Tag Archive for comfort

Kate Miller | March 29, 2013
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Top Four Reasons to Seal Your Ducts this Spring!

Spring cleaning is a no homeowner enjoys but the results are worth the effort. Clearing out the old and making way for the new is a great way to rid your home of the winter blues, but why stop there? You can also rid your home of inefficiency, discomfort, and poor air quality by including the HVAC system on your spring cleaning to-do list. Having the air conditioner cleaned is an important step, but if you have never sealed your ducts, you could be missing out! This simple task has significant benefits, so consider these four reasons to seal your duct work this spring:

  • Improve Comfort: Do you have cold and hot spots in your home? These are rooms that never become comfortable even when the HVAC system is working at its best, and leaky ducts could be to blame. When there are gaps and leaks in the duct work, the heating and cooling cannot reach the targeted room effectively and comfort suffers. Read more
Category: Air Quality, Cooling, Heating, Home Improvements, Home Services | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | February 21, 2013
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The Truth about Air Source Heat Pumps: Part 2

On Monday, we began our discussion on air source mini-split heat pumps and looked at how these systems are used to provide comfort for various needs. Today we are going to address some of the concerns that exist when it comes to these uncommon heating and cooling units. Yes they are more energy efficient than other types of heating and cooling systems, but the number one concern seems to be how well these units will actually in various climates.

The Most Common Heat Pump Misconception

No one wants to purchase a heating and cooling system that is only going to work a few days or weeks out of the year! This is a common misconception that has been spread about these units, and though it may have been true when the technology was in its infancy, these systems are now capable of so much more!

Air Source Heat Pumps Move Heat to Create Comfort

An air source mini-split heat pump works by extracting heat from the air and moving it to somewhere else, either inside or outside your home depending on the season. Though it may be cold outside during the winter months, air source heat pumps are able to extract every last drop of heat from the air outside to provide heat inside. During the summer months these units pull heat from the air indoors and pump it outdoors. Read more

Category: Cooling, Heating, Money Saving | Tags: , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | December 24, 2012
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Happy Holidays from 24 Hour Heating and Cooling News!

As the administrating author at 24 Hour Heating and Cooling News, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a Happy Holidays and a Merry New Year! This is the time of year when we keep our loved ones close, but this holiday season, you don’t want the reason for keeping the family close to be that the furnace has broken down. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to get the furnace going should it breakdown during this year’s celebrations.

Four Tips to Restart a Broken Down Furnace

  • Turn it “Off” and “On”- Whenever you have a problem with a computer or some other electronic, the first advice you will always hear is to “turn it off and turn it back on.” Many times this is enough to reset the device and get things working once more. The same goes for your furnace. Go down to the furnace and flip the switch or find the furnace breaker and do the same. Many times this is enough to give the furnace a chance to reset and restart. Read more
Category: Furnace, Heating, Helpful Tips, Maintenance, Repair | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | December 10, 2012
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Using a Portable Heater Properly

The cost of heating your home during the winter is a hot topic these days. Many homeowners are looking for ways to lower their energy costs while still living in comfort, but far too often, many of us go about doing so in the wrong way. Space heaters are great inventions that allow us to have targeted heat where we need it most, but if used improperly, they not only cause a fire hazard but they could actually increase our costs in the end.

The Wrong Way to Use a Space Heater

Some homeowners forgo using the furnace at all and instead rely on several space heaters to provide heating in the home. If you lived on your own and spent the majority of the day in one room, that may not be a terrible option, but if you have multiple family members and a large home, using space heaters alone will cost more in the end. In cities that have cold winters, electricity is not the most affordable option to heat the home. The amount of time you would have to run these small systems to keep the home consistently warm makes their use impractical. Read more

Category: Heating, Helpful Tips, Money Saving | Tags: , , , , , ,
Guest Blogger | November 12, 2012
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Furnace Preparation for Winter

Preparing your furnace for freezing temperatures is important, and if you take the necessary steps you’ll not only extend the life of your furnace, but you’ll also lower your monthly gas bill.  Regular maintenance and occasional checkups by a licensed HVAC contractor are crucial, and should not be overlooked.

Increase Furnace Lifespan, Decrease Gas Bill

Below, I’ve listed some easy steps you can take to make sure your natural gas furnace continues to perform efficiently and effectively throughout the winter season.

