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Trying to corral your cooling costs, especially during summers like the ones we have here in Tampa, can be a fool’s errand. The sheer impossibility of cutting down the energy bill to a manageable level is something that some of us can only dream of, but there are a few of us that have figured it out.

If you’re one of the lucky few, then count yourself fortunate! But if you’re not, then you might be on the lookout for some handy tips that will help you save money this year. We’re here to help! Here are a few handy secrets to keeping cooling costs down in Tampa from the AC experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric.

Use Ceiling Fans

Cranking the AC isn’t the only way to stay cool indoors! Your ceiling fans can help out just as much as central air can, but you need to be smart about it. Ceiling fans work by blowing air over your skin, effectively evaporating the moisture and creating a cooling feeling.

However, it’s not the same thing as AC. A ceiling fan doesn’t actually create cool air, so it’s only effective if you’re in the room. Leaving a fan running when you’re not in the room won’t actually do anything except waste money.

Invest in a Smart Thermostat

The only way to actually make a room cooler is by using the AC. But then you’re back to square one: it makes the home cooler, but if it’s ridiculously expensive to do so, then is it worth it? The solution: a smart thermostat.

These devices allow you to schedule times when your cooling system will kick on – like when you come home from work, for instance, or after the kids are out of school. It means you’ll still enjoy cool air, but your home won’t waste energy pumping cool air through a home that nobody’s there to feel!

Utilize Shade

If there’s no excess heat in your home in the first place, then you won’t need to spend a fortune on cooling it down! When your home is properly shaded, the heat is stopped in its tracks and it’s trapped outside.

Invest in some heavy-duty blackout curtains for rooms that face the midday sun, and make sure every room has proper shading regardless of its orientation.

Open your Windows

Keeping cooling costs down in Tampa is a breeze — literally — thanks to the oldest trick in the book! Open your windows a bit, especially at night, to let cool air come inside – all for free! Even if it’s just for the later part of the day or earlier in the morning while the air hasn’t become oppressively hot yet, this strategy will pay off in no time.

 

Combining all of these strategies will certainly help you and your family stay cool and comfortable all summer long for a fraction of the usual cost. But even if you just choose to use one or two, these methods will still make a noticeable difference.

Give the cooling experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273 to see how else we can make sure this Tampa summer is a great one!

Since we’re right on the cusp of yet another Tampa summer, it’s more important than ever to make sure that your AC unit is working properly. The last thing we would want to happen is for you and your family to get ready to enjoy a cool home, with the kids on vacation, only to realize the air isn’t working right.

That’s why we want to help ensure that doesn’t happen. When you’re faced with common cooling issues, it helps to know what’s causing them so you’ll have the right tools and knowledge to identify the problem. If it’s fixable at home, you can take care of it no problem. But if it’s more extensive, then the pros at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric are here to help!

Uneven Cooling

This is one of the more frustrating problems homeowners encounter. It’s not that your AC isn’t working – clearly, because you can feel it quite easily in some places – it’s just that it isn’t as strong everywhere else. So, what’s the deal? It might be a handful of different things.

• Blocked vent registers: If your vents aren’t open, then the air doesn’t have a natural place to escape from. It will start to get backed up, meaning certain areas of your home will get cooler than others.
• Obstructions in ducts: Sort of the same idea. Ducts with blockages in them will naturally have a harder time routing the cool air where it needs to go. When these obstructions stay for too long, you’ll notice the residual lack of even cooling pretty soon.

General Lack of Cooling

Odds are, if you’re experiencing an issue with your AC, then it’s probably going to involve not having the right cooling power that you’re expecting. Here are a couple of possibilities behind that:

• Dirty filter: All homeowners should be diligent about replacing the filters in the AC. If you don’t maintain a strict replacement schedule, the filter will get clogged, meaning it will have a harder time screening out the pollutants that make it harder to have a properly cooled and ventilated home. Be sure to swap yours out on time!
• Suffocated condenser: The big metal box sitting outside your home is integral to maintaining a cool home. Although it’s not pleasant to look at, it needs space to operate, so don’t cover it up or leave a lot of bushes or branches around it.
• Electrical Problem: Sometimes the problem isn’t with the AC itself, but instead with the wiring that powers it. Check to see if all the electrical components are working right, and make sure they’re all connected and powered on. The same goes for the thermostat – double-check to see if it’s working as intended.

