The Buzz Report Febuary 2023

In This Issue New Office Location DIY: Tackling High Energy Bills Help! Why Is My Heat Pump Blowing Cool Air? February Celebrations The Beco Club The Beco Referral Program Beco’s Kitchen Just For Fun Don’t Get Caught Unprepared! Make sure your family stays warm and safe with a full heating tune-up from Beco! Schedule today! 817-921-3724   As we spend more time indoors, we may find ourselves watching a lot of TV, whipping up meals from scratch and generally using appliances around the clock. The surprise result you may have experienced is an uptick in your utility bills. Here are a few energy- efficient tips to help keep costs down while staying at home. Consider your home comfort system. If your system is more than 10 years old it’s using more energy than necessary to heat and cool your house. High-efficiency systems offer the potential to save hundreds of dollars a year on energy bills, and also provide a greater level of comfort. If your current system has become expensive to maintain and operate, or if it’s struggling to keep your home comfortable, it may be wise to replace it. Over time, a new system will pay for itself in reduced heating and cooling bills. Change that air filter. A dirty air filter causes your HVAC system to work harder than it should — and that increases energy use. Check and/or change the filter on a monthly basis during heaviest use. Turn it down. For every degree or so you turn your heat down, you’re looking at between 2–3% savings on your monthly bill. For even more savings, be sure to lower it when you’re not around. Shop smart. Energy-efficient appliances cost less to operate, and that’s key to reducing your home energy use. Unplug it. If you have a million little electronics plugged in, they’re all just sitting there doing nothing but chugging power. Use it wisely. Completely fill up your dishwasher before running it. Dishwashers use the same amount of energy no matter how full they are. It all adds up. Texas doesn’t get super cold very often. But when it does, having your heat pump blow cold air is the last thing you need. So what’s the deal? There are two possibilities: Your heat pump is working properly. Your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, in which case there is likely an issue with your system Possibility #1: Your body is tricking you Your body’s average temperature is around 98 degrees, whereas the air that heat pumps produce is around 100 degrees. So, even when a heat pump is working just fine, the air a heat pump circulates may feel “cold” compared to your body heat. Plus, the colder it gets outside, the lower the temperature of the air a heat pump can produce. Why? Well, heat pumps actually heat your home by absorbing heat from the air outside, drawing that heat inside, and using that heat to warm up your home’s air. The colder it gets outside, the less heat your heat pump can absorb from outside, and the lower the temperature your heat pump produces. While this may seem like an issue, your heat pump can usually heat your home just fine, but when it’s extremely cold out (below 30 degrees), it just takes your system a little longer to do so. At this point, if your system is equipped with Emergency Heat, it is recommended that you switch over to this heat source. Possibility #2: Reasons your heat pump is actually blowing cold air If your heat pump is blowing cold air, some possible causes include: Low refrigerant levels Problems with the reversing valve Thermostat accidentally set to “cool” mode Fan set to ON Dirty outdoor unit The system is in a defrost cycle 1. Low refrigerant Refrigerant is the substance that absorbs heat from the air outside and draws that heat into your home. If there is a leak in your refrigerant line, there won’t be enough refrigerant to draw in the proper amount of heat to warm up your home’s air. If this is your issue, you’ll need to contact a professional to come to check out your heat pump. Refrigerant circulates in a closed-loop system, so if your system is low on refrigerant, there’s a leak. A Beco pro will need to repair the leak as well as refill your refrigerant. 2. Reversing valve issues The reversing valve is the mechanical valve that switches your heat pump from cooling mode to heating mode. If there is an issue with your reversing valve, your heat pump may actually be in cooling mode, in which case the air coming from your vents will be cold, not warm. To fix this, you’ll need to contact a Beco technician and have them take a look at your system. 3. Thermostat set to COOL Don’t worry, it happens more often than you think. If you recently turned your heat on, this could be the issue. Check your thermostat and make sure that its set to HEAT, not COOL. 4. Fan set to AUTO Another setting on your thermostat is your FAN setting. This setting should be set to AUTO, not ON. When set to on, your heat pump will blow air whether it’s heated air or not. When set to AUTO, your heat pump will only blow air when it’s heated. 