Alan's Blog

DOE Regulations increase energy efficiency for Residential Water Heaters, but will also mean higher costs and concerns for homeowners with two-story houses   Since 1990, manufacturers have been required to comply with the Department of Energy (DOE) energy conservation standards for residential water heaters. In 2010, the DOE announced mandatory standards changes to be in […]

In big cities, like Houston, we are always on the move. We are busy with our kids, jobs, errands, and other day to day tasks that keep us busy. But, we do need to stop and prepare for unforeseeable events, like a fire or storm. If we prepare our homes and teach our families what […]

Abacus was founded on April 29, 2003, with O’Neill and a partner. O’Neill came up with the company name “ABACUS” while looking for a company name that would be alphabetically beneficial for the yellow pages. The tagline, “You Can Count on Us,” was a perfect pun off the word abacus, which is an ancient counting device, […]

Spring is here and nearly everyone wants to enjoy the outdoors before it gets too hot. However, most people don’t enjoy a yard that has become a vast expanse of dry brittle grass and bare dirt spots. Fortunately, there are some simple steps to having that gorgeous carpet of emerald green in a short period […]

Abacus is an A-Rated Best Pick Reports Certified Company Abacus is proud to have earned the EBSCO Best Pick Report Certification for the 8th consecutive year. We have a 5 star rating based on 597 customer surveys conducted by Best Pick Reports. Best Pick Reports is dedicated to giving objective, third-party data that lets homeowners find […]

For the Sixth Time, ABACUS Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical Earns Esteemed Angie’s List Super Service Award Super Service Award Reflects Company’s Consistently High Level of Customer Service HOUSTON, March 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — ABACUS Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electrical is excited to announce for the sixth time that they have been awarded Angie’s List Super […]

Well, Spring has almost arrived. And Looking at our calendars, we have roughly 70 days left until school is out for summer. We need to start planning summer vacations, pool parties and sleepovers. We also need to plan staycations for our kids – like day camps. Our local Houstonia magazine has some unique suggestions. Houston’s […]

When you live in Houston, you got to love our trees. The tall evergreens keep the summers green. The sprawling oaks give us a shady break from the sun. The clean the air for us.  However, sometimes the winter can really impact the health of our landscaping. This Old House has some helpful hints to […]

Drains usually don’t get the attention they need until there’s a problem. We use them all the time without really thinking about it. We dump all kinds of things down them – everything from the water in our tuna cans to gunky sticky remnants from home improvement projects. All of those things can build up […]

It’s almost spring time. And that means planting new plants in the yard. Having new landscaping can increase the curb appeal of you home. An article in Country Living magazine suggests that wildflowers might be the ticket to having an attractive natural flower garden and help keep pests away from your home. How Wildflowers Can […]

Now that the holidays are over, most homeowners are throwing out the old things and making room for the new. This includes planning home improvement projects and spring cleaning. Most homeowners are busy people. Good Housekeeping recently published some helpful hints to make cleaning the house easy and less time  consuming. How to Get Rid […]