With so much focus and attention paid to your air conditioning unit, it can be easy to look past the main area of control for your unit – your thermostat. While your air conditioning unit needs essential maintenance and inspections, it is equally important to ensure that your thermostat is of working order. After all, an improperly adjusted thermostat can cause wild fluctuations in your temperature settings, making for an extremely uncomfortable home and sky-high utility bills. Our Charlotte NC HVAC experts at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning can assist you in making sure your thermostat is up to standard.

With our experts on your side, you can be assured that your thermostat is of the highest quality. A thermostat utilizing the latest technology has many benefits of an older model. A digital thermostat can effectively regulate temperatures much more accurately than an older mercury-based model, meaning you can set your selected temperature and be assured it will stay at that. With older models, dust or debris can sometimes settle in the thermostat and disrupt the temperature setting, causing unnecessarily high utility bills. With a digital thermostat, comfort comes first.

Many thermostats today are even programmable, allowing you to set different temperatures for different times of day. No longer will you have to worry about coming home after a long day’s work to a hot house full of stagnant air. A programmable thermostat can keep your home comfortable all day long.

Thermostat installation and repair can be a complicated issue, so you shouldn’t attempt to tackle this task alone. Our reliable air conditioning experts can service your every thermostat need today. With any comments, questions, or to schedule a thermostat installation today, give us a call or contact us online today.

One Hour Air Conditioning, your local Charlotte NC air conditioning service, knows how important it is to have the proper air conditioning and ventilation systems in your small or large office building. The work environment can be stressful and uncomfortable enough without a proper ventilation system. Distractions of unpleasant odors or a muggy environments is should be the least of your worries at work. One Hour Air Conditioning can help with all your Charlotte NC commercial heating and air conditioning needs.

Proper ventilation not only ensures the indoor air quality is up to stringent standards, but also removes smells, excess moisture, introduces outside air, removes bacteria, keeps air circulating throughout a building, and prevents stagnation. There are two types of ventilation: mechanical and natural.

Mechanical ventilation uses an air handler. A good example of and air handler would be a fan. Often these are used as vents in bathrooms to remove odors and humidity. Forced ventilation often takes quite a bit of energy especially when used in climates such as locally in Charlotte NC. These air handlers also tend to cause some noise, so it is often only used in places such as break areas and restrooms.

Natural ventilation uses outside air without using any kind of mechanical device. Sometimes this is done by opening windows to allow air to circulate in and out. There is also something called a trickle vent for smaller offices and spaces. The office may also be set up where warm air can rise and flow out of an upper opening forcing cool air to be drawn into the building. Unfortunately in a places with warmer climates, such ventilation systems are not efficient enough for the summer months. There are also air side economizers which allow for natural ventilation using mechanical fans and the like without using as much energy as mechanical installation.

For all your Charlotte NC HVAC needs contact your local Charlotte NC air conditioning service, One Hour Air Conditioning.

Saving money and energy on your unoccupied home while you’re gone on summer vacation can alleviate some vacation expenses that add up quickly. Use these energy saving tips from your local Charlotte NC air conditioning service experts.

Unplug electronic appliances that do not need to be on. Small amounts of electricity called phantom loads will be used while you are not using the appliances. Turn off all lights except for maybe a lamp or two to make it look like someone is home at night.

Double check your doors and windows are closed tight before you leave for vacation. Letting outside air in, even the smallest amount for a prolonged time can make the AC unit work more than it needs.

Pull curtains and shades on east and west windows in your home to help keep heat out. The morning and afternoon sun can add unnecessary heat to your home and cause your air conditioner to turn on when you may not want it to.

Program your thermostat to hold at a higher temperature than when you occupy your home. Do not turn off your ac unit altogether because you want minimal airflow. Set it at something that will turn on for a while at least once a day.

The most effective way to save money and energy while on vacation is to turn your water heater thermostat down to the lowest setting. Energy efficient water heater choices like this can help reduce wasted money and energy.

The professionals at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, your Charlotte air conditioning company, are here to help you with all your energy saving needs. Give us a call or contact us online to schedule an air conditioning inspection today.

The temperatures are starting to rise, but it’s never too early or too late to start planning for the rising spring and summer temperatures by weatherizing your North Carolina home.

Weatherization includes home upgrades such as insulation, air-sealing, and efficient heating or cooling systems. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, weatherization reduces energy bills for the long haul. Some improvements provide savings over the lifetime of your house.

Once you decide to weatherize your home, you will first need to assess current usage. Check out the online tools from Energy Star, a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. You may prefer to evaluate yourself or hire a professional energy auditor, who will determines how much energy your home consumes, as well as find problem areas where you lose energy and suggest how to make it more energy efficient.

Upon completion of the audit, let the weatherization process begin. Our Charlotte NC HVAC experts are insured bonded, and licensed to work on either residential or commercial projects and will make your home as comfortable as possible. Give our Charlotte cooling company a call today, or visit us online for more information.

A thermostat, as you probably know, is a device that controls the temperature of your home or office. In the past, analog (dial) thermostats have been the standard of temperature control; however, along with the digital age comes digital thermostats. These devices, which have several benefits over their analog counterparts, can be purchased and professionally installed from our Charlotte air conditioning company.

Unlike analog thermostats, a digital thermostat offers a large LCD screen to make the temperature reading simple and straightforward. This makes everyone’s life a little bit easier, but particularly benefits those with poor eyesight. Further, you afford yourself the precision of a digital instrument.

Analog benefits aside, a digital thermostat may also allow you to control your furnace or air conditioner depending upon the time of day. And more, you may even be able to control your home heating and cooling by zone!

