Get the Upper Hand With Heat Loss This Winter

It's the time of year when we in Broken Arrow can expect to see below freezing temperatures. Instead of paying high energy bills this winter, spend a morning inspecting your home for heat loss.

Here's what to look for:

• Check the areas around doors and windows. If you felt a draft last year, now's the time to fix it. An incense stick produces a fine stream of smoke you can use to pinpoint the leak. If the gaps or holes you find aren't too big, buy a can of insulating foam sealant—it expands inside the wall and keeps cold air out.

• Take a walk around your home's exterior. Be aware of junctions where pipes and wires enter the building. The original insulation may have weathered, shrunk and cracked in these areas, which leads to more heat loss.

• Make sure all the shingles on your home are intact. A spring or summer storm might have damaged your roof. Even if water isn't getting in, cold air still can. If you see something out of place, head to the attic and take a closer look.

• Inside your home, inspect your heater's air filter. Dirty air filters can increase the amount of allergens in your home and reduce the efficiency of your heater. Write down the size, or take a photo with your phone and head to the home improvement store to buy a new one.

• Is your water heater wrapped? Thermally insulating it will reduce your bills. Also, think about turning it down a few degrees—it's another easy way to save money.

• Is the hot water pipe from your water heater insulated? If not, it's losing heat. Pipe insulation is easy to install and doesn't cost much.

• Finally, examine the heater vents around your house (especially in the kitchen.) Debris and dust fall in them, reducing their effectiveness. Pop them out of the floor, take them outside, and shake the dirt out.

If you need help preventing heat loss in your home, contact Air Assurance in Broken Arrow. We want our customers to have a safe and comfortable homes year round.

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). 

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Ductless Mini Splits: Options to Enhance Your Comfort and Convenience

Ductless mini splits deliver comfortable heating and cooling solutions with convenient installation options for a host of applications. If you’re looking for practical alternatives for your remodel, new addition or new energy-efficient home, explore the many benefits of going ductless.

Ductless Mini Split ConfigurationsDuctless mini splits are compact air-source heat pumps and cooling-specific systems that utilize a thin conduit to connect the outdoor unit to the indoor air-handlers for convenient and efficient conditioning without the ducts. Ductless systems are available in the following configurations.

• Single-zoned (the mini): Classic ductless mini splits provide heating and cooling for a single room or zone.

• Multi-zoned: Two or more air-handlers heat and cool multiple rooms.

• Flex-zoned (mini-duct): This configuration uses a small duct run to provide heating and cooling to two or more zones from one air-handler.

• Modular: A modular system consists of several air-handlers connected to two or more outdoor units. This configuration is ideal for commercial and whole-home conditioning.

Installation Options

The flexible conduit is concealed within walls, crawl space and/or the attic for better aesthetics, and for easily connecting the outdoor unit and indoor air-handlers. The outdoor unit(s) may be strategically located, too, for aesthetics and convenience. The air-handlers offer multiple installation options inside the home in the following installs.

• High wall: Located high on walls out of foot traffic, this installation is perhaps the simplest and most popular among homeowners.

• Universal (floor, low wall or ceiling): Mounting is also available for low wall with clearance for a vacuum cleaner, floor console and ceiling mounted (floor and ceiling mounted options should include airflow enhancements that increase comfort and efficiency depending on heating and cooling cycles).

• Ceiling cassette: This option is aesthetically pleasing. Only the supply outlet is visible, as the air-handler is hung flush in a drop ceiling, or concealed in attic space.

• Slim duct: The slim duct is concealed within a ceiling, wall or floor. It uses a slim duct run with a supply outlet and return grille installed flush.

For more information about installation options for ductless mini splits in your Tulsa area home, contact 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). 

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The Ductless Mini Split: A Heating And Cooling Solution That's Mini In Name Only

The ductless mini-split system is a good option for homeowners looking to add heating and cooling capabilities to a new or remodeled space. With the power of an efficient heat pump behind the mini split, this system offers a multitude of benefits.A low-cost optionA ductless mini-split system provides heating and cooling solutions where implementing traditional systems would be cost prohibitive. Retrofitting ductwork is often an expensive undertaking, requiring that tricky modifications be made to your existing system so that heating and cooling capabilities can be extended beyond the original system’s design. But because the mini split doesn’t require ducts, it can be installed in almost any existing, new or remodeled room. The mini split can also be used to add air conditioning to just a few rooms, particularly useful in scenarios where adding central air isn’t cost feasible.FlexibilityA ductless mini-split heat pump is somewhat like a central air system. It has a single outdoor compressor and up to four indoor units, which are connected via a central conduit. In that way, you can add heating and cooling to four separate spaces of your choosing.SavingsEach indoor unit is operated individually; therefore, you can operate each unit as needed, and shut them off when those rooms aren’t in use. Whereas a central A/C unit would deliver air throughout the home, you can selectively use a ductless mini-split to cool a closed-in porch space, only when you use it.InstallationInstalling a ductless mini split is fairly easy, although an expert HVAC contractor should do the job. It will involve minimal modifications to your home. All that’s required is a small hole to guide the conduit from each indoor air handler to the outdoor system, which can be located up to 50 feet from the compressor.Get the comfort you deserve with a two-in-one system that fits the unique requirements of your home. If you have questions about the ductless mini split and you’d like to talk to a professional, contact Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Quality -- serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Solution image via Shutterstock

Energy Savings: No-Cost And Low-Cost Tips That Will Keep Your Heating Costs In Line

Want to get a better handle on your heating costs this winter? Oklahoma’s long and often harsh winters can mean much higher energy bills just to maintain home comfort. However, it’s possible to lock in energy savings without investing significant amounts of money by following a few of the tips below. Here’s what you can do:

• If you have a manual thermostat, choose a lower indoor temperature for the day time. Energy Savers estimates that most homeowners can save 1 percent on their energy bills if they lower the home’s temperature by just one degree. Higher setbacks reap higher savings!

• Install a programmable thermostat to guarantee savings from setbacks. Most models allow you to choose several temperatures throughout the day, and pre-programming this type of device ensures that your home temperature stays within an energy savings range at all times.

• If you have exhaust fans, use them sparingly. If left on for just one hour, these fans can draw out a lot of warm air from your home.

• Use a lower temperature on your water heater. You’ll still get comfortably hot water and ensure energy savings by lowering the dial to 115 degrees.

• Check vents regularly. Your home’s duct supply and return vents were designed to distribute the conditioned air that your furnace generates. If these vents are blocked, you’ll inhibit a balanced flow of air, and perhaps cause your furnace to work harder.

• Curtains on windows that face South can be used to your advantage. Open them to let the sun assist daytime heating. During the night, every curtain should be closed to keep as much heated air inside as possible.

Keep your heating bills in check this winter, and ensure energy savings by following these tips. The more tips you implement, the higher your energy savings. If you’d like expert help to assess your home’s overall efficiency, contact Air Assurance Heating, Cooling & Air Qualitytoday! We’ve been serving homeowners in the Greater Broken Arrow area for more than 30 years, and we know how to get the kind of results you want and deserve. Just give us a call!Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our websiteto see our current promotionsand get started today!     Energy Savings image via Shutterstock