Central Vacuum Systems really provide a better cleaning experience and put less harmful dust and allergens into the air.

Since last fall, we have been contacted numerous times to repair existing Central Vac systems. What really happens is that most people that have a system, don't treat it like a regular vac, you know out of sight, out of mind. I have found systems so clogged that the motor has been burned out, just trying to develop a vacuum.

Lets face it, this type of system get really rough treatment! Normal weekly use of a standard upright or canister vac would require a bag change or emptying the "bin", thus allowing the user to see the complete system.  With a central vac, the power unit and canister are in the basement utility room or garage and are not looked at unless the system stops working well.  However, just dumping the canister or installing a new bag does not keep a central vac system in good working order.  Like it's smaller cousins, the entire system needs at least an annual inspection and cleaning to operate a peak efficiency.

When was the last time you have the motor cleaned, oiled (if necessary) the central piping inspected and possibly snaked to remove any small clogs that may be reducing the volume of vacuum?  Have you looked at all the inlets to make sure that they are closing properly, have not been pulled loose from the wall,  and when the hose is inserted starts the motor?  Have you cleaned the internal filters and made sure that the bin is clean and clear of dust and mold? Yes, I know that is not a pleasant afternoon chore, but with a little effort, your investment will be operating at peak levels, your home will be cleaner and the air quality better.

Why take the time, well the average replacement power unit is just under $600 installed and should have a useful life of ten to twelve years.  Longer, if you maintain it, clean it and keep all the piping, accessories and tool in good working order.

Maybe you have though about a system in your home.  A quality installation may take two to three days, and may need to use a closet o get the piping from one level to another.  Central Vac systems are relatively easy to maintain, offer more powerful cleaning action than uprights and canister vacs and are easier to use.

It has been a while since I posted, but this has been on my mind for a couple of weeks.  Hey, what do you think about Central Vacs?  Do you have one?  Do you like it?

Energy Efficient Home Lighting Design

With the new year, we are down to twelve months before the first of the government mandated reduction of incandescent light bulbs will go into effect. While I agree that lighting is one of the biggest energy hogs in the home, it is also the most necessary of the energy uses. You can use propane or natural gas for cooking, heating and water, but the days of gas lamps is gone. So what is the best way to provide lighting in your home?

First, lets talk about using natural lighting during the daylight hours. The proper use of windows, window treatments and skylights can significantly reduce the use of artificial lighting during the day. Southern exposure windows are effective for lighting the rooms and for moderating seasonal temperatures, thus not only allowing for better lighting, but reduced energy use in heating your home in the fall, winter and early spring months. Northern facing windows product little glare and limited solar heating during the summer months. Eastern and western windows use should be limited to certain times during the day. Automatic window treatments, which use an astronomic clock will open and close as the sun moves during the day, allowing the most light into the room, but keeping solar heat to the minimum. Effective use of daylighting will not only reduce energy costs, but will make your home aesthetically appealing and livable.

After you have optimized daylight harvesting, now we need to turn to lighting design for your home. First, more light is not necessarily better. We need better light quality, not just quantity. That is why I don't recommend fluorescent and Compact Fluorescent (CFL's) for daily task lighting. We must match the amount and quantity of light to the room or purpose. Kitchens and baths require more light than family rooms and bedrooms. Lighting needs to be layered, thus in the kitchen for example, an overhead four lamp fluorescent for general lighting, recessed fixtures with dimmable halogens to highlight the room on a dimmer for ambiance, plus LED under cabinet fixtures for task lighting. Over an island pendent fixtures with LED or incandescent lamps controlled by a dimmer allow for a complete lighting package for the room. To control the energy use, a lighting control system can be installed that limits the wattage level, turns off after a certain amount of time or when no one is in the room.

We have found that the use of CFL's in closets, basements, and other limited use areas can be effective. Yes, CFL's are improving and there are replacements available for standard light fixtures. However, they are not the cheap lamps that the utilities are giving away or you can purchase for $1.98 from the "marts". These cheap lamps have a limited life, very poor lighting quality and you really get what you pay for. A good warm CFL lamp that is dimmable will cost upwards to $12 or $15.00. A better choice would be LED's. They are coming down in price, have an excellent life expectancy and can be dimmed without the flashing and turning red associated with CFL's. Even better, would be to use Thomas Edison's perfectly good light source, the incandescent lamp on a dimmer. We also suggest that you install residential occupancy sensors in closets, hallways, basements and other light traffic areas.

