Thank you for coming to our page on sustainability! Schneider Heating believes in the mission of sustainability. We are on the front lines of reducing carbon emissions, leveraging renewable resources, and lowering the energy needs of homes and commercial buildings. Sustainability becomes real when it’s achievable. Upgrading your HVAC system to higher efficiency or alternative energies is more accessible than ever before. We can explain and show how your decisions will be helping the earth while also helping your wallet.
When you think of sustainability, you may think of wind turbines, solar panels, or electric vehicles. We’ve noticed people tend to overlook one area with massive potential. Your home’s HVAC system is the single largest energy expenditure on your home or business. If you have a furnace and central air conditioner like most homes in Wisconsin and Minnesota, your furnace accounts for almost all of your natural gas or LP usage, and the air conditioner accounts for about 50% of your electrical usage. Getting a higher efficiency HVAC system will make a noticeable difference in your energy usage and save you on your utility bills for years.
What can YOU do to make a difference?
Leveraging Renewable Resources:
Air Source Heat pumps reduce your carbon emissions by shifting your primary heating source off natural gas or LP to electricity in a highly efficient way. We have been able to reduce your natural gas or LP consumption by 40-95% annually using heat pumps while only marginally increasing your electrical usage. Learn more about how they work by visiting our Heat Pump Page. We are experienced in installing and servicing heat pumps, having installed over 500 heat pumps residential and commercial in the last 2 years. Geothermal systems (or ground source heat pumps) fit into this category, and will also greatly reduce your carbon emissions.
Aeroseal:
Aeroseal is a simple idea with a massive impact. Aeroseal’s mission is to reduce carbon emissions from buildings by 1 gigaton each year. Sealing one house is equivalent to planting 50 trees. Sealing 4-5 homes is like taking 1 car off the road. How does this work? SImply by sealing your home’s ductwork. The average duct system leaks roughly 25-40% of its total airflow. Therefore your furnace and AC run longer to overcome that duct leakage. Simply getting the air where it needs to go will improve your home’s efficiency and comfort. We are the only contractor in this area that provides Aeroseal as a service currently.
Smart Thermostats:
Installing a new thermostat can save you about 8% of your annual heating and cooling costs, according to Energy Star. This again reduces your home’s energy waste. A new Smart Thermostat can come with added benefits like accessibility through wifi and Geo-fencing.
Our Gold Star Maintenance Program:
Getting your equipment cleaned and checked regularly will increase its efficiency, reliability, and life expectancy. Lack of maintenance will lead to energy waste. One such example is your air conditioner. If you never have maintenance done, the outdoor unit will collect dirt, pollen, dust, and cottonwood, making it harder on the equipment. Get on our Gold Star maintenance program today!
Higher Efficiency equipment:
If your home’s HVAC equipment is old and outdated, you will benefit from higher efficiencies. This will lower your home’s energy expenditures, yada yada yada.
Air exchangers:
Fresh air is essential to a healthy home. Many houses have a fresh air intake or rely on natural air infiltration. A more efficient and healthy option is to install an Air Exchanger, also called a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV). During the heating season, an HRV will captures heat from the outgoing air and uses it to preheat the incoming fresh air. This saves you from having to completely reheat the incoming air. Make sure your HRV has ECM motors and you are in great shape!
ECM Motors:
New HVAC equipment can be expensive, so replacing an old PSC motor for an ECM motor is much easier on your wallet. What does that mean to me ? Without getting overly technical, an ECM motor can produce energy savings as high as 75%! You can install ECM motors for both the furnace fan and the outdoor (condenser) fan. These are now standard on all new equipment, but if you furnace is from 2022 or earlier, there is a good chance it has a PSC motor.
Other FAQs
What if I have solar panels?
Solar is great, but if you have a natural gas or LP furnace, Solar cannot reduce your heating costs. Installing an Air Source Heat Pump will maximize the effectiveness of your solar panels. Solar and Heat Pumps are a great one-two punch for achievable personal sustainability!
What should I do first? Get Solar or address my HVAC system?
This question almost feels like ‘What came first, the chicken or the egg?’ While both Solar and HVAC would be ideal, we understand you can’t eat an elephant in one bite. Solar contractors will look at your electrical usage and choose the number of solar panels to match your electrical needs. If you put in a higher efficiency air conditioner, you may find you don't require as many panels and save on the solar install. Alternatively, if you install a heat pump system you may actually use more electricity during the heating season while greatly reducing your natural gas or LP bill. Your Solar contractor would again be able to see that and make adjustments.