 

Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric: Tampa’s Cooling Experts

Having a properly functioning AC is high on everyone’s list this summer. When yours is on the fritz, don’t waste any time! Give the AC experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273 to find out how we can help you get your AC back to the high performance you expect in no time!

While the weather finally warming can be a welcome reprieve from the dreariness of winter, it can bring hazardous extreme weather. During hurricane season, you can expect severe rain, lightning, flooding, high winds, and even tornados and hail storms.

Since we must endure these unknowns before we can fully enjoy spring and summer, it is imperative to prepare accordingly. And with hurricane season set to officially start in just a few weeks, it’s an ideal time to make sure you’re ready. To help you get ahead of potentially hazardous weather, the pros at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric are here to share some safety tips for hurricane season.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Because it is ill-advised to use electricity or light matches during storm power outages, you should have an emergency kit with supplies for such an event. With that in mind, here are some electrically-safe essentials to include in your kit:

• Plenty of batteries
• Flashlights
• Manual can opener for non-perishable food (Even if you have power, using an electric can opener is a dangerous risk to take in a flooding situation.)
• Wind-up or battery-powered radio
• Safety gear (If you must walk through flood water for any reason, you should wear the appropriate water-proof gear. This can include safety boots, gloves, goggles, etc.)

Learn Your Home’s Electrical Layout

In the event of hazardous weather, you should be prepared to shut off your power and utilities asap. In order to do that, you should learn the layout of your home’s electrical system. Therefore, you should familiarize yourself and your family with the location of your home’s circuit breaker and your gas meter.

Install a Whole-Home Surge Protector

Although point-of-use surge protectors can protect your larger electronic investments, a whole-home surge protector can cover all your devices. Avoid overlooking other important appliances like your washer, dryer, stove, and AC unit by installing a whole-home surge protector.

Invest in a Backup Generator

While a portable generator may seem convenient, it can become an electrical hazard if used improperly in a flooding situation. Because most portable generators are fueled by gasoline, they cannot be used indoors. Therefore, if you would rather not have to brave the outdoors during heavy rain or flooding, this is not the right generator for you. We recommend investing in a permanent standby generator as the most convenient and safest option during hurricane season.

No Downed Wire Is Safe

Even in the event of a power outage during a storm, a downed wire can still be a serious electrocution hazard. Because of this, you should avoid contact with downed wires and areas surrounding them.

Unplug all Electronics

During a thunderstorm, electronics such as TVs, DVD players, stereos, and computers can be damaged if lightning strikes. Furthermore, a wide-spread power outage can lead to a dangerous power surge when the electricity eventually comes back on. You can eliminate the risk of damaging your electronics or causing a fire hazard by unplugging them once electricity goes out.

Keep Your Power Turned Off

If your home has experienced flooding, you should immediately turn off your power. Since water can damage internal components of electrical appliances, like your refrigerator and washing machine, keeping them powered on elevates the threat of electrocution and fire hazards.

Turn off Your Utilities and Propane Tanks

Often during hurricanes, you will be instructed to turn off your utilities. Make sure you know how to do this, and how to turn off your propane tanks, as well.  

If You Smell Gas, Follow These Safety Guidelines:

• If you can, notify emergency authorities immediately.
• Don’t turn on lights.
• Do not light matches.
• Make sure your gas line is turned off.

Do Not Step in Flooded Areas of Your House

If you can avoid it, do not step in flooded areas of your home during a hurricane. You never know if there are live electrical currents near the flood water that could lead to electrocution.

 

Now that you are armed with these electrical safety tips for hurricane season, you can prepare for anything! For extra help in preparing your house for anything Mother Nature throws at it, the pros at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have got you covered. Call us today at (813) 703-1273 or fill out a service request form on our website for help from one of our electrical experts!

The Tampa summers we all know and love might not officially be here quite yet, but it’s definitely getting hotter. The spiking temperatures and the increasing humidity mean that it’s time to hunker down and start to figure out how we’re going to keep our homes cool.

