Milton Canadian Champion

If youre always too hot or too cold, its quite possible that your HVAC system isnt working up to the standard it should be, and needs to be serviced or replaced.

As we all know temperatures change dramatically in Ontario, and we have to be prepared. In order to be comfortable in your home, office or industrial building, you need to partner with heating and air conditioning service professionals with experience, dependability and superior products.

In Burlington and the surrounding areas, that company is Air-Quest Air Conditioning & Heating.

Our mission is one of continuous improvement in our methodologies, focus on our customer needs, and developing long term relationships well into the 21st century. We are dedicated to staying current with new innovative products and leading edge energy conservation products in order to help your business and home reduce their energy demands.

We service and install; Air Conditioners, Furnaces, Heat Pumps, NTI & Viessmann Boilers, Air Cleaners, Thermostats, Ductless AC, Trane, Rinnai Water Heaters, Humidifiers,. We also offer repair and maintenance services for all major makes and models of furnaces and air conditioners.

Air-Quests main focus is providing superior-quality HVAC products and services to our customers. We are an environmentally conscious company and as such, offer refrigerant reclaiming and recycling services as well as refrigerant conversion solutions.

We pride ourselves on our professional quality workmanship. We stand behind all of our work with a five year warranty, and supply only original manufacturer parts for your heating and cooling equipment.

With over 20 years of experience you know we can get the job done right the first time. If you require service, installation or some friendly advice, please fill out our online form and tell us about your needs. All of our online orders receive a 10% discount! You can also call us anytime at 905-510-5006.

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Air Quest Air Conditioning & Heating

Published: Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014, 12:01a.m. Updated 13 hours ago

Last Tuesday's record-breaking cold weather became even more difficult when our furnace stopped working.

When I first noticed the house getting chilly at 1:30 a.m. I tried cranking the thermostat to 80 degrees to see if it would kick on.

Nothing.

Then, my boyfriend and I went to the basement, neither of us knowing anything about furnaces, and stared at it for a couple of minutes while it tried to start.

Tick, tick, tick, tick. Again, nothing.

We called one heating-and-cooling company that boasted 24/7 service on its website. No one answered.

Our second try, with a different company, was more successful, and about 45 minutes later, a technician arrived at our house.

Unfortunately, though, he didn't bring great news.

After examining our furnace, he told us it was as old as he was 26 and well over its expected lifespan.

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In Focus: No warm greeting to the new year, but hey, it could be worse

It pays to be eco-friendly--literally. These seven home improvement ideas will help you save energy as well as money on your next electric bill.

Energy savings is certainly on a lot of people's minds as Winter 2014 has kicked off in fearsome fashion across the United States. Yet savings know no season, and are sometimes affected by a timeline of when energy investments will have paid for themselves. Unfortunately most products don't come with this information clearly stamped on the box, but that's where we come in! Here we examine seven popular product categories to see how long it might take before you realize any returns on investments.

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Low-Flow Shower Heads

A low-flow showerhead can save lots of money on utility bills. But not all such heads are made equal, so theres something to be said for sacrificing thequalityof your shower for thequantityof your savings. One showerhead that earns solid reviews is theEvolve Roadrunner II(from $39.95 with about $13 s&h, a low by $12). This showerhead allows you to warm up the shower, then cuts the flow to a trickle once the water hits 95 degrees. Then, you pull a cord on the showerhead to resume the normal flow of water, thus saving on hot water costs.

Payback Time:Evolve claims its showerhead will pay for itself in two months time, and estimates an annual utility savings of about $250. Of course, how much you save depends on your water use, utility rates, and whether you sing "Happy Birthday" in the shower or "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Plastic Window Wrap

Taping up your windows isn't kind of home accoutrement that will win you any awards from Architectural Digest, but some people swear by plastic window wrap as a way to keep energy costs down by keeping the cold out. It's a simple fix, too: by putting plastic film over a window (and this works best for older windows), you cut down on the heat loss through the pane. This does nothing to control heat loss through a low-quality frame, though.

Originally posted here:
7 home improvements that pay for themselves

As the temperatures drop, the cost of keeping warm can heat up your wallet to a painful level. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average household spends approximately $2,200 on energy costs, with half going towards heating and cooling. However, there are ways to keep costs down, and many are simple do-it-yourself projects.

A Good Place to Start

One easy way to keep costs in check is to install a digital thermostat. This simple gizmo can automatically change a homes temperature while the occupants are away or asleep for optimum energy efficiency. Plus, because homeowners can set the times in advance, there is less chance they will forget to dial down the heat while everyones gone or in bed.

