Here are some suggestions:

Clean or Replace Filters
Air filters make your unit more efficient and keep the air in your house a lot cleaner.
There are two kinds of air filters, disposable and reusable, and it’s important to know which is which. Otherwise you might end up throwing out a perfectly fine reusable one.

Find and Fix Leaks
Get a professional to come in and check the unit once a year to ensure things are working correctly and to check for air leaks which can reduce your air flow efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

Give the Unit Some Breathing Room
Air conditioners need breathing room. Now’s a good time to prune plants and shrubs lurking near the unit outside your house. Give the unit at least two feet of space.

Find Out How Hard the Unit is Working
Make sure you’re not putting too much stress on your air conditioner and try to use it as little as possible. Window film and shades are a great way to reduce solar heat gain.

Consider an Upgrade
There comes a time when replacing your air conditioner is the only rational choice. Over time, it will save energy and save you money.

Have questions? Call Vision Mechanical at 250 470-9552. We’d be happy to help!

The free kit includes:

• a low-flow showerhead
• faucet aerators
• weatherstripping
• window film
• pipe insulation
• outlet and switch gaskets
• hot water gauge
• compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), a fridge and freezer thermometer, and efficient night light.

How to Save $100 a Year

Use all the items in the kit and practice energy saving habits, and you could save $100 a year!

Don’t believe it? Switch to the low-flow showerhead, take five-minute showers, install the rest of the kit and watch your energy bill shrink.

How to Apply

Look at the before-tax income on your last income tax return. Add it to the before-tax income of anyone else in your home. This tells you your total household income.

FortisBC natural gas and BC Hydro customer can apply online using  their BC Hydro account number or call toll-free 1-877-446-8855 Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm.

Have the following information ready:

• BC Hydro account number
• total household income
• number of people in your household

Don’t qualify for the free kit?

You can still save. Visit Ecofitt to purchase your own energy saving kit.

Don’t wait for the first heat wave, when our phones will be ringing off the hook, to flip the switch and discover your air conditioner doesn’t work or isn’t functioning optimally.

Regular system maintenance is the single most important factor to ensuring years of trouble-free, energy efficient service no matter what type or brand of system you have.

Call Vision Mechanical for more information or to arrange a service call.

Did you know?
Today’s air conditioning systems are up to 60% more efficient than those manufactured as little as 10 years ago?

Flooring experts say wood is a living material that expands and contracts over time. To minimize movement and maximize the life of your floor they recommend you keep humidity levels consistently in the 40%-50% range.

In the summer, you can use air conditioning or a dehumidifier to lower humidity and keep boards from swelling and cupping. A humidifier will also help in the winter when excessive dryness can cause wood floors to shrink and create gaps between floor boards.

Unsure how to measure humidity or if you even have a humidifier in your house? Vision Mechanical is happy to help. Call us at 250 470-9552.

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That commitment to keeping your home and your family safe extends to your gas appliances, which you as a homeowner can take responsibility for.

This includes looking after piping, appliances, venting, combustion air supply, and above-ground or buried piping past your gas meter. The owner’s manual that comes with your natural gas appliances is the best source of maintenance information and other operating instructions.

A qualified gas contractor should inspect your gas appliances. When selecting a contractor, make sure that personnel are licensed gas fitters and experienced at inspecting all types of gas appliances for safe operation.

Safety checklist

• Make sure the areas around gas appliances and vent pipes are kept clear of combustible materials like laundry, paper, paints, solvents, and propane cylinders.
• Do not store lawnmowers, motorcycles and other gasoline-powered equipment or vehicles indoors or near gas appliances.
• Remember that gas appliances have open flames and can be a source of ignition. Do not use combustible products such as solvents and glues in the area.
• Make sure there is an adequate supply of air to gas appliances. Do not block off the duct bringing in outside air and check with your local gas inspector or heating contractor before enclosing appliances.
• Know where to find the shut-off valve for each appliance and how to use it — the gas is “off” when the valve handle is at a right angle to the gas pipe.

Inspect buried piping for leaks or corrosion periodically and repair if necessary. Your gas contractor can locate, inspect, and repair your buried gas piping. Or, look up “Corrosion Control” in the Yellow Pages for a list of other professionals providing this service.

Source: FortisBC

Preventable diseases related to water and sanitation claim the lives of about 3.1 million people per year, most of them children less than 5 years old.

