Is it Time to Upgrade Your HVAC System?

HVAC systems have a long life span, but just because it can last up to 15 years, it doesn’t mean you should keep it that long. From energy efficiency to enhanced air quality, there are many reasons why Lake of the Ozarks homeowners should upgrade their systems. Royal Heating and Air is here to help homeowners navigate the choices they have when deciding whether to upgrade or not. Here are a few tips to see if you need to upgrade your HVAC system:

Out of Date or Aging HVAC System

HVAC systems can typically last a homeowner anywhere from 10 to 15 years. AC Units need to be replaced every 10 to 15 years, while furnaces can last anywhere from 15 to 20 years. Thermostats can last up to twice as long as the rest of the HVAC system, but because of their relatively low cost and frequent updates, homeowners tend to replace thermostats more frequently than necessary.

One way to prematurely age an HVAC system is to neglect servicing. Our Lake of the Ozarks HVAC company recommends having your heating and cooling system serviced at least twice per year – once in the spring and once in the fall. Servicing your system will ensure it is working at its optimum efficiency and will help extend your equipment life, lower your utility bills and help provide consistent performance from your equipment. 

Although your furnace and air conditioner may not need replacing at the same time, it’s often in your best interest to take on the entire project at once. When you purchase a new system all at once, it ensures that all components work together.

Improved Energy Efficiency

Many older systems are not energy efficient, meaning they constantly waste energy and increase your utility bills. If energy efficiency is your goal when upgrading your HVAC system, make sure the system you purchase is Energy Star Qualified. The energy star program ensures that all endorsed appliances exceed federal standards for energy efficiency.

When replacing your HVAC system, be sure to take a look at the ductwork as well. According to Energy Star, a typical house loses about 20 to 30 percent of the air that moves through the duct system due to leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts. This results in higher utility bills and difficulty keeping the house at a comfortable temperature.

Enhanced Air Quality

HVAC systems manage indoor air quality along with cooling and heating your home. Poor air quality can lead to numerous health problems including allergies, asthma attacks, respiratory problems and even carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend 87 percent of their life indoors, so clean air is critical to our overall health and wellbeing. Many outdated units are not capable of meeting today’s indoor air quality standards, nor are they compatible with add-ons, such as whole house humidifiers, air purifiers and ventilators.

Upgrading with Royal Heating and Air

Royal Heating and Air is a full-service, locally owned and operated HVAC company servicing the Lake of the Ozarks area. We service all makes and models and are a dealer for Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems. Many of our units meet the Energy Star standard, ensuring you energy efficiency with your new HVAC system. We offer free estimates as well as 24/7 emergency service. Call 573-480-4313 today to see if your HVAC system needs upgrading.

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com
CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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9 Ways to Keep Cool Without Blasting the AC

Summer at the Lake of the Ozarks is famous for time spent out on the water and in the sun, but it’s also known for being hot and humid. The fact that summer is our rainy season only increases the humidity. Royal Heating & Air wants to help you maximize the efficiency of your air conditioning when you are at home. Use these tricks to cool off without the AC running 24/7:

Close the Blinds

By simply closing the blinds to block the sun, you can maximum the time your AC unit is spent turned on. Most of the unwanted heat comes from your windows. Utilizing blinds and curtains can lower inside temperatures drastically.

Open the Windows at Night

Luckily, the Lake area cools off during the night. Take advantage of this time and open the windows to let the naturally chilled air lower the temperature inside. If you do open the windows at night, make sure you close them before it gets too hot in the morning.

Cook Outside

Grilling is not only a fun activity during the summer months, but is also a good way to keep your house cool. When it is hot inside, the last thing you would want to do is turn the oven on to a toasty 425 degrees. Cooking outside, if possible, is a great way to keep the house cool.

Keep Your Feet Cold

Feet are very sensitive to temperature. An easy way to cool down the whole body is to dunk your feet in a bucket of cold water. Dunk your feet before bed to keep cool throughout the night. If needed, keep it by your bed and dip your feet in whenever you’re feeling hot while sleeping.  

Switch to Cotton Sheets

Cotton breathes easier and stays cooler longer than flannel, fleece or polyester linens. Cotton bedding will also transfer moisture away from the skin.

