Spring into Action to Prepare Your A/C and Home for Summer

It has been a typical spring so far in Central Indiana this year, with temperatures ranging from freezing to the mid-70s, along with the April showers that are bringing the trees and bushes around town back to life with their annual pleasing palette of pinks, purples and more.

Of course, the changing of the seasons from winter to spring means not just enjoying the great beauty all around the region — it also means it is time to prepare your home for the upcoming summer season of very high temperatures and humidity levels, which always seems to arrive sooner than anticipated.

Proper Maintenance Leads to Best Performance

All mechanical equipment needs proper maintenance on a regular basis to continue to work properly and as long as intended when built. The heating and cooling system in your home is no different, except that is the set of machines that keeps your family comfortable all day every day, year after year — sometimes decade after decade if everythin goes right.

To keep things right with your home’s HVAC system, you need to regularly have it serviced in the spring and autumn, by a trained technician who will:

• Replace dirty air filters
• Lubricate moving parts as needed
• Clean the coil
• Calibrate thermostat
• Clear debris from around outdoor components
• Ensure all parts are performing correctly

You can help your own cause of prolonging your heating and cooling system’s life and keep it performing at peak efficiency (and lowest cost) by replacing your air filters monthly or quarterly, as well as keeping the area around your outdoor HVAC equipment free of debris, such as grass clippings and leaves. Trash cans or clothes dryer air vents placed too close to your outdoor equipment can also clog filters and impede performance.

Decrease Your Cost and Increase Your Comfort

Click Image to Learn More About Cost-Saving Air Conditoners By Rheem

Other steps you can take to improve your comfort at home, as well significantly reduce your energy costs, include installing window tinting and/or a more-efficient thermostat.

The federal government offers levels of tax incentives for installing new home heating and cooling equipment that meet required new standard levels of energy efficiency.

Because the HVAC equipment manufactuers are ensured of a continued long-term demand for the new more-efficient home heating and cooling systems they have recently developed, and the federal government is offering significant incentives to buy before the end of 2013, the current cost of these new systems has remained steady.

In addition, certain manufacturers like Rheem are offering additional cash rebates on eligible products until June 15, 2013. It is a great time to reap the long-term benefits of a replacement HVAC system: more comfort at home with less spent monthly on energy.

Peace of Mind and Comfort All Year Long

Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning’s “Rewards” Service Program can provide you with the peace-of-mind of knowing that a well-maintained system rarely breaks down, but that in an emergency, you are our top priority!

To schedule an appointment for an Air Conditioner Tune-up, call us at (317) 639-1111.

And don’t forget to check out our money-saving service discount coupons.

Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning Earns Esteemed 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Award Reflects Company’s Consistently High Level of Customer Service

 
Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning has earned the service industry-coveted 2012 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor awarded annually to approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on Angie’s List, the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

“We are proud of being a Super Service Award winner for the fourth year in a row,” said John Traub, President of Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning. “We work hard to satisfy our customers, because we know it is very important to always be comfortable at home.”

“It’s a select group of companies rated on Angie’s List that can claim the exemplary customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Our standards for the Super Service Award are quite high. The fact that Company Name earned this recognition speaks volumes about its dedication providing great service to its customers.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2012 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, including earning a minimum number of reports, an excellent rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality. Members can find the 2012 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

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Angie’s List helps consumers have happy transactions with local service professionals in more than 550 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. More than 1.5 million paid households use Angie’s List to gain unlimited access to local ratings, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine, and the Angie’s List complaint resolution service.

Prepare Your Indianapolis Home for the Coming Winter

Halloween is just around the corner and, as hard as it is to believe after this summer of record heat drought in Indianapolis, winter is rapidly approaching. That means it’s time to prepare yourself, and your home, for the cold weather to come.

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, an ounce of preventative maintenance is worth a pound of repairs.

The first thing you should do, if you haven’t already, is change your air filter! As John Traub, our company president, has been known to say, “If everyone just changed their filters, I would be out of business.”

Thiele President John Traub discusses the importance of changing your ventilation system’s air filters regularly.

Depending on where you live, this past summer’s extremely dry conditions may have caused considerably higher levels of dust particles in the air, which would have clogged up your filter more than usual.

Did you know that a dusty filter reduces air flow and increases the energy usage by 5 – 15%? Additionally, a dusty filter will often lead to a dirty coil, which may affect the performance of your home’s ventilation system, or worse, cause the need for a costly repair.

