November 29th, 2011
A geothermal heating and cooling system may cost a relatively high amount to buy in the first place compared to either a boiler or furnace or compared to an air conditioning unit. Compared to the cost of both it starts to look a lot less and then with a possible federal tax credit equal to 30% of the cost you have a great deal. Even then the savings on long term heating and cooling energy costs means that the cost of a Geothermal heat pump will cover itself in no time.
A geothermal heat pump can extract heat from the ground and then condense it to heat your water or air for heating as well as the water that runs from your hot taps.
For cooling you simply put the system in reverse and transfer heat from your home to the refrigerant in the heat pump that then disperses heat back into the ground. As well as putting the heating and cooling loops into the ground they can also run into a lake nearby or into an aquifer beneath your home meaning that these systems can be installed almost anywhere that is rural or semi rural and often in small city centre lots and suburban lots too.
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November 29th, 2011
It isn’t just a matter of how hot or cold the air in your home is, it also needs to be clean and not too dry or too humid. A home that is too hot in summer can lead to people becoming dehydrated or suffering other health problems and a cold home in winter can lead to illness. The humidity of your home also affects your health and the amount of dust and mold spores in your air likewise have an affect on your well being.
The problems with air that isn’t very clean is that it contains dust and mold spores that you inhale. Dust can make you cough and make breathing difficult. Mold can cause long term problems and lead to chest infections, damage your immune system and it has been linked to Asthma. An air cleaning device in your home will remove mold spores and stop mold spreading as well as dust and dirt.
As for humidity too much will lead to mold problems starting in the first place and can lead to wooden and paper items rotting. It may also be that a damp atmosphere will cause a dank and oppressive atmosphere. A home that is too dry in contrast can dry out wood and damage paintings and other items and can irritate the skin and your lungs. A humidifier and dehumidifier in one will keep your home at the right humidity level all year round.
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November 29th, 2011
When your heating stops working it is usually when it has had the most to do on a cold winters day. Having a cold home is unpleasant for anyone and if you have very young children or people who suffer from health issues then a lack of heating can be very serious indeed.
The first thing to do is to get a heating engineer to come out. An emergency heating company may have engineers on call 24 hours a day and seven days a week. You may pay more for a call out on a weekend or at night but it may be well worth the price as long as they leave you with some type of heating.
When choosing a heating engineer go for one who offers temporary heating free of charge. These will usually be electric heaters and will sometimes only be sufficient for a few rooms but this is much better than having to leave your home and go to a friend or relatives house for warmth.
The bigger a heating company is the more likely they are to have the parts you need in stock. At the same time a self employed heating engineer may be willing to go the extra mile as every customer is important to them and they may be concerned about getting referrals and repeat business. If possible choose a recommended heating engineer or company that other people have been impressed with the service from. Importantly don’t allow yourself to be persuaded to invest in a new boiler simply because you are cold and some unscrupulous engineers may try to take advantage. If in doubt get a second engineer to come and give their opinion.
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November 29th, 2011
Heat pumps are clever technology that actually utilizes technology that has been around for some time. It is the technology in air conditioners or fridges that is in use but rather than cooling something they are warming something. That something is usually water but can also be air for blown air heating. A heat pump that heats water can heat water for a heating system as well as hot water for other uses, even for heating a pool.
A heat pump takes the heat in the air and condenses it, it can take heat out of air outside with a temperature down to around -14 degrees. It can condense the heat to bring refrigerant to 1000 degrees though and then using a heat exchanger it can heat air or water to the temperature required.
Because a heat pump only uses electricity for a pump and fan it uses about 20% as much energy as a conventional electric boiler or furnace and also much less that a gas boiler, savings can therefore be huge. In a larger home or business premises especially a heat pump can be even more efficient as it is capable of heating very large quantities of water or air quickly.
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November 29th, 2011
Heating your home takes a lot of money, it can easily make up 50% or more of your total home energy bills and with the cost of maintaining boilers or furnaces, especially older models, heating can be a constant drain on your pocket.
For a boiler or furnace gas is normally the preferred fuel and it is far more efficient than electricity in terms of joules of energy used and also in terms of the cost. Oil may be more efficient but is difficult to get, in some areas more so than others. Where oil is often used is where there is no gas supply but many people in this situation have got electric water heating and central heating.
A boiler is generally cheaper to run than a furnace if you are willing to wait a little while for it to warm your home up. Modern boilers and furnaces are however both designed to be much more efficient than their predecessors mainly being two stage so that they have a low mode. This mode is able to take the chill off a mildly cold home without running full pelt and using a lot of fuel in the process.
What you may also want to consider though, especially if you only have electric as a power source, is an electric heat pump. This device takes heat from the air and condenses it and uses it to warm water or the air in your home, electricity is only needed to run fans and a pump.
