It’s the time of the year in the Valley of the Sun when daily temperatures hover around 100 degrees or more. School is out, vacations are happening, and energy bills are rising. Rather than spend the summer struggling with sky-high energy bills, you can use your home’s insulation to summer-proof your house and lessen the burden of monthly utility bills. Insulation helps block heat and prevents it from mixing with cooler air being produced by air conditioners and evaporator coolers.

Insulation Tax Credits

Did you know that insulation was included with the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act for homeowner tax credits? Certain energy efficient updates including insulation starting January 1, 2023, can qualify for up to $1,200 for the tax year the improvements are made according to the I.R.S.

The tax credit equals 30% of the qualified energy efficiency improvements. The insulation and air sealing materials or systems must meet International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) standards in effect at the start of the year two years before installation.

Insulation and Heat

It may sound counterintuitive to add insulation in your home to protect against summer heat. Yet, the better insulated your house is, the more effective your air conditioning will be to cool down your home. Costly AC air will not be leaking outside and in the long run, insulation will reduce yearly energy costs.

Additional insulation can be added to keep indoor air inside from leaking outside. Areas to focus on would be ceilings, walls, crawlspaces, floors, and attics. Insulation can be very effective to moderate the temperature inside a home when combined with sealing gaps around doors and windows. The type of building materials used in your home will be important in determining the thickness of insulation used.

Insulation R-Values

Insulation is measured in the R-values per inch of compactness and thickness. It’s the measure of your home’s insulation to resist heat moving through it. The Valley of the Sun is in Zone 4 with a higher R-value for increased thermal performance of insulation ranging from R-25 to R-60 depending on the location in your home.

Bruce’s Insulation Knowledge

Bruce’s technicians can help you determine the areas and R-values where additional insulation may be needed to help keep the heat out and the cool air in. If you’d like to learn more about the tax credit benefits of adding additional insulation, call Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating today at 480-968-5652 to schedule an appointment. We’re your insulation experts.

You may have heard about evaporative coolers and wondered why your home doesn’t have one. Evaporative coolers, known as swamp coolers, were once on rooftops of most homes in the Valley of the Sun to help keep homes cool. But what exactly are evaporative coolers and what makes them different from air conditioning units?

Evaporative Coolers vs. Air Conditioning Units

An evaporative or “swamp” cooler looks like a large metal box mounted usually on a rooftop. Coolers utilize hot outside air and pump it inside your home by way of a motor and rotating centrifugal fan and don’t require return air ducting. Swamp coolers work by exposing indoor air to a number of water-soaked pads made of paper or shredded wood in the cooler. The indoor air is chilled as it absorbs the pads moisture and then this cooler air is pushed inside your home.
An air conditioning unit functions by removing heat and humidity out of the air to produce cold air. This cold air is then recirculated over and over inside your home. The compressor raises the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant gas and sends it to the condenser coil where it’s changed to a liquid. As the refrigerant evaporates, it cools the indoor coil. The cooled air is circulated throughout your home and the heated evaporated gas is returned back outside to the compressor.

So, When Does an Evaporative Cooler Make Sense?

Evaporative coolers are ideal during spring and fall when it’s hot outside with low humidity. The evaporative cooler adds just enough moisture to the air to make your home cool and comfortable. These units don’t require nearly as much energy as an AC unit, and they’re easier to maintain.
When monsoon thunderstorm season arrives in Arizona, usually early July with high winds, rain, lightning, and dust storms, the significant increase in humidity and air temperature hinders the function of evaporative cooling systems. When summer humidity is high during monsoon season, an air conditioning unit is the best choice to cool your home.

Call Bruce’s

Whether you have an evaporative cooler, an AC, or both, it’s important to consider your options. Give your local professionals at Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating a call today at 480-968-5652 to discuss your home’s cooling system.

Memorial Day is the traditional start of summer and the end of spring for many in the Valley of the Sun. Vacations, end of the school year, and pool time are top of mind this time of the year. But one of the most important components for homeowners to prioritize is a checkup of the air conditioner. Your house becomes a refuge from the climbing temperatures outside, and now is the best time to get your air conditioning unit in tip top shape before Memorial Day.

Schedule Maintenance

Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your air conditioning running smoothly. As springtime temperatures turn into summer’s blazing heat, your air conditioning system needs to be ready to tackle the extreme weather conditions. The best option is to call your local professionals at Bruce’s to perform a tune up to keep your home cool and avoid the excessive heat outdoors during daytime hours.
Maintenance ensures your air conditioning unit will be running efficiently, helps to avoid unexpected inconvenient and expensive breakdowns, and lengthens the lifespan of your HVAC system. Bruce’s technicians suggest twice-yearly tune ups for your HVAC system to operate at high performance levels and help you save money on your monthly utility bills. Even when the temperatures are above triple digits, an HVAC system serviced properly will be your best resource to assist keeping your family comfortable.

Check the Thermostat

Your HVAC thermostat will be checked during the maintenance call. Even smart thermostats can experience hiccups throughout the year, sometimes resulting in a false reading and wasted energy. When our trained technicians check the thermostat settings, they’ll be able to gauge if it’s operating efficiently. A thermostat operating properly allows your air conditioning unit to keep up with cooling demands, reduces wear and tear on your system, and allows you to optimize temperatures indoors whether you’re at home or away.

Bruce’s is Here for You on Memorial Day

Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating has the expertise to help keep your family cool and comfortable all summer long including the Memorial Day long holiday weekend. Our technicians can perform emergency repairs if needed to keep you cool indoors when the temperatures get toasty hot outdoors. Our years of experience will keep your HVAC system running when you need it most. Call us today to schedule servicing at 480-968-5652. We’re here for you 24/7 including holidays and evenings.

The biggest part of your monthly energy bill in the Valley of the Sun can be attributed to heating and cooling your house. So, it just makes sense to search for ways to increase your HVAC system’s efficiency. With summer approaching, here are some cool ways to increase the energy efficiency of your air conditioning.

Keep the Outdoor Unit Clean

Start by keeping the area around your outside unit clean. Restricted air flow forces the fan motor to work harder, which will lead to increased unit energy consumption. Plus, by removing any debris that may obstruct airflow to the unit, you’ll be prolonging the lifespan of your HVAC system. Bruce’s is here to provide a thorough cleaning during a twice-yearly maintenance visit, too.

Change Air Filters

When air filters are clogged, a number of issues can occur. The fan motors will be forced to work harder to push air through the filters. If you find that your air filters are getting dirty very quickly, you may need to have your local HVAC technicians look at your indoor air quality. There may be issues that should be investigated to help your indoor air quality as well as AC efficiency.

Insulate Air Ducts

You can immediately improve the efficiency of your system by insulating exposed ducts. You can also seal all holes and gaps that may be leaking cool air, leading to reduced energy efficiency. If your ductwork is not adequately sealed and insulated, you may need to call your local HVAC professionals to perform an energy audit prior to insulating ductwork.

Keep Window Coverings Closed During the Day

Your AC will work extra hard to cool your house down during daytime hours when window coverings are kept open and exposed to direct sunlight. Even though this will make only a small difference on overall bills for cooling your home, every little bit counts when you keep blinds, shades, and drapes closed during the day. These tips will add up to big savings when combined with other energy conservation measures.

Call Bruce’s for AC Efficiency

These tips will help get you started on trimming back your monthly energy costs. Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating professionals have even more ideas that can help save you money and energy. Call our experts today at 480-968-5652 to schedule your service appointment. We’re available for our customers 24/7/365.