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Saving on Air Conditioning Costs

May is halfway over, and June is looming, along with the rising temperatures that go along with summer. If you have had a more difficult year financially, you are probably looking for ways to save money everywhere you turn, especially when it comes to your home. With summer on the horizon, here are some tips to help you save money on air conditioning costs. Whether or not your wallet is feeling tighter, these tips will help make your air conditioner be more efficient in the long run.
1. Use Mother Nature and plant some trees or shrubs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if you shade your air conditioning unit, it will work about 10% more efficiently. So go green and stay cool!
2. Curtains can help! It's always said during wintertime that the you lose a lot of heat through your windows. Well, a lot of heat tries to enter through your windows in the summertime. If your windows have curtains, they can help shield the inside of your home from the the sun's rays (and heat). 
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Trane's EarthWise Geothermal System: Flexible and Functional

You are always looking for better, more environmentally-friendly ways to do things. You have a plastic bottle you reuse for your water, you faithfully separate your waste into recycling containers, and you compost the biodegradable waste. Why shouldn't your home be just as efficient?
Shakley Mechanical is experienced with both Trane and ClimateMaster geothermal unit installation and maintenance. As we said in a previous blog, these geothermal heat pumps are extremely efficient. They can reduce your heating and cooling bills by up to 80%. These pumps provide:Home heating and coolingWater heatingRadiant heatingIn this blog we are going to talk about Trane and their unique EarthWise™ Geothermal System. A geothermal system works like a heat pump, only on a much larger scale. In cold weather, your home is warmed by heat brought in from the earth. During warm weather, your home is cooled by the movement of heat from your home back into the earth.
With Trane, they offer four types of geoth…
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Spring Plumbing To-Do List

As springtime is now nearly here, your plumbing needs a little bit of preventative maintenance to keep everything running smoothly now that we are starting to thaw out! Here are a few chores to add to your spring cleaning list!
Drain Any Sediment in Your Water Heater Over time, sediment may collect in the bottom of your water heater. This can not only reduce how efficiently it works in the long run, but it could also mean an early death for your water heater. Draining your water heater can be a time-consuming process, and it requires a bit of knowledge. If you have never done it yourself, or you’re not entirely comfortable with how to do it, it is recommended that you call a plumber. One of the best plumbing tips we can give you is to make sure you are getting your water heater regularly cleaned. If sediment is left uncleaned, it’s very likely the buildup will cause the water heater to break entirely. 
Turn the Valves and Check Your Outdoor Faucets Where there’s water, there tends to b…
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Benefits of Geothermal Units

Winter isn’t over yet! Over the last few days, we’ve experienced some frigid weather in the North Central Ohio area, and you’re likely running your heat at a higher temperature than usual. You might be wishing you didn’t have to spend so much just to keep your home or business warm. What if we told you that we could make this wish come true?

While Shakley Mechanical offers traditional HVAC services, we are proud to also provide geothermal heating and cooling units to our customers! We have noticed that customers who choose the geothermal units have a significant decrease in their utility bills. Geothermal units also provide air conditioning, water heating, and radiant heating services.



There are so many wonderful benefits to using geothermal units! In this blog, we’ll go over some of the most important advantages they provide:

They save you money! We already mentioned that these units can save customers on their utility bills, but it’s important to note that this savings could be up to…
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How to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing

Winter temperatures can be incredibly harsh, especially here in Ohio. Sometimes, pipes can even freeze. In this blog, we’ll go over some suggestions to prevent your pipes from freezing. They’re simple things anyone can do!



Let the faucet drip. Surely, you’ve heard this before. Leaving the water running keeps the pipes from freezing. This is because letting the faucet drip relieves any pressure in the plumbing system. When this pressure builds up, that’s what causes pipes to freeze. We recommend letting warm water drip during incredibly frigid temperatures.

Keep the thermostat the same all day. You may be tempted to turn the temperature lower when you aren’t at home or maybe at night. When the temperatures are below zero, though, you certainly don’t want to keep switching the thermostat around. Leaving your home at one consistent temperature allows you to have peace of mind that your pipes won’t freeze.

Close garage doors. This is especially important if you have water line supplies in th…
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Common Furnace Issues

With the winter temperatures here to stay, furnace problems could be appearing. Some problems are far less in-depth than others, but regardless of the problem level, Shakley Mechanical wants to help take care of them for you. There are a few issues that we see reoccurring in commercial and residential heating systems.

1. Dirty Filters - A dirty filter is one of the leading causes of costly repairs being needed. The filter helps keep dust, mold spores, and other debris out of the furnace. When it is full, or just old, the filter no longer properly retains these particles which can lead to build up inside the furnace. A clogged furnace will eventually quit working, but leading up to that, your furnace will work harder to produce heat meaning higher energy costs for you.

2. Ball Bearings and Belt Wear - If you notice a strange noise beginning to sound while your furnace is running, a worn blower belt or worn bearings may be the cause. A blower belt will normally cause a high pitch squea…
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Outdoor Plumbing Maintenance

Often times we think about the plumbing inside of our house but what about outside of our home? Sure, chances are the outdoor parts of your home don't have as many outdoor plumbing fixtures, but they are just as important. Fall brings a few important things to do to protect the integrity of your outdoor plumbing. Many times they get overlooked until just before winter, until there's an issue, or missed completely. We want to make sure your outdoor plumbing is taken care of though.

1. Outdoor Faucets -- Outdoor faucets are one of the most prone to freezing which can lead to bigger issues with the plumbing inside your house. Switching the water supply off and draining the pipe can prevent water from laying there and freezing. Covering the faucets with styrofoam for insulation also protects them. You can pick up foam faucet igloos at most hardware and home improvement stores.

2. Hoses -- Proper storage of garden and garage hoses can help them last longer. By leaving water lay in…
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