Emergency Heat During Winter Storms

Having a source of emergency heat in the winter can make the difference between staying safe and healthy or having to leave your home to wait out a bad storm or a prolonged power outage. Each of these suggestions is a sound way to supply enough heat to wait out an emergency. Always make sure your CO detector is working before using any of these heaters.

Emergency Heating Equipment

• Tent heaters. You can find these at sporting goods and big box stores, as well as online. They’re small heaters that use propane canisters and are capable of heating small spaces. They’re safe as long as you crack a window open and use them as the manufacturer intends.

• Ventless heaters. These heaters are available from specialty stores and online. They burn clean, which means they produce few toxic gases, including carbon monoxide (CO). Each heater, whether a ventless fireplace or heater, has an oxygen depletion sensor that turns the unit off when the oxygen in the room gets too low. Whenever you use a ventless heater, be sure that there’s a window open or a door cracked to bring in fresh air.

• Fireplaces. If you’re lucky enough to have a gas or wood-burning fireplace in your home, it will provide reliable heat during the outage. If it’s gas and lights electronically, it may start if you hold a lighter near the gas orifice inside the firebox. If it’s wood burning, keep a supply of seasoned firewood to use in the event of emergencies.

Retaining Heat

• Be sure you have at least three days of food on hand. Eating enough calories gives you plenty of energy to keep yourself warm.

• Dress in layers. Instead of wearing a one layer of heavy clothing, wear a few layers. They trap your body heat better so that you won’t feel as chilled.

• Plug as many air leaks as possible to prevent drafts throughout your home.

If you’d like more information about using emergency heat because of power outages or a furnace breakdown, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Do Fireplaces Efficiently Warm Your Home?

Fireplaces are much beloved for the coziness they bring to a room on a blustery winter night. However, they are also much reviled on several fronts. Fireplaces are inefficient, allowing most of the energy they produce to go up the chimney. Fireplaces can be unsafe, leading to fires in the chimney or from smoldering embers. Wood burning gives off smoke, and with it, unhealthful particles that can compromise your indoor air quality. Wood burning gives off massive amounts of carbon emissions, and is actually banned in some cities.Add to the list of disadvantages the fact you've got to store firewood, which can harbor rodents and termites.So should you buy a house with a fireplace? If you have a fireplace in your home, should you stop using it and replace it with a more efficient type of heating?Our best answer: It depends on how much any of the above disadvantages bother you. Read on for further considerations on fireplace warmth.

Fireplaces as Backup, and Other Options

One of the best reasons to have a fireplace is it can be a backup source of heating in an all-electric house when the power goes out and your furnace won't come on. The fireplace will keep you from freezing, albeit inefficiently.Why else have a wood-burning fireplace? They're great for roasting marshmallows.Seriously, you may want to look into using that fireplace space for a catalytic wood stove. These stoves trap smoke and other combustion byproducts. A chemical coating on the catalyst interacts with smoke and ignites it at a lower temperature than the 1100-degree F temperature normally required, thus making it burn more efficiently. These wood stoves also release fewer carbon emissions and burn wood slower than non-catalytic models. The downside is they are more expensive than non-catalytic types, and the catalysts generally break down after 10 years or so.You might also look into a pellet stove. These are more efficient than a traditional wood stove or fireplace.

For more on fireplace warmth, and whether it's worth the trouble, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Considerations for Heater Replacements

Fewer things are more annoying and inconveniencing than finding out your heating system needs replacement on a freezing winter evening. It can be hard for the average person to tell when their system has started to break down completely hence needs to be replaced. The good news is there are certain signs that homeowners can use to know when it's the right time to make heater replacements. Read on to learn more.

Current System Age

Furnaces have an average lifespan of 15 to 20 years. After this period, they start failing more often. If your furnace is 12 years or older and has required numerous repairs, you should consider replacing it.

Energy Efficiency

Have your energy bills gotten higher than usual? Your heating system may be to blame. Its efficiency may have significantly reduced. Therefore, it may need replacement. Newer furnace models come with higher AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) ratings than older models, meaning they'll operate more efficiently.

Comfort

If some rooms feel warm whereas others are chilly, your heating system may be failing to distribute air correctly. A home that heats up unevenly can't be comfortable. It may be time to upgrade your heating system. Newer furnaces have variable speed motors that produce more even, comfortable heat and use less operating energy.

Costly Repairs

Are you faced with an expensive repair? It may be better to upgrade the system and get a new warranty on parts.

