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It’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind nowadays. Look anywhere: on the internet, in the papers, and at the water cooler at work, and you’ll hear everyone buzzing about one thing: “How do I make my home more eco-friendly?” It’s a good question, to be sure. The rapid advance of technology and upgraded appliances have made it much easier to introduce complicated devices into our homes, but that can come at the expense of sacrificing efficiency and environmental health.

Well, fear no more. The ways to ease the eco-burden you’re placing on the world around you are vast, but we’re not going to dig up every one and give you a list – you’d spend days reading. Instead, the experienced professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have just four simple and easy tips you can take advantage of to instantly boost the eco-friendliness of your home. Not only will you be able to feel good about the impact you’re making (or no longer making), but every one of these tips will also help you save a few extra bucks when the bills roll around!

To learn more about the ways you can save energy and money, schedule an appointment with us! We’ve got Tampa’s best and most reliable service, and you’ll see why!

Limit Power Usage

One quick and simple fix to the amount of energy you use is to unplug devices when you’re not using them. The residual power they draw from when not in use, while not substantial, can add up depending on how many you have.

• Alternatively, you can consolidate several devices into power strips, which can be shut off by a single switch. You won’t have to go to each individual appliance or electronic, saving you time.

Use LED Bulbs

Traditional incandescent bulbs are power-sucking, inefficient ways of lighting. They don’t last long, so you’re going to be funneling through your reserves of light bulbs all the time. Instead, switch to LED bulbs. They’re more expensive up-front, but LED bulbs need to be replaced far, far less than incandescent bulbs do, and they’re vastly more efficient at lighting an area.

• A smart solution – regardless of whether you switch bulbs or not – is to utilize natural light as much as possible. It’s free!

Limit Excessive Water Use

We use an insane amount of water, and a lot surprisingly comes from using it when there’s no reason to! A few quick fixes are to shut off the faucet when brushing your teeth, making a conscious effort to take shorter showers, or to switch your toilets and showerheads to low-flow models that use significantly less water.

Use a Programmable Thermostat

Thermostats are great. However, you’re kind of stuck when you’re using one: there’s only one temperature, and the whole house is forced to be that hot or cold, regardless of whether it’d be more efficient to do something else.

• A programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature for certain times during the day – say, when you go to work or school, and nobody’s home. You’re not wasting energy and money to heat a room nobody’s there to enjoy!

 

Don’t stop there. This just scratches the surface of all the ways you can find to improve the eco-friendliness of your home, and the methods are limitless. Give Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273 and schedule an appointment, and one of our technicians will help you discover even more ways to increase the energy efficiency of your home!

The eternal struggle – which everyone goes through – when it comes to maximizing efficiency at home is figuring out how to keep energy bills low. Some of us are able to do it without too much hand-wringing, but a lot of times that comes at the expense of sacrificing comfort in the name of saving money. That back-and-forth tug-of-war is frustrating, but there exists a sweet spot where you can remain comfortable while also shaving some of the cost down each month.

Enacting changes to your routine or the manner in which you use electricity isn’t always the smoothest transition to make, but when that bill comes in the mail, and when the number on it is lower than it usually is, those changes become somewhat easier to stomach. Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric loves to do whatever we can to help out our Tampa neighbors, and we think these tips will help you keep those bills down. Give us a call to learn more about how we can help you become more energy-efficient!

Optimizing Your Laundry

Washing and drying our clothes requires a ton of energy – especially if the amount of people that need their laundry done is a big number – and it does so quite frequently. Unfortunately, the cost to run a washer and dryer on high heat over and over again can put quite a strain on your energy bill.

• Washing clothes on a full load will ensure you don’t waste energy running the washing machine more than is absolutely necessary, as will switching from a top-loading machine to a front-loader.
• Exclusively washing clothes with cold water saves energy – and money – and it works just as well as using hot water does. Most detergents diffuse in each temperature of water equally well.

Unplug Appliances

Even though we might not pay it much mind – we can even ignore it altogether – everything we plug in cycles standby power through constantly. All our electronics, from our big TVs to the tiny phone chargers we leave in all day, use electricity even if we’re not actively using them.

The solution is easy, but it can seem annoying and perhaps even a waste of time. By unplugging everything after you’re done using it, you’ll save on energy you literally weren’t using. As the devices you unplug cease to use energy, the savings will pile up over time.