  • Have an HVAC service technician inspect your furnace: You may certainly be a handyman, but you’re not a licensed HVAC professional.  Call a reputable HVAC company and have them send a licensed service technician out to your home for a furnace inspection.  They’ll perform a thorough inspection of your flues and temperature settings, examine your heat exchanger for cracks, and check the safety mechanisms on natural gas units. Read more
Category: Furnace, Heating, Helpful Tips, Money Saving | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | September 21, 2012
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Zoning the Home to Improve Comfort and Efficiency

Do you ever feel like you’re constantly adjusting the thermostat in your stock photo courtesy of digitalart at freedigitalphotos.nethouse because when one room is a comfortable temperature, another will be too warm or too cool? If you have this problem in your home, it can probably be traced to your house’s design and construction. If your home has more than one story, warm air will naturally rise into upstairs areas, making it perpetually cooler downstairs. If you have rooms with lots of large windows, they’re likely to receive more heat from the sun than rooms with smaller windows, just as rooms with windows that face sun ward will be hotter than rooms whose windows don’t have direct sun exposure. Your thermostat is only able to measure the temperature in the room in which it’s installed, but is tasked with controlling the HVAC system for the entire house, it’s inevitable that some rooms are going to get more cooling or more heating than they actually need. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Cooling, Furnace, Heating | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | July 13, 2012
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Low Freon Could Cost You More than Your Comfort

When it comes to air conditioner breakdowns, a lack of maintenance is often the source of most problems with the system. However, Freon leaks are another common problem that some homeowners may not even know that they have. Many of the early signs and symptoms can be ignored or attributed to the age of the system, when it reality the problem stems from low refrigerant levels. An air conditioner can continue to work and cool the home when the charge on the system is only a little off, but the toll that running the system in this condition will take on your cooling costs will leave your wallet empty. Keep an eye out for these symptoms of a Freon leak, and you could spare yourself some hefty cost this summer.

Do You Have a Freon Leak?

  • High Energy Bills: An air conditioner that is low on Freon can cost 40% or more to operate than it should if it were charged properly. All of the extra run time needed to keep up with the demands of the weather adds up to hours and hours of electricity use that isn’t cheap. If you begin to notice a significant increase in your energy costs, you may want to have your air conditioner checked. Read more
Category: Air Conditioning, Cooling, Maintenance, Money Saving, Repair | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | April 13, 2012
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Reinventing the Thermostat

Are you still using an ancient dial thermostat to control the temperature in your home? Do you have a programmable thermostat but simply cannot figure out how to adjust the settings? Do you want to save money on your energy bills without having to constantly adjust the thermostat? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not alone, but unfortunately, most of the thermostat technology available on the market today will not make saving energy any easier. However, there is a new product on the market that may change the way we adjust the temperature in our homes, and it’s called the Nest thermostat.

What is the Nest?

The creators of the Nest have broken the traditional mold of the programmable thermostat and created a unit that can learn from the way you use it and intuitively adjust temperatures to maximize comfort and savings. Simply install the thermostat and adjust the temperature to your desired levels throughout the day for about a week. After three days the thermostat already begins to learn your schedule and your preferences, and will begin to automatically adjust the temperature for you. After that first week, you will rarely if ever have to mess with the thermostat. Read more

Category: Air Conditioning, Go Green and Energy Efficiency, Heating, Helpful Tips, Money Saving | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | January 18, 2012
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Icicles Causing Power Outages

If your neighborhood is prone to power outages, you may already know that wet, heavy snow and icicles can cause power outages during the winter months. Every neighborhood that experiences large amounts of snow fall or freezing temperatures is susceptible to these types of power outages. If you have ever had a power outage in the middle of the winter, you already know how terribly inconvenient they can be. They not only cut out the lights, but they also cut out the furnace and the sump pump. Depending on the extent of the outage, it may take days to return power to the home, and unless you want to cough up the money for a hotel or spend that time in an emergency warming shelter, we suggest seeking out alternatives.

An Alternative Power Source

An alternative to no power would be to have an automatic generator installed in your home. It would automatically kick on in the event that your home is cut off from the electrical grid. Through the use of natural gas, the system will create electricity for the various parts of the home that are hooked up to the generator. When this system is installed there are no extension cords to hook up or tanks of fuel to fill. Everything kicks on automatically and is hard wired into the home. Read more

Category: Consumer Protection, Furnace, Heating, Home Improvements, Home Services | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Kate Miller | November 30, 2011
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Why Does My Furnace Cycle On and Off Every Few Minutes?

The average homeowner is not a furnace repair expert, so when something goes wrong with our system we often rely on the pros to make it all make sense. However, it is difficult to just trust a stranger at their word especially if you have never used that company before. That is why it is smart to get at least a general idea of some of the potential causes of your problem. A popular problem that many homeowners face is called short cycling. If this is a problem in your home, you will notice that the furnace turns on and off every few minutes and the temperature set on the thermostat is never reached. This can be very frustrating and disruptive for the homeowner and there are several causes that could be contributing to this problem. Some of the more common causes of this problem include:

  • Filthy Filters: A dirty filter will stop the proper amount of air from getting into your furnace. This leads of overheating that will trip the furnace to turn off as a safety mechanism. Simply change the filter and you could be back in business.
  • Lack of Air Flow: Snow and other debris can block the ventilation system of a high efficiency furnace. If this is your problem, the harmful gases created by the furnace will back up into the unit and force a protective shut down which will look like short cycling. Clean away the obstruction and you may be able to restore proper operation. Read more
Category: Furnace, Heating, Repair, Safety | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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