Financial Incentives

Are there any financial incentives for purchasing a new system? You should definitely take advantage of that. Summer is the best time to make good use of preseason upgrade specials. But that's not all. You may also qualify for manufacturer, company, and statewide rebates for choosing to install a new heating system in the summer. Installing a new heater in the summer will also prevent you from worrying about having a malfunctioning system in the winter.

By understanding the signs of needing heater replacements, homeowners can prevent harrowing total system breakdowns. If you need the best possible comfort in the Broken Arrow area, contact the HVAC experts at Air Assurance. 

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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Reasons Your Heating System May Not Keep Your Home Warm

You might be shivering inside your home because of a problem with the heating system, or it could be your home itself. Any one or several of these problems could be contributing to cold temperatures indoors.

Check the Furnace

• Look for signs of ductwork leaks. Dusty areas around the registers or nearby walls or rooms that are colder than others often indicate ductwork problems. A segment of the ducts might be obstructed, blocking the airflow. If you can access them, look for ductwork damage, tears, or detached segments.

• Check the thermostat. The thermostat may not turn the furnace on when needed, or shut it off before it reaches its target temperature. Its batteries could be dead, or the thermostat needs replacing.

• The furnace needs repair. Furnaces use safety switches that will turn them off when they are overheating or malfunctioning. There could be a problem with the ignition system, or the blower motor.

An HVAC technician can diagnose and fix the heating system problems, whether they’re associated with the ducts or the furnace itself.

Look Over Your Home

• The lack of insulation and air leaks in the home’s envelope might be responsible for the cool indoor temperatures. Over time, insulation can disintegrate and air leaks form. Damp or compressed insulation loses its ability to slow heat loss.Builders often use caulk to seal around exterior door and window frames. Over time, caulk shrinks and dries out, losing its effectiveness. You may need to reapply it, or replace old door weatherstripping.

• Windows might be the culprit. As your home settles, the windows may not fit as tightly in their frames. For the best protection against drafts, lock each window. You can also put draft blockers at the base of windows to block cold air.If new windows aren’t in your plans, install clear plastic window sealing kits, available online or at home improvement centers.

Whether it’s problems with your home or the heating system, an HVAC contractor can help you find the issues and promptly fix them. To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

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 heating system and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Tips To Manage Home Heating Load

If you're heard the phrase “heating load” but you're not sure what it means, it's simply the amount of energy consumed by your heat pump or furnace to maintain a comfortable temperature inside your home. If you'd like to save energy and reduce your utility bills, you can use these tips to better manage your home heating load:

Seal Air Leakage Sources

Heated air losses make your heating system work harder and waste energy. To curb these losses, use weatherstripping, expandable foam and caulk to seal gaps and leaks around your exterior doors, windows, and where wiring, pipes and vents penetrate the exterior shell. Seal spots where air leakage occurs between the attic and your finished living areas and the access hatch too, and have your accessible HVAC ducting runs sealed and insulated as well.

Maintain Your Heating Equipment

Well-maintained equipment consumes less energy, so get yours professionally serviced every year. To keep your equipment running efficiently throughout the heating season, check the system's air filter once a month, and put in a fresh one when you see any dirt accumulation.

Install Sufficient Attic Insulation

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), you should have a total of R-30 to R-49 installed between your attic floor joists to limit energy losses that add to your heating load. When you're insulating the attic, don't forget to do the access hatch too.

Keep Heating Vents Open and Unobstructed

When some vents are closed or blocked, it puts extra strain on your heating equipment and increases its energy consumption. You can avoid this by keeping your vent louvers open and checking periodically that they're unobstructed by household items like furniture, rugs or long window treatments.

Switch to a Programmable Thermostat

If you still have an older manual or digital thermostat, install a programmable model that allows you to automate energy-saving temperature setbacks. Ideally, these should be daily eight-hour periods, such as when everyone's away all day, or at night when your family is sleeping.

For personalized advice about managing your home heating load, contact the Broken Arrow HVAC pros at Air Assurance.

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 heating loads and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”

Choosing the Right Heating System for Your Home

A lot of factors go into choosing the right heating system for your home. If you think you'll be in the market for a new furnace or heat pump in the near future, start considering your heating system options now. But first, how do you know your current heating system is running out of time?

The easiest way to tell is its age. Combustion furnaces generally last from 15-20 years, while air-source heat pumps are more like air conditioners, with a useful service life of 10-15 years. If your heating system is at the upper range of those numbers, plus is breaking down frequently or your heating bills are going up, it's probably time for an upgrade. With the vast improvements in energy efficiency over the past 20 years, you might be surprised to learn how inexpensive modern high-efficiency HVAC systems are to operate.