Next, schedule an appointment to have your furnace checked by a qualified professional.

According to PATH, a Public – Private Partnership for Advancing Housing Technology, you should “Get your furnace checked and tuned up by professionals. Keeping your heating system at its optimum efficiency could save you hundreds of dollars on heating costs.”

You should schedule your appointment as soon as possible, for a number of reasons:

1. Between the drastic temperature swings lately, which are causing both emergency heater and air conditioner repair calls, and Autumn heating system tune-ups and maintenance, this time of year is the busy season for heating & cooling businesses; service availability when you want it may become a problem.
2. You never can tell about the weather; Central Indiana can get a sudden cold snap any time during this transition period. It’s happened before. We’ve already seen nighttime temperatures already dip into the 30s.
3. Don’t take the risk of your furnace breaking down on you during the cold winter months.

We currently have appointments available to perform comprehensive maintenance checks of your furnace, boiler, heat pump and ventilation system.

At the same time, you might want to take advantage of the Thiele “Rewards” Service Program. For a very affordable annual fee, we will:

• Perform preventive maintenance twice a year, Spring and Autumn
• Check and adjust air flow temperature
• Clean or replace air filters
• Calibrate thermostats
• Clean coils and clear debris from condenser unit
• Provide a 10% discount on any parts and repairs, including for current visit

Thiele’s “Rewards” Service Program can provide you with the peace-of-mind of knowing that a well-maintained system rarely breaks down, but that in an emergency, you are our top priority! You can count on Thiele’s skilled service tecnicians to provide prompt, reliable service.

To schedule your appointment, call Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning, Indy’s oldest heating & cooling company, at (317) 639-1111. For more information, visit our website, www.CallThiele.com.

Rheem Air Conditioners Rated ENERGY STAR “Most Efficient” Products for 2011 and 2012

The ENERGY STAR “Most Efficient” designation recognizes the most efficient products that qualify for the ENERGY STAR. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched this new program in 2011 in an effort to increase consumer awareness about the availability of energy-efficient appliances. 

The Rheem Prestige Series™ Air Conditioner was one of the first products featured on the "Most Efficient 2011" list. When combined with Rheem’s Comfort Control2 System, benefits & features of Prestige Series™ ACs include:

• Efficiency ratings of up to 19.5 SEER* & 14.0 EER**
• Advanced diagnostics
• Active system monitoring & protection.

In 2012, ENERGY STAR added the Rheem RRRL Series with Comfort Alert™ Control to the “Most Efficient” list. The 16 SEER RRRL Package Gas/Electric units use earth-friendly R-410A refrigerant, and have added features that include:

• On demand dehumidification
• Standard stainless steel heat exchanger
• Two stage gas heat
• ECM^ motor with adjustable airflow in both heating and cooling mode

For more information, read the ENERGY STAR Eligibility Criteria for Recognition of Central Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps. (PDF opens in new window)

If you are in the market for a new central air conditioner or HVAC system, these “Most Efficient” products from Rheem can help you reduce your utility bills while you help protect the environment. Visit the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website for more information about Rheem, our flagship line of heating and cooling equipment, or call us at (317) 639-1111.

* SEER = Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
** EER = Energy Efficiency Ratio
^ ECM = Electronically Commutated Motor

Consumer Alert: Bogus Electric Bill Assistance Scam Affects Thousands in Indiana and Across USA

The incredibly high temperatures we have faced these last couple of weeks might cause any home owner to jump at a chance for help paying their electric bill. But consumers need to be aware of a scam taking place across the country.

As reported by UPI, ABC News / Associated Press (AP,) and newspapers and TV news programs across the country, identity-theft scammers have been offering a non-existent government program to help pay utility bills.

According to the AP report, the scheme spread quickly across the nation in recent weeks when victims unwittingly shared it on social media sites before realizing they had been conned out of personal information such as Social Security, credit card and checking account numbers. Scammers also found victims by going door-to-door in some areas, handing out fliers.

Don’t get caught up in this ongoing con game!

We encourage everyone to read the articles listed below for more information about this scam that has already enticed thousands of people to provide personal information, including Social Security, credit card and checking account numbers, to a group of criminals.

