Top 10 Tips to Save Energy in your Home

March 4th, 2010

1. Regulate the temperature in your home to 68 degrees or cooler in the winter and 78 degrees or warmer in the summer.  Make sure the thermostat switch is set to “auto” and not “on”.  To save even more, you can lower the temperature to 65 or lower at bedtime or when you aren’t home.

2. Along the same lines, make sure you install a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature automatically and maximize your energy savings.  You can set it to automatically drop or raise the temperature based on your schedule.

3. Clean or replace your air conditioner’s filter every month or two to make sure you aren’t making your air handler run more than it has to.

4. Change all of your light bulbs to newer compact fluorescent (CFL) or LED technology.  This can save up to $500-600 a year.

5. Turn off your ceiling fan when you leave the room and your home.  A fan that runs constantly can cost up to $7 a month depending on size and age.  That really adds up over time.

6. Avoid pre-rinsing dishes before putting in dishwasher. It can save up to $70 a year in water bills.

7. Install newer shower heads that limit the water flow per minute, as well as new toilets that flush 1 gallon per flush (GPF) or less.

8. Install power strips that your electronics plug into.  Flip the switches when they aren’t in use.  Any electronic device that has a “standby” light on is draining energy.

9. Turn off your heated dry setting on you dishwasher and let them air dry or dry them with a towel after they are done washing.  If you run your dishwasher at night, it will use off-peak energy and usually by morning, the dishes will be dry.

10. Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  There is usually a plate on the heater that you can unscrew and turn the knob down.  This can save you a lot of money and energy over the long run.

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There is a Monster in Your Home Devouring Your Hard-Earned Cash Right Now!

March 3rd, 2010

Something is lurking inside your home that could be costing you tens, hundreds, even thousands of dollars a year. It’s not those leaky windows or the unsealed front door. This monster is hidden from sight, slowly eats at your budget, and impacts your family’s health every day. Don’t be afraid, it’s not the bogeyman or some ghost lurking in the shadows, but it is one of the most common but important systems in your home. You live with it every day, yet pay no regard to it or hardly give it a second thought. Because it’s tucked away from site you often forget about it. Out of sight, out mind they say.

What is this money munching monster?

It’s your air filter! How can your air filter possibly be this terrible? Simple. If you have neglected to change it in past 60 to 90 days, it is costing you money and could be damaging your system and your health. A dirty, clogged air filter will devour money faster than rising gas prices. Every time your air conditioner or heater kicks on, your dirty filter is causing your air handler to burn more energy.

A simple thing such as not changing your filter on a regular schedule can cost your hundreds to thousands of dollars a year! See the chart below to show you just how much money you may be losing per year just because you haven’t changed your air filter.

Yes, it can be a hassle to find the right filter size, drive down to the hardware store, purchase a new filter for 8-15 dollars, and drive back home to install it. The trouble is that you forget and as you procrastinate your home comfort system just keeps on sucking dirt and devouring your money. Changing your filter is an irritating household chore that you must consistently do but avoid like the plague. But, this 5 minute chore has a much greater affect on the condition of your family’s finances than any other chore on your to-do list.

Money aside, a dirty air filter is extremely serious. So serious that the United States Environmental Protection Agency released information warning that indoor air pollution may be 2 to 5 times higher, and occasionally more than 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. As a result, the EPA has ranked poor indoor air quality as one of the top five risks to public health. Considering that many of us spend 90% of our time indoors, that is alarming news. Apart from the inherent health risks of not changing your air filter, there is also a monetary risk at hand.

It is almost impossible to determine the exact cost of a dirty air filter because every home design and every comfort system is unique. However, you can roughly estimate the dollar value cost of dirty filters by performing a simple visual inspection of your filter and compare it to you monthly cooling bills. This chart gives you a general sense of what a dirty air filters may be costing you in additional energy cost each month based on lost efficiency.

Dirty Air Filter Energy Costs
Note: This table is for estimating purposes only. Your results will vary depending on many factors which influence the air quality in your home. The data in the table has no implied or expressed guarantees that you will achieve a specific costs savings.

For example, if your heating/cooling bill was $200 dollars and your filter has a thick layer of dust, dirt and heavy particles that cannot be peeled off and light can’t shine through it if you held it up to the light, you could expect to pay an additional $50 dollars that month. If you let that air filter go, you could expect to pay $60, $70, $80 dollars or more. You can see how that would add up over the months and all you had to do was change your air filter.

Yes, as mentioned earlier, it can be a hassle to find the right filter size, drive to go find it, and then pay an outrageous amount of money for 1-3. Sometimes you will end up spending anywhere from 8 to 12 dollars for one air filter! Stop over at www.AirFiltersDelivered.com to buy 3, 6, and 12 packs of air filters for as low as $2.50 per filter. On top of that, if you have a strange size, they can custom make any size air filter and have it shipped within 3 days.