Call our Charlotte HVAC specialists today! 704-323-8004

It’s common to have an air conditioner that will give off an unsuspecting – and sometimes just downright foul – odor of sorts. Don’t panic. There’s nothing majorly wrong with your unit.

Odors in air conditioners often times are caused by bacteria or mold. These units have coils that can – and most likely will – grow mold over time because of outdoor moisture. In addition, a unit’s air filter can collect dust to where it will produce a musty smell.

Keep the air ducts clean. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air ducts should be cleaned regularly in an effort to improve the air quality in your home. The EPA also said ducts should be cleaned if there is visible mold.

The professionals at our Charlotte air conditioning company advise all to frequently replace air filters and keep filters away from dirt build-up. If condensation is visible, use a household cleaner to help clean the air conditioner drain.

For more information on air duct cleaning and unit odor prevention, contact the Charlotte heating and air conditioning experts at One Hour Air Conditioning.

Heat pumps are not widely understood; however, they may be a suitable option for many Charlotte homes, especially those without gas connections. Basically, a heat pump system derives heat from an external source, such as air, water or earth, instead of manufacturing it.

The most common type of heat pump, the air-source heat pump, is the focus of this blog posting. Here you have a single unit that both heats and cools your home, depending on the season, using refrigerant. Just like an air conditioner does during the summer, the heat pump directs hot air from your home’s interior to the outside. During the winter, the air-source heat pump derives heat from the outside and transfers it to your home’s interior.

How can a heat pump benefit me? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, air-source heat pumps can deliver 1.5-3 times more heat energy than electricity they consume; that could mean a lower utility bill for you. A heat pump’s efficiency and effectiveness diminish with long stretches of cold temperatures; therefore, they perform best in moderate climates. When temperatures remain consistently at 40 degrees or below, backup heat is required and typically generated by auxiliary electric resistance coils.

For more information about heat pumps and heat pump installation, contact the Charlotte heating and air conditioning experts at One Hour Air Conditioning.

Asthma. Respiratory allergies. Sinus infections. Mold. These are just a few of the potential consequences that could reveal themselves as a result of unclean air ducts. Your air ducts are a complex system of tubes that allow air to travel throughout your home. They are typically located within your ceiling, walls, and even your floor.

The key is to not let a dirty air duct problem get out-of-hand. Our Charlotte Air Conditioning experts can make your illness-inducing air ducts look they were just installed.

Whether your air ducts should be cleaned often depends on a few factors. Have you just purchased a new home? Did you just make renovations? Does someone in your house smoke? Do you have hair or dander-shedding pets? Have you had AC water damage? Do residents of your house have allergies? All of these factors can relate to the frequency that you should be having routine duct cleaning performed on your AC system.

When we clean your air ducts, we will not only vaccuum away any residue, we will sanitize them with antibacterial and antimicrobial solutions, ensuring the air you breathe inside your home is to a safe and healthy standard. We will make sure that your air ducts don’t look like the pictured ducts, but rather a natural reflective silver.

For professional air duct cleaning service and unimaginable results, call our Charlotte NC cooling company for a free estimate.

As the weather continues to creep up toward 100 degrees, we develop a closer relationship with our air conditioners in Charlotte NC. However, to keep your air conditioning unit functioning at peak capability, you have to change or clean the filter on a regular basis.

There are two different types of typical air filters: reusable and disposable. Disposable filters require a change about once a month, but are often cheaper than reusable filters. Reusable filters don’t require monthly swapping, but do require a monthly cleaning. Either way you look at it, you’re going to have to perform monthly maintenance on your air filter in some way or another.

For a disposable filter, here’s how to change your filter:

1. Turn off your air conditioning system.

2. Open the door panel for the air filter and remove your old air filter.

3. Make sure the arrow located on the filter is pointing toward the blower and is not facing backward, this will cause it to not function properly.

4. Turn your system on and verify that the filter is working okay.

For a reusable filter, here’s how to clean your filter:

1. Turn off your Charlotte air conditioning system.

2. Remove the filter, then use a brush to clean off any stubborn debris from your filter (we recommend taking it outside).

3. Use the hose attachment on your vacuum and suck the rest of the debris off.

4. Rinse your filter out, using the spray attachment on your outdoor water hose.

5. Let the filter dry.

6. Place the filter back in the unit, then turn the AC on to ensure proper functionality.

For more information on air conditioners or Charlotte air conditioner repair, call One Hour Charlotte HVAC services!

Dealing with an AC problem? Wanted to get your air conditioner serviced in the spring, but put it off, and now you’re dealing with an AC issue in sticky summer torment? Just like you have your HVAC system serviced in the fall to ensure efficient heating for the colder months, your air conditioning unit should be inspected and serviced by a professional Charlotte Air Conditioning Company every spring to ensure it runs well throughout the summer months.

Having your air conditioner serviced in the spring will give our Charlotte HVAC service technicians enough time to make any necessary repairs to your AC unit and have it ready to go by the time summer heat rolls around. Our quality inspection will ensure that the AC is draining correctly and the condensing unit is working as intended. Our Charlotte AC technician may also need to clean the inside of the unit, vacuuming away leaves, dirt, and other debris.

Our inspections also include checking wiring for fire hazards, checking the Freon (coolant) levels, and cleaning the condensation line. Our Charlotte AC Repair technician may also be able to suggest upgrades to your unit, if it looks like your AC unit is not providing you with efficient cooling.

Having a professional Charlotte HVAC technician inspect, and potentially repair, your air conditioning unit will guarantee that you will have a comfortable summer. When you’re running at maximum efficiency, you will be surprised by lower bills and you’ll have peace of mind that it will last you through the hot Charlotte summers.