For every degree a thermostat is set back during an eight hour period (or up during air conditioning season), the energy savings equals up to one percent. Set the thermostat back ten to fifteen degrees for the eight hours and the savings can reach fifteen percent. The EPA recommends you start with a temperature of 68 to 70 degrees and then program the thermostat to set the temp back by at least 8 degrees both during the day and at night.

Programmable digital thermostats come in three types:

A 5+2 has one setting schedule for weekdays and another for weekends.

The 5-1-1 model has one setting schedule for Monday through Friday, one for Saturday, and one for Sunday.

The flexible 7-day model allows a different daily schedule with up to four different temperature time periods each day.

There are many how-to instructions on line for installing a digital thermostat. However, Greg Hunsicker of McElroys Plumbing, Electrical, Heating and Air cautioned, The technology with digital thermostats and your heating systems control wiring in many cases dictate a homeowners need to call a professional to complete this task.

More Cost-Cutting Ideas

Link:
At Home: Ideas for cutting home heating costs

ASHEBORO, N.C. Leaders at the North Carolina Zoo are working to protect the animals from frigid temperatures.

Because the majority of the animals there are from much warmer climates, curators take additional steps to support them.

"Every animal at the zoo has a shelter and indoor area that has capacity for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, said general curator Ken Reininger.

That includes barns that stand 22 feet high for giraffes and another holding area that keeps cougars and waterfowl safe.

"The biggest thing we had to deal with is that we have a couple of facilities with older heating units. Several of them had to be serviced by our maintenance staff to be up and running again, Reininger said.

It's so cold that even Patches, the zoo's newest polar bear, only comes out of her enclosed area a few times a day.

"She does prefer to go into her holding area in her straw bed and spend time indoors," Reininger said.

While species in the North American exhibit can tolerate these frigid temperatures, species in the African exhibit have to go inside if it's 45 degrees or below.

"We actually train our animals to come in on a daily basis, in part, because of situations like this, so we don't have to go round them up, Reininger said.

Alligators are one of the few animals that don't come in.

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NC Zoo curators take steps to keep animals warm during cold spell

CHARLOTTE -- While thousands in the Charlotte area are bundling up for the brutally cold temperatures, heating technicians are outside working overtime.

The possible near record lows mean homeowners are tuning up their heaters, or even worse, getting replacements before the mercury plummets into single digits.

For technician Eric Timmons, when the temperature plummets, business heats up.

"Next couple of days it will be more demand calls, less maintenances and tuneups," said Timmons.

Timmons and other technicians at Brothers Heating Cooling and Plumbing Works were twice as busy as normal Monday as temperatures dipped well below freezing.

"We're expecting it to get a lot busier the next few days especially with the wind chill getting as low as it is," said Timmons.

Timmons' workload included the south Charlotte home of Janet Young who relied on an indoor heater while Timmons replaced a leaky part in her heater.

"I feel fortunate, especially since the temperatures are going to be so low," said Young.

Heating experts said the colder temperatures get, the more strain it puts on heaters and a home's energy, even more so with older models.

"Below 40, the heat pump, you'll start bringing on electrical auxiliary heat to help it out, and the heat pump is just going to run constantly," said Timmons.

Original post:
Technicians work overtime as brutal cold puts heaters to the test

RALEIGH--As the bitter cold blasts across North Carolina, it's posing threats to many homeowners to keep houses warm.

Prolonged cold also puts a strain on older heating systems, like 95-year-old Minnie Shores' furnace.

"As cold as it is, working outside, and I feel for them...but there's not much I can do, I just hope they get through the job quick," she said.

Her heating system broke down on Friday, leaving the temperature in her home at 45 degrees for two days.

"It's been awfully cold....I believe we could keep frozen food in here," she said.

Luckily for Shores, Michael & Son Services, Inc. provided her with a space heater for her home, but technicians said the problem can be avoided with service checks twice a year.

"The most important thing to do is service the unit often, at least twice a year...one time before you are turning on the air conditioning and once before you are turning on the heat," said Jason Litvak, with Michael & Son Services, Inc.

Shores' heating system was 12-years-old, which is about the average life expectancy of a heating and cooling system in North Carolina.

"Here in North Carolina, the units run really hard, since we have both extremes, we get the heat in the summer and we get cold like we are having here in the winter, so a typical life expectancy of heating and cooling equipment here in this state is about anywhere between 12 and 18 years, so most people are replacing that often," said Litvak.

