

Why is Pest Prevention so Important to my HVAC system?

Obviously, no one wants pests to enter their home. But the damage they can possibly inflict on your HVAC system is pretty severe. Nesting in ducts can cause damage, leaks, and animal waste and bacteria to enter your ventilation. An odor coming from your vents may be your first indication of an infestation. Snakes and rodents are the most common duct nesters. Bees and other types of stinging insects also like to nest in and around the outdoor unit of your air conditioner. Insect nests can block various parts of your AC unit, potentially causing damage.

Reidsville air conditioner specialists, Carolina Fuels, can help repair any damage caused by pests and help prevent pests from entering your system again, or in the first place. Whether or not you suspect you may have pest issues, Carolina Fuels can help. Call (336) 623-9741.

Propane is an excellent alternative home heating fuel for furnaces. Clean burning and non-toxic, propane is just as safe as other heating fuels in Greensboro, if not more so. But getting the highest level of efficiency and safety from your propane furnace requires a little bit of action on the homeowner’s part. Follow these tips to get peak performance from your furnace and eliminate safety risks.

1. Schedule Routine Maintenance. This is always the number one safety and efficiency tip for propane furnaces. Keeping up with maintenance, which means a professional inspection and tune-up once a year, will ensure that your furnace is operating properly. A furnace in disrepair can cause a variety of safety issues from fire risk to carbon monoxide poisoning. A well-maintained furnace will also heat your home more efficiently, using less propane and making your home feel warmer. Always schedule a maintenance appointment towards the end of summer or in the early fall before the weather gets cold enough to require the use of your furnace. 
2. Keep your Propane Filled Regularly. Running out of propane and even letting the amount of propane in your tank to fall too low can cause a variety of problems and safety issues. A propane tank that is nearly empty has a lot of space for air, condensation, and unwanted moisture to build up inside, which is potentially harmful to the tank itself. A tank in disrepair can leak or lead to other problems. If your tank gets completely empty, there are extra measures that must be taken when it comes to the refill process. An empty tank can become leaky upon refill due to internal pressure issues. Your propane supplier can repair any leaks and provide an automatic delivery schedule for future refills to prevent your tank from running out again.  
3. Your Propane Tank Should have an Overfill Prevention Device. A propane tank should never be filled completely. There should always be room for the liquid to expand as it warms. Otherwise, the pressure in the tank is too great, which can cause leaks or even an explosion in extreme cases. The overfill prevention device, or OPD for short, ensures that this won’t happen. 
4. Change your Filters Regularly. Experts recommend monthly, or at least quarterly filter replacement. At the very least you should have your HVAC service replace them twice a year during maintenance appointments. Dirty or clogged filters are one of the biggest causes of inefficiency in your furnace.  
5. Get a Programmable Thermostat. One of the best things you can do to improve HVAC efficiency is to use a programmable thermostat. You can set the thermostat to call for different temperatures at different times of the day or night, so that when you’re not home, your house won’t have to be as warm, saving a significant amount of propane.  

Berico Provides Furnace Maintenance and Heating Fuels in Greensboro  

To keep your furnace operating efficiently and your propane tank full and in good condition, you need regular service and deliveries from a reliable propane supplier. Berico is a complete home comfort service providing all of the necessary maintenance and products to keep your home comfortable year round. Call (336) 273-8663 to request furnace maintenance or heating fuels in Greensboro.  

Hot water may not be an official necessity, but it’s a modern convenience that is pretty hard to live without. If you enjoy warm showers, clean dishes, and white laundry loads, hot water is important. Your water heater is probably what uses up a significant portion of your home energy after your furnace, especially during the winter. Whether you have an electric or gas water heater, there are ways you cut your hot water energy bill back a little bit or even a lot, depending on how far you’re willing to go toward conservation. Carolina Fuels, a reliable company offering air conditioning and furnace repair in Eden as well as delivery of many types of heating fuels, suggests these 10 ways to cut your hot water energy bill.

• • Take shorter, cooler showers. This one is hard, because a hot shower is such a luxury, especially when it’s cold outside. By shortening the length and temperature of your showers you can help your water heater use less energy. And besides saving energy, there are other reasons a shorter, cooler shower is beneficial. It’s also better for combating dry skin that so often plagues us during dry, cold winters. It also helps to prevent dry scalp issues that can lead to dandruff.
  • Replace shower heads and faucets with low flow models. A low flow shower head reduces the amount of water used during each shower. Low flow faucets can conserve a lot of water too in the kitchen and bathrooms.  
  • Do most of your laundry in cold water. When it comes to your multi-color loads, there’s really no advantage to using hot water and it could cause your colors to run. When it comes to white loads, if you use bleach, wash in hot water but rinse in cold to save some energy.
  • Set your water heater to a lower temperature. Aim for around 120 degrees and your water heater will save a lot of energy it would normally expend to heat the water to a higher temperature and preserve that temperature in the holding tank.
  • Run your dishwasher less often. Wait until you have a full load of dishes before running your dishwasher.
  • Fix leaky plumbing. Letting a faucet drip can waste an amazing amount of water, and sometimes it’s the hot water that’s leaking, meaning your hot water heater is working overtime.
  • Add insulation to your water heater. Water heater insulation can be purchased and applied on your own, but make sure you follow the directions to avoid problems. Consider having a professional apply the insulation.
  • Get a new water heater. Upgrading to a new energy-efficient water heater will save you a lot in energy costs. Especially if you purchase an on-demand or tankless water heater.
  • Get a new dishwasher. An older dishwasher will use much more water than a newer one will. Newer dishwashers also have more advanced heating elements so that it self-heats and doesn’t require as much hot water.
  • Get a new washing machine. A high-efficiency washing machine will also use less hot water when you do need to run a warm water load. 

