Lighting accounts for 20% to 25% of all electricity consumed in the United States. An average household dedicates 5% to 10% of its energy budget to lighting, while commercial establishments consume 20% to 30% of their total energy just for lighting.

In a typical residential or commercial lighting installation, 50% or more of the energy efficiency is wasted by obsolete equipment, inadequate maintenance, or inefficient use.

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There is nothing like beautiful San Diego weather. Any time of the year is great for visiting and enjoying the perfect climate. San Diego enjoys their beautiful weather year round with an average daily temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius). With the warmest month of the year being August with an average maximum temperature of 77.5 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s likely most homes can get away with not having an air conditioning in San Diego.

However, San Diego has a variety of weather conditions which will make home owners want to install an air conditioner. Usually in about an hours drive, you can experience all four different San Diego micro-climates - coastal, inland valleys, mountains and desert.

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Wait! Before you call your local plumber, do a simple do-it-yourself plumbing diagnosis test with 1800AnyTyme’s Plumbing Checklist.

Use this free plumbing checklist to identify potential plumbing problem areas in your home before your plumber arrives. Check and indicate any items you would like a technician to check during your appointment. This will help your plumber get to your real problems fast instead of poking around your house while he charges you per hour.

>> Download and print your Plumbing Checklist today for free.

It is free, it is plentiful, it is easy to find, it is satisfying, it tastes good and it can be a life saver. Water, whether from expensive designer bottles or straight from the tap is a part of daily life. It is also the first line of defense when it comes to preventing serious heat related medical conditions, said Dr. Carol Rice, Texas Cooperative Extension Health Specialist. “The body needs a certain amount of fluid intake to balance what it uses,” she said. During the heat of the summer, the body gives off a lot of its water supply as perspiration; You have to be able to perspire to maintain a balanced temperature; You need to drink a lot if you perspire a lot in order to avoid heat-related problems.”

Drink lots of cool water, even more than you think you need, when the weather is hot and humid,” Rice said. Fruit and vegetable juices and sports drinks are good too, but water is best. Drinking a gallon of liquid a day is recommended, she said, for people who are not in an air conditioned environment and when the outside temperature is above ninety degrees. Both adults and children who are outside in the summer heat need an adequate supply of cool drinking water on hand; “If you drink a glass of water about every twenty minutes if you’re going to be playing or working outside, that should keep you safe,” according to Rice.

AnyTyme Plumbing asks you to be safe during the coming summer months. Drink a lot of water and try to stay cool to avoid heat stroke and dehydration.

Saving water is a huge priority these days. The following hints are designed to help you save money and preserve our fresh water resources. There are many different ways to save water and they all start with you.

#1. Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month. Also, if you run them past 7:00pm you will save on energy as well.

#2. Don’t let the water run while you brush your teeth and you could save up to 4 gallons a minute. That’s 200 gallons a week for a family of four.

#3. Grab a wrench or call an AnyTyme Plumber to fix that leaky faucet. It’s easy, inexpensive, and could save up to 140 gallons a week.

#4. When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load so you don’t accidentally over water the load. Also, try to only do laundry when you are going to do a full load, it will cut electrical costs.

#5. Install low-flow showerheads in all showers and aerated faucets on your sinks. They’re inexpensive, easy to install, and can save your family up to 900 gallons a week. Hint: If your shower can fill a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, then you probably need to replace it with a more water efficient showerhead.

#6. By reusing your shower towel multiple times, it will cut down on the amount of laundry you will produce.

#7. Verify that your home is leak-free! Many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak. Call your local San Diego Plumbing company - AnyTyme Plumbing for leak detection services today!

#8. Use a hose nozzle and turn off the water while you wash your car and save more than 100 gallons at a time.

#9. Consider installing an instant tankless water heater so you don’t have to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce heating costs and water waste for your household.

#10. Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap water run every time you want a cool glass of water. This could save hundreds of gallons a month.

Sometimes applying a little bit of information about your water heater can save you hundreds of dollars and make your water heater last up to 10 times longer! The following 10 water heater tips are meant to do just that. Note: If you are unsure on how to apply any of the following repairs on your water heater in San Diego County; Call us now at 800-269-8963, or fill out an online service request to receive our 24/7 anytime water heater repair guarantee.

Top 10 Water Heater Tips:

1. To extend the life of your water heater, drain the tank annually to remove any sediment that may have built up inside it. Be careful to follow the manufacturer’s suggestions. The water draining could be extremely HOT.

2. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater! It’s easy and setting your water heater thermostat to a mid to low range will still provide plenty of hot water, prevent scalding in the water heater, and save money on energy costs.

3. Purchase a hot water insulation jacket for your water heater. By insulating, it will keep the hot water heated longer, reduce standby heat loss (heat lost through the walls of the tank) by 25–40%, and further save on heating costs.

4. Tankless Water heaters provide hot water right where you need it, when you need it, without a storage tank. Using electricity, gas, or propane as a heat source, tankless water heaters, in some cases, can cut your water-heating bill by 10 to 20 percent. They save money by not wasting energy heating water that will go unsued.

5. Have a gas furnace or stove and an electric water heater? you will save money in the long run if you extend the gas line to your water heater as well. Electric water heaters usually cost approximately 3 times more to heat up, natural gas is cheaper and more economical.

6. If you live in a rural area that has propane service instead of natural gas, propane is usually less expensive than electricity. When replacing your water heater, ask your plumber to extend the propane line to your water heater.

7. Install water saving showerheads in your bathrooms and aerated faucets in your sinks. This reduces the amount of hot water used in-turn; reducing energy costs and giving your water heater a longer life span.