Air Filters Delivered is currently developing a Clean Air Club program where they will auto send you air filters when it is time to change them. No more remembering to change your air filters, they remember for you. To start saving money, improve your family’s health and reduce your carbon footprint, head over to www.AirFiltersDelivered.com now!

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The Bloom Box Needs Air Filters to Work

March 1st, 2010


Watch CBS News Videos Online

The Bloom Box is a solid oxide fuel cell made by Bloom Energy, of Sunnyvale, California, that uses liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons (such as gasoline, diesel or propane produced from fossil or bio sources) to generate electricity on the site where it will be used.

The Bloom Box (now called the Bloom Energy Server) uses thin white ceramic plates (100mm × 100mm) which are made by baking common beach sand, and each ceramic plate is coated with a secret green ink (anode) on one side and another secret black ink (cathode) on the other side. According to the San Jose Mercury News, “Bloom’s secret technology apparently lies in the proprietary green ink that acts as the anode and the black ink that acts as the cathode.” Wired reports that the secret ingredient may be yttria-stabilized zirconia based upon a 2006 patent filing (7,572,530) that was granted to Bloom in 2009. To save money the Bloom Energy Server uses inexpensive metal alloy plates as a fast ion conductor between the two ceramic plates, instead of platinum.

What this means is a cheap, eco-friendly option for electricity. Bloom says that within 10 years, he hopes to have a model available that will be able to fit in a person’s backyard or basement and power their home.

Along the way, the engineers discovered a problem. Some of their Bloom Boxes were breaking down and they didn’t know why. Upon further inspection, the engineers realized the air filters were clogged. The Bloom Box works by pulling air into the box where it mixes with the fuel and thus creates energy. If the air filters are dirty and clogged and air can’t get inside the boxes, then there will be no energy being produced. All Bloom had to do was change out the air filter and the Box started working again. Even the most advanced technology needs a simple air filter to help clean the air and keep it working.

Bloom Box with Air Filters

A lesson learned in air filtration.

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What A Dirty Air Filter Can Do

February 15th, 2010

Dirty and ignored air filters are a source of increased operating costs and poor cooling system operation. Dirty air filters can do a number of things to the environment, your health, and your wallet.  These air filters that are left to collect dust and dirt can:

  • Reduce air flow in you rhome
  • Make your air handler work harder to push more air through the system
  • Cause dirt to accumulate on the fan blades which can also waste your energy
  • Cause excessive dirt build-up inside the duct system, leading to mold or allergen problems in your home and the need for more costly duct cleaning or replacement
  • Induce asthma attacks
  • Block the cooling coil itself with dirt, reducing system effectiveness and possibly leading to costly repairs
  • Lead to frost build-up on the cooling coil and reduced or totally block air flow in the system
  • Eventually permit dirt to bypass the filter where it soils and blocks the blower fan itself, leading to more costly repairs

If you come home and immediately get stuffy or see a lot of dust laying around, it could be an early indication that your air filter needs to be replaced.  One method of checking is to remove your air filter and hold it up to a light.  If you can see through it, you should still be okay, but if its getting to be where you can’t see anything through it, it is definitely time to change it.

Air Filters Delivered recommends the filters on an air conditioning or hot air heating system should be changed at the VERY minimum every three months.  Depending on your circumstances, you may need to change it every month or two.  Only you will know how often you should change it.

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Air Filters Delivered Launches Brand New Website

February 1st, 2010

Air Filters Delivered announced today the launch of its brand new website.

You will discover Air Filters Delivered products: from Eco-Aire Brand filters to Speciality Chemical air filtration accessories. You will also find useful information such as how to save energy by simply changing your air filter, a helpful glossary, and links to some of the air filtration industry’s authorities.

With www.airfiltersdelivered.com, everyone will be able to view products by name and size. Soon customers will be able to use the “Filter Chooser 3000″ to help them choose which filter they need for their home. In the helpful knowledge base, customers will be able to find videos and frequently asked questions regarding air filtration and filter technology. Visitors that create Air Filters Delivered accounts will be able to access forums and member’s only community resources as wlel as previous orders.

As always, the website will be very secure with 128/256 bit SSL protection provided by RapidSSL for online credit card purchases. Buyers also have the option of purchasing using Paypal, which has quickly become the standard in online purchases with a great safety record. Backed by Trustwave, customers will always be sure they are buying from us.

Social Media

This new website also provides the opportunity to launch the Air Filters Delivered blog, where we will issue the latest product information and specials, as well as general information on the air filtration industry. Along with Twitter and Facebook pages, we will truly be in touch with the customer.

Pardon the Dust

These are just a few of the features that will be released, so pardon our dust while we bring these exciting new additions to our website very soon.

About Air Filters Delivered

Air Filters Delivered (AirFiltersDelivered.com) formed as a response to residential and commercial customers’ needs to have world-class air filtration products economically delivered to their home or place of business. Air Filters Delivered was founded by air filtration executives with over 150 years combined experience through a collaborative effort with tenured e-commerce business builders.

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