It’s no secret. I have allergies. The kind where you feel fine until … (insert scary music) … that weather hits. The past two weeks have been hard on me. The one two punch from the rain storms and cold front have knocked me down hard. My head has been hurting, I feel sluggish, and my airways start to close at the worst times. Reflecting on this time year after year reminds me that I am not the only one with this curse.

Thankfully there are many solutions on the market making in-home allergen control easier. The struggle comes in navigating your way through your many options. In IAQ, there are two main components: filtration and purification. Filtration removes particulates such as dust, pollen, smoke, and VOCs (off gasing from chemicals). Purification kills things such as bacteria, mold, mildew, and virsus. Dehumidication not only removes moisture from the air but also prevents many types of organic growth. A dehumidification can drastically improve ease of breath for an asthmatic by creating lighter, purer air.

Air Filtration

Dehumidification

Need help navigating all the options? Schedule an appointment with one of our Indoor Air Quality Specialist.
PS: If your allergies are really bad or you have a lung condition, your health insurance may cover part of the cost of improving you home air quality.

We knew that the Energy Tax Credit was brought back for 2009, but we didn’t expect it to be revised and extended through 2010. Mid-February the United States Legislature made extensive revision to the current Energy Tax Credit Program. These changes were passed within the context of the Economic Stabilization and Revitalization Bill (HB.1).

Exciting new things in the newly revised program:
- Clean Slate: If you used the previous benefit $500 maximum it will not count against you. All new benefits are cumulative over the 2009 and 2010 years only.
- More Money: Instead of the previous $500 maximum, you can claim up to $1,500.
- Easier to Claim Full Benefit: Calculations have changed on how you figure out how much benefit you receive out of each qualifying purchase. New calculations are based off of installed price not a set category amount.
- No More Category Limits: Lets you use all $1,500 in upgrading your insulation or spreading it out among many qualifying purchases.

Lately I heard one of the craziest things. I was talking to a friend the other day about my electric bill, it was super high this past winter due to our colder weather, my desire to stay warm, and the drawbacks of having an electric heater. She proudly announced that hers was a reasonable $150. She continued on to explain that she had acheived this miracle by … turning off her electric heater during the day and frequently setting her thermostat at 65.

Maybe its just me but for a reasonable $150 I want to be comfortable. Uncomfortable should cost $50 or less. Who wants to pay for uncomfortable? I don’t like it 65 in the summer and I certainly don’t like it in the winter. Though I was shocked at my bill, I bit my tongue and paid it. Its not like I don’t have options to lower my electric bill (and stay comfortable!). I am sure a little attic insulation will go a long way in keeping winter heating bills much lower.

We are here, the most controversial time of A/C season: maintenance time. What is the controversy about? Well, whether to actively maintain … or not. This topic has Houston homeowners divided. Everyone seems to agree that maintenance is important. Cars need the oil changed right? This leads most of the population to faithfully call each spring and fall to inspect their system. After inspection they nicely send their technician packing as his calls to repair, clean, tune, and maintain their system fall on deaf ears. They did their part right?

Wrong, says the rest of the population. And manufacturers, engineers, and humble A/C specialists such as myself have to agree. When did looking at something ever qualify as maintaining it. That is like a 16 year old saying that he maintained his room by inspecting it for cleanliness. He faithfully inspected it, identified problem areas (such as the dirty laundry spread around the floor), and deemed maintenance complete. Now he could correct identified problem areas such as that perky laundry (much like some homeowners do by replacing failing parts), but will that take care of his regular vaccuming and dusting needs? Of course not. Much like mom hates repeating herself many techs fail to remind homeowners of their need to faithfully “dust and vaccum” their systems. If you tech does remark on the situation, it’s probably because its been neglected for so long that its about to cause multiple system failure.

My advice:
Take the easy way out, do it all at once with a Clean, Check, and Tune. This service is only offered in pre-season times. (aka NOT the middle of summer) and bundles the most common cleaning, tuning, and lubrication needed with a comprehensive inspection. I could be mean and hide this gem of a service and let you continue doing things the hard way and paying more for a la cart services, but that doesn’t seem fair. We created this service to help make active maintenance more affordable and free up more time for emergencies in those hot summer months. So use it!

What is your take? Viva la Inspection or Power to the People with a Tune Up.

Everything is bigger in Texas and our rain showers are no exception. Though our winter has been drier than most, the sporadic and sharp storms have been consistant of late. Wednesday night’s storm was particularly harsh damaging our phone lines and leaving us without power. Everything is back and up and running thanks to our excellent IT team who worked hard to get us as good as new. That process involved replacing many pieces of surge damaged equipment reminding me how dangerous winter storms can be for your air conditioning and heating equipment.

As a nation we have demanded stricter efficiency standards from our equipment. To meet these demands our equipment has moved away from mechanical operation and toward more electric computerized operation. These numerous computerized parts are extra sensitive to small spikes and surges that occur during a normal day. Large power events that occur like wednesday night can cause multiple components to fail. Like all computers, repairing can be an extensive and expensive. Remember to proctect all of your senstive electronics with surge protection, even your A/C. For surge protection options talk to your air conditioning contractor.

Well I certainly do. Here in the office we shamelessly collect all things Aardvark from pictures and newpaper clippings to stuffed animals. Now being an Aardvark fan is even easier as we have joined the Facebook community.

Commonly asked Aardvark Questions:
Is an Aardvark the same thing as an anteater?
Nope. Different animals. However, Aardvarks do eat ants.

