Ask Dave: What to do about crazy energy bills?

Dear Dave,

I just got my electric bill.  I was away for the holidays and it was still $300.00!!!  What can I do?

Dear Customer,

I have a hunch this is only the beginning.  $3.10 gasoline tells the story of the rising cost of energy.  One solution is to add a wood stove to your family or living room.  There are beautiful, very efficient wood stoves that not only give a lot of heat but have glass doors and provide wonderful ambiance while burning.  Many still have tax credits available on them.

If you can't cut wood (I can't since I live in town) you can buy it and have it delivered.  It costs some but far less than electricity.

We have a number of wood stoves in our showrooms in Athens and Lancaster and provide certified installation that your home insurance company will like.  I personally don't think there is anything better on a winter night than our family gathered around a wood fire in our family room.  And if I'm saving a bunch on my electric bill, all the better!

David

Tips for Winter Savings

Here in southeastern Ohio we have our first true winter storm blowing in.  So I thought it was time for some winter energy saving tips.

1) Check for drafts around windows and doors.  Purchase door sweeps for the bottom of the doors to seal out air leaks and install new weatherstripping if you feel cold air around your door or window seams. Window sealing kits are available too for those cold, cold windows.  All of these are simple tasks that anyone can do with kits from the hardware store.

2) Have your furnace tuned up.  I know, I know this makes me money.  So it seems like I might have ulterior motives to suggest it.  But seriously, all furnaces and should be serviced annually to increase efficiency and ensure the furnace is safe to operate.  For just a few extra dollars you can purchase one of our maintenance plans which includes the tune up, a filter, AND we'll pay for most parts and labor if you need a repair the rest of the year.  Not a bad deal for something you ought to be doing anyway.  Click here for the Energy Star check-list.  See?  Even the officials on saving energy agree with me on this one.
 
3) Which, by the way, if you don't have a high efficiency furnace, you should look into buying one.  Ask one of our specialists about the savings you can get from replacing a 20 year old (or older!) furnace with a newer efficient one and I think you'll be very surprised by how much money you are literally burning each month.
Check and replace furnace filters on a regular basis-we suggest checking the filter every 30-45 days.  If you have one of our super media filters, check it every 6 months at the very least.  They sometimes can last a year but it's best to check them monthly after the 6 month mark.
 
4) A programmable thermostat makes it easy to keep your house cool when you aren't home (or are asleep) and warm by the time you are home.  No sense wasting money heating your house to a comfortable temperature when it is empty.

5) Make sure fireplace dampers are fully closed when not in use.  Traditional fireplaces can suck warm air up them and right outside, wasting your precious energy dollars.  Personally, we installed a gas fireplace insert in ours several years ago.  This makes it a true source of heat for us, even when the power is out, and no warm air is ever sucked up the chimney.  Plus, I don't have to mess with wood.  If you truly want to heat with wood, for example if you can cut it yourself so it's a cheap heat source, then I recommend a wood stove or insert.

6) Finally, this isn't necessarily an energy saving tip, but heating your house dries your house up.  Meaning your sinus cavities are all dried up.  Meaning you can catch a cold more easily or have a cold turn into a sinus infection because everything is so stuffed up.  Installing a whole house humidifier (or buying a cool mist humidifier for each bedroom from a drug store or retail store) can stop these issues.  It can actually save you energy as well as a moist house feels warmer meaning you might be willing to keep the actual temperature on your thermostat lower.  Saving energy and money.
 
I'm all about saving money, a known deal grabber, coupon clipper, penny pincher.  But truth be told, no matter how many coupons you are clipping winter heating costs can suck all the money out of your banking account.  Take the time, and possibly the initial investment, and stop sending your money right out the chimney, windows, and doors. 

Women are breaking into all parts of the HVAC world!

This year marks the first year in 116 years of ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) history that a woman is president.  Lynn G Bellenger was installed as president of the society this summer.

As a woman in a mostly male dominated industry I was obviously excited to hear this.  I was even more excited to hear her ideas of making sure that HVAC industrial experts be inserted in the architect/engineer part of building.  She said this was especially important if the heating and cooling industry is to continue it's quest of making a sustainable world, saying, "It is going to require a real cultural shift in our industry to transform the design process, and it's a shift that has to occur if we are going to reach our goal of net-zero-energy buildings."

I found her presidential address (at http://www.ashrae.org) both eloquent and practical.  She said, "Our challenge is to approach every project with innovation, not repetition, and to challenge ourselves to find the elegant solutions that will minimize energy use and provide exceptional indoor environmental quality. People will judge us on our performance, not our promises."

Who of us in this industry has not been frustrated with HVAC being such an after thought to the overall building plan?  When it is clearly one of the most important parts of a comfortable building.  Add with that the modern desire to stop polluting our earth and we are clearly in a time of change.

I'm so proud to be part of David White Services, bringing well designed, efficient heating and cooling (both traditional and geo-thermal) to the Athens and Lancaster markets.  And glad to have so many women in our organization as well.  Women are so good at practical application that it just makes sense to have us in an industry that deeply effects the daily comfort of both us our families.

People say the nicest things!

