Deciding when to replace a furnace is one of the trickier questions that homeowners face while maintaining their properties. On the one hand, if a furnace seems to be working fine, why replace it? There is obviously a cost that is associated with that purchase. At the same time, you may suspect that your 20-year-old unit is no longer as effective or efficient as it once was. This post will look at this important question and help you come to a confident answer.

If you have a Greensboro furnace that may be on its last legs, or if you just want to explore your options, take a moment today to check in with the Berico team. Leaders in HVAC repair and installation throughout the Greensboro area, Berico will never let you down.

 

The End is Near

Even if your furnace is still running when it hits the 20-year mark, you can be sure that the useful life of this piece of equipment has just about ended. Most furnaces will be able to perform well for around 10 to 20 years, so if you have already gotten 20 years out of yours, consider yourself lucky and start to plan for what is next.

You’ll likely start to notice some issues with the performance of your old furnace if you look closely. Specifically, you may see that your utility bills have started to climb as the furnace gets less efficient and starts to use more fuel. At the same time, it probably won’t be able to achieve the same type of heating performance as when it was younger, meaning you will be paying more and not even getting the results you need.

 

New Furnaces Offer Plenty of Advantages

Obviously, the cost of a new furnace will be your primary concern when considering this upgrade, but you should know that you stand to gain significantly in a number of areas when you make the move. For one thing, new furnaces are much more efficient than models from a couple of decades ago, so you will use significantly less energy to keep your house warm day after day.

The reliability of a new furnace is also a great selling point. A new furnace can be expected to perform reliably for years to come, and even if a problem does come up along the way, you will have warranty coverage in place that may pay for some or all of the needed repairs. Soon enough, you’ll come to see the investment in a new furnace as a smart move that you maybe should have made a few years ago.

When the calls for furnace repair start to add up and you notice that the time between those repairs keeps getting shorter, it may be time for a replacement. Fortunately, you can work with Berico to decide if your furnace should be replaced, and what modern unit is the best choice for the job. Get started today to enjoy better heating than you have in years!

If you have been looking for ways to make your home more eco-friendly, assessing your plumbing system is a step that should be carefully considered. There are plenty of ways to cut down on water consumption in a modern home, which will make that home more eco-friendly along the way (and save you some money on your water bill).

Of course, you’ll want to work with qualified Greensboro plumbers for any of these kinds of projects, and Berico is the right team for that job. Whether it’s green plumbing or any other type of job that you need to have completed, make sure Berico is your first call.

 

Start with Low-Flow Fixtures

Without a doubt, the easiest way to get into the world of eco-friendly plumbing is to add low-flow fixtures in various places throughout the house. As the name suggests, these fixtures reduce the flow of water while they are being used, yet they still get the job done effectively.

This approach can be used in many different places, including toilets, faucets, and showerheads. For example, you could get a low-flow showerhead that only uses 50% of the water used by a traditional model. That might not sound like much over the course of one or two showers, but when you think about how much water your family uses in the shower over a full year, it becomes clear how significant the savings can be.

 

Add Smart Leak Detectors

Cutting down on how much water you use by upgrading your fixtures is a great step, but you also need to make sure that you aren’t wasting any water due to leaks somewhere in the system. This is where smart leak detectors are such a wise addition to a plumbing system.

These can be placed in various locations that might be prone to leaks, and they will alert you that a leak has occurred, so a fix can be applied. Since many of your plumbing components are out of sight during day-to-day life, a leak sensor is an ally that will prevent any problem from spiraling out of control.

 

Consider a Tankless Water Heater

Another big step in the right direction is making the switch from a traditional water heater – with a tank – and a tankless model. With a traditional unit, your water heater is constantly holding a large volume of water at an elevated temperature, whether you need it or not. This is obviously inefficient, as you could go extended periods without using your hot water and energy would have been used all along the way.

Tankless water heaters work on an on-demand model. There is no hot water being held in a tank, and only when you turn on a hot tap somewhere in the house will the water move through the heater and make its way to you. This virtually eliminates the wasted energy in the system, and as a bonus, tankless units are compact and won’t waste valuable space somewhere in your home.

Which of these eco-friendly plumbing upgrades will make the most sense for your home? Whether you just pick one to get started, or you want to take on all of them at once, Berico is here to take on any plumbing repair or installation projects you have in mind. Get in touch now to schedule an appointment!