Use Your AC Efficiently

The Tampa climate isn’t kind to those who don’t wish to blast their AC all the time, but if you can afford to crank the temperature up even a little bit, you’ll reap the rewards. Raising the temperature to 76 or 78 degrees, while not always comfortable depending on humidity and other factors, can make a difference over the course of a year.

There you have it: 3 easy ways to cut the costs on your energy bills! They’re not going to make a massive difference – at least, not right off the bat – but the longer you take advantage of them, the more money you’re going to save. To find out other ways to save on your energy bill, or to have a professional come and work with you to devise other solutions, give Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273! Our technicians can help turn your home into a money-saving machine.

It can be hard to keep track of all the different things you’ve got to be aware of at home. There’s the cleaning you’ve got to do – which never seems to make a dent in the mess, no matter how many piles of clothes you pick up – not to mention the food that needs to be cooked or the maintenance that always has to be done on way too many parts of your home. Spending your time keeping track of these things can make being on top of the IAQ (indoor air quality) levels in your home a much less important priority, and understandably so.

However, improving the indoor air quality will help you out in short notice, and it’ll provide some great long-term benefits for you and your family. Proper IAQ levels lead to improved health levels and a generally better disposition, as well as removing any potentially harmful contaminants. The friendly IAQ experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have a few tricks to help you improve the air quality in your home.

Superpowering Your Vacuum

A significant amount of harmful particles can take root in your carpet and on your floor, and they can be detrimental to your air quality if they’re not removed. Unfortunately, average vacuum filters might not be able to remove some of the more miniscule pollutants. However, upgrading to a HEPA filter can help you extract just about all of the things you’d want removed. They can remove particles as small as .3 microns in diameter, which comes out to 99.97 percent of all contaminants.

Lower the Moisture

When too much moisture is allowed to proliferate in your home, the humidity level can sharply rise, leading to conditions that provide a favorable environment for particles to live, grow and spread. Investing in a dehumidifier will get that humidity level down to an ideal range of 30 to 50 percent. If you don’t want to purchase extra equipment, opening a window while using the shower, dishwasher or while cooking in the kitchen can let excess moisture escape.

Add Some Greenery

Certain plants are naturally inclined to remove pollutants from the air. For example, the Tillandsia plant is rootless and can grow just about anywhere. Since it doesn’t need a root system to thrive, it doesn’t get water from the ground. It feeds from airborne moisture, taking with it the negative things floating in the air. Introducing plants to your home will also add a splash of color to whatever room you place them in!

Reduce the Radon

Radon, a nearly unnoticeable radioactive gas, is formed by uranium decaying underground. Eventually, the gas seeps up and can enter homes through the lowest level – nearly 1 in 15 homes nationally have radon levels that are higher than normal, and when it reaches a certain point, your home should be tested. Thankfully, a radon test doesn’t take all that long and is fairly cheap to perform, so there’s really very little downside to having one done. Reducing radon will improve the air quality – even if you didn’t know it was poor to begin with – allowing you and your family to sleep soundly at night.

 

There are almost innumerable ways to make the air you breathe better for you, and these tips barely scratch the surface. Finding the ones that best suit the situation for you and your home is something best left up to the professionals. Give Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273 and schedule an appointment to have one of our indoor air quality experts help you find the best solution!

Your furnace is one of the most critical components of the infrastructure that keeps your home feeling comfortable. It keeps the heat on and prevents the place you and your family live in from becoming intolerable and unhealthy in the winter. But it generally doesn’t take long for you to notice when something has gone awry. There are plenty of parts in your furnace that keep it running smoothly, but a lot of them are more precise and technical, and malfunctions with them usually demand a professional perform maintenance on them instead of it being a DIY issue.

However, there is one issue you can tackle yourself – the filter. A furnace filter is something you have to pay attention to fairly frequently. As long as you stay on top of routine maintenance for it, you can manage how effectively pollutants are screened from the air that you and your family breathe in every day. To make the task even a tad bit easier, the professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have a few ways to keep your furnace filters up to snuff.

If a larger problem arises, however, give us a call! We’re ready and willing to help you determine the best course of action to solve whatever’s troubling you.

Change It Frequently

• Really, the most difficult part of furnace filter maintenance doesn’t even have much to do with the actual filter itself. When filters are used for a certain period of time – usually about a month, if not a little longer depending on the type of filter you use – they lose their effectiveness and need to be changed out. That’s why you need to be diligent about swapping out used filters for new ones.

