Going Green

As much as half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. So making smart decisions about your home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can have a big effect on your utility bills — and your comfort. Below is some advice and tips on how to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.


Efficiency Cost Savings

Greater efficiency means increased cost-savings. Shamrock is proud of our products that work hard to save you money on your heating and cooling bills by using less fuel. Are your current heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) components saving you the money they could be?

If your furnace is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it with a more energy-efficient model. We have a wide range of furnaces that efficiently and comfortably heat things up when the weather gets frigid.

Your heating and cooling system’s components should have the highest possible energy efficiency ratings. The higher the rating, the more efficient the product and lower your energy usage can be. This means that you save more money.Make sure your components meet the following minimums:

  • Furnaces: Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings of 80 or higher
  • Heat pumps: Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) ratings of 7 or higher
  • Air conditioners: Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) ratings of 13 or higher

The Environmental Protection Agency developed the ENERGY STAR program to reduce the nation’s energy consumption. Choosing products for your home that bear the ENERGY Star logo is an important step to consuming less energy. Qualified products are available in multiple categories, including heating and cooling equipment, appliances, home electronics and lighting.


Energy Tax Credits

Congress recently modified and extended its energy efficiency tax credits to the end of 2013. Receive up to $6500 maximum in tax credits by purchasing a qualified system this year. Your ideal system just got a whole lot easier!

Did you know that over half of your home’s energy consumption is used for heating and air conditioning?

If your house has central air conditioning, the air conditioner will probably be the biggest user by far. Although used only a few months of the year, the annual cost can be much greater than the annual cost of your refrigerator, which is typically the next largest user. In hot climates, the annual air conditioner cost can exceed a thousand dollars. You can get a very rough idea of what your air conditioner is costing you by subtracting the electric portion of your bill in a spring month when you aren’t using your air conditioner from the electric portion of the bill in the summer when you do use it. This gives you the monthly cost. Multiply this by the number of months you use your air conditioner to arrive at your approximate annual cost.

Tax Credits have been extended for 2013 – for high efficiency products such as air conditioners, furnaces, and boilers. Products that qualify for the tax credit include air conditioners and water heaters with a 90% efficiency rating or higher, and furnaces with a 95% efficiency rating.

Take advantage of the federal energy tax credit for 2013 and purchase a new high efficiency furnace, air conditioner, boiler, or water heater. New high efficiency heating and cooling products will help lower your energy bills and increase the comfort in your home. Tax credits are available but you must have your heating or cooling product installed by December 31, 2013. Some products have a specified amount for their tax credit while for others the tax credit is a percentage of the cost. Combine the tax credit with the savings from your lower home energy bills and you’ll begin to offset the difference between high efficiency models and standard models.

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