No one is arguing that this winter has been the worst experienced since The Great Blizzard of 1978, and quite possibly, one of the most costly for Ada village area residents.
According to Robert Bellinski, an energy analyst for Morningstar, “This is one of the worst winters we’ve ever had.” And not only that, but natural-gas prices were at their highest in late January 2014, which pushed central Ohio bills to their highest levels since 2009, according to a report by The Columbus Dispatch. Climate control is a must to live comfortably. But the constant fluctuations in weather we've experienced lately means your home's HVAC system is working harder than it was intended to.
This winter local contractor, Ada Services, has been working around the clock to ensure community members' broken and burst pipes were repaired, furnaces repaired or replaced quickly, and overall worked to keep homeowners’ utility costs affordable.
Ada Services is a local full-service heating, cooling, electrical and plumbing contractor owned by Dale and Charity Bracy, and they’re growing a reputation for delivering affordable energy efficient solutions for homeowners in the Ada area.
"We believe in helping our neighbors and community, this winter was awful and the cold temperatures took a toll on everyone. With summer around the corner, we want to make sure that local homeowners are aware of some simple and important things they can do to properly ensure their HVAC systems are running efficiently,” said Charity.
New real estate development company Ada Ohio Properties, Ltd. (has been renovating a property located on Grand Avenue this winter and was battling the elements with the help of Ada Services.
“The extreme cold temperatures made it especially difficult to keep our renovation timeline on course, but Ada Services was great to work with and very reasonable in helping us update all the electrical and ensured the furnace was properly tested and working efficiently. It’s important to us that our properties are energy efficient as it’s a savings we can pass off to the next owner or tenant,” said Megan Brown, co-owner.
Energy efficiency and affordability are the result of regularly checking your home’s systems and can even be controlled to a certain extent by implementing the important tips noted below thanks to Ada Services, be sure to add this check list to your Spring “to-do” list:
1. Check your air-conditioning and heating equipment at the beginning of a new season.
2. Check and replace your furnace and air-conditioning filters every month. However, there are several types of filters to choose from depending on your budget. For example, fiberglass filters typically last only a month, whereas HEPA filters last up to six months.
3. Most air conditioners have a drainage hole in the base of the cabinet, beneath the evaporator fins. This hole needs to be kept clear in order for the air conditioner to work properly. It’s a good idea each spring to use a paper clip or wire to poke through the hole and clear it.
4. Clean your bathroom fans once a year. Just take off the cover, wash it in soapy water and clean dirt off the fan blades with a toothbrush. Be sure the power is off when you do this.
5. Check the flappers on your toilets at least once a year. If they’re showing their age, replace them before they start leaking and wasting water. When a toilet runs for long periods of time, water bills add up.
“These are just a few tips that can help you keep your home’s heating and cooling systems working efficiently, as well as some additional tips for keeping utility costs and home maintenance costs low over the course of a year,” said Charity.
Ada Services is located at 321 Heistand St., Ada, and can be found on Facebook. They are available 24-hours a day for assisting residents with heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical needs. Their business phone is 419.634.2856.