Don’t Need to Change It? Clean It Instead

• If changing out a filter isn’t something you need to do often or at all – if you have an electric or electrostatic filter as opposed to a disposable one, mainly – then they won’t need replacing as much. Instead, you can save on the cost of replacements by simply cleaning them! After disconnecting the power supply at the breaker, remove the filter and run it under your sink or a hose to rinse off the dust that has accumulated.

Always Double-Check

• When it is time to get a new filter, the thing you’ll always need to be extra careful of is its dimensions. Even though one might be a better deal or offer more screening protection, getting a filter with the incorrect size can be extremely harmful to your system. The size of your furnace filter should be printed on the one you are removing – and if you can’t find it, then you’ll have to measure the filter itself.

 

The furnace filter is the easiest part of furnace maintenance, so once you get that handled you’ll be able to focus on keeping the furnace itself running properly. Should you run into any problems with the unit itself, the professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric can get you back on your feet in no time. Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to schedule an appointment with Tampa’s premier HVAC service provider!

The ductwork that funnels air into and throughout your home is an intricate, complex system with lots of connecting parts. It keeps your home’s air breathable, but if you’re not diligent in taking care of it then the air quality can begin to deteriorate. Standard ducts do a good enough job of ensuring your indoor air is properly circulated, but the possibility still exists that as it ages, it can begin to break down and let pollutants contaminate the air.

One solution that helps you out while also improving the environment is eco-friendly – or Green – ductwork. It offers benefits that will make the air in your home better by eliminating the contaminants that can leak into your home through traditional ductwork, and you can rest easy knowing you’ll be doing your part to help out the environment around you in the process. Here is a quick primer from the professionals at Acree Plumbing & Air on the advantages of switching to eco-friendly ductwork.

Cleaner Air

By installing eco-friendly ductwork, you’re primarily going to be ensuring the indoor air quality of your home improves. Green ducts offer better efficiency by improving the sealing capabilities, which in turn will prevent any leakage from occurring. When all the air you need to be comfortable actually travels through the ducts and into your home instead of getting lost in the attic, where it essentially gets wasted, you’ll be glad you switched.

The materials eco-friendly ductwork is made up of also eliminate harmful components like formaldehyde, which can eventually bleed into your air and pose a legitimate risk.

No More Mold

Traditional ductwork is an ideal breeding ground for mold, especially if any unwanted moisture exists around the area the ducts were installed. Eco-friendly ductwork, on the other hand, can include a barrier that prevents water from intruding and seeping into the ducts themselves, ensuring they stay mold-free.

You Save Money

Because eco-friendly ductwork is made from materials that have been recycled, the cost to produce them on the front end is reduced, and you get to enjoy that benefit through saving money. It also doesn’t require nearly as much supporting material to install eco-friendly ductwork as it would to completely install regular ductwork – meaning the extra materials and labor it usually takes is significantly reduced.

And you’ll save money after it’s been installed, too! According to the EPA, a homeowner suffers an average loss of 25 percent in efficiency through traditional ductwork. And as we talked about earlier, eco-friendly ductwork keeps your air confined to the areas it was intended to circulate through, so your energy bill isn’t suffering as a result!

 

Eco-friendly ductwork seems like a no-brainer, right? It’s better for the environment, it keeps your home’s indoor air quality at a cleaner level, and you save money. Acree Plumbing & Air can help you with any duct-related needs, even if it’s not about switching to an eco-friendly network. Need them cleaned or repaired? We’ve got you covered. Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 to learn about all the different duct services you can take advantage of today!

When the energy bills are too high, it can feel like you’re stuck in a bit of a pickle. Especially here in Tampa, where the summers are unbearable without proper cooling. If you’ve got a traditional central heating and cooling system, the costs associated with pumping tons of treated air throughout your home can pile up over time if you’re not careful. But without the proper temperature control, being comfortable can become nearly impossible.

There’s another option out there, though, and it can solve a majority of those problems. Geothermal energy is a perfectly viable option for you to take, and the benefits associated with it can pay off for you both in the short-term and over time. Acree Plumbing & Air’s team of experienced electricians is knowledgeable about geothermal energy and can help you find the best possible solution to lessen the burden on you and your family. To help you make a more informed decision, we’ve laid out a few of the advantages installing a geothermal energy system might bring you.

