green bee buzz

Welcome to Green Bee Realty's monthly column —Green Bee Buzz. Every month, we deep-dive into a sustainability-related topic, from the built environment to nature. No subject is off-limits as long as it's green!

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july 2024

It's July —and most of the country is blasting their air conditioning. With the most recent heatwave, daily temperatures in many parts of the Midwest and the Northeast reached record highs, stressing the importance of maintaining your HVAC system to ensure it is running efficiently.

As a homeowner, it is also important to plan ahead so your system is working, especially in these critical times when you most need it. Every 20-25 years, homeowners should expect to replace their furnaces, and every 10-15 years, they should replace their condensing units and water heaters.

Even if you know you need to replace your system, with current inflation coupled with the rise of material and labor costs, many people are feeling the heat and can't afford it in this current economic climate. Plans to update are put on hold to deal with more pressing expenses, and many wait-- crossing their fingers and gambling with the hope that their aging condensing unit with clogged coils will make it through the season.

What if I told you that waiting could cost you more in the long run?

An old or inefficient condensing unit could hike up your energy bills because of reduced heat exchange and higher operating temperatures. The primary function of condensing coils is to release heat absorbed from inside your home to the outside air. When these coils are dirty, the system has to work harder and longer to achieve the desired indoor temperature, reducing the efficiency of the cooling process. With reduced heat exchange efficiency, your unit may struggle to cool your home adequately on hot days, leading to discomfort indoors, or in extreme conditions, the evaporator coil could freeze up, causing the entire system to shut down until the ice on the coils is cleared.

Not only are you spending more money on energy bills, but the system may not be sufficiently keeping your house cool. This is why regular maintenance is important to ensure the longevity of your system. However, as the system reaches the end of its lifespan, it is best to replace it before you find yourself in the middle of a heatwave with no air conditioning.

You might be saying —I would save money and reduce my energy usage, but I don't have the money to do it now.

Not to worry! There are programs available to lighten the financial burden.

For instance, on my property in New Jersey, I recently replaced my old inefficient system through SAVEGREEN, a program offered by the gas company designed to help customers save energy and money through various energy efficiency initiatives. These initiatives include rebates and incentives for installing energy-efficient equipment such as high-efficiency furnaces, boilers, water heaters, and programmable thermostats and help offset the upfront costs of purchasing and installing energy-efficient appliances.

The program also offers financing options, so there are no large out-of-pocket costs. The gas company acts as the bank and provides low-interest financing to assist customers in making energy-efficient upgrades, including air sealing, appliances, HVAC system replacement, and hot water heaters. They have a network of approved contractors who are approved to partake in the program, making the entire process hassle-free.

With a hot water heater and condenser unit approaching 15 years and a 25+ year old furnace, I was in need of a new system. On top of the aging equipment, my furnace was sized to heat the entire load of the house, which had since split into a duplex and was extremely oversized, causing short cycling and higher utility bills. A new system would have cost $15,000 plus out of pocket, but through this program, I received a $2,700 rebate, a zero down loan, and a low monthly payment.

Overall, the SAVEGREEN Project aims to make energy efficiency improvements accessible and affordable for customers, ultimately helping them save money on their energy bills while reducing their environmental impact. There are many other programs like this, so be sure to search for energy programs and initiatives in your area. I couldn't be happier with the ease of the program and can't wait to update you with the savings data in a year!

BEE COOL💚🐝