Of these, about 1.6 million people die each year of diarrheal diseases associated with lack of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

The aftermath of 2010’s devastating earthquake in Haiti and last year’s tsunami in Japan reveals how easy it is to take for granted the availability of safe drinking water and sufficient sanitation systems — until those systems cease to function properly.

History shows that great leaps in humankind’s advancement — both physically and socially — have been tied to advances in plumbing technology.

The safety and abundance of drinking water is, of course, a concern for most people all over the world, but what is not often emphasized is the work the plumbing industry contributes every day to alleviate these concerns.

We would like you help in bringing a better understanding of the largely misunderstood role plumbers play in keeping folks safe and healthy each and every day.

By including access to a safe drinking water supply and sanitation in these international goals, the world community proposes 97 million additional people annually will have access to drinking-water services and 138 million additional people access to sanitation services through 2015.

Remember, safe, clear drinking water and basic sanitation is possible in any nation, big or small, when simple, sound plumbing practices are adopted.

For now though, we’re stuck with below zero temperatures that can cause severe plumbing problems homeowners must be aware of.

Here are a few:

• Frozen pipes: Watch your water pressure this time of year because the first sign of a frozen pipe is restricted water flow. If you notice this, be sure to act quickly and call a professional.

• Let cold water trickle from your faucets, slightly smaller than a pencil’s width, during the evening when the temperature is the coldest. This helps prevent freezing as moving water does not freeze.

• Garden hoses can cause major damage if not disconnected. During cold snaps, if a garden hose is left connected, ice will form and pressure will build up in the water lines inside your home. Once this occurs, a water line leak or break is common and this can cause severe damage to the home. If you haven’t already, disconnect garden hoses and drain outdoor pipes to prevent damage.

• After disconnecting hoses, you should install an exterior, insulated faucet jacket. This will protect your outdoor faucets, as well as the connecting lines running into the home, from freezing temperatures. Also, be sure to utilize the shut-off valves located inside your home to drain water from pipes leading to outdoor hose bibs. These valves can typically be found under sinks, in crawl spaces or basements, near your water heater or your meter, but every home is different and some homes may not be equipped with these valves.

• Circulating warm air helps keep pipes in the walls from freezing. Keep your house warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing and open cabinet doors under sinks and faucets and near exterior walls to help circulate warm air and keep pipes warmer.

• Close crawl space vents and garage doors, especially if your water heater is in the garage.

• Check to be sure that snow is not restricting your water drainage. Watch the area around your sump pump discharge line used to avoid flooding indoors, as this line drains from a basement to an outside area. If the drainage area is blocked by snow or flowing into a puddle, freezing could occur as well as water backing-up into the house.

Control those leaks
Leaky faucets are more than an annoyance—they’re costing you money! A slow but steady drip can waste almost 50 gallons of water a day. Over the course of a year, that adds up to 18,250 gallons! And speaking of faucets, the latest styles are more than attractive. Look for new models that are designed to conserve water. You can use up to a 1/3 less water, depending on the faucet you choose.

Caulk and weather strip windows and doors
Caulk the interior of any fixed, single pane windows you have, applying the caulking where the sash meets the frame and where the trim meets the wall. For exterior doors and windows that open, apply weather stripping where two surfaces meet.

Maintain and repair
Change your furnace filter regularly and have your heating system serviced once a year by a heating professional.

Take control of your heating system
Programmable thermostats, available at hardware stores, will automatically adjust the temperature based on the time and day of the week, so there’s no worry of accidentally leaving the heat on after hours.

“I absolutely trust John to do a great job every time I ask him to do work for me. I know that it will be done on time and budget, without any problems. Professional is the best word to describe their company and employees. I will always highly recommend Vision Plumbing & Heating. ” – Alan Moffat, A&L Computers

As the owner of the Sandlewood Hotel, I have done business with Vision Mechanical for 12 years. I have been more than satisfied with all their repair services and would be happy to recommend them.
- Moreh Dalla Porta

One call to Vision Mechanical and they were there for us. They came and installed our outside shower for our new pool. Seeing the work that was done, we were pleasantly surprised to be on time and on budget. After owning several homes and dealing with many contractors over the years, we know that on time and on budget rarely happens.
- Thanks again, Ron and Jackie Mitchell