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November 29th, 2011
The two main options you have for your heating at home are boilers or furnaces. A furnace will usually be oil or gas fired whereas boilers are almost always gas. A furnace heats air to warm your home and a boiler heats water that then goes through a system of radiators and sometimes also under floor heating.
Each option has its own pros and cons. A boiler system takes longer to warm your home up generally, the water that is heated has to then exchange heat to the air in a room and you may end up with warm patches around a radiator and cold patches if you have too few radiators. With under floor heating though you can have much better spreading of heat. Air Furnaces send out hot air through ducts and the air as it is constantly moving gets warm quite fast and spreads within a room. What can happen though is that most the hot air goes to the rooms closest to the furnace and rooms further away with some badly designed systems stay cold for a long time.
A furnace may be a better option for a smaller home though at the same time is inefficient and you may still need a boiler for heating water. A boiler can provide hot water for your heating and to come out your taps and is also much more efficient in larger properties and commercial premises.
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November 29th, 2011
Cooling is more important to businesses often than it is at home. Whether you have an office, store or factory cooling may be needed in summer with either a conventional air conditioner designed for your size of premises or a cooling tower.
In industrial premises with a lot of machinery running it is easy for the heat to quickly rise on a hot day. Your staff will over-heat and not work as well or be unhappy about it and your machinery may also overheat. A lot of machinery has an optimum temperature and excess heat may lead to costly shut downs.
In an office it is mainly your staff you want to keep cool, especially if some of them are in direct sunlight all day. An air conditioning unit is relatively cheap if it drastically improves efficiency and improves the happiness of your staff. You may also have computer systems though which need to be kept cool and you may need separate cooling for these in some cases.
It is perhaps in stores though where air conditioning can be most valuable. In any store if it is hot people won’t stay long preferring to get out into the fresh air. If it is cool people will come in to get out of the heat outside and hopefully stay for a while. In food and clothes shops especially if it is too hot people won’t buy; no-one wants hot food and people don’t like trying clothes on if they are hot and sticky.
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November 29th, 2011
If you have even the slightest suspicion you may have a gas leak then you need to react straight away. If there is a strong smell of gas you are usually best to get out of your home as quickly as possible and try to avoid doing anything that could cause a spark. If you can faintly smell gas then open up windows and doors and find your mains gas stop tap.
You may need to warn your neighbors as well if there is a lot of gas and you will usually need to call your gas company if you haven’t been able to turn your gas off at the mains. If you have managed to safely turn off the gas mains then you need to wait for the gas to disperse before going back inside but at the same time you can call a gas repair company locally to come out and fix your gas leak.
A company to repair your gas must have qualified plumbers qualified to work with gas but should be able to fix most problems quickly once they find the source of the leak. In winter especially when you need gas for your heating it may be important to get a quick repair and some companies will charge more for a quick service.
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November 29th, 2011
The repair of a boiler can be very expensive and very inconvenient, this is partly why servicing is a good idea. Whichever you need though it is good to have a company you use regularly or have had recommended who you know you can trust.
Having a boiler that is safe is the most important thing and it should therefore be serviced at least once a year. You should also keep an eye out that inlets for air remain clear to avoid the risk of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Next time you have a service it may be a good idea to talk to your heating engineer about getting a carbon monoxide alarm installed, they usually have battery operated carbon monoxide alarms with them ready to install if asked.
An alarm isn’t a replacement for a full service though and safety is important. Your comfort is also important of course you don’t want a boiler that won’t give you hot water or heating during the winter and even in summer a lack of hot water is a problem.
It does sometimes happen that internal components fail that can’t be checked during a service and then you need an engineer who can come out as fast as possible. You don’t want them to come and leave you with still no heating though, they may be able to bring parts with them if you tell them what boiler you have but also some companies will be able to leave you emergency heaters to use if parts have to be ordered.
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November 29th, 2011
It tends to be when you put them under the most strain that Air Conditioning units fail, that will be the hottest day of the year then when you can’t even go out in the shade. Most components of air conditioning units don’t just fail though, they will be in need of maintenance or repair before they have noticeable problems it will just be that day that they finally fail.
An air conditioning unit service therefore is what you need to identify problems before a unit fails, such a service could also save you money. While some parts can be repaired as long as they haven’t totally failed once a part fails that is often it and compressors and other major parts may cost around a $1000 to replace, far more than the $50 or so that a service will cost.
An air conditioning service can also increase efficiency, it may be that refrigerant needs replacing or that dust and dirt are clogging your unit up. With a full service you may find that your air conditioner is able to keep you much cooler without using as much energy. A clean air con unit will also be more healthy for you and your family, it won’t be throwing out dust and grime and you won’t be risking the spread of diseases such as legionnaires’.
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