Switch to Buckwheat Pillows

Buckwheat hulls have a naturally occurring air space between them. They also won’t hold in your body heat like conventional pillows.

Cool Down from the Inside Out

Cooling your body temperature first will help you step away from the AC. Drink plenty of ice water and apply a cold cloth to your neck and wrist. If you drink a glass of ice water before bed, it will lower your body temperature to ensure you are not sweating during the night.

Put Ice in Front of a Fan

Filling a bowl with ice or placing an ice pack in front of a large fan will keep the room much colder. This will get cold air circulating around the room.  

Switch Out Incandescent Lights

Incandescent bulbs waste about 90 percent of their energy in the heat they emit. Switching to LED or CFL will not only cool your home, but it will also lower your electric bill.

Keep Cool with Royal Heating and Air!

These tips are a great way to keep cool during the hot, humid summer months. They will also help ensure that your air conditioning unit gets a break. Running the AC all the time will make it break down faster and require regular maintenance. If you allow your AC to take breaks, it will last longer. However, if you are in need of AC repairs at the Lake of the Ozarks, make sure to call Royal Heating and Air at 573-480-4313 to schedule an appointment.

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com
CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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Air Conditioning: The Invention That Improved the Way We Live and Work

Many of us don't think too much about air conditioning at the Lake of the Ozarks, until we are without it on a sweltering hot day! Until the 20th century, Americans dealt with hot weather by sweating and fanning themselves. In the early 1900s, the first electric fans appeared in homes in the United States, but cooling systems like we have today have only been around in the last few decades with the breakthroughs in energy-efficient technology. Royal Heating & Air thinks it's worth remembering how we arrived at the pleasant climate-controlled summers we have now:

19th Century America

In the late 1800s, some well-funded American engineers began to tackle the issue of controlling indoor temperatures. A dying President James Garfield got some relief from Washington, D.C.'s oppressive summer swelter thanks to an awkward device involving air blown through cotton sheets doused in ice water. However, Garfield's comfort required enormous energy consumption. His caretakers reportedly went through half a million pounds of ice in two months.

The Electricity Breakthrough

With electricity, came the development of the oscillating fan, which provided some reprieve. And in
1902, Willis Carrier, a 25-year old engineer from New York invented the first modern air-conditioning system. The mechanical unit, which sent air through water-cooled coils, was not intended for cooling as we know it today. It was designed to control humidity in the printing plant where he worked. In 1922, Carrier introduced the centrifugal chiller, which added a central compressor to reduce the unit's size. His invention was shared with the public on Memorial Day weekend, 1925, when it debuted at the Rivoli Theater in Times Square. For several years following, people piled into air-conditioned movie theaters on hot summer days, giving rise to the summer blockbuster.

The Invention That Improved the Way We Live and Work

The invention of the air conditioner shaped 20th-century America. In the 1930s, air conditioning could be found in department stores, rail cars, and offices, increasing workers' summer productivity. Until then, central courtyards and wide-open windows had offered the only relief. Residential air conditioning was slower to catch on. As late as 1965, just 10 percent of U.S. homes had it, according to the Carrier Corporation. Families in the South made do by sleeping on the porch. By 2007, however, the number increased to 86 percent. As cool air spread across the country, Sun Belt cities that had been unbearable in the summer became more attractive places to live and work, promoting a long-term shift in U.S. population.

Can Keep Your Cool This Summer with Royal Heating & Air 

Stay cool this summer by getting your air conditioning serviced at the Lake of the Ozarks. It is imperative to maintain your cooling unit so it runs at optimum efficiency. Royal Heating & Air services all makes and models and we are a dealer for Bryant Cooling Systems. We are a full-service, locally owned and operated HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks. Contact us today at (573) 480-4313 to speak to one of our technicians.

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com
CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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Don't Get Caught on the Hottest Day of Summer Without Air Conditioning!

