How Much Outdoor Space Would I Need For A Geothermal System?

Geothermal air conditioning is becoming more popular in Tulsa and the Broken Arrow region, despite the initial high installation costs. Geothermal air conditioning systems are popular primarily for the significant energy savings they offer over time. The US Department of Energy reports that they can reach efficiency levels of up to 600 percent. Their long life spans and quiet operation levels are other great aspects, as is their small size. You don’t need a very big yard to install a geothermal system any longer.The temperature underground remains reasonably regular regardless of the season, and a geothermal air conditioning system takes advantage of this by taking energy from the earth and using it to heat or cool your home. It can also take energy from your home and transfer it back into the earth.Half of the system goes inside your home, and the other half is an underground pipe loop that gathers the energy from the ground. The pipe loop is put in a horizontal “trench” in homes with a lot of yard space, but for those with smaller yards, workers dig a vertical “borehole," which does not require a large surface area. This borehole can be 75 to 500 feet deep. The piping doesn’t need a lot of attention after installation, having a life span that can reach 50 years.The indoor half of a geothermal air conditioning system also doesn’t take up much space and runs very quietly. This half, and the element connecting it to the outside piping, requires very little maintenance.Geothermal systems are just as practical for small yards as for larger ones, and because they run on 25 percent to 50 percent less energy compared with standard systems, they offer savings of up to 72 percent. In the past, the upfront installation costs of this system could sometimes make it a very tough decision financially, however, recent federal tax credits of 30 PERCENT off the entire installation with no cap, have made this option a very powerful tool in payback.  Some systems can pay themselves back in as little as 5-7 seasons.  And sometimes, after the tax credit, it can even cost less than some of the standard high efficiency comfort systems.If you’re considering purchasing a geothermal air conditioning system and would like to learn more about how they offer savings and comfort, call Air Assurance! We’ll help you decide if it’s a good investment for your home.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here. Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas.  To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.

What Separates The Cheap Filters From The Expensive Filters?

Furnace and air conditioning filters are your first point of attack against indoor air pollution. Filters that claim to efficiently remove allergens are not all the same. Do you have to pay more for an allergy-filtering product?HEPA Air Filters In order to qualify as HEPA, filters must catch 99.97% of particles that are at least 0.3 micrometers in size. This means the particles are much smaller than anything we can see. HEPA filters catch mold, pollen, dander, dust and other household allergens, and they are used in environments where clean air is a must for those with allergies or asthma. Because of the restricition they cause on air, most of these filters are free standing, and not available for whole-home use.  In recent years, regular furnace filters have began to reach to higher and higher efficiency levels because of the demand by homeowners to better clean the entire indoor air environment more efficiently, but by doing so,  they have made some sacrifices.Filter QualityWhile filters that restrict allergens from indoor air are a great idea, these types of filters can sometimes damage heating and cooling equipment. Often, such filters have a thick material that restricts those allergens; at the same time, this means air flow is restricted. This is a tightrope act: there needs to be enough air flow to maintain the equipment while still catching allergens. When there is not enough air flow, the unit works harder, uses more energy and breaks down.CLIMATE-CLEANAir Assurance has created a custom filter that uniquely solves this problem. Our CLIMATE-CLEAN filters creatively work to filter allergens, while air flow restriction is cut by half. It also lasts twice as long.Air filters are typically given a MERV rating, which tests efficiency, but filters are not required to test at the same rate of cubic feet per minute (CFM). Therefore, if a filter is tested at 600 CFM, the filter would get a good rating at this CFM. However, that same filter, if used on a 2000 CFM unit, would not operate correctly. All of Air Assurance’s air filters are tested at 2000 CFM.Quality does not always mean higher cost, especially with Air Assurance’s CLIMATE-CLEAN air filters. Visit our website to learn more.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about air filters and other HVAC topics. Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas.  To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.