HVAC Contractor Blog | Residential Heating and Air Conditioning

Why Have My Heating Bills Suddenly Skyrocketed?

November 6th, 2023

You examined your most recent energy bill and were shocked to see a number higher than you’re used to seeing. You expect to see an increase in energy costs as colder weather arrives—whether it’s natural gas going to a gas furnace or electricity to a heat pump or electric furnace—but this is next level. You know you can’t be using that much energy. What’s happening?

We’re glad you’re concerned about this. Sometimes people just ignore their utility bill history and what sudden increases might mean. There are several possibilities for this sort of spike in heating costs. Some are simple to correct. Others will require calling our skilled professionals for heating repair in Minneapolis, MN. We’ll look at the most common causes of rising heating bills.

How Your Ducts Can Steal Your Money This Winter

October 23rd, 2023

A home has to do a lot of work during a Minnesota winter to keep the family inside it warm and comfortable. It has to trap as much heat as it can with insulation, preventing heat from escaping through any gaps around doors and windows, and produce enough heat from its HVAC system to replace the heat that gets gradually lost to the outside. If the house isn’t doing its job, it will not only mean discomfort, it will result in much higher heating costs.

But you may not know that there are other costly “heat thieves” in your home aside from bad insulation, air leaks, and a faulty heater. The ductwork that runs through the walls, ceilings, and attic of your house can drive up your energy bills without you realizing what’s happening. Damaged ducts leaking air from holes and gapping are a huge source of residential energy waste each year—and we’d like to help you notice it and stop this “theft.” We have the ductwork services in Plymouth, MN to do the job!

Let’s Get Up to Speed on Gas Furnace Safety

October 16th, 2023

Gas furnaces—they’re the most common type of heating system found in homes around the country. They’re powerful and reliable. And, like any appliance that burns natural gas, they can also be potentially dangerous.

We’re not trying to be alarmist. Gas furnaces aren’t inherently risky appliances to have in a home, no more so than a gas stove or oven. But they do require some caution and several safety steps to help keep them operating safely.

You probably know several of the important gas furnace safety preventive measures already. Now that we’re deep into the fall, it’s a good time to get you up to speed with the best practices for a safe and warm winter.

The Big Fall Question: Is It Time to Replace Your Old Home Heater?

October 9th, 2023

You know what Minnesota winters are like. They can be beautiful, but without reliable sources of indoor warmth, they can also be miserable and dangerous. You certainly never want to head into a Minnesota winter with a central heating system for your home that you can’t trust to get the job done or not fail when you need it the most.

That’s why fall is the time to ask yourself the big question about your old heating system: Is it time to get rid of it and schedule a new heating installation in Eden Prairie, MN?

The easiest way to get an answer to this question is to work with the helpful team at Residential Heating and Air Conditioning. We know our way around heating systems and we certainly know what Minnesota winters can do. Before you call us, we’ll give you some helpful information that will shed light on your current heating system’s fate.

Why Fall HVAC Maintenance Is So Important

October 2nd, 2023

When the fall arrives, we shift into “maintenance mode” here at Residential Heating and Air Conditioning. Fall is a period when we don’t have to deal with as many emergency calls for air conditioning systems and the cold weather hasn’t arrived yet to make heaters a priority. What we focus on during this time is making sure that our customers are equipped to handle another harsh Minnesota winter, and that means providing them with heating maintenance in Minneapolis, MN.

If you’re already part of our annual maintenance agreement, you only need to contact us and we’ll set up a convenient appointment for you. If you aren’t a member, call us to sign up and get started.

4 Ways to Improve Your Heat Pump’s Performance

September 25th, 2023

It’s officially fall now, and your heat pump just went through a tough summer of keeping your home cooled down. Since a heat pump isn’t an air conditioner, despite working similarly to one, it will continue to run for you during the coming winter—but now switched over to heating mode so it draws heat from outdoors and moves it into your home.

You want the best, most dependable heating performance from your heat pump for the winter. We want you to have that as well! We’ve put together a list of four ways you can improve your heat pump’s performance. When you need heat pump service in Bloomington, MN, make sure to call the team at Residential.

7 Ways Dirty Air Ducts Cause Issues

September 18th, 2023

We recommend that our clients arrange for duct cleaning in Minneapolis, MN every 3-5 years. This is how long it takes for a significant amount of dust and other debris to collect along the walls of the ducts inside the ventilation system. You’ll definitely need professionals like us to handle this job—you can’t do it by pushing a broom or a vacuum hose into your vents!

You might think that dirty ducts don’t sound that bad. After all, you can’t see them, so what’s the harm? Actually, there’s plenty of harm, and we’ve listed seven of these problems below. We hope this encourages you to schedule duct cleaning if your home is overdue for it.

Preventing Mold and Mildew in Your HVAC System

September 11th, 2023

Nobody wants mold and mildew in their house. They create unpleasant odors, cause damage to building materials, and send out toxic spores that lower indoor air quality. The worst place for mold and mildew to start to develop is inside your HVAC system. Mold and mildew in the HVAC system will spread a noxious odor around your home (“dirty sock syndrome”), impair the operation of the AC and heater, and make it easy for toxic spores to spread.

If you want to ensure your HVAC system remains mold and mildew-free, keeping up with professional AC maintenance in Plymouth, MN is a crucial important step. Below we’ll list the proactive ways to have a mold- and mildew-free HVAC system.

Understanding Your AC Efficiency Ratings

September 4th, 2023

Energy efficiency is more important to consumers now than ever before, and they pay more attention to efficiency ratings for a range of devices. Thanks to the ENERGY STAR program, part of the US Department of Energy, consumers have an easy way to identify appliances that have passed the requirements for lower energy consumption and eco-friendly performance.

Air conditioners use more electricity than almost any other household appliance, and that makes understanding their efficiency ratings a key part of lowering monthly bills and having an energy-saving household. We know all about the importance of AC efficiency in Minneapolis, MN, and we’re going to take a closer look at efficiency ratings in this post. When it comes to choosing a new AC for installation, always work with professionals who can help you find the system that has the right combination of efficiency, size, and performance for your household.

4 Common Ductwork Issues

August 28th, 2023

We’ve served the Twin Cities for more than 25 years, so we’ve seen plenty of problems with the ductwork in homes. Providing duct services in Eden Prairie, MN is an important part of our job of helping homes stay comfortable and energy efficient because of how seriously bad ducts affect how an HVAC system operates.

However, the major problem with ductwork issues is that few homeowners know about them until the issues escalate. In this post, we’ll offer you some important education about the most common types of ductwork problems. These might be affecting your home at this very moment.

If you have any concerns or questions about your ducts, don’t hesitate to contact our team. We can diagnose the ductwork (such as measuring how it maintains pressure) to locate any troubles and then have them fixed right.