Power – Through the Ground

The key to geothermal energy lies in its name. Instead of an electrically powered unit, geothermal energy heats and cools air by utilizing the ground. A system of underground, liquid-filled pipes lie beneath the house, and the indoor heating and cooling unit sends the air through these pipes, into the cool ground below. Depending on whether you’re heating or cooling the home, the air gets propelled back up into the above-ground unit and is dispersed as hot or cold air.

If you’re wanting hot air, the temperature is increased by a heating pipe before being dispersed. But if the cool air is what you want, then the process is simply reversed so hot air is sent through the ground.

The Benefits Are Many

Switching to a geothermal system offers many advantages you wouldn’t otherwise be able to receive with a normal unit.

• It doesn’t require much maintenance. Unlike other units, there aren’t many moving parts to a geothermal system. It runs quietly and efficiently, and the repairs you’ll have to make over the course of its life are few and far between.
• It’s eco-friendly. Since the entire process is water-based, there’s no gas or combustion going on and as such, there are no hazardous byproducts emitted from the exhaust. It’s all safe for the environment.
• Geothermal systems are far more efficient, and it’s not even close. They’re more than twice as efficient as most furnaces, and that’s just the low end of the geothermal spectrum. Depending on the specific situation your home is in, a geothermal heating and cooling system could be as much as five times as efficient as a furnace.
• You save money in the long run. Utility bills will be drastically cut with a geothermal system – think 50 percent on heating bills and 30 percent on cooling bills.
• You don’t have to worry about it. Since the exchange process happens underground, external factors aren’t going to affect how it runs. Weather becomes a non-issue.

Unfortunately, the biggest drawback is the up-front cost. Installation of a geothermal system can be a bit pricey, but we’re confident that the longer you have one, the more pleased you’ll be with it.

Acree Plumbing & Air’s team of expert technicians can install a brand-new geothermal heating and cooling system for your home to help you endure those long, hot Tampa summers in no time. To find out even more about how a geothermal system can benefit you and your family, give us a call at (813) 703-1273 today!

Ah, Earth Day. A time to reflect on the importance of our planet, on how to take care of it and how much worse off we’ll be if it gets neglected. Doing our part to make it a better place to live doesn’t take a significant amount of effort, and the things you do to pitch in can benefit you and your family at home in addition to helping out the environment.

Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric understands the value of this place we call home, and to celebrate Earth Day, we’re offering up a few tips to mark this national day of environmental protection. Even by following just a few of these guidelines, you’ll make your mark on the area around you – and you’ll probably save some extra money on your heating and energy bills to boot!

Heating/Cooling

• Some change to your thermostat usage can pay dividends. During the summer, raise the temperature a little bit higher than normal. You can save roughly 1 percent on your heating bill for every degree you raise it in the summer or lower it in the winter.
• Another thermostat tip: consider switching to a programmable version. It’ll allow you to choose when the heat runs – meaning you can set it to cut off when nobody is home.

Everyday Materials

• Traditional light bulbs aren’t efficient at all, and they need to be replaced frequently anyway. Replace them with LED bulbs, which last longer and use much less energy. They cost a bit more up-front, but the results pay for themselves.
• Avoid using single-use disposable items when possible, such as cups, bowls and plates. You’ll cut down on waste and lessen the amount of unnecessary garbage floating around.
• Recycling can be a big help as well. If you recycle glass, paper and plastic, you can reduce the amount of garbage you use by 10 percent, lessening your carbon footprint by 1,200 pounds!
• Reducing the amount of paper towels you use and replacing them with cloth towels maximizes the reusability, and it cuts down the amount of one-time-use trash you use throughout the day.
• Limit the amount of bottled water you use and invest in a tap filter. You’ll get similar water quality, but without the unnecessary waste.

Household Appliances

• Washing clothes with only cold water eliminates the heavy energy load it takes to heat up water for hotter washing cycles.
• Crank down the temperature on your water heater to around 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The unit will use less energy to heat up a tank full of water.
• Take shorter showers, and when you do, swap out the showerheads with low-flow or aerated versions that limit the water consumption you’d normally cause with longer showers.
• Instead of using a dryer, give line-drying another look. It will help minimize the energy you use for your clothes-cleaning process.