Usually that just means flipping the AC on as high as it will go and worrying about the cost later. If you’re comfortable doing that, then feel free! Some of us, though, aren’t willing to do that all the time. When you’re trying to save money, it feels like you can be stuck between a rock and a hard place this time of year. Should you crank the air on or try and figure out how to cut costs? It seems like one or the other.

But it doesn’t have to be! Here are a few energy-efficient ways to cool your home in Tampa from the experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric. We’ll help you achieve that cool and comfortable home without breaking the bank!

Ductless Mini-Split Systems

An easy way to save money is by changing out the type of air system that you have in general. While a lot of homeowners might not be willing to front the cost to replace an entire air system – and we understand the hesitation – a ductless mini-split system makes a lot of sense.

It’s quieter, requires less space to operate and is mountable anywhere. Its flexibility and versatility gives it a leg up on traditional HVAC systems. And since it’s split up into individual zones, you don’t have to waste money cooling an entire home when you just need one smaller area to be more comfortable. You can cut cooling costs dramatically while still achieving the temperature you want.

Keep Out the Sun

When there’s no high temperature to fight at all, there isn’t a need for cool air, right? So if your home never gets unbearably hot in the first place, then you’d never need to blast it with frigid AC to get it back down to manageable levels.

And what’s a bigger heat source than the sun? When it’s allowed to shine through windows and into your home all day, these rooms are understandably going to be significantly hotter than others. Invest in some blackout curtains and leave them drawn for most of the day to keep the temperatures here more tolerable.

Get the Most Out of Your Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are underrated when it comes to keeping you cool. Sometimes they’re just as effective as traditional air conditioning, but that comes with a distinct caveat: they only work if you’re in the room with them.

Fans don’t work by cooling the actual air in your home. They evaporate the moisture from your skin, making it feel like your temperature is dropping. So as long as you’re sleeping or sitting in a room with the fan on, it’ll be just as good as AC. Just make sure to turn them off when you leave, or you’ll just be wasting the energy to use them.

Acree: Tampa’s Energy-Efficient Cooling Pros

We’re always eager to help out our Tampa neighbors when they need reliable cooling service. When you’re stumped while trying to figure out how to stay comfortable during the sweltering Tampa summer, Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric is here to help!

Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to see how else we can help!

When it comes to heating and cooling options here in Tampa, you’ve usually got just a handful to choose from. If you don’t stick with a traditional HVAC system, then you probably have a heat pump. Other than those, the choices get more obscure and less common, so it feels like you have a hand tied behind your back when it’s time to pick how you want your home to be heated and cooled.

But did you know there’s another perfectly viable option? Geothermal cooling systems technically fall under the category of heat pumps, but they’re different in how they achieve the temperature change. But if you’re not super familiar with how they work, you might be skeptical. Have no fear! The geothermal experts at Acree Plumbing & Air are here to explain how geothermal cooling operates.

How Geothermal Cooling Works

When you break geothermal systems down to their core, they aren’t too different from traditional systems. They still use a series of tubes filled with refrigerant that absorb and expel heat to achieve your desired temperature, but that’s generally where the similarities end.

Because with a generic HVAC system, the heat transfer is centered around the outdoor condenser unit. That’s where the excess heat is released into the atmosphere or pulled into the air system depending on the function at the time. But a geothermal system utilizes an underground series of tubes to get rid of or add heat to the refrigerant.

These systems use the earth’s natural, relatively stable temperature to regulate the refrigerant flowing underground. When the refrigerant absorbs excess heat, it carries it into the ground and releases it there, away from your home, cooling your interior. And when winter rolls around, just reverse the process to warm your home up!

Is it Efficient?

It’s not only efficient – it’s more efficient than the traditional HVAC system you might already have in your home. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a geothermal system can result in significant energy savings in just a few years. Thanks to their efficiency, geothermal systems’ energy usage pales in comparison to air-based HVAC systems.

That efficiency does come with a drawback, though. Given how extensive installing the network of pipes in a geothermal system can be, the costs associated with installing one can be quite high on the front end. This is an understandable deterrent for some homes, but we believe the benefits of installing one vastly outweigh the cost up front.

