One of the best parts about my husband’s job are the perks he receives. His boss enjoys taking care of his employees, so he not only pays them well, but he treats them well. One of the best perks is the season tickets for our hometown baseball team. During the first year my husband started working for this company, they told him that he could attend all the baseball games for free. Before we went to our first game, we made sure to dress as light as we could and we lathered on sunscreen. We were prepared to sit in the heat for all 9 innings, as it was an afternoon game. When we arrived, we went to the ticket box to receive the tickets with our seats. We were shocked when we were handed massive tickets in the box seated section! My husband and I looked at each other with disbelief. As soon as we walked into the box area, we were greeted by the cool air conditioning. Each box room was connected to the central air conditioning system, so the entire room was chilled evenly. My husband and I were able to watch the entire game in the comfort of the air conditioning. Of course we couldn’t control the temperature of the room, so if we got too cold we sat on the outside balcony. When we became overheated from the intense temperatures and humidity, we walked back inside and relaxed in the air conditioning. Since we’re able to sit in the air conditioning, we attend as many home games as possible!
HVAC for older homes
There are pros and cons to purchasing an older home. I appreciate the historic integrity and charm of my house. The construction is extremely sturdy and well done, with everything perfectly square and plumb. The hardwood floors, doors, moldings and staircase are exceptionally beautiful. I love the big windows with stained glass insets, the high ceilings and wide front porch. However, we moved into a house with an extremely outdated electrical and plumbing system. We also had no access to central heating or cooling. There was no way I was willing to struggle with box fans, window air conditioners and electric baseboard heaters. I was very reluctant to tear into the original walls and ceilings to install a duct system. That would have created extensive damage and mess, cost me a fortune and consumed a great deal of space. I started looking into alternatives and found that there’s one type of system designed specifically for older homes. A high velocity heating and cooling system requires very little space and causes no disruption to the existing structure. It utilizes mini-ducts that are flexible and just two inches in diameter. They are small enough to be snaked between studs in the walls or ceiling rafters. The vents are also much smaller. Where conventional vents are usually around six inches tall and twelve inches wide, the high velocity vents are only five inches in diameter. The heated and cooled air is supplied from a compressor to a high-velocity air handler that sends it through the ducts at a very high rate of speed. The air then circulates rapidly and raises or lowers room temperature quickly. The high velocity system doesn’t need to run as long as most types of heating/cooling units and therefore uses less energy.
There’s a lot of new technology in the HVAC industry
Although the initial set up cost is higher than purchasing a more conventional style of heating and cooling option, a dual fuel system actually pays for itself. The system works to conserve energy and trim operational costs all year round. Because I live in an area with summer and winter weather extremes, finding a powerful yet efficient solution is a priority. I needed a system that could handle temperatures that vary between negative twenty and ninety degrees. Humidity is also a big problem. I looked into all the different makes, models and styles of units on the current market. A lot of research led me to something called hybrid heating or a dual fuel system. It is the combination of a natural gas furnace and an electric heat pump. It saves money because the heat pump achieves higher efficiency ratings than the furnace or a conventional air conditioner. It works a lot like an air conditioner in that it transfers heat from one location to another. However, the heat pump provides the added bonus of a heating mode.
Modern features include adaptable speed technology that allows the equipment to automatically adjust and operate at lower capacity for longer cycles. This achieves greater dehumidification and air filtration. In heating mode, the system doesn’t negatively impact humidity. Plus, heat pumps are wonderfully environmentally friendly, safe and clean. There’s no combustion byproducts such as carbon monoxide. When the outside temperature plummets, the heat pump starts to struggle to keep up. That’s when the furnace automatically takes over and handles comfort. We couldn’t be happier with the benefits of the dual fuel system.
