If you are a homeowner, renter or live near a home, you are probably being bombarded with letters from contractors or home labor. These letters seem to be for everything that you might need in repair, cleaning or replacement for your home. Since we happen to own our home, we are not left out. I admit, I do read all of them, for helpful hints, discounts and just to see what other companies like ourselves are doing to help our local customers.

Of course, we go a bit further and follow up on each of the advertisements that we might be interested in. Some of these companies spend lots of money on really nice brochures, and others write up a letter telling you about themselves. What really scared me was I went to our local CCB Website and found some very important information. Besides finding out how long a company has been in business, who actually owns the company and if their business license is active, I was able to tell if a company had changed their name, what their CCB Administrative License Actions might be and any CCB Disciplinary Actions that have taken place. Why is this important???? The nicest brochure that I received was from a company that had multiple disciplinary actions. Another had changed the name of the company a few times.

I am not saying that there might be a valid reason for some of these changes, and I would be prompted to check into them further with the BBB of Oregon or to check out their feedback. What I learned was that before I have anybody come clean my gutters or have any work done at our house is to first go to the CCB Website and do a little research. The best brochure is not necessarily the best company.

If Comfort Zone has done work for you personally and you would like to leave feedback for others who might be in need of our services, please go to our website at czheatinging.com or to any of the CCB, Portland City Search, Manta, LinkedIn. We truly appreciate and respect your comments. It is what makes us a better company.

Thank you and enjoy all the sunshine we are having!!!!!

We will go over all of the different financing options that Comfort Zone Heating has and any questions or concerns that you may have on purchasing a new furnace.

Feel free to check us out on Facebook or the BBB of Oregon – Comfort Zone Heating & AC carries a A+ rating.

Having time to do research at this point on what type of furnace to get and all those little details that make purchasing the right furnace for your home really important. I have included a link to Consumer Reports Gas Furnace Guide to give you a jump start. The best thing that you can do is call David. He is certified and trained to offer you the best furnace for your home and budget. It’s those little details of information that really count. Having someone check your existing duct work for leaks and problems will help you save a ton of money besides just installing a new furnace with a higher efficiency. Comfort Zone offers financing, and can help you compare the offers that are being advertised by the furnace dealers also.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their holidays, but take a moment to have us come out and do a furnace tune-up to keep you warm throughout the winter. We would be glad to come out after hours and no additional charge.

Please call 503-667-5595, and our friendly staff will be glad to help you.

I happen to love this time of year – Christmas Decorations in store before Halloween over, family already feuding, weight gain from all the good food! Ok, obviously I am just kidding, but there is one event and that is Black Friday Gresham!!!!! We thought this would be the best time of year to help and offer a 10% off internet coupon for any New or Replacement Furnace/Heat Pump purchased by Nov. 30th, 2011. All you have to do is mention that you read my blog and it’s yours! I have spent the last few days searching through the Black Friday Coupons and have found nothing for Furnaces. Comfort Zone Heating & AC wants to add to the Black Friday Internet savings with our own discount! With Gresham and Troutdale always feeling the cold before everyone else, now is the perfect time to have your furnace inspected for leaks, have insulation put in, and if needed replaced before the cold air sets in.

Call us here at Comfort Zone Heating & AC at 503 667 5595 and mention our Black Friday Home Furnishing Deal!!!!

Winter is fast closing in upon us, and while the weather is still permitting it is time to start winterizing our homes. With our wonderful Oregon luck of wind, rain and at anytime a foot of snow now is the time to be prepared!!!

I have listed a few ideas to help you prepare your home for the winter weather of the Pacific Northwest and of course our very own beautiful Portland Metro area:

Inspecting your home heating ducts: One of the first major sources of energy loss (meaning higher energy bills) is leaky and uninsulated ducts. Sealing and insulating your ducts can help your furnace run more efficiently, lengthening the life of your furnace and of course saving your hard earned money!

Have your furnace inspected: This really goes along with having your ducts inspected because preventive maintenance ensures your furnace will work strong and smooth all winter long, keeping the efficiency and keeping the need for a late night call because your furnace shut off at 9:00 pm and it’s freezing outside!!!

Cleaning out your gutters: The task that we all dislike doing but it can stop the force water from seeping inside your house, which can cause serious structural and foundational damage and that pesky drip on the head when you are unlocking your door! (my personal favorite pet peeve!)

Make sure to check for leaks around windows and doors: Making the switch to energy-efficient windows and doors and ensuring that all leaks are sealed can save you hundreds of dollars a year. If you are unable to do that, make sure to seal off any leaks by using caulking or other home methods around the windows. This will also help in the cost of your energy bills.

Our Home Energy Efficiency Specialists are always happy to help in any way that we can. We are more than happy to come into your home and inspect, give tips, and help you plan on a warm winter instead of a cold freeze!

Stay Warm Everyone!!!

We of course being animal lovers in our family thought this would be an easy and fun way to involve your children in energy saving of the earth and a simple way of saving our birds.

