Control Energy Costs in Your Cincinnati Area Home and Cool Efficiently Too

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Heating and cooling your greater Cincinnati home accounts for nearly 50 percent of your utility bill. Here are a few steps you can take this summer to increase the energy efficiency of your air conditioner and control energy costs without sacrificing comfort.

  • Schedule preventive maintenance on your cooling system. An annual tune-up goes a long way toward increasing its efficiency, preventing common air conditioning problems and lowering your cooling bill. A qualified HVAC technician will tighten electrical connections, remove damaging dust from essential components, flush your condensate drain and lubricate the moving parts of the system to prevent friction, in addition to other important routine maintenance and safety tasks.
  • Check your air filter each month and replace it when it’s dirty. Your air filter prevents dust from building up inside your system, which can cause the premature failure of the fan, motor and condenser. A dirty filter also impedes the flow of air to your system and makes it work harder to keep you cool, raising your energy costs and lowering your comfort level. Choose a good-quality, pleated air filter with a rating of at least 5 on the minimum efficiency reporting value, or MERV, scale, which measures a filter’s effectiveness at trapping small particles. A clean filter will also improve your indoor air quality.
  • Install a programmable thermostat. When used properly, a programmable thermostat can save you a considerable amount of money on energy costs by ensuring higher thermostat settings while you’re away and maintaining optimum comfort while you’re home.
  • Seal air leaks. Sealing gaps around windows, doors and service entrances, as well as leaky ducts, can improve the efficiency of your cooling system by at least 20 percent. Seal around stationary components of windows and doors with caulk and install weatherstripping between movable parts. Seal loose joints in your ducts with metal tape or mastic duct sealant.

For more expert advice about ways to control energy costs in your home, please feel free to contact us at Apollo Home Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’re proud to serve homeowners in and around the Cincinnati area.

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"Ernie & Mike did a superb job on my new furnace and A/C installation. Despite having more than a day’s work to do, they came in and stayed until the job was done. They were organized, efficient, and protected the rest of the house well. Got both furnace and A/C installed the same day. Ernie was courteous, informative, and clearly knew his job better than anyone I’ve encountered before. The units look so good guests now get The Tour of our new system. Apollo is clearly not a fly-by-night company. I would recommend them to anyone in need of a new furnace and/or A/C."
- Jerry A.
"I called Apollo because of a water leak I thought I had in our upstairs shower going into the kitchen. Robbie came and assured me everything was fine & looked at all the other plumbing. He ended up changing a few pipes for our washer & clearing a drain. He was very nice & knowledgeable with all my questions. I ended up signing up for the care plan & was very happy with my service."
- Cassandra B.
"The team at Apollo exceeded my expectations. As a business owner, my attention to the details and commitment to providing excellent service is high. From the sales rep. to the installation team, everyone’s performance was outstanding. For example, the installation team went to great lengths to protect our floors, placing floor runners and across the wood floors and up the stairs. They even were spot washing walls upon their departure. I highly recommend this company."
- Randy B.
"We scheduled an estimate AND a tune-up. We knew something was wrong with our furnace, but hoped we could make it through the rest of the season. Upon telling Bill what our furnace was doing, he warned us immediately what the possible outcome was going to be; a cracked heat exchanger. He watched the flames roll backward, tested carbon monoxide levels, which were so high they meter’s last reading was 5,600 before saying “high”. He immediately shut it down, tagged it, and explained that with levels that high and children in our home he wanted off right away. He continued his inspection and showed us via a camera that not only was it cracked in multiple places, but had holes all over it. He gave us a few options for repairing it; his knowledge as well as genuine concern was beneficial and refreshing. Luckily we also scheduled an estimator, Micah, to come too and we were able to get costs between repairing and replacing (with several options). We decided to replace with a much higher efficiency furnace and one sized properly to our home. Hands down, not only did they both provide us great service and knowledge, but without sounding dramatic, they may have saved our lives. This was our first time calling Apollo, but it won’t be our last."
- Sarah B.
"Apollo is an excellent company. I always receive great service. Alex A. was professional and friendly. He kept me informed during the process of checking my furnace and heat pump to make sure they were working properly. The company makes sure you are notified who is coming and when they are on the way. All my interactions with the company have been wonderful."
- Beverly S.
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