The City of Seattle Heat Safety webpage is full of tips and resources to stay safe and comfortable when the Seattle area experiences a heat wave. Visit the page and learn more about the following topics. How to stay safe at area cooling centers, beaches, community and senior centers, and public libraries. Managing your activity level during...
The Department of Energy has launched an online Energy Savings Hub to help people in our state potentially save big on their energy costs. The online hub is at: https://www.energy.gov/save Whether you’re a homeowner looking for a tax credit to renovate your home, a renter looking for a rebate on a new appliance, or a driver...
Meteorologist Cliff Mass, the American professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Washington, is one of the “go-to” experts for anyone interested in weather modeling and prediction in the Pacific Northwest. His recent reporting has concluded that April 2023 has been starkly cool over the Pacific Northwest. In fact, the second coolest on record...
Before the Christmas power outage of 2021, investor-owned utility PSE had experienced 160 hours of service downtime across its Washington state service areas due to major weather disturbances that year. The total outage hours were almost three times more than the number of outage hours due to severe weather in 2020. Will that trend continue in 2022? Following...
Can increasing your home’s energy efficiency raise its market value? The short answer is “Yes!’ In a new set of studies reported by E, the environmental magazine, the experts at Energy Star found that an eight percent increase in home value correlated with Energy Star certified homes across Oregon, Idaho and Washington simply because they were deemed energy efficient. The same pattern has been observed across the U.S. A six percent increase was seen in...
The world’s largest heating, ventilation, and air conditioning company, Daikin, has a new name, but its mission to remain a forward-thinking leader in environmental solutions is unchanged. The Daikin products organization, including Daikin ductless and light commercial systems (including VRV) in North America, is unifying its core Daikin, Goodman and Amana HVAC brands. Derr Heating and Cooling is proud to be an authorized Daikin and Goodman...
Spring is that “in-between season” where how to dress from one day to the next can be anybody’s guess. Keeping your living space consistently comfortable in this weather can be a challenge. Some rooms can be too cold while others are too warm. Do you run the heat or the AC? How about both in...
When Ductless Mini-Split systems, also known as Ductless Heat Pumps, began to surge in popularity around the Pacific Northwest, a number of myths and misperceptions sprung from the word-of-mouth of the unacquainted and uninformed. Outdated information can spread as quickly as praise and recommendations keeping homeowners from making the best choices about heating and cooling. To demystify those misbegotten...
This month, the Kitsap Building Association hosted Robert Dietz, the Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders, to advise us all on what’s ahead. The speaker filled us in on a number of economic fronts, including new home construction, job openings in construction, labor force participation of men and women, lending rates, inflation...
On New Years Day, January 1, 2023, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) minimum energy efficiency standard went into effect for all newly manufactured residential and commercial air conditioners and heat pumps. The standard not only increases the minimum efficiency of residential equipment, but also includes separate efficiency standards and installation requirements for central air conditioners sold in...
