11/02/05

This past Thursday (Oct 27^th), our family of customers started receiving their copy of our Home Sense newsletter. It comes out twice per year, once in the spring and once in the fall. Our newsletter is full of educational and amusing articles. Each time we send out over 1500 of these, but we always keep some copies, too, in case our radio listeners and folks that read this article would like a copy. This fall issue has an important article about the government’s change in the efficiency standards for central air conditioning. Manufacturers will have to produce equipment beginning in January, which is a full 30% more efficient than the current minimum efficiency. That is a huge difference in efficiency, and the cost of making that change will affect everyone from the manufacturer to the end consumer. The newsletter article entitled “Government-Forced Change Could Cost You Plenty” will explain why this will have such an impact on your personal choices. There are also articles that will teach you how you can save energy dollars with lighting, and how to save money in the kitchen. Another important article shows other ways to “cash in” on home savings, and the article about appliances in the “How-To” section will help you decide on whether you should repair or replace them. It shows the average lifespan of most major home appliances and teaches you how to compare the costs of each. If you are already a Quality Service customer, you probably already have yours. If you’re not a Quality Service customer, you can easily get one too! Call us at 635-3452, make your request, and we’ll mail you one right away while copies last. Change your filters, and we’ll be back next week.

11/16/05

The last few weeks have been filled with talk about the rising heat prices this winter. As a result of the expected high prices many people are choosing alternative methods for heating. Many of those include the burning of something like natural gas, propane, wood, and kerosene. These can be great alternatives, but there are precautions people need to take when using these.

Every year, hundreds of people die in preventable carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings. Thousands of others get sick and experience flu-like symptoms when exposed to too much CO. Burning any type of fuel source produces carbon monoxide. It is called “The Silent Killer” because there is no odor, no taste. And you can’t see it. CO adheres to red blood cells and block their ability to carry oxygen. The lack of oxygen can leave a person feeling sleepy and tired, if the person is not removed from an area with too much carbon monoxide, suffocation can occur. Infants, young children, the elderly and patients with pre-existing heart or respiratory conditions are the most susceptible.

More than half of the nation’s carbon monoxide poisoning deaths occur because of malfunctioning or improperly vented combustion appliances. This means that people who use kerosene or propane space heaters, long-ignored fireplaces and woodstoves, and any type of unvented combustion device need to be extra careful. These appliances must be cleaned and inspected every year BEFORE use to help avoid CO tragedies. Your local utility company can probably help you with these inspections. Listen for “Ask Mike” every Saturday on WTRB, and “Change your filters!”

11/23/05

All the talk about SEER ratings has people asking questions-and that’s good! Here we go.

What is SEER rating? Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratings. It is a measurement of the efficiency of air conditioning that is much like Miles per Gallon for vehicles. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the air conditioner. The government minimum SEER for new equipment is changing to 13 SEER in January 2006. The current minimum is 10 SEER.

Why the change? Although the increase is rather drastic (30% more efficient), the basic reasons for the change are good. Each SEER point translates to 7% - 9% less in operating costs. The overall goal is to reduce the amount of energy used to cool our homes nationwide. That is a worthy goal, but this 30% jump all at once is causing problems.

How will that change affect the average homeowner?

It will ultimately cost us all money. 86% of the central a/c market is currently 10,11, and 12 SEER. Although most all manufacturers offer equipment at 13 SEER and higher, that market is still only 14% of the national market. Beginning in January, they can no longer produce anything less than 13 SEER. For reasons too many to list here, from size, shipping, and materials to the design of manufacturing facilities themselves-makers are facing an expensive change. Since the manufacturers cannot stay in business otherwise, they WILL pass the cost of this new efficiency on to the consumer. If you have a question for “Ask Mike”, please call us at 635-3452 or ask through our website at

www.qualityserviceinc.com. Change your filters and listen for “Ask Mike” Saturday mornings on WTRB.