We do a lot of work in the fall and this year even more so with so many taking advantage of the 30% tax credit on high efficiency heating and cooling equipment.  So this post is some of the nice things our customers have said about us in the last two months.

We used you before and were very satisfied.  This time you gave us friendly, fast service.  We say thanks to all!                                                                                     Elaine Yaple, Lancaster, Ohio

We only got an estimate from David White Services because of your reputation and the referrals of others.  Everything was well done!  The installation people were very polite, professional, and knowledgable.  They answered my numerous questions well.                                         Joan & Charles Mickelson, Athens, Ohio


You can use me as a referral anytime!  I found you in the yellow pages and bought because of the sales presentation.  Your installers were very polite, neat, and went about their job without bothering anyone.  If they were unsure of what we wanted, they asked.  They were very pleasant.  And we were especially impressed that there was no foul language.                                 Larry Richards, Vincent, Ohio

We got two estimates and you were the lowest.  Several people referred you to me and you have a good reputation.  That and the price made the decision easy.  My overall experience with David White Services was nice.  And Matthew Stallard was a great help!  We thank him.             Yan Ling Cai, The Plains, Ohio

I already was your customer so I only got an estimate from you.  You installed my system when you promised and cleaned up after yourselves.  Your crew was courteous and professional.  They did a very good job.            Ken Midkiff, Guysville, Ohio

Sales rep was very good at explaining our options.  Installers very courteous and helpful.
          Becky Gilham, Lancaster, Ohio

We only got an estimate from you because our friends recommended you.  Your people were friendly, quick, and neat.  Absolutely no complaints.
    Zach Demster, Coolville, Ohio

I only got an estimate from David White.  You came when promised, did a neat installation, and then cleaned up after yourself.                                                                John Burgess, Lancaster, Ohio


We love our customers and they love us back!  It makes going to work every day a joy.  If you are wondering who to buy your next HVAC system from, give us a try and you'll be convinced.  We don't try to sell you a name brand (though we sell great name brands!) we sell you ourselves and our service and our dependability.  Well over 30 years in southeastern Ohio!  We're here to stay and will take care of your comfort for years to come.

Go Bobcats! What a great day!

We here at David White Services absolutely loving being a sponsor of Ohio University, especially during football season.  The day today was gorgeous and the game against BGSU was also gorgeous.


We finally figured out our food.  We always try to take food that both our tent full of kids will eat and so will all the other tailgaters.  Hotdogs, chips, cupcakes, and bottled water seemed to go over very well today.  And with our tailgating grill it was truly a piece of cake!  Usually, my husband Tim does the grilling but he was a little late today so I set up. I managed to get the awesome tabletop grill set up and lit without singing off my eyebrows.  It was shocking how evenly and perfectly cooked the dogs were.  In half the time as our home grill!  It was really impressive.

Here's our set up, right next to the Green and White Club:

Another highlight of tailgating for me is the band.  Bands are just so happy.  And the most exciting band in the land, the Marching 110 never disappoints:

Another highlight for our family is Rufus the mascot and the cheerleaders.  And, of course, all toys and games and fun atmosphere that tailgating brings.

The communities of Lancaster, Ohio and Athens, Ohio are so wonderful for raising families.  I'm so happy our businesses are here!

Stay tuned for more posts about the Lancaster Fair this week!

Why I love fall:

I just love fall.  Sweaters, jeans, apples, pumpkins, baking, football, and school starts!  Yippee!  Call me crazy, but I love two of my three children being in school.  Freedom!

But I also really love football.  I follow the Cincinnati Bengals, OSU Buckeyes, and Ohio Bobcats.  Love them!  Anyone watch the Rufus-Brutus fight this year?  We were there for that!  Crazy.

You will see us tomorrow right here in Athens!  I'm making green and white cupcakes.  Yes, homemade!  Parents weekend and all I thought our tent should have something special.  So here's to a win!

I also love my gas fireplace.  It's so warm and toasty and I sincerely believe everyone should have one.  There is no messy wood, it turns on with just a switch.  It's vented so I'm not living with fumes: they go up the chimney.  It's beautiful in my living room.  I have super old and rundown furniture so it may actually be the prettiest thing in my living room, definitely the focal point.

Really it's hard to explain to others how nice it is to snuggle up in my Bengals sweatshirt or Snuggie (yup, I've got one) and watch Sunday's games curled up in front of my fireplace.

And all of the above reasons don't even include it saves money by reducing the amount of time our furnace is on.  It's October 8th and we haven't had our furnace on once yet!  Savings!

Ask Dave:

Valued Customer:

I've heard there is a new program where I can get up to $1500.00 tax credit if I have a new furnace or heat pump installed.  Is this true?

Dave:

The new "stimulus" bill that Congress passed does indeed allow for a tax credit up to $1500.00 which will pay 30% of any upgrade to your heating and cooling system.  The replaced equipment must be very high efficiency but don't worry: we have all the details and paperwork to make it easy.

If your system is over 10 years old, this may be the year to replace it.  These new systems can save you substantially on your utility bills for years to come.  Our hearth store also has wood stoves that meet the government guidelines and also qualify for $1500 tax credit.  Come on in and check out our gorgeous showrooms.  The tax credit only lasts through 2010 (just 3 more months!!!) so don't wait too long!