There are a number of factors you have to keep in mind when making any decision that impacts how your home operates. Budget is going to be high on the list, of course, and the performance of whatever it is you are considering will also have to be weighed. Then there is the matter of how your choice is going to impact that environment.

When it comes to picking an energy source that will be kind to the environment – while also performing beautifully – propane should quickly land at the top of your priority list. Propane is a leader in sustainable heating solutions and you can get started switching to this reliable fuel today by contacting the friendly team at Berico.

 

Cut Down on Greenhouse Gases

The first big point to know about how propane impacts the environment is that it produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than other commonly used fossil fuels like coal, oil and electricity generated by burning coal. So, by making the move to propane, you will be reducing the carbon footprint of your home effectively without experiencing any decline in performance.

 

Excellent Efficiency

Measuring efficiency is an important way to determine what type of fuel you should be using for your home. The more efficient a given fuel is, the less of it needs to be used – and it will have less of an impact on the environment as a result. In this case, propane does much better than the alternatives, especially electricity. If you have been using electricity to power things like your furnace or water heater, switching to propane will cut down significantly on your overall energy consumption.

 

The Production Process

Propane is a byproduct of natural gas processing and petroleum refining. In other words, it is being derived from things that are already being harvested, rather than adding another thing that needs to be harvested from the environment. Using this byproduct in such an efficient way is an excellent approach and one that makes the most out of what resources the earth does have to provide. If you don’t like the idea of the fuel you use in your home having to be harvested from the earth time after time, make the move to a fuel that comes along as a byproduct of other products.

 

Secure Storage

Another way fuels can damage the environment is through a spill. Since propane is a gas a “spill” isn’t really possible and if there is a leak, the gas usually will disperse harmlessly into the atmosphere.  But leaks are not common, as the fuel is stored in sealed tanks that are very secure and can be expected to hold your propane securely until it is used. As long as you have the condition of your tank inspected periodically to make sure it remains sound, any problem with propane leaking will be unlikely.

If you need a trustworthy partner to deliver Greensboro propane to your home in or around the city, turn first to the proven leader in this market – Berico. Now that you understand how eco-friendly propane is, there is nothing left to do but make sure you have a supplier that will always offer fair rates and won’t miss a delivery. Call now and get started!

When you have any type of plumbing work done on your home – whether it is a repair or a new installation – you have a variety of choices to make. One choice, of course, is which of the many Greensboro plumbers you are going to call in for the job. On that point, simply pick Berico and know that you are in good hands.

You’ll also need to decide if you would like to improve your home’s eco-friendly performance while having this work done. Green plumbing is the concept of making small improvements to the way the water system works in your house in order to consume less and help the environment. This type of environmental plumbing is an excellent way to get the performance you need while doing your part for the world around you, as well. This page will take a closer look at this topic and why it’s so important.

 

An Introduction to Green Plumbing

If you stop and think about it, the way your home utilizes water is likely pretty inefficient. A significant amount of water is used up each time you flush the toilet, for example. Added up over the course of a month, or a year, countless gallons of water are wasted in the average residential plumbing system that could have been saved with a bit of careful planning and through upgrading a few key components.

This is the foundation of green plumbing. More and more people are looking to find ways that they can save water while still having a plumbing system that is able to get the job done. That goal is within reach when green plumbing is employed, and the rest of this page will explain why this is such a worthwhile project and how you can make it happen in your house.

 

A Number of Notable Advantages

The primary advantage of green plumbing is the way that reduced water consumption can benefit the environment. Modern life places a tremendous strain on the limited water resources we have available, so if every home was able to reduce how much water it went through on a daily basis, the difference would be enormous.

Cutting down on water consumption is far from the only advantage, however. Some green plumbing measures also help to reduce energy consumption – more on that later – so that’s another benefit to the earth that can be enjoyed. Between using less water and using less energy, it’s easy to see how green plumbing can lead your entire household toward having a smaller environmental footprint.

Finally, you might also enjoy a longer useful life out of some of your appliances when you reduce water consumption. When less water is moving through the system, less wear and tear will accumulate, and you should be able to get an extended life span out of some of your components as a result.

 

Help the Environment – And Save Money at the Same Time

You might be primarily motivated to explore green plumbing because of the environmental benefits, but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the financial savings that will come along with it. In fact, you can go a long way toward offsetting the cost of the plumbing upgrades when you start to see savings on your utility bills moving forward.