Earth Day doesn’t enjoy the fame most other holidays do, but it’s arguably one of the most important. By following just a few of these environmentally advantageous tips, you can feel good about doing your part to make the planet a better place to live, and you’ll do it all while pocketing some extra money when bill-paying time rolls around. For more ways to become energy-efficient and upgrade your home, give the professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273!

Alright, there’s good news and bad news. First, the good news: spring is just around the corner, and with the change in seasons comes a dream of more sun, warmer weather, and a realization that going outside to get the mail isn’t asking for a bout of freezing air to smack you in the face. Unfortunately, going outdoors for enjoyable reasons once again comes with one significant drawback: it becomes allergy season, and your indoor air quality takes a hit.

Millions of people across the country get swamped with these annoying bouts of sneezing, coughing, congestion and puffy eyes, and although there are ways to reduce the effects through over-the-counter medication, you can take steps to noticeably reduce the havoc allergens wreak in your home. To help you out, the professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have a few easy options for you consider. However, if the allergens get too much to bear, there might be a problem with your indoor air quality. We’re fully equipped to handle IAQ problems, so give us a call!

Dastardly Dust

Dust is arguably the leading cause of home-based allergy problems. Dust mites (obviously) love to hang out there, and without regular cleaning and removal, dust can pile up on you and make living at home an exercise in frustration.

• Vacuum consistently, and with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filter, which removes 99.97 percent of particles .3 microns and larger.
• Wet a rag when cleaning to collect more dust. It’ll trap more of the dust particles laying around than a dry one will.
• Those get at the symptoms, but they don’t necessarily help you eliminate the root of the problem. If you take steps to minimize the amount of clutter around your home, dust will have fewer places to congregate and set up shop in the first place.

Malicious Mold

Another power player in the allergy game is mold, which, like dust, can creep up and start causing problems without you being all too aware of its presence.

• Ventilation is key. Keep a good airflow in rooms to ensure the conditions needed for mold to grow (especially bathrooms, where moisture is more present and can be a more potent breeding ground for mold).
• Places that contain no ventilation, like the cabinets under your sink or the dank corners of your basement, need to be cleaned regularly to ensure moisture isn’t hunkering down.
• Dehumidifiers are easy ways to keep moisture levels down without having to do the dirty work yourself.
• Certain types of plants are ideal places for mold to hang out as well, so stay on top of their cleaning schedule!

Pernicious Pollen and Pesky Pets

However, the allergen we most associate with spring is pollen, and rightfully so. The blooming flowers are accompanied by this annoying yellow dust, which never seems to go away no matter how much you manage to scrape off your windshield or wipe from the windows.

• Pollen’s most active time of day is in the morning, so keep your windows and doors shut during this time while pollen settles down.

Pets also cause issues indoors with the various allergens their byproducts cause. To keep them in check, be sure to wash them regularly and keep their coats clean.

Allergies aren’t fun, but they’re not invincible. By drawing up a battle plan and figuring out what allergens affect you and your home the greatest, you can decide how to combat them in a way that is best suited to your situation. The professionals at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric can walk you though a comprehensive indoor air quality solution to help you out, and you can rest easy knowing it’ll be done correctly the first time. Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 and schedule an appointment today!

You’re probably aware that you need to change out the filter in your HVAC unit regularly — and if not, you do now — but you might not know just how much variation there is in the different filters available. As it turns out, the type of filter you choose might not seem like a tough decision, but it can end up having a huge impact on the quality of air in your home. They range from almost being too cheap to even warrant a purchase, to being pricey enough where you’d wonder why on earth anything like that could possibly be so expensive!

 

To aid you in your decision, the experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have produced a quick Filter 101 that explains what the differences are, why they’re separated like they are, and which ones you should choose based on the needs of your home. While exchanging HVAC filters is a simple process, a more serious problem usually warrants professional help. If one occurs, Acree has a staff of experienced technicians who can diagnose and remedy the situation from start to finish!

 

The MERV Matters

 

There’s going to be a number somewhere on the filter, both the one you’ve got in your HVAC filter and the ones you’re looking at. It’ll be somewhere between 1 and 20, but it’ll probably be somewhere around 8 to 12. This is the MERV rating, or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and it indicates how effective the filter is at screening various sizes of particles.

 

• A 1 on the scale is going to trap only the biggest particles, like pollen or carpet fibers. It’s not going to catch the smaller, less visible ones.
• An 8 is going to usually screen anything bigger than 3 microns, which includes mold, hairspray, and pet dander.

