Best Heating Alternatives to Save Energy in the Winter

No one enjoys a freezing home, but heating up your place will typically take a big toll on energy costs. Don't fret - we've taken the time to put together a short list of heating alternatives that will help you save energy and lower costs.Here are some heating alternatives to consider this season:

Install a Solar Energy System

Solar power may very well be the wave of the future. Many homeowners have already discovered the savings they can enjoy by harnessing the power of the sun. If you have any issues with installation, an HVAC technician can assist you.

Install a Geothermal System

Why focus on the energy above when you can draw power from below instead? Our planet is full of energy just below its service and a geothermal system will allow you to harness that energy to heat your entire home at a lower cost than a traditional heating system.

Pick Up a Couple Space Heaters

If only one or two of your rooms are occupied at a time, there may be no reason to run your heating system. Instead, pick up a couple of space heaters and use them instead. These small units can warm you up very quickly and they can be moved from room to room (and person to person) as needed.

Start Using the Fireplace

Many homes use their fireplace for nothing more than decoration. Caring for a fireplace takes a bit of time, but it's totally worth the benefit of warming up a large portion of your home for a lower cost.

Put on a Sweater

While turning on the heat is easy to do, it's also the most costly. If your home isn't too cold, putting on a sweater - or warm clothes, in general - should be more than enough to keep you warm.

If you're looking for more advice on heating alternatives or have any other questions related to home comfort, please contact the friendly professionals at Air Assurance. We've been serving the HVAC needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding area since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home alternatives and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “nattanan23/Pixabay”

What’s That Smell? Heating System Odors

Let’s face it - strange heating system odors can put you in a foul mood, especially if you’re just trying to enjoy the comfort your heating system normally offers. They could also be the first sign that something’s gone wrong with your heating equipment.Any one of the heating system odors mentioned below can spell trouble for your heating system if left unchecked. Here’s a quick guide on these odors, including what causes them and how to take care of them for good:

Dirty socks

Bacteria buildup on the evaporator coils can cause unpleasant odors that are sometimes it can to dirty socks. Cleaning the coils and other parts of your HVAC system can help take care of this problem.

Ozone or metallic odors

Burnt electrical wiring or overheating components can give off a variety of metallic and ozone-like odors. You should have your HVAC technician seek out the culprit before using your furnace again.

Dusty or musty odors

If you haven’t used your furnace in a while, then chances are you’ll end up burning off some of the dust and debris that has collected on your furnace during its dormancy. This is quite normal, unless you have a dirty air filter that needs changing.

Burning oil

Spilled oil, fuel line leaks and improper ignition can cause your basement or storage area to smell like heating oil. If the odor doesn’t go away within a day or so, then you should have your HVAC technician check out your furnace.

Rotten eggs

If you smell rotten eggs or sulfur, then you’re likely dealing with a natural gas leak. The additives in natural gas are designed to give off this noxious odor, alerting you to its presence. Shut off your heating system, exit your home and call your local gas company to tackle the leak.

If your nose is clueing you in to strange heating system odors, then it’s probably time to have an HVAC technician take a close look at your system. To schedule an appointment in the Broken Arrow area, contact us at Air Assurance today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about your heating system and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Guide to Understanding Manuals J, D, and S

During an HVAC system installation, there are several important technical elements that must be taken into account to ensure the system is correct for your home and that it will work at its best. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) publishes three technical references that provide all the guidance, procedures, and best practices that your HVAC professional will need for a successful installation. Here is a brief introduction to Manuals J, D, and S, and what they cover.

Manual J — Residential Load Calculation

Manual J provides all the technical guidance necessary for a residential load calculation. Each building has a heating or cooling load, which is the amount of heating or cooling needed to keep the inside spaces at the temperature the residents prefer. A load calculation takes into consideration multiple thermal and physical characteristics of the building to determine its load. Once your HVAC professional knows the building's load, he can easily guide you to the type of HVAC equipment that has the functional capacity to satisfy that load.

Manual D — Residential Duct Systems

Manual D covers the ductwork in residential settings. The HVAC system ductwork is the network of pipes that directs heated or cooled air from your HVAC equipment to the inside of your home. Ductwork must be properly designed, installed, sealed, and insulated to ensure it carries conditioned air without loss of energy and without wasteful air leaks.

Manual S — Residential Heating and Cooling Equipment Selection

Manual S includes detailed technical specifications and performance information on multiple brands of air conditioners and heat pumps. This type of data helps your HVAC pro choose the best equipment for your particular needs. Manual S also provides additional information on equipment sizing, ventilation, and air distribution.

With more than three decades of experience in the HVAC industry, Air Assurance brings top-quality sales, installation, maintenance, and repair to customers in Tulsa and the neighboring communities. Contact us today for more information on Manuals J, D, and S and how these important technical references are used to ensure the best possible HVAC performance in your home.

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Important Tips to Consider When Purchasing a New Furnace

Buying a new furnace for your home may seem like a daunting task, but with the right information, you can easily choose a heating system that will serve your needs for many years to come. The following tips can help you identify what's important in a new furnace.

