Archive for category: Heating

Saving energy and money is on everyone’s minds in the current economy. You want to get the most comfort out of your home or office while not spending too much money in the process. There are a few ways you can do just that. Take a look at these 10 tips to see how you can save energy while staying comfortable in your home.

Weather-stripping

By making sure your home is sealed, you can help keep the cooling and heating in your home. Make sure that all the doors and windows have secure weather-stripping around them. Check for leaks to make sure you do not need to replace any of the strips. 

Change Filters

Make sure to change your filters on a regular basis. You can use some filters that are only changed every 90 days while others need to be changed out ever month. Be sure you keep a reminder so that you know when you changed it last. 

Furnace Filters

Make sure your furnace filters are checked every month during the winter season. These can be clogged and can cause your furnace to work improperly. 

Close the blinds

This helps keep the heat out and the warmth in during the different seasons. By keeping the blinds closed at night during the winter, you are keeping all the warmth in your home. You can also block out the hot sun during the day. This helps you keep a nice comfortable temperature in your home at all times. 

Tune Up Your Units

Each year as the seasons change, it is important that you have a technician come out and perform routine inspections. This will help you to know that your units are working at their peak capacity. This helps to catch any small problems that might arise before they become huge problems. 

Install Energy Efficient Thermostat

This will help you to program the temperatures to keep it the optimal comfort levels when you are there. You can program it for times you are not at home and for the times you will return home. This will help you to keep comfortable while using the minimal changes in the thermostat. 

Use Your Fans

Be sure to try using your ceiling fans or other fans in the home. This will keep the air moving and cooled so your AC doesn’t have to work as hard. 

Insulation

Make sure your attic insulation is of good quality to save on your heating bills in the winter. That can help you to keep the air and heat in your home instead of losing it through the roof.

Keep Vents Clear

Make sure there are no furniture items or other blockages on your vents. This will help the air/heat get throughout your home with no problems. 

Energy Efficient Units

When it’s time to upgrade your unit be sure to choose an energy efficient unit to keep your power bills lower and your comfort levels high. You will be able to get the most out of your units without breaking the bank each month. 

All of these tips will allow you to save energy with your HVAC systems. Use a few or all to save energy as well as money in your home. 

Solar heating provides many benefits. These benefits help both you as a home owner and everyone else as a person on earth. Solar energy is a renewable resource that helps the environment. By using less electricity, you can help save energy.

Solar heating is a type of heating that is provided by collecting energy from sunlight using solar panels or photo voltaic cells or solar PV. These are very popular due to the fact that sunlight is a renewable energy source. While they are popular because they are an environmentally friendly heating choice, many wonder how they work.

The sun’s rays contain photons. These photons interact with silicon in solar panels. When this interaction happens, electrons are released. This creates a direct current or DC. A direct current can be converted into an alternating current or AC. This type of energy can be used to run large household appliances such as a heating system.

Electricity is produced by solar panels during daylight hours when they are able to collect sunlight. This happens even when it is cloudy. If more electricity is produced than is needed, the excess is added into the main electricity grid or it is stored in batteries. This electricity can be used at night when the solar panels do not create electricity.

Overnight when panels are not producing electricity, then power is supplied to the building or home from the main grid. This way power is always being supplied.

Solar panels for heating work better on some homes better than others. Houses with southern exposure are the best for solar panels. Houses in sunny climates or houses that get a lot of sun will get more benefit for solar panels. However, solar panels will work anywhere with sunlight.

Solar panels can provide up to 40 to 100 percent of your electricity needs. These usually produce more in the summer and less in the winter.

The controls on a solar heater are a little different than a typically heat pump or other type of heating system. These controls are a little more complex. In a solar control there are sensors, motors, and switches to help run the system. These controls stop the system from freezing or from creating excessively high heat.

One con of a solar heating system is that installing heating solar panels can be more expensive up front. The upfront cost is offset because over time your heating costs will be lower.

After you have a solar heating system in place, the system has to be maintained in the same way a conventional heating unit is maintained, but with special considerations for the solar aspects of the system. You should check with your installer and dealer for any special type of maintenance needed for your system.