 

Once you get farther into the double-digits, you’ll start hitting MERV ratings that are generally best served for environments where nearly every particle imaginable needs to be eliminated, like hospitals or places that house sensitive electronics.

 

The Different Filter Types

 

Filters aren’t just limited to the different MERV ratings they are given, though. There are several formats air filters come in, and each has its own pros and cons.

 

• Disposable

• • Fiberglass filters are cheap, easy to replace, and — as the name implies — you can throw them away when you change them out. They typically have a MERV rating of 2 or 3, meaning they’re not great.
  • Disposable pleated filters are more expensive thanks to being made of cotton or polyester. They’ve got a MERV rating of roughly 6.
  • Electrostatic filters are more expensive than the rest of their disposable counterparts, but they use electrically charged particles to trap smaller pollutants.

 

• Permanent

  • Electrostatic filters are also available in permanent formats. These just need washing every so often, and they can last several years before needing replacement. Their MERV comes in at around 10.
  • High-efficiency pleated filters carry a staggering MERV rating in the ballpark of 15, and the cost reflects that performance. Keep in mind, though, that a higher rating isn’t necessarily going to correlate with a better filter for your home. If the screen is too finely constructed, your airflow can actually lose efficiency.

 

It really comes down to how much you’re willing to pay to replace an HVAC filter, and how often you want to replace it. By determining these two factors, you can give yourself a rough estimate as to the type of filter you think would suit your home the best. If you change the filter out and your home’s air conditioning still isn’t working right, then something else may be afoot. Give the folks at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 703-1273 and have an experienced professional come take a look at your HVAC unit!

Humidity’s annoying – that goes without saying – but few places are swamped (no pun intended) with the amount that we get here in the Tampa area. For a good portion of the year, it can feel like just being outside makes it hard to breathe – making the interior of your home a sanctuary from the elements outside. When you can’t even get relief at home, of all places, it can feel like you’ve got nowhere to turn. Before shelling out the money for a costly modification to your A/C unit or the infrastructure inside your home, you should know that other avenues to reducing the interior humidity are out there!

A much more cost-effective method also happens to be one that will improve the overall look of your home: introducing humidity-absorbing plants! Some houseplants are terrific at soaking in all the excess moisture floating around, and all they require is simple watering and upkeep. The humidity will decrease as they get to work, as will some harmful pollutants. Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric has a handful of plants that can make a noticeable difference for you and your family. If the problems persist, though, there may be something else affecting the humidity levels – reach out to us, and we’ll take a look!

• Tillandsia – This plant is unique in that it doesn’t require soil to grow. Instead, they absorb all their nutrients through the debris and moisture floating through the air into their leaves. As such, the places they can live aren’t limited to just sitting in large pots near windows – they can survive in bowls, or suspended in the air, or just about anything else you can think up. Just be sure to water it a few times a week.
• Peace Lily – In addition to soaking up excess humidity in the air, peace lilies also remove harmful toxins like formaldehyde that pose a risk to you and your family. Keep in mind, though, that they are mildly toxic themselves if consumed, so keep them out of reach of pets and small kids.
• English Ivy – Another one that offers some unique possibilities for growing locations. The English Ivy can be hung from a pot, and since it doesn’t require much sunlight to care for it, you don’t have to put a ton of thought into care for it. It absorbs airborne fecal matter in addition to moisture, which can be extremely helpful if you own pets.
• Boston Fern – Perfect for the Tampa area. Boston Ferns like warm, humid daytime temperatures and require sunlight and regularly scheduled watering. They’re also particularly adept at removing harmful contaminants like formaldehyde and benzene.
• Palm Trees – Surprise! Palm trees are good for Florida weather. They thrive by absorbing humidity and harmful particles from the air, and they don’t require an absurd amount of upkeep. Areca palms, bamboo palms, reed palms are all solid choices.

In addition to simply creating an uncomfortably hot environment, excess moisture can also lead to your home becoming a breeding ground for bacteria and mold – and too much can lead to respiratory problems, coughing, sneezing and congestion.

While adding a plant might not necessarily erase all your humidity-related problems, they can make a significant difference in improving the overall atmosphere and livability of your home. If you find the moisture level still too high to deal with, Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric can install a dehumidifier and help you take the final step to a more comfortable living environment. Give us a call at (813) 703-1273 and schedule an appointment today!