• Efficiency: The efficiency of your new furnace will determine how effectively it heats your home and how much it will cost to maintain indoor comfort during the colder months. Higher-efficiency models use less fuel and, as a result, provide heating for a lower cost. Look for a furnace with a high AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) rating, usually 90 or above.

• Size: Proper furnace sizing is essential to buying a system that works well for your home. Sizing, in HVAC terms, refers to the system's capacity to produce heat and keep your indoor living spaces at the temperature you prefer. Have your HVAC professional perform a load calculation on your home. This is a detailed evaluation process that determines exactly how much heating is needed. When you have this information, you can easily find a furnace of the correct size.

• Fuel type: Most often, you'll probably want to buy a new furnace that uses the same type of fuel as your old one. If you have a gas furnace, for example, you'll already have the utility connections in place for a new gas model. However, there are circumstances where you might want to change fuel types or switch to an electric furnace. Ask your HVAC expert for advice.

• Efficiency-boosting features: Additional components can be added to your furnace to boost performance and efficiency even higher. Variable-speed blowers, for example, provide a lower speed for use when less heating is required. This lower speed uses less energy and costs less to operate. Dual heat exchangers improve heat transfer functions.

Air Assurance offers expert heating and cooling services to customers in Tulsa and neighboring areas. Contact us today for more information on how to choose a new furnace and for expert help with selecting, installing and maintaining your heating system.

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Troubleshooting Steps to Follow When Dealing With Frozen Evaporator Coils

Troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils may suggest several causes for the symptom, but the actual cure usually requires the services of a professional HVAC technician. The evaporator coil sealed inside the indoor air handler removes heat from the air and transfers it to the flow of refrigerant circulating through the coil.

While the refrigerant flow is cold—around 40 degrees—it should always remain above freezing. If the refrigerant drops below 32 degrees, condensation produced by the cooling process freezes on the coil surfaces instead of draining away. As the ice formation expands, airflow through the coil is increasingly obstructed, the system begins running non-stop instead of cycling on and off, and severe A/C component damage may result.Here are some potential causes to aid in troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils:

Insufficient Airflow

Air volume through the coil affects the amount of heat energy absorbed by refrigerant. When the airflow is low, heat transfer is diminished and the refrigerant temperature may drift into the freezing range. The most common cause of low airflow is a dirty or clogged air filter. Try replacing the air filter and see if coil freezing problems resolve. If not, contact your HVAC contractor about professional service.

Lack of Refrigerant

Another reason refrigerant may drop below freezing is because there’s not enough of it in the system. A low refrigerant charge is almost always the result of a leak somewhere, and it can't be adequately resolved by simply adding more refrigerant. A qualified HVAC technician can use leak detection methods to pinpoint the leakage and make a permanent fix.

Dirt or Dust Accumulation

Continuously exposed to system airflow, an evaporator coil often becomes coated with airborne dust or dirt. This residue on coil surfaces inhibits heat transfer into the refrigerant and triggers sub-freezing temperatures. Ice forms as condensation freezes. The sealed evaporator coil is not accessible for DIY cleaning. However, coil inspection and cleaning are a standard part of an annual A/C preventive maintenance service provided by your HVAC contractor.

For more about troubleshooting frozen evaporator coils, as well as professional service to resolve the cause, contact Air Assurance.

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Find Out Why Preventative HVAC Maintenance Is So Important

The equipment and systems that heat and cool your home are just like any other mechanical devices. If they aren't properly maintained, they won't operate with optimum efficiency, they'll malfunction more often and they won't last as long. While cooling and heating systems need annual professional maintenance, they also need TLC from the homeowner in the form of preventative HVAC maintenance. Following are some steps you can take to help your HVAC systems keep your home comfortable while using energy efficiently.

Preventative HVAC Maintenance Steps

• Check the air filter. The air filter for your furnace, heat pump or A/C plays an essential role in delivering cooled and heated air throughout your home. If the filter is clogged or dirty, the HVAC equipment will have to work harder to push air through the system. This will waste energy and stress system components. A dirty air filter also will result in dust coating sensitive parts, causing friction and wasting energy. Finally, when a filter gets clogged, eventually your blower will start pushing particulates around the filter and into your indoor air. Inspect the filter monthly and when it looks dirty, change or clean it (depending on the filter).

• Keep vents and registers clear. Rugs, furniture, toys and other objects can block heating and cooling registers. This impedes airflow and reduces HVAC performance.

• Similarly, keep yard debris such as leaves, sticks and grass cuttings away from the outside unit of a split-system A/C or heat pump. Anything that restricts airflow to the condenser coil will erode efficiency and performance.

With today's complex heating and cooling systems, most homeowners are better off letting a professional technician handle any but the simplest preventative HVAC maintenance. During an annual or semi-annual maintenance tune-up, a trained technician will run through a lengthy checklist of tasks and checks to make sure your heating or cooling systems will operate efficiently and safely till the next regularly scheduled visit.