Why Aardvark?
Well because they are cool and Houston has lots of Ants.

What do Ants have to do with Air Conditioners?
Well thats easy. Ants kill air conditioners. In Houston in the 80’s (our conception), there were a lot of ants and failing air conditioners. At the tiime we specialized in not only finding the probem but making sure those ants did not return and continue to wreck havoc! Today Aardvark continues to stand for solving difficult problems and finding solutions to permanently fix problems.

Find us on Facebook and Become a Fan too.
Our Facebook Page

As it continues to get colder and holiday parties are in full swing, remember than holiday cheer is not the only thing that spreads this holiday season. Flu season lasts through the winter and oher colds and viruses have been on the rise lately. Make sure to protect you and you family this season with a few simple steps …

- Remember to wash hands frequently with soap. Antibacterial waterless products help control germs but do not affect viruses. However, soap bubbles bond to the virus and allow the water to rise them away.

-Cover your mouth and nose with a disposable tissue when sneezing or coughing to prevent spreading to friends and family.

-Exercise regularly. When cold you might want to cut back on your exercise routine, instead find ways to exercise inside away from unfriendly weather. Cardiovascular exercise keep your lungs and heart healthy and boosts your ability to fight colds and viruses.

Want to go the extra mile to keep you home healthly?
- Install a Healthy Home Fresh Air System to circulate in new clean air. Stale indoor air holds contaminates, viruses, and other unhealthy things. Flushing out the old and inserting fresh clean air dramatically improves your home’s health.

- Zap out germs and viruses with a household purification system. In a simple and easy no hassle (or filters) method purification is centrally mounted and takes care of your entire home killing viruses, bacteria, and other organic growth.

Questions on improving indoor air quality? Email me helpline@aardvarkcares.com

December is my favorite and least favorite month. I love Christmas and the season of giving and lending a helping hand plus family gathering. It is one of best seasons. However on the other hand, it is the season where I am burried under paperwork at work ….. it is a lot of long nights.

But this year isn’t filled with just the normal events, we have heard great news on many fronts for 2009. One of the most exciting is the return of the Federal Energy Tax Credit. Returning for 2009 installations only you can receive up to a $500 back for the installation of qualifying high efficiency products including air conditioning and heat systems AND our new Owen Corning insulation.

Isn’t that exciting? Gasoline prices have decreased but electricity is still on the rise and with AC and Heating accounting for 70-80% of your electric bill this news couldn’t have come at a better time. Our qualifying products can decrease electric bills by 30-80% and put $500 back in your pocket.

This might be a little personal to reveal to you …, but I have fallen in love. He is tall, has a great smile, oh and he is pink. No I am not crazy, just excited about our latest offering – OwensCorning PINK Fiberglas Insulation. Now I have always loved the Pink Panther and Peter Sellers, but this new product from OwensCorning just has me giddy with excitement.

Now, I have always been passionate about making people more comfortable and cutting energy bills in half. Insulation accomplishes both, but the exciting thing is that this product is way different from normal insulation.

PINK fiberglas blown-in insulation is awesome because:
- Creates no dust
- Doesn’t settle and loose its R-Value (the energy saving stuff)
- Doesn’t loose its R-Value when it gets wet
- Won’t Mold even when wet
- Doesn’t catch on fire (trust me we tried)
- Clean installation, won’t create a mess
- Isn’t itchy (great for service techs and those that store christmas decorations in the attic)
- Won’t absorb moisture and create sheetrock problems
- Is EnergyStar certified
- Created with 35% recycled glass

And as if you needed any more greatness, it now comes with Federal Rebates! Can’t you see why I am in love?

The buzzwords of green and energy efficient have been at an all time high as energy costs have sky rocketed. We saw an unprecented high of $4.11 for a gallon of gasoline this past summer, despite the price’s recent drop experts are warning it will return. AAA Auto Club regularlly tracks gasoline prices, their spokesman Jim Rink warns, “..drivers not to expect prices to stay this low for long; once the recession is over, prices will head north again”.

Unfortunately my electric provider did not get the hint that the price of crude oil dropped dramatically. Maybe that is because the majority of Texas’s electricity is generated by coal, not crude. This year I saw 5 cent increase in my electric price. At 1000 KwH a month, that is an increase of $600 a year, yikes!

I can hear you, “Whats in it for me” “Get to the point”. The point is that your Air Conditioning and Heating System uses 70-80% of your monthly electric bill. Thats huge chunk of change. A chunk that cannot be ignored, especially in our unstable economy and dramicatically increasing energy costs.

So what do I do about it?, you ask.
Well here is my simple and affordable recession protection plan.
1. Get a preventative maintenance program, the comprehensive kind.
Why: Because you don’t need to be worrying about what its going to cost to clean that blower next spring. You are too busy to remember to schedule those check ups. And because with an average electric savings of $63.20 at today’s rates the average person makes $508.40 a year in net savings (thats after paying for the plan). It really is a no brainer.

2. Make sure you are up to current Dept of Energy Insulation Standards
Why: Insulation? Yes, 40% of the energy you already bought to heat or cool your home escapes through the attic. That is double that of the exterior walls, doors, and windows combined. Why waste it. With proper attic insulation you can reduce system run time and save a serious chunk of change. Per affected sq. foot, attic insulation is the most cost efficient product out there. Being a full service air conditioning and heating contractor of course we can measure you current level and update you to current DOE standards with OwensCorning Fiberglas Insulation.