Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing concern and increased visibility. Many companies are marketing products and services intended to improve the quality of your indoor air. You have probably seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached directly by a company offering to clean your air ducts as a means of improving your home’s indoor air quality. These services typically — but not always — range in cost from $450 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility, climatic region, and level of contamination.
Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing.
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No matter what the age of your furnace, you can improve energy efficiency by keeping it in good working order. A few simple furnace maintenance tasks will ensure you’re getting the most for your energy dollar.
We will take you though a couple simple things.
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By far the worst strategy is reactive boiler maintenance. This may be defined as repairs made only when there is a failure. There is no planning, no anticipation of repairs that may be required to prevent a failure. It is only when the equipment fails that the operators will evaluate the cause and then try to make the repairs.
The costs associated with these repairs are typically high both in labor, much of which is done on an overtime basis, and the associated downtime. By far this is the least desirable approach to boiler maintenance.
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May 23, 2008 BY DAVID MACK - Special to the Sun-Times
How can associations incorporate sustainable or green principles and products into their operations?
Let’s consider suggestions for older buildings from Jim Stoller, president of Building Group, a Chicago-based condominium management company.
Incandescent bulbs in exit signs should be replaced with LED (Light Emitting Diodes), which can save up to $24 per year per fixture. (They are expensive to buy but have a very long life.)
Incandescent hallway lighting, especially the heat-generating halogen bulbs, should be replaced with fluorescents for a savings of up to 70 percent per year.
Fluorescents offer more illumination so it may also be possible to eliminate some of the fixtures.
Movement detection sensors to turn on the lights also can save money.
Any HVAC filters should be cleaned or replaced monthly during peak seasons.
In terms of plumbing, “water conservation should be a priority,” Stoller said.
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