• Better Business Bureau of Indianapolis: Citizens Energy Group and IPL Warn of Utility Payment Scam
• UPI: Scammers Offer Fake Utility Payments
• ABC News/AP: Thousands Fall Victim to Utility Payment Scam
• Huffington Post: Obama Utility Bill Scam Falsely Claims Federal Aid Program Will Help Pay Bills

For tips to help you avoid popular scams, visit Scam Source: Scam, Con and Ripoff Resources from the Better Business Bureau.

Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning can help you reduce your utility bills by replacing your old heating and cooling equipment with a new energy-efficient, Energy Star-rated HVAC system.

Rheem, our flagship line of heating and cooling equipment, provides top-quality furnaces, heat pumps and air conditioner systems with high Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratings (SEER) of 16 – 18 (versus an average of 11 – 13 for models more than 3 years old,) which can reduce energy costs by as much as 34%.

Give us a call at (317) 639-1111 to request an in-home inspection and estimate of the cost of replacement and how much you could save over the lifetime of the new equipment. Other than actual government assistance programs, this is the best way to control and reduce your utility bills.

Emergency Air Conditioning Repair for Indianapolis HVAC System Looms if Your Air Filter is Dirty

Though the current heat wave in the Indianapolis area is putting a strain on central air conditioning systems, at least we have not experienced the power outages that millions of people are suffering through on the East Coast.

Obviously, your air conditioner is working at maximum capacity during this streak of hot weather, so it is important to help your system perform with as little extra and unnecessary stress as possible.

Of course, as we have stated repeatedly, the best way you can help your air conditioner perform at its best is to keep your air filter clean. We feel like a broken record sometimes, because we repeat this edict so often, but when your HVAC system’s air filter is completely covered with lint, it is so much more difficult for your system to do its job properly.

A clogged air filter forces your air conditioner to work harder to draw in air, which naturally uses more energy. When you keep your A/C air filter clean, especially during the hottest days of the years, you are helping yourself reduce next month’s energy bill (short-term savings) and prolong the life of your air conditioning system (long -term savings). That’s a win-win situation that is easy to accomplish.

A little preventative maintenance of your big investment goes a long way. Have you checked your A/C air filter in the last 60 days? If not, you may end up calling us for emergency A/C repair service, like so many other people we have heard from in the last week.

VIDEO: Summertime Energy Savings

Just in case you do need to call Thiele for emergency air conditioner repairs during this heat wave, our phone number is 317-639-1111 and we are here 24/7 to help you beat the heat.

Indianapolis’ Lawn at White River State Park Hosts a Summer of Great Live Concerts

With the official start of Summer 2012 just days away, we thought now would be a good time to talk about one Indianapolis’ favorite summer night pastimes, concerts on the Lawn at White River State Park, sponsored by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. The lineup this year offers something for just about every musical taste.

Click the links below to purchase tickets on Ticketmaster.

• The Outlaw Roadshow Featuring Counting Crows kicks off the summer on Sunday, July 1 at 6:30 PM. Special guests include Good Old War, Foreign Fields, and Filligar.
   
  Counting Crows features the unique voice of lead singer Adam Duritz. Their most popular songs include “Round Here,” “Mr. Jones,” and the Academy Award nominated “Accidentally in Love” from the hit film Shrek 2.
   
• The popular Hoosier jam band Umphrey’s McGee plays on Saturday, July 7 at 7:00 PM, with guests G. Love & Special Sauce.
   
  Originally from South Bend, Umphrey’s McGee’s music is often referred to as “progressive improvisation.” Their sound has been influenced by early progressive rock bands such as King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and early Genesis, with a little Iron Maiden thrown in.
   
  Alternative hip-hop band G. Love & Special Sauce is known for their unique, “sloppy”, and “laid back” blues sound that encompasses classic Philly R&B.
   
• O.A.R. rows onto the Lawn on Thursday, July 12 at 7:30 PM.
   
  O.A.R. (short for Of a Revolution) was formed while members were attending Ohio State University. The band has become a hit among college students due to massive online distribution over campus networks.
   
• Florence + the Machine makes a return appearance on Sunday, July 29 at 7:00 PM.
   
  2011 was the breakout year in the US for the group, who were nominated for Best New Artist at the 2011 Grammy Awards. The group’s second studio album, Ceremonials, released in October 2011, debuted at number six on the US charts.
   