Using less water simply means you will spend less on that resource month after month. Cutting down on your water bill is a great start, and if you include upgrades that reduce energy consumption, you can reduce the size of that bill, as well. Even if these savings are modest at first, they just keep coming month after month, and the cumulative effect over the coming years will end up being significant.

You could also wind up saving some money by avoiding plumbing repairs after you upgrade your system. Once many of your fixtures have been replaced by new, green fixtures, you’ll be well-positioned for potentially many years of hassle-free plumbing performance.

 

Types of Green Plumbing Fixtures

So, what kinds of upgrades to your plumbing system will fall into the category of “green plumbing”? There are many to consider, including those listed below –

• Low-flow toilets. If you were to break down the water consumption in your home, you would likely find – perhaps to your surprise – that your toilets are the main water usage feature. An inefficient toilet can use several gallons of water in just one flush, so you can easily imagine how that will add up over time. Upgrading to low-flow toilets can save more than 10,000 gallons of water in your home in just one year!
• Low-flow showerheads. While your toilets might lead the way in terms of water consumption, your showers aren’t far behind. This is particularly true in a home with several family members. Adding low-flow showerheads will cut down on the volume of water that is used during showers, without any significant loss of performance. You’ll be able to get just as clean in a shower with a low-flow head, and you’ll be saving water – and money – at the same time.
• Tankless water heaters. While this is a bigger investment than a low-flow toilet or showerhead, making the switch to a tankless water heater is a great way to make your plumbing system far more green. The value here is found in the reduced energy consumption of the tankless system. Rather than continuously using energy to keep a big tank of water warm, tankless models only heat the water when you are going to use it, meaning significant energy savings are enjoyed. There is also a functional benefit to tankless water heaters that shouldn’t be ignored – since there is no tank and the water is heated on demand, you won’t run out of hot water during a long shower or an extended dishwashing session.

If you would like to have some green plumbing fixtures added to your home, or if you simply have some repairs that need to be made, Berico should be your first pick. Give the friendly Berico team a call today and get started on this important project.

Life is good when your HVAC system is simply working as it should, and you don’t have to think twice about it. Of course, that’s not always the case, and sometimes problems will come up that require your attention. While it’s always smart to turn to the experts when any actual repairs need to be completed, you can educate yourself with some basic troubleshooting tips to start the process on your own.

 

This article will dive into five helpful tips that can guide you in determining what the issue may be with your HVAC system and what will be needed to get it back on track. When you are ready to bring in an experienced team to professionally diagnose the issue and provide the necessary repair, reach out to Berico. A proven HVAC contractor with a strong track record in and around Greensboro, you’ll be in good hands when Berico is your chosen partner.

 

Check the Thermostat

As a starting point for dealing with any kind of HVAC trouble, stop by your thermostat and make sure everything looks as it should. If the batteries have failed, or something has changed about the settings that you didn’t realize, that could be at the heart of the problems you are facing. This is an easy fix in most cases, so it’s a logical place to start.

 

Replace the Air Filter

Another one of the easy points you can check off is replacing the air filter that serves your system. If you haven’t replaced the filter in a while, it could be clogged up and impacting the performance of your HVAC equipment. Swapping the old one out for a new one is a quick and affordable job that can make a big difference.

 

Open the Vents

If you don’t feel like your HVAC system is circulating warm or cool air around your home as it should, the problem could be as obvious as some closed vents. Take a moment to walk through the house and confirm that all of the vents are in the open position. While you are doing this, you could also clean off the vent covers to limit how much dust is spread.

 

Visit Your Breaker Box

When the HVAC system won’t turn on at all, it’s possible that a breaker has been tripped and needs to be reset. Of course, there could be a more serious problem at play, but before you dive into anything else, it’s worthwhile to go to the circuit box and make sure all of the breakers are in the “On” position.

 

Evaluate the Outdoor Unit

One last tip to keep in mind is that you should check on the condition of your outdoor unit. It’s possible that leaves or other debris have built up around the unit, or that some other issue has caused the unit to stop functioning. Exercise caution around this piece of equipment and always turn to a professional for any repairs that are needed.

 

When HVAC repair is required, there is only one team that you should trust with the job – Berico. Whether you need the best furnace repair Greensboro has to offer, or there is something else around your home that needs to be taken care of, the Berico team is reliable, timely, and friendly. Take a moment now to get in touch and learn more.