5. Dirty outdoor unit Your heat pump heats your home by drawing in warm air from outside. However, your heat pump will struggle to absorb warmth from outside if the coils on the outdoor unit are dirty, clogged or blocked with debris (resulting in less heated air to your home). To determine if this is your issue, go outside and take a look at your outdoor unit (compressor). If it looks dirty or clogged, it’s time to enlist a Beco professional to come and clean it. 6. The system is in a defrost cycle If it gets too cold outside, your heat pump’s outdoor unit may freeze, causing your system to go into defrost mode. When in defrost mode, your heat pump starts transferring heat out of your home (towards your outdoor unit) instead of transferring heat inside your home. This transfer of warm air to your outdoor unit helps to melt any ice on your outdoor unit. When this happens, your heat pump is essentially in “cooling mode,” which is why you may feel cold air coming from your vents. Once your outdoor unit has defrosted, your heat pump will return to transferring heat into your home rather than to your outdoor unit. If your heat pump is blowing cold air, look outside and see if your outdoor unit is frozen or has frost on it. If so, your heat pump is likely in defrost mode and you don’t need to call a technician. However, if your heat pump doesn’t return to heating mode and you’re noticing cool air for a long period of time, you should reach out to a Beco professional. Think you have an issue with your heat pump? If you’re trying to determine whether the cold air you’re feeling is a legitimate heat pump issue or not, we suggest you do the following… 1) To find out if your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, hold a thermometer up to the supply vent (the ones that blow out air) then hold it up to a return vent (the ones that suck air in). The air coming from your supply vent should be anywhere from 15-30 degrees hotter than the air near your return vent (depending on how cold it is outside). 2) If you test your home’s air supply and find that your heat pump is blowing cold air, call and schedule an appointment with a Beco professional who can fix your heat pump. Cheesy Bacon Beer Bread Ingredients: *3 1/2 cups self-rising flour *1/3 cup sugar *1 egg *1 can beer *2 tablespoons dried onion *1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese *4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled. Instructions: Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with cooking oil. In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, egg, beer, and onion. Fold in the cheese and bacon. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.   Hamburger Soup   Ingredients: *1 lb ground beef *1 tablespoon olive oil *1 medium yellow onion, diced *3 stocks celery, diced *3 cloves garlic, minced *3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced *1 can tomato paste (5 oz) *1 can of diced tomatoes (15 oz) *1/2 cup frozen corn *1/2 cup frozen green beans *1 bay leaf *4 cups beef broth *1/3 cup macaroni noodles *1 teaspoon tabasco sauce *1 tablespoon Italian seasoning *Salt and pepper to taste Instructions: In a large stockpot, add oil and onions, cooking over medium-high heat until onions are translucent. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Add Italian seasoning and cook until brown. Stir in vegetables, bay leaf and beef broth. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add noodles. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and simmer until noodles are al dente, about 7 minutes. Add tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and serve hot. Yema Candy Yema is a sweet custard confectionery from the Philippines. The name yema is Spanish for “egg yolk”.  Like other egg yolk-based Filipino desserts, it is believed that yema originated from early Spanish construction materials. During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, egg whites mixed with quicklime and eggshells were used as a type of mortar to hold stone walls together.  Filipinos reused the discarded egg yolks into various dishes. Among them is yema. Yemas were originally made with only egg yolks and sugar, heated and stirred until the consistency is thick. They are then shaped into small balls or pyramids and covered in white sugar. Milk (or condensed milk) later became part of the recipe. Modern variations also usually include chopped nuts.     Ingredients: *1 can sweetened condensed milk *8 egg yolks *2 tablespoon butter *1/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, peanuts, or pecans), optional *powdered sugar Instructions: In a medium saucepan, heat sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and butter over low heat until thickened. Stir constantly. Add nuts. Pour onto a baking sheet and let cool. Divide into squares. Roll each square into a ball. Coat in powdered sugar.