• Indianapolis radio station WTTS celebrates its 20th Anniversary with the Last Summer On Earth Tour, Sunday, August 12 at 6:30 PM.
   
  This special event features Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, and Cracker – four bands the local FM Rock station (92.3) played when it first went on the air 20 years ago.
   
• 311 & Slightly Stoopid perform on Tuesday, August 14 at 7:00 PM.
   
  311 (pronounced “three-eleven”) is generally known as an alternative rock band, but their sound has also been classified as rap rock, rap metal, funk rock, funk metal, reggae and jazz fusion.
   
  Slightly Stoopid’s music has been described as “a fusion of acoustic rock and blues with reggae, hip-hop, and punk.”
   
• The Dukes Of September Rhythm Revue 2012 rolls into town on Friday, August 24.
   
  This “supergroup” starring rock legends Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs plays a combination of hits from the members respective careers as well as a wide variety of covers.
   
• JUST ANNOUNCED: the legendary Bob Dylan and his band make a rare appearance in Indy on Saturday, August 25 at 8:00 PM. Need we say more?
   
  Tickets for this very special event go on sale at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 22.
   
• Alternative rock band Cake plays on Friday, September 7 at 6:00 PM, with guests, Canadian indie rock and New Wave band Metric.
   
  Cake’s 2011 release, Showroom of Compassion, became the band’s first album to debut at the top of the Billboard charts, selling 44,000 copies in the first week after release.
   
• Closing out the 2012 season, the indie band Avett Brothers brings their acoustic roots sound to Indianapolis on Sunday, September 30 at 7:30 PM.
   
  The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk, and ragtime to produce a sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the “heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones. This should be a great show to end the summer with.

For more information about any of these upcoming shows, visit the White River State Park website.

src: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Rheem Value Series Air Conditioners Take Heat Out of Summer; Rheem Racing’s Gale and Harvick Take Top Five Finishes

Click above to see the new lineup of energy-efficient Rheem heating & cooling products.

Congratulations to rookie Cale Gale and the #33 Rheem Chevrolet for his 5th place finish at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200. Gale was the highest finishing rookie.

Gale’s fellow Rheem Racing team member Kevin Harvick also had a good weekend, finishing third in the Lucas Oil 200 on June 1, and taking 2nd place in the Sprint Cup Series FedEx 400 two days later. He finish in 14th place at this past Sunday’s Pocono 400 to maintain 8th place in the power rankings.

Next up: Quicken Loans 400, June 17 @ 12:00 PM (Central)

In our last few Team Rheem updates , we’ve been taking a look at Rheem air conditioners, including the top-of-the-line Rheem Prestige Series™ High Efficiency Two-Stage Serial Communicating Air Conditioner System, the industry standard.

Today, we will take a look at Rheem’s Value Series™ High Efficiency Single-Stage Air Conditioners, a more economical solution designed with both price and performance in mind.

Rheem Value Series Air Conditioners offer comfort, energy conservation and dependability. Click above for more information on the Rheem website.

The Rheem Value Series™ Single Stage models offers comfort, energy conservation and dependability for single, multi-family and light commercial applications at an economical price.

Rheem’s Value Series™ single stage units are the result of an ongoing development program for improved efficiencies.

Features and benefits of Rheem Value Series single stage air conditioners include:

• Efficiencies up to 14.5 SEER / 13.05 EER
• Cooling capacities from 1.5 to 5.0 Ton
• Eco-friendly R-410A coolant – the most advanced refrigerant available; contains no CFCs or other compounds that can leak from air conditioning systems and potentially harm the ozone layer
• Durability – low-profile, louvered, Neutra Green™ steel cabinet provides protection from yard hazards and weather extremes.
• Quiet operation – air discharges through a unique grille pattern located on top of the unit, and is directed upward and away from bushes and shrubs, for quiet fan operation and low noise levels.
• Low cost maintenance - keep service time and expense to an minimum with easy access to the internal components of the unit by removing one service panel or the top grille.
• Dependability – units feature a 10-year conditional limited parts and compressor warranty, when registered and properly installed.

As the Rheem Racing team provides the support Harvick and Gale depends on, you can rely on Rheem and Team Thiele to provide the support and service you need to keep your new Rheem air conditioner operating efficiently for years to come.

Visit the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website for more information about Rheem heating and cooling products we sell, install, maintain and service, or call us at 317-639-1111.