Call Carolina Fuels for Water Heater and Furnace Repair in Eden

If you need a professional to evaluate your water heater’s condition and energy usage, Carolina Fuels can help. In addition to furnace repair in Eden, Carolina Fuels provides a wide range of energy audit services. If you currently have an electric water heater, you may find that you can save the most money by switching to a propane water heater. Call Carolina Fuels to find out how you can save energy today: (336) 623-9741.

Almost everything is “smart” these days with smart phones at the center of personal technological devices. Even your home’s heating and cooling system can be controlled from your phone when you use a smart thermostat. There are many benefits to upgrading to a smart thermostat, so consider these when deciding whether or not a smart thermostat is right for your home. Your HVAC service in Burlington, Alamance Oil, can install a smart thermostat in your home if you decide to make the switch. 

A Smart Thermostat Offers Many Benefits to Homes 

Homeowners can enjoy many benefits from the use of a smart thermostat to control indoor comfort.  

1. Save energy. When your home is unoccupied, it is not necessary for your HVAC system to maintain the same temperature as it would when occupied. Save energy by programming your smart thermostat to raise or lower the temperature when no one is home. 
2. Save money. When you save energy, you save money, which helps your household budget by lowering your monthly bill.  
3. Convenience. With a smart thermostat, you can enjoy the convenience of being able to control your HVAC system from a distance, 24/7. Override your programmed settings when it turns out you will be home due to weather or a holiday, all from your phone. Forgot to change your thermostat before leaving on vacation? No problem, as long as you have your phone with you.  
4. Comfort. The smart thermostat allows you to change the temperature right before you arrive home so that you can maximize your comfort even with an irregular schedule. It also allows you to turn up the heat before you get out of bed in the morning. 

With all of these benefits, the initial cost of a new smart thermostat will be worth it and will eventually pay for itself in energy savings. 

Get a Smart Thermostat Upgrade from the Best HVAC Service in Burlington: Alamance Oil 

There are many reasons it’s wise to have your new smart thermostat installed by an experienced, reliable HVAC service in Burlington. 

• Not every smart thermostat is compatible with every HVAC system. Certain HVAC systems will work with certain thermostats. Let your HVAC company recommend a compatible thermostat for your home or office.  
• Proper installation is crucial to proper operation and energy savings. For your smart thermostat to give you optimal energy savings, installation is key. Each technician at Alamance Oil is trained to know how to do the job right so that you can get the most from your new thermostat.  
• Your HVAC technician can teach you how to program and use the new thermostat. After it’s installed, your technician can walk you through your new thermostat and teach you to program it both in your home and from your phone.  

When you’re ready to upgrade your thermostat, use the HVAC service in Burlington you can trust. Alamance Oil has decades of experience with heating and cooling systems. Always on the cutting edge of technology in HVAC equipment, Alamance Oil can easily install a smart thermostat in your home. Alamance Oil can also keep your thermostat and HVAC system operating efficiently with regular maintenance visits. Call (336) 226-9371.  

How much do you know about propane? You may know that it’s a clean-burning, non-toxic fuel that is often used to heat homes and fuel backyard grills. But propane can do so much more, probably more than you’re even aware of. It’s a versatile alternative to natural gas, electricity, heating oil, and other common fuels. Consider all that Burlington propane can do. 

1. Power School Buses – Many school buses run on diesel fuel, but propane is an increasingly popular option since it is cleaner than diesel. Propane engines are quieter, which increases safety by making it easier for drivers to hear what’s going on around them. It is also cheaper due to price and efficiency. Propane performs better in freezing temperatures than diesel, making it easy to start school buses in any weather.  
2. Power Mowers – Burlington propane is a greener alternative to gasoline, which is especially important to landscapers and homeowners who want to preserve the beauty of nature. Propane’s efficiency means fewer trips to the gas station. Plus, you can ditch those messy gas cans. 
3. Heat Water – Using propane as a water heating fuel just makes sense, especially in the case of tankless or on-demand water heaters. It can also be used to heat pools and hot tubs. 
4. Dry Clothes – Propane clothes dryers run more efficiently than electric and eliminate static cling almost entirely. Clothes dry faster and won’t stick together. 
5. Power Forklifts and Material Handling Equipment – Want a competitive edge? Propane can more cheaply power forklifts and other machinery used indoors — without releasing harmful fumes into warehouses and factories.  
6. Fuel Farm Machinery – Just like other equipment that usually runs on diesel, farm vehicles and agricultural machinery are becoming more commonly powered by propane. The same benefits apply here, such as efficiency, cleanliness, and affordability.  
7. Combined with Diesel and Used in a Dual-Fuel System – The newest technology in propane engines is a dual-fuel system that runs on a mixture of diesel and propane, allowing farmers to use their existing equipment and still be in compliance with Tier 4 standards in emissions.  

These are just some of the latest uses for this versatile fuel that you may not have been aware of before. Homeowners and business owners alike can benefit from these new uses of propane in Burlington, NC, and throughout the country.  

Burlington Propane Supplier Alamance Oil Provides Fuel for These New Uses and More 

While you may be surprised by the versatility of propane, its uses are only expanding. As it grows in popularity and demand, more appliances, vehicles, machinery, and other items will be designed to run on propane. Because of its cleaner emissions, soon there may even be tax incentives available for powering more equipment with propane.  

Alamance Oil provides propane and other types of fuels to the Burlington area, as well as maintenance and repair for equipment, such as residential and commercial furnaces and other appliances. 

Call Alamance Oil and start a propane delivery plan today. 

Want to save money and time? Alamance Oil also offers automatic delivery plans that make propane more convenient and affordable. Call (336) 226-9371 to discuss Burlington propane options and delivery service with the experts at Alamance Oil.