A ductless mini-split can be perfect for a garage or an addition on your home
If you asked my husband what his favorite part of our house is, he would tell you the garage. We have a standard, two car garage attached to our house. However, there’s also a detached single car garage right beside the house. We don’t have a third car, so my husband uses that space for his tools and work supplies. Everything is very organized and set up to make the space functional for him. Whenever something needs to be built or fixed, my husband can work on it in his garage space. One of the downfalls to the single garage is that there’s no heat or air. There’s two windows and obviously the garage door, but even when they’re open wide, the breeze gets caught on the other side of our house. It can be really difficult and unsafe to work there during the summer months, but some of the most work needs done during the summer. This is why I decided to purchase a ductless mini split air conditioning system for my husband on father’s day. It was perfect for his garage space!
The ductless mini split system could be mounted to the wall and plugged into an electrical outlet. There was a small remote that controlled the temperature and it was very easy to use. My husband could flip between the air conditioning and the heat depending on the season, and it would make working a lot easier and safer. I don’t know how I’m ever going to top the ductless mini split system for my husband in the future!
Air flow is a very important part of your heating and cooling system
The master bedroom in our house never gets enough cool air. The air vents are connected to the central ductwork in the rest of the house, but for some reason, the air doesn’t cool properly in the master bedroom. We’ve hired multiple HVAC technicians and they’ve all spent hours assessing the ductwork and air flow into the bedroom, but nobody can ever seem to tell us what’s causing the problem. Even though we’ve never received a proper diagnosis from a certified HVAC technician, we have our own theories about what’s causing the air to feel warmer. First, the master bedroom receives the most sunlight during the day based on the location of the room. The sun pours through the floor to ceiling windows in our room during the peak of the afternoon heat. We’ve tried installing blinds to block out the rays from the sun, but it hasn’t helped a lot. We also have a real chimney in our room. It’s a stretch to assume that the heat is traveling from outside down into our room, but we’ll never really have an answer on that. The third assumption we have about why our master bedroom is much warmer is that our bedroom furniture could be blocking the air flow. Nothing is on top of the air vents, but we think the large pieces of furniture could be hindering the flow of air and preventing it from flowing throughout the entire room. We have no idea if any of these theories are the culprit, but we’re going to believe it until an HVAC technician tells us otherwise.
There are so many features available with new HVAC systems that it is hard to choose.
When I needed to have my air conditioning system replaced, I had a list of demands. First, I wanted to purchase a brand new, state of the art, air conditioning system that was energy efficient and long lasting. I didn’t care how much it cost me upfront, as long as it was going to save me money over the years. I was accustomed to an air conditioning system that sucked every penny from my pocket to cool my house. I was tired of paying a fortune on monthly energy bills just to run my air conditioning. If I was going to replace the air conditioning system I was going to do it right! The second demand I had was that it needed to have a good warranty. The air conditioning system I had previously only had a two year warranty. At the time, I thought this was great. However, what can possibly go wrong within 2 years of owning a new air conditioning system? Not much!
I wanted a warranty that was at least five years. Lastly, I needed to hire an HVAC company who actually cared about their clients. I didn’t want a late and lazy HVAC professional to come and half heartedly install my air conditioning equipment. I wanted someone who actually cared about my cooling needs. I spent a lot of time choosing who I’d purchase my new air conditioning system from because I wasn’t willing to settle with my demands. After doing a lot of research, I chose to work with a family-owned HVAC company because they had the best customer service and they offered a 5 year warranty on any air conditioner installations.
HVAC service can prevent you searching for 24/7 repairs!
When I went to turn on my furnace, I waited to hear it kick on. When I didn’t hear it kick into gear, I adjusted the thermostat settings to raise the temperature even more. When I still didn’t hear the furnace kick on, I realized that something was wrong. Before rushing into panic mode, I decided to give my furnace 30 minutes to start running. After 30 minutes were up, I returned to the thermostat and confirmed that the furnace was in fact broken. It was Saturday night though, and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a hold of anyone. I called the HVAC company I was used to working with, but I was sent straight to voicemail. The voice recording informed me that they were out of the office until Monday! This forced me to find a different HVAC company to work with. While I was searching online, I found a nearby HVAC company that offered 24/7 service! I was shocked that they had HVAC technicians available around the clock, even on Saturdays and Sundays, but they were! Once I called them, I told them about my furnace issue and they told me that an HVAC technician would be at my home within the next 2 to 4 hours. I couldn’t believe how quickly they were able to get to my house during my time of need. The HVAC technician arrived and had my furnace working again before I went to bed. I’m so thankful that they offered 24/7 HVAC care!