Night-migrating birds rely on celestial cues to navigate, and sky glow from cities can lure them off course, resulting in window strikes. Portland has more than 209 species of birds that migrate through the area. Audubon Portland has documented from several seasons of early morning bird surveys and Wildlife Car Center intakes that over 70 of these species have been involved in window collisions.

This is such a simple cost-effective and energy-efficient way of saving money in your own homes and promoting the “Lights Out Portland” at your place of work. So, please take the time to talk to your children about turning off an extra light or two from 25 August through 15 November dusk to dawn and lets teach them a simple way to save our Portland area birds, save our planet, and of course save a few extra dollars in our own pockets!

If you have any great Energy Saving Tips for our kids – Let Us Know and we will pass it along! Just send us a message!

Thank you!

- Peace of mind for you and your family
- Lower home heating bills
- Fewer furnace repairs and heating breakdowns
- Increased Heating capacity
- Extended Furnace and Heating System life

What does our Tune Up Include?

1. Inspect and tighten all electrical connections and terminals.
2. Inspect, clean, and adjust main gas burners.
3. Remove, clean, and adjust ignition/pilot assembly.
4. Test the capacitor
5. Inspect heat-exchanger(s) & combustion chambers for cracks, rusting, or problem areas.
6. Vacuum out blower compartment; return airdrop, and surrounding area. (No duct cleaning)
7. Inspect the flue assembly and test furnace flue gas drafting mechanism.
8. Test and inspect all furnace safety controls.
9. Test, and adjust gas pressure.
10. Inspect furnace air filters.
11. Inspect and clean furnace blower motor, drive mechanism and fan assembly.
12. Lubricate all fan motors and all moving parts,as needed
13. Measure and adjust blower for correct airflow.
14. Adjust and set proper blower speed(s).
15. Clean, level, test, and calibrate thermostat.
16. Measure and record heating system output.
17. Inspect and test thermocouple output as well as pilot safety switch.
18. Measure and record electrical voltage, amperage, and component resistance.
19. Inspect and test all system transformers, relays, contactors, and controls. Measure performance
20. Seal minor air leaks in plenum and return airdrop.
21. Perform a thorough, electronic carbon monoxide check of the house.

If your car was used as often as your furnace and air conditioner, it would have traveled over 200,000 miles in a year. Your home heating and cooling system operates approximately 3200 hours in a year. If you traveled 3200 hours at 65mph in your car you would have changed your oil 66 times, used 4 sets of tires, performed 4 tune-ups and flushed your cooling system 3 times.

No one would drive that many miles without performing any maintenance and expect for things to function properly. Just like your car, your system needs a tune up and lubrication and cleaning. By performing a precision tune up on your system, you minimize the chance of breakdowns – saving energy and extending the life of your system.

So before our beautiful fall turns into that cold winter, call us here at Comfort Zone Heating to set up the perfect time for your home furnace inspection!

“>Check us out on Manta!!!

I know we all dislike the Monday mornings – but I have found a new money saving and money earning promotion for you by ” NW Ductless Heat Pump Project Regional Campaign.

The 70s called, and they want their heater back!
Discover ductless heating and cooling systems for your home. Get out of that time warp and start living
in year-round comfort and save up to 50% on your heating bill compared to electric baseboard, wall and
ceiling heat. Upgrading is easy and affordable.

Now through Dec. 31, 2011, you can enter for a chance to win $10,000 and other prizes just for
exploring ductless technology by visiting www.GoingDuctless.com or follow the link I have set up on our Facebook Page

Free to Enter! That’s the kind of contest I like! If you would like more background information on Ductless Heat I have written a few blogs on the very subject. So, on this very dreary Portland morning check out ductless heat and enter to win $10,000!

Hope I cheered you up!

Summer has finally arrived and NOW is the time for vacation. If you are like most families you are looking for anyway to save that extra dollar for your summer family time. We all know even camping with the kids can be expensive. A simple way is to pre-program your thermostat before you go whether vacation or work. It’s always good to know you are saving money while away!!!!

If you don’t have a programmable thermostat with the furnace/heat pump you have – No Problem! We can fix that! The savings you will produce for your family bottom line will completely out way the cost of a programmable thermostat. A great feature (and money saver) is that you can control your settings to your personal liking. I just happen to like it cool at night when I sleep, but on weekends we stay up later. A easy way to keep me from going over to the thermostat and hitting the up button and more importantly keeping our heating/cooling system running more efficiently is to Pre-Program. The amount of flexibility you have in this respect depends on the model you install.

We happen to carry the Honeywell Programmable Thermostat. These models allows you to program specific portions of your day. If your weekday schedule has different time periods when no one is home either due to work or maybe school you can program those periods accordingly. To have a nice warm and cozy house to come home too, just have the heat come on the the perfect temperature for you half an hour before you walk in the door.

Another thermostat that we carry is the Ecobee it comes with off-site access. Off-site access, which allows you to program your system via telephone or Internet, can be especially useful when vacation and you decide to stay for an extra day due to our wonderful Oregon summers or your stuck at work or in traffic. Most of all you will have the best money saving tip along with high tech bragging
rights for sure!!

For more information about the energy-saving benefits of programmable thermostats, contact David at Comfort Zone Heating & AC