If you’re buying a new furnace or air conditioner, you’ll see SEER and AFUE ratings. So, what is a SEER rating and what is an AFUE rating?   SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) measures the cooling output of an air conditioner over a typical cooling season, divided by the energy it uses to do so, in Watt-Hours.  AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) measures how efficiently your furnace can utilize its fuel. The more efficient your furnace, the more heat you will get per unit of fuel.  These ratings help you understand how[...]

If your air conditioner seems to be working fine, why should you book a maintenance appointment? Isn’t that just a waste of money? Not at all. In fact, keeping your air conditioner well-maintained will save you money. It’s cheaper than a repair and offers you other important benefits, including: Maintaining Energy Efficiency. As your air conditioner works, it slowly loses efficiency. Small problems, full filters, and general wear-and-tear can make it exert more energy for the same cooling power. Not only will these[...]

Set thermostat at one temperature. Constant adjusting can cause higher utility costs. If using your thermostat as a setback type, limit the setbacks to twice a day such as when you are at work and when you are sleeping. Only setback the thermostat 6% of desired temperature.In the cooling mode, try not to set the thermostat below 18 degrees. Besides higher utility costs, this can cause the indoor coil to freeze and cause condensation in the house.Don’t stack things on[...]

Follow these tips to ensure your home has a smooth transition to the very welcome Spring Season! Fill your sump pit up to ensure your pump switches on an off correctly.  Make sure the discharge line on your sump pump is free and clear of ice and debris. Turn your air conditioner on a little earlier than normal, just to make sure it works, that way if you need any service or repair work, you can beat the rush.  Just be sure[...]

Save Money on Heating and Cooling in Sault Ste. Marie, ON Fight Climate Change Wardlaw is a proud Authorized GreenOn Dealer. What does that mean to you? A great opportunity to save money. To participate, an energy assessment of your home is required, and Wardlaw can help you with the process. Check out GreenOn.ca for more details. Here are some of the highlights, of what you can save for home improvements, and reduce your carbon footprint. • Rebates up to $5,800[...]

Home Comfort News for the Customers of Home Air Care Heating & Cooling. Download Fall 2017 Newsletter

Home Comfort News for the Customers of Home Air Care Heating & Cooling. Download Spring 2017 Newsletter

Home Comfort News for the Customers of Home Air Care Heating & Cooling. Download Fall 2016 Newsletter

Furnace filters are one of the most commonly talked about furnace components, but a lot of people still don’t know how to properly maintain them. Furnace filters catch dust, hair and other debris in the air before the air enters the blower fan in your furnace. This subsequently improves the air quality in your home by preventing debris from recirculating in the air. This all sounds great, and it also makes it seem as though the more resistant the filter is,[...]

If it seems like energy prices are rising every six months, that’s because they are. In May, the prices were set to 16.1¢/kWh during peak hours (11:00 am to 5:00 pm), 8.0¢/kWh during off-peak hours (7:00 pm to 7:00 am) and 12.2¢/kWh during mid peak hours (7:00 am to 11:00 am and 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm). This caused an average increase of $5.71 to the monthly energy line and a 4.6% increase to the total bill. In the winter[...]

Sometimes a cold shower can be refreshing in the summer, but don’t forget how bad they can be in the winter. It’s hard enough getting out of your warm bed, it’s only going to make it harder if you’re fourth in line for the shower and your kids used up all the hot water. You shouldn’t have to worry about that anymore, and with Wardlaw, you won’t. Upgrading your system to a tankless water heater could mean the end of[...]

Your home’s heating system can often be a mysterious machine. Many people choose not to understand them because they don’t believe it’s their concern. They’re not wrong, you can leave that part to us, but when you’re thinking of replacing your home comfort system, you should be aware of the options. To keep you up to date on what’s available and most common, below, we have broken down four common heating systems and their pros and cons: Forced Air Systems[...]

When’s the last time you considered the state of your furnace/air conditioner. Probably when it was costing you too much money or it stopped working altogether. This is perfectly logical because the two things everyone wants in an air conditioner or furnace is comfort and efficiency. To make sure that your system is always working efficiently to keep you comfortable, there’s only one thing you need to do: Perform regular maintenance. Now is the perfect time to get your furnace serviced[...]

Air conditioners are complicated machines, and with complicated machines come complicated problems. That’s why we’re here. In Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma and the surrounding areas, we diagnose your system and provide heating and/or cooling solutions. A common problem we can encounter is problems with refrigerant charge (amount). There is no way to check the charge of refrigerant in your air conditioning system without a licensed technician, but there are definitely signs that you should get your system checked. Refrigerant is[...]

Summer has arrived late and with a vengeance in the Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma area. That means that the uncomfortable, force-you-to-turn-on-your-A/C temperatures are here. You may have turned on your air conditioner and it might not be working quite as well as you expected it to. If that is the case, there’s a good chance that your A/C may have fallen victim to one of the following problems: Inadequate Maintenance If you allow your filters and air conditioning coils to become[...]

Summer arrived a couple weeks ago, but it’s finally starting to feel like summer. The heat has arrived and it’s already starting to affect our comfort. To combat the effects of a scorching hot summer day, we’ve got some summer cooling tips for you. Take care of these to not only keep comfortable, but to run your home efficiently. Ontario energy prices are on the rise and you’ll need every advantage you can get to keep costs low. Prepare for Summer Storms:[...]