How to get a great deal on your next HVAC system
I recently had to update my heating and cooling system in my house. I had worried for a while about how much it was going to cost me because I didn’t have a ton of money set aside for replacing the HVAC system. When you’re a homeowner, there’s always something going wrong in some part of your house. Whether you need to replace part of the roof, get a new appliance, or have a section of carpeting replaced, there is always something! I’ve learned that over the past few years and the most recent problem that I ended up having was with my heating and cooling system. I noticed that the temperature on my thermostat just wasn’t being maintained at an even level and then I noticed that the furnace wasn’t working too great on cooler mornings. When I switched over to the air conditioning when the weather started heating up, the house didn’t cool off at all. That’s when I had the terrible realization that my HVAC system probably needed to be replaced. I knew that it was an older system when I moved in, but I was really hoping that it would last a couple more years than it actually did! Anyway, somehow I got lucky because when I called my local heating and cooling company, they were running an amazing deal on high efficiency HVAC systems. I ended up with a great unit that keeps my home at just the right temperature, year round. I even got a great warranty with it, so next time it tears up, I won’t have to worry!
It’s time to replace the furnace
My current heating system is nearly twenty years old. When my husband and I first purchased the house, the furnace was already installed and obviously not brand new. Since there was no paperwork or record of service, we could only guess at the installation date. I have been conscientious about scheduling professional maintenance every year. I’ve made sure to replace the air filter every month. Despite my efforts, the heater is beginning to show the wear and tear. We should have replaced the furnace at least ten years ago. It no longer provides maximum heating capacity and struggles to keep up with demand. Living in the northern part of the country, we face temperatures down to twenty-five below zero and rely on the furnace for six to eight straight months. During the most severe weather, it doesn’t matter how high we adjust the thermostat. The furnace can’t maintain ideal comfort and certain rooms are especially chilly. When the heating unit cycles on, it makes a grinding sound and continues to rattle the whole time it operates. Since it runs nearly non stop all winter long, the furnace is costing a fortune in utility bills. I know that a new furnace would provide superior energy efficiency, reduce our heating costs and recover the investment very quickly. Our home would certainly be more comfortable, stay cleaner and we’d benefit from healthier indoor air quality. Modern furnaces feature better safety features and air filtration. We could upgrade to zone control and a wifi thermostat for greater convenience, comfort and cost savings. However, I’m reluctant to deal with the disruption and mess of tearing out the hold heating unit and installing new.
Energy waste in the classroom
I attend college as a junior in the northeastern part of the country. This year, I was able to finally move off campus and rent an apartment. This necessitates driving to my classes. Unfortunately, there’s insufficient parking available and I’m typically forced to walk almost a mile to reach the various buildings. The weather between September to May is super cold, rainy and even snowy. I bundle up in my wool coat, waterproof boots, knitted hat, scarf and gloves, and still shiver the whole time. I’m usually carrying a backpack full of heavy books and always in a rush to get inside the heated buildings on campus. The classrooms are seldom maintained at a comfortable temperature. My art history classroom should be nice and warm, but there is a group of girls who like to open the windows.
The heating system blasts at maximum capacity and the majority of the heated air escapes right out the open window. These girls are not concerned about the amount of energy they are wasting or the impact on the environment. They don’t care that they are costing the college a fortune or that they’re making everyone in the room miserable. I have no choice but to keep my coat on during class. Even sitting as close as possible to the heating vents doesn’t make much different. I don’t know why the professor lets them get away with this inconsiderate behavior. Every now and then, I get up and close the windows. My actions then turn into a huge argument with the group of girls. I don’t care if they get upset. I need to warm up and take advantage of the heating system before I head back outside for the long walk to my car.