8. Insulating your hot water pipes will reduce heat loss as the hot water is flowing to your faucet. More importantly, it will reduce standby heat loss when the tap is turned off and then back on later. Very often energy and water is wasted waiting for the hot water to reach the tap. Even when pipes are insulated, the water in the pipes will eventually cool, but it will stay warmer longer than it would if the pipes weren’t insulated.

9. Try atleast once every couple years to have your water heater inspected by a certified plumbing technician. This will keep it in optimal operating condition, and will prevent dangerous carbon monoxide problems.

10. Have a Certified technician replace the anode rod about every five years. This small metal device sacrifices itself for the good of the entire unit. The corrosive chemicals in the water are drawn to the anode rod, instead of eating away at the inside of the tank itself.

These 10 water heater maintenance tips will hopefully save you money and make your hot water delivery system last longer.

Got a clogged drain? We know the feeling - as the pool of water starts to collect around your drain, you get a sinking feeling in the bottom of your stomach. You are strapped for cash so decide to try to attack the clogged drain yourself and decide to not call a plumber. The good news is that most clogged drain problems are usually easy enough to correct on your own without having to call a plumbing drain specialist.

The average homeowner should be able to clear most clogs in a drain in a couple of hours or less. Try some of the following do-it-yourself household clogged drain tips that anyone can use.

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Anytyme plumbing has the most highly equipped and well-trained plumber technicians in the San Diego County area, and we are available ANYTIME! We can make most repairs right away, 24 hours a day. Knowing that our customers require plumbing anytime and a quote before any work is done, we are committed to using an up-front pricing system. We can offer a quote over the phone, but without knowing the varying circumstances, it might not be correct. That is why we like to be hands on and inspect every problem in person. Anytime plumbers like to get it done right the first time, every time!

Anytime plumbing means that we do everything in our power to provide the most convenient scheduling and response time. We can be at your residence or business when you need us to be, especially with hectic schedules. Other service companies can’t offer an any time plumbing guarantee like we do. If we are not at your home or office within 45 minutes of the promised time, the service charge is free.

We know how much of a burden it is when you need plumbing service anytime and your water isn’t working properly or you have a water heating problem that ruins your day to day routines. Call us now (1-800-269-8963) or fill out an online service request to receive our 24/7 anytime plumbing guarantee. A-N-Y-T-Y-M-E = AnyTime

Drip… drip… drip… [leaky faucet]

The sound of your hard earned money going down the drain. Why you ask? Well before wasting your money on repairing your leaky faucet, a better cost-effective solution is a faucet replacement with a more efficient, designer model.

Did You Know?

• A slow, steady, faucet drip can waste 48 gallons of water every day?
• New, more efficient faucets/aerators use 1/3rd less water?
• Leaks aside, replacing old faucets can save 1 gallon for every minute of use?
• New, designer faucets are not only more efficient, but far more attractive?

Replacing old faucets is fast, easy, and painless when you call 1-800-AnyTyme. Call us now (1-800-269-8963) or fill out an online service request to see our new plumbing faucet lines and models. While we’re out, we’ll dye test your toilet for leaks, free.

It’s your choice. Keep paying for water down the drain, or own a beautiful, new, designer faucet.

When is the last time you fired up your air conditioner?

Are you even sure it still works properly?

There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night sweating only to find your air conditioner unit is not working which could have been prevented with professional maintenance. Unfortunately, this is not a sure bet of preventing all problems. Your system can be running fine one day and completely burnout the next. Some things cannot be prevented. But with regular maintenance, your system will perform efficiently for many years.

Although spring is a generally mild season, summer is approaching fast. It’s also the ideal time to budget a bit of that savings for an air conditioning tune-up. Done now, it can prevent many small problems from becoming big, expensive problems later.

Q: How often should I recharge my air conditioner with new freon?

A: Contrary to popular belief, air conditioners do not consume refrigerant (freon) as a car consumes oil, so under ideal conditions it would never need changing or filling. Therefore, a low freon level indicates a leak which should be repaired before adding more. While most new system connections are welded to minimize leaks, many older units (8+ years) were connected with mechanical flared fittings which can vibrate loose over the years, causing leaks.

Problems with freon leaks:

1. Low freon levels reduce efficiency of the air conditioner.
2. They can freeze the evaporator coil, causing it to literally ice up.
3. Freon is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) controlled substance, deemed hazardous if released into the environment.
4. The heart of the unit is the compressor, which is cooled by the refrigerant. Over time, low freon levels can cause overheating and premature failure of the compressor, often requiring complete replacement of the compressor or the entire condensing unit. A very expensive proposition.

Q: Are regular check-ups worthwhile?

A: We do recommend annual air conditioning check-ups in the spring and heater or furnace check-ups every fall. Although regular checkups will not absolutely guarantee that a unit will continue to work perfectly throughout the season, they will reveal most small problems that can lead to major, far more expensive problems if left unattended.

Q: What is an air conditioning check-up?

A: It consists of the following steps:

1. Check for proper refrigerant (freon) levels. A low level indicates a leak that needs to be found and repaired before adding more freon.
2. Check all electrical components and controls.
3. Clean evaporator and condenser coils, as needed.
4. Oil motors as needed.
5. Calibrate thermostat.
6. Check condenser.
7. Check filters.

A thoroughly cleaned air conditioning unit will operate at top efficiency. However, homeowners are strongly discouraged from cleaning it themselves and should contact a licensed HVAC technician in their area.
Like most anything you own, regular maintenance is far less costly than repairs or replacement. Contact us today and we can send a certified HVAC technician to your home right away. The longer you wait the more trouble (and money) it will be to get your air conditioner running smoothly for summer!