Solar - ABC Home and Commercial Services of Texas

Use the Sun to Cool Your Home This Summer

April 23rd, 2013

ABC Home and Commercial

solarpower istock1 300x143 Use the Sun to Cool Your Home This Summer pic With another scorching San Antonio summer approaching, you’re probably not looking forward to seeing your electric bills escalate from using your air conditioner. We have a solution that can not only lower your power bills, but also use those sizzling rays to your advantage: a cooling system powered by solar panels.

How Solar Panels Work

Our cooling systems work with photovoltaic panels, also called PV panels, which consist of silicon and non-reflective glass. The PV panels harness and store photons from the sun’s rays and then convert these particles into electrical power. Similar to a battery, the PV panel first converts the photons into DC power, which is sent to an inverter that converts it to AC power that can be used to run an air conditioning unit, as well as other household devices.

How Solar-Powered Cooling Systems Work

Most of our residential customers choose a grid-tied PV system, which uses a combination of solar power and traditional power sources from the utility company. This system is a much less expensive option than stand-alone PV systems, which rely exclusively on solar power and are not connected to the utility grid. Grid-tied systems utilize power from the sun during the day and from the utility company at night to keep the air conditioning unit running. When the air conditioner is not running, the solar power can be redirected to other devices in the home. Any unused power that is collected during the day can actually be fed back to the utility grid, which causes your electric meter to spin backwards for an energy credit.

Benefits of a Solar-Powered Cooling System

Using solar power to fuel your air conditioning unit offers many advantages over relying solely on the traditional power grid. These benefits include:

Cost: After the initial installation costs, powering your air conditioner with solar energy is free and using grid power only when solar energy is not available will dramatically reduce your utility bills.
Renewability: While fossil fuels are becoming scarcer every day, the sun is an infinite source of power.
Environmental Impact: Solar power is a clean source of energy, as opposed to oil, gas and coal, which produce carbon dioxide.
Reliability: The sun rises every day and is very likely to continue doing so even after the entire world’s nonrenewable sources are depleted.
Tax Incentives: Many areas offer tax credits and utility company incentives for using solar energy.

Solar Panel Installation in San Antonio

We know that our customers are looking for the most cost-effective way to make the switch to renewable energy sources. Our SunSource Home Energy System by Lennox fits the bill. This energy-saving unit runs on the traditional power grid, will save you money on your utility bill and is also solar ready. You can have our San Antonio HVAC specialists at ABC Home & Commercial Services install your PV panels at the same time we install the unit or have it done later when it better fits your budget.

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How to Improve the Efficiency of Your Home in 2013

March 20th, 2013

ABC Home and Commercial

If Austin heating and air conditioning bills are taking a toll on your finances, read here for tips to lighten the burden. Fortunately, there are many options when it comes to reducing both your energy bills and your dependence on the grid for powering your home, appliances, and gadgets.

The emergence of increasingly affordable solar power and other energy alternatives offers a great deal of promise. In addition to its eco-friendly nature, solar energy provides long-term savings and other, more immediate financial payoffs. Austin solar panel installation is becoming an increasingly popular option due to its many short-term and sustainable benefits.

Beyond the obvious advantages, installing solar panels can help business people and homeowners reap financial rewards long before the panels pay for themselves. The Austin Energy rebate program offsets installation costs by up to 75%. The IRS Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit can help you recoup equipment and labor costs for solar electricity equipment and sun-powered hot water heaters through 2016. In addition to these valuable incentives and the savings you’ll achieve through reduced power bills, solar panels can boost your home’s resale value.

Even if you aren’t ready to go solar, there are plenty of steps you can take to improve the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling systems. Call a trusted Austin heating and air conditioning contractor for an annual HVAC tune-up to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently. Whether you do it yourself or as part of a routine maintenance check, inspect your air filter monthly. Change your filter when dirty or at least every three months.

Investing in your heating and cooling systems can help you save on utility costs. A programmable thermostat lets you program temperatures in advance according to your schedule, resulting in annual savings of about $180. Replacing old or inefficient air conditioning and heating systems with Energy Star HVAC equipment can also help cut energy costs.

Whether you opt to tune up or replace your HVAC system, invest in Austin solar panel installation or combine these two strategies, reducing your heating and cooling bills is easier than you might think.

What Type of Maintenance Does My Heating and Cooling System Need?

December 13th, 2012

ABC Home and Commercial

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency and its affiliated programs, the average American household pays approximately $2,200 per year on energy. Nearly half of this amount, they report, is put toward the cost of heating and cooling homes. That unbelievable number, however, can be significantly lowered with proper HVAC maintenance and service throughout the year.

Higher energy bills aren’t the only consequence of infrequent maintenance work. The primary cause of equipment failure and diminished performance in heating and cooling systems is neglect. The buildup of dust and fine particles of debris that gather within ducts and equipment can cause irreparable damage to the entire system. Changing your unit’s filter regularly, particularly during the winter and summer, can help to prevent this type of damage, but filter replacement is never intended to stand in the place of professional checkups and maintenance.

Hiring an experienced San Antonio HVAC specialist is the first and most important step to ensuring that your heating and cooling system is working properly and efficiently. A technician will perform a comprehensive inspection of the system to evaluate any issues you may be experiencing and to determine the cause of these problems. He will check the thermostat, lubricate any moving parts to prevent damaging friction and tighten the electrical connections that allow the system to operate properly.