High-Efficiency Air Conditioners from Rheem an Economical Choice to Replace Older ACs

In our last post, Older Air Conditioners May Need To Be Replaced Due To New EPA Coolant Regulations, we discussed the fact that rising cost of R-22 coolant has made replacement with a new, high-efficiency system the economical choice versus repairing air conditioners more than two years old.

Visit the Rheem website for more information about their Prestige Series 2-Stage Serial Communicating Air Conditioners.

Today, we want to take a look at some of the new technologies developed to make air conditioners more energy-efficient. Let’s take a look at the state-of-the-art Prestige Series™ high efficiency two-stage air conditioner systems from Rheem, our flagship line of HVAC equipment.

• With Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratings (SEER) as high as 19.5, the Prestige Series units deliver exceptional efficiency.
• They use the most advanced alternate refrigerant that contains no CFCs or other compounds that can potentially harm the ozone layer if leaked into the atmosphere.
• Two-stage cooling system -  only operates on high at peak times, reducing energy usage and electric bills.
• When matched with a Rheem variable speed furnace or air handler, the system adjusts airflow to help control humidity 102% more effectively than older units.
• Comfort Control² System – when paired with a compatible indoor component and thermostat, this advanced technology of Rheem’s Prestige Series air conditioners actively monitors your equipment at 32 points for top efficiency.
• The Comfort Control² System makes it easy to maximize utility cost savings and your family’s comfort. Features that enable this include:
  • Measures and records temperature and relative humidity
  • Provides detailed diagnostics for ease of repair and maintenance
  • Provides routine reminders for air filter changes
• 

  Combine your Prestige Series AC with a Rheem 500 Series Thermostat for optimal energy efficiency, and enhanced reliability and performance.

  Enhanced Serial Communication can take your system to the next level. When your Prestige Series system is installed with a Serial Communicating Air Handler and user interface control Series 500 thermostat, this unit offers auto-configuration, diagnostic messaging and full communicating capability to increase energy efficiency and your home’s comfort even further.

All these features, combined with the quality, quiet operation and durability that Rheem is known for, make it easy to see how spending a little more now on a top-of-the-line Rheem Prestige Series Air Conditioner can save considerable money in energy costs over the the equipment’s lifespan.

Visit the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website for more information about high efficiency, energy-saving air conditioning systems from Rheem. To request an in-home inspection and evaluation of your current HVAC equipment, call us at (317) 639-1111.

Older Air Conditioners May Need To Be Replaced Due To New EPA Coolant Regulations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made changes to federal air conditioner coolant regulations that may force some homeowners to make the costly decision of whether to repair or replace a broken air conditioner.

While that might sound counter-intuitive, it may be more economical to replace your A/C rather than have it repaired if it’s more than two years old and requires a coolant recharge.

EPA protocols call for the phase-out of R-22 refrigerant, which was widely used prior to 2010, because of its harmful effects on the ozone layer. That coolant will be completely phased out by 2020 and will be replaced with a more environment-friendly, non-ozone-depleting coolant, R-410A.

Manufacturers stopped making air conditioners with R-22 in 2010; all new units now use R-410A. R-22 is no longer manufactured, and due to the lack of availability, prices for replacement R-22 coolant have skyrocketed over the last two years.

What used to cost $30 as recently as two years ago, R-22 now costs as much as $175.00 for the first pound, and $90.00 for each additional pound needed (versus $10.00 two years ago.) And that’s on top of the cost of service, labor and any other parts needed.

HVAC service technicians now save leftover R-22 coolant from older units, if any, when they are replaced, so that it can be re-used in other old equipment that may that need it. The scarcer R-22 becomes, the more expensive it will be.

“Some homeowners will need to think seriously about replacing their units with newer ones that use the new coolant,” Hicks went on to say. “This isn’t entirely bad news. The newer units are more environmentally friendly and more efficient. Heating and cooling accounts for 54 percent of your home’s yearly energy costs, so long-term savings can really add up.”

For more information, read Air Conditioners & Energy Efficiency on the Thiele Heating & Air Conditioning website.

So, repair or replace? It’s not as easy a decision to make as it once was. If you need help to determine your course of action, give us call at (317) 639-1111. Our skilled inspectors can show you what it would cost to repair your old air conditioner vs. the cost to replace it with a new, energy-efficient AC system, including how reduced energy usage can offset the replacement cost in just a few years.