Since they’re so reliable and efficient, geothermal systems are roughly 5 times better at providing energy than regular systems, and they last an extremely long time. How long? The mechanical parts are good for roughly 15 years, while the underground pipes themselves have a life of 50-plus years!

Acree Plumbing & Air: Tampa’s Geothermal Cooling Experts

A geothermal cooling system can seem complicated and overwhelming. But that’s what Acree Plumbing & Air is here for! We’ve got the answers to all the questions you may have about this new type of cooling system, and we’ll work with you to determine how a geothermal system can specifically benefit you.

Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to see how this one change can help you stay cool more efficiently!

We’ve already got to deal with the fast-arriving summer season on the horizon here in Tampa. That will prompt us to make some changes to our home’s air system already, but if you’ve got pets as well, then you’re well aware of how fickle it can all be. Figuring out how to keep your HVAC unit running smoothly in conjunction with healthy indoor air can be tough with your furry friend around.

Have no fear! With our handy HVAC tips for pet owners, the experts at Acree Plumbing & Air will help you and your family ensure that you’re breathing refreshing, clean air all year long.

Clean Your Carpets

Pets spend a lot of time walking around on carpet – speaking in terms of cats and dogs, mostly – and more often than not, they shed. When their hair gets stuck in the carpet, it invites allergens and other harmful contaminants to take root and start spreading.

Eventually these allergens circulate into the air and spread even more, which can directly lead to harmful health effects for you and your family. Nausea, dizziness, sneezing and other symptoms pop up when allergens get too widespread. Make sure to clean your carpets frequently to ensure this doesn’t become a problem!

Stay Diligent About Changing Your Air Filter

As a homeowner, you’re almost certainly changing your air filter fairly often anyway. But with a pet in the mix, the air can get dirtier and you might experience a drop in quality quicker. Because you’re more at risk for unhealthier air, it’s even more imperative that you change the air filter on schedule.

Just double-check the label to see you’re getting the right-sized filter. And depending on how the indoor air situation might change with a new pet, it might be worth a look to see if you could use a finer filter to screen out more pollutants.

Make Sure Floor Vents Are Clean

Pets, especially ones with fur, get hot. Quickly. To cool themselves down, they like to plop down on floor vents where they can feel the blast of cool air right on their bellies. It’s good for them, but some of that fur gets loose and lodges in the vents.

Don’t let it get too clogged, because then your HVAC system will start to suffer a drop in efficiency as the cycle compensates for blocked vents. Clean them out frequently to keep an obstruction-free air circulation at home.

Schedule Routine Maintenance

There’s nothing like having a professional inspect your HVAC system. When you’ve got a pet, the unit can get thrown out of whack quicker than it normally would, which is why it’s important to have an expert take a look twice a year or so.

You’ll have peace of mind knowing your unit is performing just fine, and your technician can explain the best practices for keeping your air flowing normally when your furry friend is present. Acree Plumbing & Air has plenty of experience managing cooling situations in homes with pets, and we’d be glad to give you a hand.

Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 for the most reliable HVAC service for pet owners in Tampa!

There’s no time quite like when the seasons decide to change a quarter of the way through the year. When spring hits, it usually means pollen and other allergens are in full force and ready to wreak havoc on everyone. The changing seasons not only make it difficult to breathe sometimes – this time of the year can ruin your home’s indoor air quality.

So how do you fix it? Raising your air quality at home isn’t too tough, but it’ll require a couple of dedicated changes to help make your home comfortable once again. Follow the pros at Acree Plumbing & Air as we give you a couple of handy ways to do just that!

Change Your Air Filter

This is a step that a lot of homeowners surprisingly neglect until it’s too late. You should ideally swap your air filter out every month, but give or take a few days depending on the type of filter. Filters are great at screening pollutants, but they wear down eventually.

And especially since they’re being bombarded with a ton of new allergens to keep out, it can’t do anything but help when you install a new one with the changing seasons.

Clean Some Ducts

Your ducts are generally hidden, so you might not pay too much attention to them unless something is wrong. But they’re always up there, funneling air and dispersing it through your home to provide you with the cool air you desperately need here in Florida.