In addition to these routine maintenance tasks, your technician will inspect drains and filters for signs of damage or obstruction. For your safety and the longevity of your heating and cooling unit, he will carefully measure the current and voltage on all of the motors contained in the system. This pertinent step ensures safe and efficient operation of the system and can potentially add years to the life of your unit.

ABC’s San Antonio air conditioning and heating specialists are highly trained, knowledgeable, experienced and trustworthy experts equipped with all of the skills and equipment necessary to perform maintenance and repair service on your entire heating and cooling system. For more info on this topic, check out what Energy Star says about the importance of regular maintenance and servicing of your home’s heating and cooling systems.

Looking for an even more effective way to lower your energy bills? Check out our solar power page here.

Use Federal Energy Tax Credits for Solar Energy Systems

December 3rd, 2012

ABC Home and Commercial

solarpowersystems istock 300x200 Use Federal Energy Tax Credits for Solar Energy Systems pic Converting your home to rely on solar energy helps reduce your impact on the environment while lowering the cost of your electric bill. In the long term, solar power will help save you money and secure sustainable and independent power for your home. It can be expensive to install, however, and this up-front cost is a deterrent for many people who are considering alternative power.

Fortunately, the federal government is helping to reduce the financial impact of Austin solar panel installation by offering tax credits. Until December 31, 2016, all homeowners who make the switch to solar power can enjoy a 30% tax credit with no upper limit. This tax credit applies to both newly constructed homes and upgrades to existing homes. In addition to photovoltaic panel installation, the tax credit applies to other solar upgrades, such as solar water heaters. Any energy-efficient change you make to your home can potentially earn you a sizeable tax credit.

In order to apply, homeowners must simply save the receipts from their solar panel installation and fill out Form 5695 with the IRS. The information from this form should then be copied to line 52 of your 1040 so that the credit can be applied to your tax return. If someone prepares your taxes for you, just be sure to provide the receipts and explain that you want to take advantage of the solar tax credit. Your tax professional should have no problem in taking care of it from there.

Austin solar power is gaining in popularity, and this tax credit helps many families make their dreams of energy independence become reality. If you’ve always wanted to convert to solar, taking advantage of the tax credit while it’s still active is a wise choice. ABC Home & Commercial Services can provide quality installation and care of your new solar system. The 30% tax credit substantially lessens the financial blow of a solar panel installation and having our specialists here at ABC install the unit makes the conversion to solar power hassle-free.

Austin AC Service: Cool Down Solar Style!

October 24th, 2012

ABC Home and Commercial

The recent heat wave set record high temperatures across the country, including Texas. With higher temperatures come higher energy bills, and many Americans are looking for ways to save. One way to reduce your bills involves using the clean solar power available to Austin residents. ABC Home & Commercial Services in Austin can tap that abundance of energy by adding solar collectors to your existing air conditioning unit.

You should never have to go without air conditioning in Texas. Adding high-efficiency AC helps reduce your energy consumption and is a great first step toward saving money all year. Some advantages of solar energy include the following:

1. It is free and infinitely renewable. The air conditioning Austin residents need can run indefinitely and at zero cost.

2. It can cut your energy bills by more than half. In Austin, AC typically consumes as much as 56% of all energy used in a home.

3. There are government incentives for it. The federal and local government may provide low-interest loans, rebates and tax credits for the solar-powered air conditioning service Austin residents purchase.

4. It can improve the value of your home. On average, homeowners see values increase by as much as $17,000 when selling homes that are equipped to use solar energy.

No one knows what the future holds, but energy prices continue to soar. However, you can combat financial instability from skyrocketing temperatures and cooling costs by adding solar collectors to your home. Let ABC Home & Commercial Services install the system that will put more money in your pocketbook.

Austin Solar AC and Heating: How Solar Works

December 30th, 2011

ABC Home and Commercial

PUT THE SUN’S POWER TO WORK IN YOUR Austin Residence

Solar energy is an infinitely renewable resource that uses the sun’s rays to generate electricity for use in your home. By going solar, you can reduce your energy costs and also lower your dependence on fossil fuels, thereby making your own contribution to a cleaner environment. The technology for residential solar-energy systems, including air conditioning and heating, is currently available. Using solar modules, made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells, it harvests the sun’s energy and converts it into electricity that can be used to power your lights, appliances and other electrical devices in the home.

TYPES OF SOLAR SYSTEMS

Grid-tied PV systems

A grid-tied system is the most common and least expensive of all residential solar systems. It allows you to use your own solar-generated electricity to save energy and reduce costs. At times when the PV system isn’t producing electricity, such as at night, electricity is provided by the utility company’s grid, or network of power stations.

One of the benefits of a grid-tied system is that any excess electricity produced by your solar system can be fed back to the grid through a process known as net-metering. With net-metering, which is available in most areas, when you use electricity from the grid your meter spins forward. The less electricity you use from off the grid, the slower your meter spins. Even better, when you are feeding electricity back to the grid, your meter spins backwards!

Stand-alone PV systems

Stand-alone PV systems, also called off-the-grid or off-grid, operate independently from the utility grid, providing all of the electricity needed in the home. Stand-alone systems are much more expensive than grid-tied systems. However, for homes located in remote areas without utility service, or where installing power lines would be extremely costly, a stand-alone system is a good option.

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