Bringing you the latest solutions
Dear Friends,
More and more people have been asking us about geothermal energy, so much so that we recently held a seminar on the topic. Almost 40 people showed up to learn more about this exciting energy option, which has the potential to lower household energy bills by as much as 65%.
Princeton Air was one of the first companies in this area to embrace geothermal. We have been doing installations in area homes for the past three years and the response from customers has been overwhelmingly positive. You can read more about our geothermal event in the article to the right.
I also want to take this opportunity to remind you that there are many other ways to reduce your household energy use. A good place to start is scheduling a comprehensive home energy audit (see page 4). You’d be amazed at the potential for savings from our audit findings and suggested improvements. What’s more, financial incentives are available for many of these improvements.
As always, thank you for placing your trust in Princeton Air.
Warmly,
J. Scott Needham
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Geothermal event draws crowd
Princeton Air held its first ever geothermal seminar Jan. 25, an informational evening to provide answers to just about any question on geothermal, including the potential savings. (Homeowners who convert to geothermal have reduced their heating and cooling bills by as much as 65%.)
Colin McCollough, Princeton Air’s home performance advisor, was host to more than 35 area residents who attended. Among the topics covered were these:
- What geothermal is and how it works
- Energy savings potential
- Environmental benefits
- Upfront costs and return on investment
- Current state and federal incentives
- Misconceptions about geothermal
In addition, attendees heard first-hand from homeowners who had made the switch to geothermal. If you missed the seminar and are curious about geothermal, Colin would be happy to answer your questions. You can reach him here at Princeton Air at (609) 799-3434.
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Win a Weber Grill!
Make this summer’s backyard barbecues spectacular ones with this high-end Weber propane grill. Read this newsletter and answer the questions on the enclosed reply card. All entries received by 6/14/12 with the correct answers will be entered into a drawing for the prize.
The Weber Summit S-420 grill features 538 square inches of primary cooking area and four stainless-steel burners that generate 48,000 Btu’s per hour of intense cooking heat. Can’t you hear those steaks sizzling already
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"Help! My air conditioner is leaking water"
Every year, we need to fix a/c systems that leak water into a home. This is usually caused by a lack of maintenance. Here’s why.
During normal operation, a central air system produces large amounts of water from condensation, which forms when warm humid air comes in contact with the a/c system’s cold evaporator coil (located inside the house). Normally, the condensation is removed through a drainage system. But if the system becomes clogged, the condensation backs up and spills over the drain pan in the coil.
Be sure to ask us to inspect your air conditioning system once a year. This allows us to correct problems that could develop into a leak. One important task we do during our tune-up service is to flush the condensation line to prevent dirt buildup in your system.
On your own, you should change or clean the system’s air filter once a month. When you don’t, the filter becomes packed with dirt, which eventually gets sucked into the coil.
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"Does my a/c system use Freon?"
It’s estimated that four out of every five air conditioning systems in the U.S. will have to be replaced by 2020. That’s because older cooling systems use R-22 refrigerant (Freon), which will no longer be manufactured after 2020. Freon is considered a greenhouse gas and harms the environment when released into the air.
Because of the impending phaseout, less Freon is being made now. This has resulted in rapidly dwindling supplies — and skyrocketing prices.
Unless your system is leaking (see next paragraph), it’s not normal to need more Freon! If you do, it may be that the contractor who installed your system did not properly charge it with refrigerant. (About 7 of 10 systems in the U.S. are not charged properly.) In older systems, Freon can start leaking due to years of wear and tear, which can cause valves, seals or metal components in the air conditioning coil to fail. Even a small leak can dramatically reduce efficiency and shorten equipment life. If you lose too much Freon, your system cannot generate cool air.
Please contact us to learn about your options in new systems. All a/c systems we install use an economical and environmentallyfriendly refrigerant — not expensive Freon.
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Regular maintenance: the key to avoiding problems
Before you get into an uncomfortable situation, make sure to have your system serviced on a regular basis. Some of the things we do to ensure proper operation and reduce the amount of electricity you use include the following:
- Tightening all electrical connections and measuring the voltage and current on motors.
- Lubricating moving parts to reduce friction.
- Cleaning the evaporator and air conditioning condesner coils. Dirty coils compromise cooling efficiency and make your system run longer than it should.
- Cleaning and adjusting blower compontents to ensure proper airflow. Reduce airflow can lower efficiency by as much as 15%!
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"I can't get any cool air!"
Mary W. calls us to report that her air conditioning system is running, but it isn’t blowing any cool air. When our technician arrives at her home and checks the system, he determines that there is no airflow blockage (in the ductwork or filters). He also confirms that the thermostat and blower fans are set correctly and operating properly.
To correct the problem, he finds and repairs a leak in the refrigerant line. With Mary’s approval, he recharges the system with refrigerant — and cool air starts flowing again.
Before leaving for his next service call, our technician tells Mary that he recommends that she replace her system soon.
A new high-efficiency system will significantly reduce her energy bills and help prevent additional costly repairs. (That includes paying an escalating price for Freon refrigerant should her system leak again; see related article at far right.)
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Shining a light on lower energy costs
Much has been learned in recent years about how your home uses — and loses — energy. And chances are good that there are steps you can take to greatly reduce your heating and cooling costs.
Since Princeton Air began its partnership with GreenHomes America several years ago, we have performed comprehensive home energy assessments in dozens of area homes — and saved homeowners many thousands of dollars in energy costs. We’d like to do the same for you.
When you schedule an assessment, our BPI-certified home performance advisors will conduct a series of tests to identify certain energy-related conditions in your home. When we have finished, we’ll prepare a detailed analysis of our findings and design an action plan for reducing your household energy use by as much as 40%.
To help homeowners make energy-efficient improvements without breaking the bank, generous incentives are available right now, including rebates and 0% financing for up to 10 years! Spring is a great time to start saving — so call us today to learn more.
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Spotlight
On many days during our busy seasons, Eric Muench arrives at work at 7 a.m. and doesn’t leave until 7 p.m. Eric, who has been with us since 2001, is Princeton Air’s residential service manager, as well as a BPI-certified building analyst and heating specialist.
One of his main responsibilities is to be on call to assist technicians out in the field, answering questions or providing advice on any issues that may come up. When Eric is not on the phone, you’ll find him setting up training sessions, processing new equipment warranties for customers, and gathering parts and materials the technicians will need for the next day’s scheduled jobs.
During the spring, our technicians perform 175 to 225 air conditioning tune-ups in a typical week — not to mention handling dozens of repair calls. It’s Eric’s job to make sure everyone is on the road as early as possible and that each customer receives the level of service they expect from Princeton Air. Now that spring is here, you can be sure that as you read this Eric Muench is having a very busy day.
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Save on Lennon high-efficiency cooling
Replace your tired old central air system with a high-efficiency system from Lennox and get a fast payback with manufacturer rebates of up to $1,250! You may also qualify for rebates of up to $5,000 and 0% loans of up to $10,000 through the New Jersey Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program at NJCleanEnergy.com. Are you ready for greater comfort, lower cooling bills and great savings? Call Princeton Air today to learn more.