But they get dirty too, and clogged ducts are no good. You don’t need to have your ducts cleaned too often, but getting a professional to perform this job every 5 years or so will be beneficial.

Bring in Some Green

Did you know that certain plants can do more than just make your home look prettier? Some plants are very good at removing moisture from the air, which will reduce humidity and in turn raise your home’s indoor air quality.

Peace lilies, Tillandsia and certain kinds of ivy are terrific examples of plants you can introduce to your home. You’ll be able to start breathing easier in addition to brightening up your living space!

Nip Any Problems in the Bud

The best way to make sure your home’s air quality is always high is to prevent your air system from suffering problems in the first place. But how do you do that? By scheduling preventative maintenance, of course.

When you allow an expert to service your home, you’ll get the handiwork of someone who has a wealth of knowledge and experience. They’ll discover any smaller issues that could potentially become larger problems if left untreated, and they’ll recommend the best ways to stop those concerns in their tracks.

Acree Plumbing & Air: Your Tampa IAQ Experts

When you’re on the lookout for a company that can ensure you always have the highest-possible indoor air quality, Acree Plumbing & Air is here to make sure that search is short. With our time-tested methods and our dedicated team, we’re always here to help our neighbors stay comfortable all year long.

Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to find out how we can help you today!

Technology has advanced in a lot of ways — some of it much quicker than others — but it can often feel like the things that power our homes have lagged behind. While phones are getting more advanced every year, for example, we’ve been stuck with the same old lighting and HVAC systems for a while.

However, the second part isn’t completely true. Did you know there’s an advanced, modern method of AC to cool your home? With a ductless AC system, you can bring your home into the present day. But what is a ductless AC system, and how can it help? And should you switch? All good questions — just follow along, and the experts at Acree Plumbing & Air can help you out!

What is a Ductless AC System?

A ductless AC system is just what it sounds like. It gets rid of the interconnected ductwork in your home that circulates air, and it replaces it with several mounted units that are individually responsible for generating hot and cool air.

Think of them as several fans or window-mounted AC units that you’d normally place in rooms throughout your home. Each one is controllable, so you can adjust the temperature depending on what each room’s needs are.

What are the Benefits to Adding a Ductless AC System?

There are certainly many benefits to adding a ductless air system to your home, and some of them will matter more to some people than others, and vice versa. But here are a couple of the reasons we feel adding one would be most beneficial to the majority of homeowners.

• It lowers costs. With a regular duct-based system, you’re going to be saddled with a hefty energy bill when you run your AC. The HVAC unit has to work up enough power to funnel air at a certain temperature through the whole home, even if you just want to adjust the air in a few rooms. This adds up. A ductless air system only heats the rooms you want to, saving you plenty of money in lower bills.
• It’s easy to install. When you make the switch to a ductless air system, you won’t have to deal with a contractor ripping up your home for weeks on end. These systems are smaller and require significantly less construction to install. They’ll be in and out before you know it!
• It’s better for you and the environment. Ductless air systems drastically cut back on the amount of energy you use compared to a traditional HVAC system, so you can relax comfortably knowing you’re being more environmentally conscious. And because these units use a meticulous filtration system to clean the air they put in your home, your indoor air quality is healthier as well!

Whether or not you should switch to a ductless AC system is up to you and your family. They can save you money if you plan on maximizing the usage of your unit over time. They’re more expensive to install up front, however. These systems aren’t for everybody, but we at Acree Plumbing & Air would be glad to talk them over with you.

Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to learn more about the pros and cons of a ductless AC system today!

The temperatures have been steadily climbing. And you know what that means, especially here in Tampa: it’s time for the AC to reclaim its rightful place as the ruler of your home. Without it, everyone here would be in for a rough time, which is why it’s so important to make sure your AC works.

But every now and then, you get a frustrating surprise – you set the thermostat, and for whatever reason, your AC won’t turn on! Here are a few reasons you might be faced with this unfortunate setback. The pros at Acree Plumbing & Air will tell you what could be going on, so you know whether to call an expert to come fix it – or if you can just adjust a few things at home to get it back in working order.