One of the first decisions you'll need to make is whether to choose a combustion furnace (natural gas, heating oil or propane), an electric heat pump, or some other option. In most cases, sticking with the system that you're replacing is the easiest course, since your home already has the plumbing, wiring, venting, etc. However, discuss with your HVAC contractor whether a switch to a different system might give you better heating performance at a lower cost.

Energy efficiency is another factor you'll have to weigh. Higher-efficiency HVAC systems cost more at the outset, but bring long-term savings on fuel and/or electricity. The rule of thumb with heating systems is the colder and longer the winter, the more savings you'll get from a high-efficiency furnace or heat pump. Discuss with your HVAC contractor what efficiency level makes the most sense in our Oklahoma climate.

You'll also be asked about possible advanced features for your new heating system. Various add-ons can improve energy efficiency, ventilation, humidity control and air cleaning. Depending on your own budget and household conditions, some advanced features might improve comfort, indoor health and/or energy efficiency.

To discuss heating system options for your Broken Arrow area home, please contact us at Air Assurance.

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 heating systems and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “geralt/Pixabay”

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”

Heating Options for Older Homes

Heating old homes can be a challenging experience, especially if you want to use the latest in heating and cooling system technology. Older homes simply weren’t built with newer central furnace systems in mind. So here are a few alternatives to consider for heating old homes.

Mini-Duct Forced Air

One option to explore for heating old homes is the mini-duct forced air unit. True to its name, this system relies on small, flexible tubing that can be run through walls and framing with minimal impact. To make up for the relatively small tubing, mini-duct forced air systems rely on high-velocity air handlers to push conditioned air through.Mini-duct forced air systems were once known for being noisy compared to other types, but recent advances in system design plus the use of sound-attenuating materials have helped significantly reduce noise levels.

Ductless Mini-Split

If you can’t find any suitable places to run flexible tubing, then you may want to consider going ductless. Ductless mini-split heat pumps offer excellent heating performance and energy efficiency without the need for ducting.A typical ductless, mini-split system consists of a single outdoor compressor and multiple indoor air handlers that are usually wall-mounted. The only real downside is that the design of the indoor air handler may clash aesthetically with some older homes.

Fireplace Insert

Another option involves installing an insert within your existing fireplace. Inserts come in wood-burning, gas and electric varieties, with many electric inserts offering faux flames to simulate the look and feel of your original fireplace. Gas and wood-burning inserts offer guaranteed heat

Radiant Heat

Another good choice for heating old homes effectively and efficiently is radiant under-floor heating. This type of heating system comes in electric and hydronic forms - the former using electric mats and the latter using hot water through PEX tubing. Both offer an unobtrusive and innovative way of keeping an older home warm.

If you want to learn more about heating old homes, the experts at Air Assurance have you covered. Contact us for all of your Broken Arrow heating and cooling needs.

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 heating options and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Pixel_perfect/Pixabay”

How to Heat Cold Rooms Quickly

No one enjoys being in a cold room during the winter, but getting warmed up can often be a bit of a chore. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you heat cold rooms quickly without costing you a lot of money:

Check the Registers

You might be surprised at how often a cold room is due to something simple, such as a register that is either closed or blocked. If this is happening in your home, then rooms aren't being given a chance to warm up, so be sure that each register is open and that nothing is impeding their airflow.

Replace the Heating System's Air Filter

The job of a system's air filter is to stop pollutants from reentering your home. This filter gets clogged up over time, which negatively impacts its effectiveness. Check the filter each month and replace it whenever it's too dirty.

Install a Radiant Floor Heating System

The installation of a radiant floor heating system is relatively easy, so you have the choice of tackling it yourself or calling an HVAC technician to do the work. These systems are usually placed beneath tile flooring but can be used with other types of flooring as well.

Check the Ductwork Dampers

The job of ductwork dampers is to manage airflow during the season. These dampers must be adjusted accordingly to coincide with the season. If you haven't already done so, take a look at them and adjust them, if needed. This is likely to heat up even your coldest rooms if this is the problem.

Utilize Duct-Booster Fans

Duct-booster fans are small fans that attach to your registers in a forced-air setup to increase the flow of heated air within the room. This can be a highly effective, and yet inexpensive, way to quickly heat up each room they're used in.

For more expert advice on how to heat cold rooms or other home comfort concerns, contact the 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 heating and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.