Lastly, consult a qualified lighting designer to make the most of your lighting experience. If you are building new, consider using a whole house lighting system which will allow you to control your lighting from your smartphone, internet, and touchscreens throughout the house. COnsider using a mix of incandescent, CFL and LED to make the most of your lighting needs and to take advantage of energy savings. If you are retrofitting your home, using a lighting designer will allow you to take advantage of both their experience, plus add your own taste and style to your home. Various lighting controls can be added from wall box dimmers to room and whole house control.

Elite Systems Solutions offers free in home lighting audits, design and lighting control installations.

Affordable Home Security?

According to a recent study completed by Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, home without a security system are three (3) times more likely to be burglarized than a home with a security system.

This study ruled out location, lack of lighting, etc. and noted that residences that did not have a security system, either wired or wireless were three times as likely to be robbed, vandalized or broken into. With the current economic climate, it really makes sense to think about purchasing a security system. While I am loath to recommend the $99.00 ADT install, which is just one keypad, front and rear door sensors, a motion detector and control box along with a three (3) year $35.99 per month monitoring fee, now may be the perfect time to speak with a local licensed security dealer about a security system that really protects your home.

A properly install security system, along with a review of your exterior can provide peace of mind, safety and energy management. Right now, I wold wager that you go and turn on a light in the front and possibly the rear of your home. You may have a motion light or a photo cell control "night light" positioned on your home for safety and security. While this may provide you with a little peace of mind, the determined thief may be watching your home, making notes of when you leave and when you come home, as well as noting your lights, any large trees and landscaping covering a possible entrance, any dark corners or areas that are not viewable from the street or next door neighbors. Yes, I have heard that home security is only as strong as a piece of glass, but with a monitored professionally installed system, most would be thieves will look a more opportune locations before attacking the monitored home.

A professionally installed system can reduce insurance costs, can control lights and HVAC, thus saving you money and add safety and security to your family. A professionally installed system can provide many additional benefits depending on your needs and requirements. While monitoring costs vary greatly from one provide to another, make sure you ask what is included in the monitoring fee and how long it lasts.

Yes, Security systems can be affordable, if you do the math, lower insurance costs, peace of mind and knowing that you are reducing the odds that you and your family will become a victim of crime.

3D TV's Hype or a Good Investment

All the trade magazines, blogs and even CES were spouting off about the next big thing, 3D televisions. However, with known issues such as HDMI bandwidth, non standardized glasses, and switching problems with existing A/V receivers, you would think that many in this space would be advocating a wait and see approach. Unfortunately, they are not!

Here at Elite Systems Solutions, we are advising our clients to wait. While we do believe that 3D is interesting and has some legs, until we can drop the glasses, understand and integrate with existing A/V equipment and have a good content base, these are just expensive pieces of electronics. How many times can you watch Avator before you are burned out? Yes, all the studios are bringing additional releases out in 3D, but unit we have a good inventory of content we will continue to advise a wait and see approach. Even with DirectTV planning three (3) channels of 3D viewing, it is not there yet. Plus, you will need to not only purchase a 3D television, but at this time, additional glasses for each member to watch. Plus, these glasses are not universal, so you can't go next door and watch an event or movie with the neighbors unless their system is the same as yours, so additional expense into spare glasses.

We believe that in the near future manufacturers will develop true 3D screens that will allow the experience without the glasses. Yes, we are a few years away, but do you really ant to be the first adopters with the out of date system?

Well, what do you think? Is all the hype for real? Have you experienced the 3D in your home, neighbors? We could be wrong, be I think I will take a more wait and see approach.

JUst my 2 cents.

Ric

"bringing technology home"

Customer Service

We here a lot of things today about serving the customer. Really this should be first and foremost in the minds of each service organization. We at Elite Systems Solutions believe in listening to our customers and then responding with accurate, true and detailed responses to their questions or statements.