Double-Check the Basics

Before you get into the nitty-gritty of specific AC problems, it helps to just go over the things you might’ve looked over by accident first. Even if you’re sure that you did these things in the first place, it can’t hurt. Who knows? Maybe you’ll realize you forgot something and  save yourself a significant amount of money and time.

• Power: Is the power on? And if it’s on, is there a supply of electricity? If these are good to go, then make sure all the connections are secure and you don’t see any dangling wires or loose joints.
• Vents: Sometimes we leave the vents closed, which can have a negative effect on your AC system. Open them up to get the air flowing.
• Electricity Problem: Check the source of your power, either the breaker or fuse box. Did the breaker trip, or did something short-circuit? Or maybe a fuse blew and needs to be replaced? A quick inspection will reveal the answer.

Dirty/Clogged Filter

Believe it or not, a dirty air filter can have a bigger impact on your AC system than you’d think. If you’ve gone a while without replacing it, then your system is going to struggle to work as intended. Eventually, so much dirt will build up that it could prevent your AC system from even turning on in the first place.

Be sure to change your filter out every 30 days or so – and perhaps a little more or less depending on the type of filter you have.

Refrigerant Leak

Leaks aren’t always easy to detect. Unless you’re keenly aware of the symptoms – like a sudden drop in AC performance or rapidly fluctuating temperatures – you might not be able to tell when one has occurred.

But as a leak grows, it makes it harder for your AC system to reach the temperature you set it to. Go too long without addressing it, and your system could shut down completely. Call a professional if you think that you might be suffering from a refrigerant leak.

AC problems are no fun for anybody. But with Acree Plumbing & Air’s help, you won’t need to spend time figuring out what the issue is – our licensed and experienced technicians can figure it out for you in no time. Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to learn more!

The summer season is just around the corner, and we’d hate for you to get stuck with a leaky AC in the middle of the night. Nobody wants to wake up, soaked in sweat, and we want to help you avoid that potential problem. When your AC is leaking, time is of the essence. The longer it goes unrepaired, the longer you and your family have to live in the heat.

There are usually a handful of reasons that your AC could be leaking, and we’ll run through a couple of them. Follow along as the AC experts at Acree Plumbing & Air help sort this frustrating issue out for you!

Drain Pan Problems

Your AC has a drain pan under it that catches any condensation that drips off during the cooling cycle. Without it, all that moisture would just go straight to whatever’s below the unit – whether that’s your ceiling or another area. So, this handy pan is obviously critical to keeping your home dry.

But the pan can suffer from problems, just like everything else. It might become cracked, or it could spring a leak somewhere. It could even fill up and overflow!

The best way to figure out if this is a drain-pan problem is to call an expert. You can take a look at it yourself if you know your way around an HVAC unit, but this is something that a professional will be able to identify and diagnose quickly.

Clogged Drain Line

The condensate that accumulates as a result of the cooling cycle has to go somewhere, doesn’t it? That’s what the drain line is for. It, too, can suffer from its own share of issues, however. Things like algae and fungi build up in the drain line, eventually constricting the opening so much that it clogs.

When this happens, the buildup will prevent condensate from properly draining outside, and it’ll overflow, leading to a leak from your AC unit. Again, let an AC expert solve your problems here.

That said, once they’ve cleaned out the clog, you can do your part to prevent it from reoccurring. Pour some bleach or vinegar down the pipe where the condensate runs into so you can break down obstructions before it gets bad.

Bad Installation

Any AC service provider worth their salt will install your unit correctly, but sometimes you get a bad egg. They’ll mess up the installation somehow, and one of the most common ways that happens is when the AC unit isn’t level.

The drain pan gets tilted, and the condensate pools on one end, which will obviously cause it to run over the side and drip below into your home. If you think this may be the case, call an AC expert – and probably not the one who installed this unit in the first place!

Acree Plumbing & Air: Reliable AC Service in Tampa

When your AC unit is on the fritz, you need to be able to trust a service provider to fix the issue quickly and correctly. That’s what we pride ourselves on here at Acree Plumbing & Air – trustworthy service from a friendly company.

Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 for more information on how we can help make sure your AC is good to go for the hotter weather!