Cooler temperatures also bring a greater plumbing demand, as water heaters are working harder and pipes can burst.

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Furnace repairs heat up during winter season

By Alex Quintana

aquintana@alamogordonews.com

@LX_Quintana on Twitter

The search for water and the need to improve aging infrastructure are top priorities of three Otero County communities as officials sought state funding during the annual Otero County Legislative Capital Outlay Hearing on Friday at the county administration building.

State Reps. Yvette Herrell, William Gray and Zach Cook, and state Sen. Bill Burt, heard several priority projects in need of state funding from Cloudcroft, La Luz and Tularosa. State Sens. Ron Griggs and Cliff Pirtle, and state Rep. Nate Cote, were not present at the meeting.

Mayor Ray Cordova presented the village's top five projects he feels are in dire need of state funding. Cordova said the top priority for the village include improvements to the current water system. The village is asking for about $120,000 in matching funds from the state to support the project.

Cordova said the project itself cost much more. The village, he said, is receiving additional funds from the Colonias Infrastructure Project Fund and the Community Development Block Grant, but matching funds are needed.

"We have water, but we don't have a place to store it, or a means for storage," he said. "We store 3 million gallons of water. That is all we have capacity for. That's about three to four days of water and we are always a little worried."

He said the village needs to upgrade its plumbing infrastructure, which he said was about 60 years old. The project will need $429,000 for the wastewater improvements.

The village is also requesting about $200,000 to building restrooms in four parks; $40,000 to reroof the police department building; and $60,000 to install a central heating and cooling system, as well as renovate exterior walls and windows, of the Tularosa Historical Museum.

The rest is here:
Tularosa, Cloudcroft seek capital outlay funds for water priorities

GREEN BAY - Dozens of dogs at a Green Bay animal shelter won't be in danger from the cold, thanks to community donations.

A heat exchanger at the Bay Area Humane Society broke Thursday and will take weeks to replace. As a result, the temperature in the main kennel started dropping.

But residents and businesses stepped in.

Friday, Robinson Heating and Cooling installed a temporary fix to keep the animals warm for now. And the owner of Sidelines Sports Bar this afternoon donated $3,000 toward the cost of replacing the exchanger.

"We were blessed with another Packer game, so might as well give little bit back," Sidelines Sports Bar owner Kevin Burkel said.

Shelter officials say they can't thank the community enough for donations that included hundreds of blankets.

"It's been awesome, Lori Nachtwey of the shelter said. We are overflowing with blankets."

Among the blanket donations were 200 Friday morning from St. Vincent Hospital.

See more here:
Donations pour in to animal shelter

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Photo by ZGF Architects

King Street Station

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With a dual mission to restore King Street Station to its 1906 grandeur while adding modern structural and sustainable upgrades, the project team behind this $55-million renovation and modernization project delivered a transportation hub to Seattle that respects the city's history and reflects its modern sensibilities.

A landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, the team restored the original character of the multimodal train station, including the rehabilitation of the iconic 12-story clock tower as well as the repair and restoration of the main waiting room. Work within the waiting room included restoration of the original 45-ft-high ornamental plaster ceilings and halls, the terrazzo floors inlaid with mosaic tile and the historic operable windows.

In addition to the historic elements, the Seattle-based team, led by architectural firm ZGF Architects and general contractor Sellen Construction, installed seismic upgrades and met LEED-Platinum standards. "We took this historic structure and made it an outstanding sustainable building," says Tim Williams, associate partner and King Street Station project architect at ZGF. "A city that touts itself as being green now has a portal into the city that's a leader in sustainability."

As part of its green strategy, the team installed a geothermal well field and heat pumps, making it one of the first projects in downtown Seattle to do so. The geothermal system also allowed for a reduction in the size of the building's heating and cooling system. The wells allow the building to perform 40% above ASHRAE baseline.

While installing new utilities and the geothermal wells during the first phase of the project, the team came across granite boulders from an adjacent building's old foundation. The foundation granite was a perfect match for the exterior granite originally used in the walls, much of which was removed during previous modernizations. Utilizing the same means and methods used to create the original granite blocks 100 years ago, the reclaimed granite boulders were cut and fabricated into new wall panels for the exterior finishes.

In addition to restoring the building's windows, the team took the opportunity to incorporate them into its sustainability strategy. All of the sashes and trims from the original 1906 windows were removed, refinished and reinstalled using the remaining original glass. The team restored 74 window openings and 199 sashes and replicated 15 window openings and 33 sashes.

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Overall Best Project