As the weather warms up, now is the perfect time to contact your HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks for routine service. Manufacturers recommend servicing your cooling system to ensure it is working at optimum efficiency. No one wants to be stuck on the hottest day of summer without cool air! In addition, your HVAC system does not just regulate the temperature in your home, it is also responsible for the quality of indoor air and managing the amount of moisture in the air in your home. This is why preventative maintenance on your HVAC is essential to the comfort of your home. Another reason to have your HVAC system serviced at the Lake of the Ozarks is because your AC and heater have a direct impact on your power bills. HVAC systems that are well maintained not only perform better, but they are also more energy efficient. HVACs that are serviced regularly are much less likely to need repair work.

Why Your HVAC System Needs Preventative Maintenance

If you have already turned on your air conditioning system this season and it seems to be working properly, you may think that it does not need maintenance. However, these systems can continue to cool your home even if they have mechanical problems that may not be noticeable yet. Cooling systems have a number of working parts that maintain the temperature in your home. If one of them develops an issue, the problem will only get worse over time. It is possible for the other parts of the air conditioning system to run longer to make up for the work not being done by the malfunctioning part. The additional strain can even cause more parts in your HVAC system to break down. 

Royal Service & Air can detect small and developing problems and address them before they become expensive or difficult to resolve. Preventative maintenance can also ensure that your cooling systems are able to keep your home comfortable no matter what the temperature is outside.  When the HVAC system is working properly, it will not need to run as long to keep your home the temperature you have set on the thermostat. This can help decrease your cooling costs, especially since half of your utility bill is related to running your heater and AC.

Having regular maintenance can extend the life of your heating and cooling equipment. Preventative maintenance helps to reduce the wear and tear on your HVAC system, which means you should not have to replace them as often. With regular inspection, you will be able to tell if is more cost effective to replace or repair older units.

What Is Involved in Preventative Maintenance of Your HVAC

When Royal Heating & Air comes to your home, we will inspect your air conditioning in the spring and heater in the fall. Your air conditioner works by blowing warm air over coils that have coolant in them. The coolant draws the heat out of the air. Then, cooled air is blown into the air ducts of your home. We will check to make sure that you have enough coolant and that the coils are clean and free of leaks. If coolant is leaking or the coils are dirty, air will be difficult to cool. In addition, clogged air ducts can prevent air from reaching every area of your home and dirty air filters will make your AC blower motors work harder. This can reduce the quality of air. We will do a standard check of your thermostat to make sure it is accurate and keeping your home at the temperature you set it at.

Let Royal Heating & Air Service Your HVAC For Optimum Efficiency

Royal Heating & Air recommends that your have your HVAC serviced at the Lake of the Ozarks twice per year, once in the the spring and once in the fall. Preventative maintenance will help extend the life, lower your utility bills, and help provide consistent performance from your equipment. To schedule an appointment, contact us at (573) 480-4313 or (573) 346-8370.

Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com
CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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Welcome to Royal Heating & Air's Blog!

Welcome to the new Royal Heating & Air's blog. We will feature a new blog every week to share with our customers. We will provide you with valuable information on heating and cooling topics, as well as preventative measures to keep your HVAC equipment at the Lake of the Ozarks running at peak performance. Find out more about Royal Heating & Air and how our locally owned and operated business can help you:

About Our Company

Royal Heating & Air is a full-service HVAC company at the Lake of the Ozarks. From preventative maintenance to complete furnace and air conditioning installations, we can provide you with affordable, dependable, trustworthy service. We service all makes and models and we are a dealer for Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems. For all of your heating and cooling needs, call Royal Heating & Air – “The King of Comfort.”

Our Services

Besides offering installation of new heating and cooling systems, heat pumps, and whole home humidifiers, we do custom sheet metal fabrication. Custom duct-work can allow for better airflow, distributes air evenly between rooms, and reduces leaks in unwanted areas. In addition, we provide free estimates and 24/7 emergency services.

Stay Connected with Royal Heating And Air

We will publish a new blog each week. Make sure to subscribe, so you don't miss one. We will provide you with all of the latest heating and cooling industry information and some fun too! Click on the links below to be a part of Royal Heating and Air's social network:

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Royal Heating & Air - "The King of Comfort"

Visit our website: www.RoyalHeatandAir.com
CALL TODAY! (573) 480-4313

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