I recently was privileged to be named CEA's Mark of Excellence' 2010 Leadership Award recipient. This award is given to the individual who has made a significant contribution to the Installed Home Technology space over the previous twelve months. I was honored to be chosen. In my remarks and in published remarks on CEPro.com's website I made the statement that I believe in telling the client the truth, even if it costs us the work. I can not do everything imaginable and even if I could, most of my clients couldn't pay the price it was require.

It is time that we in the installation community began to listen to the customer, not promise the moon and deliver what is promised. I want to raise the level of our reputation, not continue down the path that make each of us look like we only are in it for a big payoff.

What do you think? Shouldn't we under promise and over deliver? Shouldn't we be honest with what we can provide? Write me and tell me what you think.

As always,

...bringing technology home!

Smart Meters

Last Friday, on my way to the airport, I heard the Wall Street Journal Report on Smart Metering.  This "new" technology is going to allow Power Supply Company and home owners have more information about energy usage and allow them to shut down high usage appliances during peak energy demands.

Well, I have had a "Smart Meter" on my home for about two (2) years.  Mid Ohio Energy Cooperative began installing these meters, which allow them to send usage information back to the cooperative each month.  But before that, I have had a device on my electric water heater for more than ten years that allowed the cooperative to shut down my water heater via radio control during high peak demand.  This is not new technology, just technology that is now coming to the for front.  It is very interesting that those of us that live in the country, have had energy management devices for many years, because our user owned cooperatives wanted to save us money, reduce demand during high rate and peak usage times, thus again saving energy and money.  Now, it seems that everyone is interested in these items.

What I find very interesting is during a Google search in the Lima Ohio area for searches for Home Automation, Energy Management, Home theater, Lighting Control etc., there were very few searches, in fact, Google listed them as 0 when reporting their searches.  Even widening the coverage area, produced only a 4 to 5 for any of the above keywords.

Take one example, lighting control.  If the home owner would just install inexpensive wall box dimmers, they could save energy and reduce their electric bill.  At the web site http://www.digitaltips.org/networking/lightingControl.asp,  a complete listing of different lighting control options is available.

Elite Systems Solutions has many options to allow the home owner the ability to control their energy usage.  What do you think?  Let me know

...bringing Technology home!

Why do the Experts leave out Home Automation Control in discussions on Energy Management

I received my monthly Electrical Cooperative magazine last week.  A two page article was written concerning the first of its kind energy-efficient residential housing workshop in Ohio.  After reading the article twice, I noticed again how so much time and energy is taken in talking about HVAC Seer ratings and Energy Star lighting and appliances, but no one is talking about controlling any of it with an over arching Home Automation system that sheds loads, turns back the thermostat and turns off all the lighting when away during the day and only lights up certain fixtures at night when away.

Having a 90% efficient furnace, heat pump or geo-thermal heating plant is great, but if the system is not being properly controlled, we are still wasting energy.  Since we are still using old technology to heat water, i.e. large tank, with electrodes or gas burner that constantly cycles off and on to keep the water at a constant temperature, we are still wasting energy!  Why do we need for the water heater to keep the water at a set temperature overnight?  Even if you take your shower in the morning, with a automation system you could bring the water heater on line an hour before you need it, but during times away and when not in use, shed that load!   Ohio State Professor Gary Kinzel, stated that homes use 20 percent of the total energy consumed by our nation.   He lists 17 percent of that to make hot water.

Energy Star has alisted lighting fixture requirement, i.e. 6 out of 10 fixtures must be energy Star rated, that is have the rating and use a CFL for the light source.  But no where is controlling that fixture addressed.  Yes, it has a CFL, but it was left on for sixteen hours, ten of them with no one at home, so I was using "less" energy because of the CFL?   How about a system that turns it off when not in use?  How much would that save?  No one seems to have listed in their checklists for improvement, harvesting day light, proper use of dimming and timers on fans.  

Today, we have the ability and the products to not only control the use of energy efficiently, but to show our clients, with a real time display what they are using and how with control and lifestyle changes they can have a strong impact on their energy use and carbon foot print.

What do you think?  Are we missing the boat by not including Home Automation in the discussion? Let me know what you think.

Ric

...bringing technology home!