To schedule a preventative HVAC maintenance visit, or to discuss an extended service protection plan, please contact us at Air Assurance. We provide quality HVAC services to the greater Tulsa metro area.

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Can UV Lights Really Eliminate Furnace Smells?

One of the biggest complaints homeowners have about dirty furnaces is the smell that often comes along with them. Many people have been turning to UV lights to help eliminate potentially harmful organic pollutants and the odor they can spread throughout your home.

Where Furnace Smells Originate

When we think of harmful pollutants like bacteria and mold, our primary concern is usually the danger they pose to our health, especially in those who suffer from respiratory issues, such as allergies and asthma. What you may not realize is that the accumulation of these elements are usually the source of musty odors in your furnace. As air is drawn through your ductwork and redistributed throughout your home, these smells can quickly fill your entire residence if left unchecked.

How UV Lights Eliminate Odors

Put simply, these high-intensity lights eliminate odors by reducing the amount of organic pollutants found in your home. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which these pollutants have no defense against, disrupts their DNA and interferes with reproduction. This reduction can be done by either treating the air in your home or your HVAC system's components. When the pollutants are gone, so are the odors that accompany them.

Professional Installation is Key

Installing UV lights is not something you should attempt yourself. Installation must be done by a professional HVAC technician, who will typically accomplish the task one of two ways. The first technique is to place the lights in an area where the air being pulled through your ductwork will be treated before being redistributed to other areas of your home. The second technique is to install the lights in such a way that your problem HVAC components are bathed in ultraviolet radiation as needed.

For more expert advice on UV lights, or if you have any other questions related to home comfort, please don't hesitate to contact the friendly professionals at Air Assurance. We've been serving the needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas since 1985.

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Select the Best Whole-Home Humidifier for Your Broken Arrow Home

Dry indoor air is common during the heating months. However, it can cause discomforts, health ailments and provide ideal conditions for many viruses, including influenza. A practical solution to alleviate dry indoor air and its side effects is a whole-home humidifier. Keep reading to learn how to select the best model for your home.

Evaporative or Steam Humidifier

Evaporative and steam are two popular types of in-duct humidifiers. They are plumbed to your home’s water supply and drainage and contain no pans to refill and maintain. You can also control humidity levels automatically with a wall-mounted device called a humidistat.

Evaporative humidifiers (also called flow-through) contain a changeable media pad or a washable mesh screen to provide ducted airflow with moisture. Water flows evenly down the pad or screen through holes in a water trough. Airflow from the furnace blower is diverted into the humidifier and through the pad or screen. The airflow then evaporates some of the water, and carries the water vapor through the air ducts to your living space. Excess water flows into a collection pan and is drained away.

Very little electricity is used with evaporative humidifiers. In fact, you may actually save energy by using a humidifier. Humid air feels warmer than dry air, which means you can turn back your thermostat a few degrees and receive lower heating bills.Like evaporative humidifiers, steam humidifiers attach to your ductwork, using airflow to distribute water vapor to your entire home. In steam whole-home humidifier, electrodes produce steam, rather than using evaporation. Steam humidifiers deliver more precise distribution of water vapor and are considered better than evaporative models for larger homes.

Humidifier Sizing

To size a humidifier, an HVAC technician will measure the square footage of your home and consider HVAC add-on equipment, such as a zoning system and variable-speed blower. Sizing is important for efficient operation. Why waste money paying for a humidifier that's too large?

For more information about whole-home humidifiers, contact Air Assurance in Broken Arrow.

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Thermostat Batteries Need Replacing? These DIY Tips May Save You a Service Call

Imagine arriving home from a long day only to find your home unusually hot or cold and your HVAC system’s thermostat blank. So you attempt to diagnose the problem - you move a few controls, double-check the circuit breakers and...nothing. When this happens, the problem isn’t with your HVAC system – it’s usually as simple as a dead battery.Dead thermostat batteries are actually a common enough problem that elicits service calls to an HVAC technician. However, you don’t need a technician to take care of this issue. Here’s what you need to know when your thermostat batteries need replacing:

• Your thermostat will actually let you know days or even weeks in advance when your batteries need replacing, usually with a “dead battery” warning or symbol flashing on the thermostat display.

• Before changing your batteries, find out what size cells your thermostat uses. Most thermostats use AA or AAA alkaline batteries, while others rely on CR2032 3-volt lithium batteries.

• Read up on how to properly change the batteries without damaging the thermostat itself. Your operator’s manual should offer some instructional help, including a pictorial diagram of the thermostat and its battery location.

• Be careful when removing and replacing batteries, not just to reduce shock but also to avoid handling battery acid.

Knowing when your thermostat batteries need replacing and how to change them will save you a diagnostic fee and the embarrassment of an unnecessary technician visit.Don’t hesitate to contact Air Assurance for expert advice on your home’s heating and cooling needs. We’ve proudly served Broken Arrow and the surrounding area since 1985.

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