Why Zoning is the Newest Trend for HVAC Contractors

November 17, 2017

Zoning systems are quiet and efficient, giving you more control over the comfort of your home. There used to be very few options when it came to heating and cooling your home or office. However, today HVAC zoning is the perfect way to maximize the heating and cooling in your home. It helps to cut back on energy usage and lower the average homeowner’s monthly HVAC costs. If installed correctly, zoning also helps to provide more targeted comfort in designated areas throughout your house, instead of having uneven temperatures or heating and cooling places when no one is occupying them. Benefits of a Zoning System It can be difficult to effectively and evenly heat a home from top to bottom. Zoning gives HVAC contractors the ability to break up the areas of the house to better eliminate cold spots and to schedule when to heat a room and when you don’t want it heated. The reason that it is called “zoned” heating is that you can divide a home up into several different living spaces, or zones, where the heating and cooling can be controlled independently. History of Zoning Systems When you use an entire zoned forced air system that...

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Dealing with Chilly Feet in a Cold Bedroom

September 12, 2016

St. Louis homeowners are beginning to anticipate cold winter weather and the last place they want to feel the cold is in the bedroom. Cold bedrooms are a common occurrence in a home where the thermostat is centrally located, while bedrooms are set off away from the main living areas. You do not have to just throw on an extra pair of socks and live with this problem. Talk to our HVAC experts to find a solution to warming up your bedroom. The Cause of Cold Bedrooms Simply turning up the heat is not going to work. Not only will you feel that in your wallet the following month, but the rest of the house will become overheated. Closing the vents in other rooms can put excessive strain on the furnace. Moving the thermostat up and down and opening and closing vents will cause the furnace to run overtime. When installing a heating and cooling system, a professional HVAC company will be called in to do what is known as a load calculation. They measure the size of the house to determine the heating and cooling load and then choose a system that will be able to handle the load. They will design the flow of air to maximize the system’s efficiency and ensure that heated and cooled...

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Who Controls the Thermostat in Your Home? – St. Louis HVAC

May 13, 2016

It is not unusual for a family to argue over the thermostat settings. Not everyone within a household prefers the same room temperature. Families often have disagreements over the heat settings; one person wants to crank up the heat and others want to bring it down a bit. If you are looking for a solution to this problem, our St. Louis HVAC expert has some simple tips for you and your family. Conflict over temperatures generally occur on gender lines as women tend to have slower metabolic rates compared to men, so they feel the cold more. A recent study has also shown that air-conditioned offices are designed for male employees, while women are left to shiver in the middle of summer. Here are some tips for those who find themselves in the middle of the battle over room temperatures. Space Heaters Modern space heaters are relatively efficient and considered safe as long as you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Space heaters offer an easy solution to allow a family member to increase the temperature of his or her room while others can keep the thermostat at the temperature they desire. Improve Your HVAC System’s Efficiency If your arguments over the furnace revolve around money, consider making some efficiency upgrades to save...

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How Much Can I Save by Investing in a High Efficiency Furnace?

January 31, 2016

With winter upon us, we rely on our HVAC systems to keep us warm. If you are considering investing in a new furnace for your home, look for a high efficiency furnace. The benefits of a high-efficiency furnace are real and measurable. How much can you save by investing in a high-efficiency furnace? As energy costs continue to rise, homeowners are looking for ways to reduce heating costs during the winter. Energy-saving tips such as turning the thermostat down, closing the blinds, and investing in weather stripping can lessen energy use. However, to make a big impact on energy savings, you will need to replace your old furnace with a newer high-efficiency model. High Efficiency Furnaces Gas furnaces have a component called a heat exchanger. This component converts propane or natural gas into heat energy and the by-products of the combustion process are vented through the flue system. Condensing gas furnaces have more than one heat exchanger. A secondary heat exchanger removes additional heat from the gases, which condense to produce water vapor. Furnaces that are 10 years or older do not meet the same efficiency requirements that modern furnaces are required to meet. Not only do older furnaces lose efficiency over time due to normal wear and tear, they lack the newer...

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Understanding “Green” Home Heating and Cooling

March 6, 2015

Approximately 50 percent of total energy consumption can be attributed to heating and cooling. Using an HVAC system to regulate household temperature can cost you a lot both in terms of energy bills and the carbon footprint. There are some green techniques that can help reduce your power consumption by about 20 percent. We will provide a glossary of heating and cooling terms that will help you better understand ways to go eco-friendly. Air sealing: Treating a house to prevent leakage of internal and external air. Ceiling fan: It can replace or supplement air conditioning and can help circulate heated air in the winter. Energy audit: Inspection by a professional HVAC company to measure the energy efficiency of the house and suggested improvements. Energy efficient appliances: Using appliances such as air conditioners and furnaces that have relatively low energy consumption. Energy star: A certification issued by the U.S. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency that indicates the energy efficiency. Evaporative cooler: It uses the process of evaporation to cool air inside a house. It is suitable for dry climates and may work better than air conditioners in such areas. Geothermal: Thermal energy generated and stored in the earth that can be tapped to...

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How Can Zoning Systems Benefit Your Home?

April 30, 2014

Do you face a situation in your home where some rooms take longer than others to become cool? If you have a two-story home, then you may have faced this problem where the upper floor takes longer to get cold because the warm air from the lower floor rises up. By the time your upper floor becomes cold, the lower floor becomes too cold. This happens primarily because you are trying to cool the entire house using a single HVAC system and a single thermostat. Retrofitting ducts or a separate HVAC system can offer a good solution to the problem, but it may turn out to be quite expensive. However, there is another practical and cost-effective solution for such homes. It is known as a zoning system, where the existing HVAC system and ductwork are used to improve cooling and efficiency. The system is composed of dampers, multiple thermostats, and a control panel. You can adjust the temperature in a particular zone using the thermostat installed in that zone. So, you can regulate the temperature in a particular room without affecting the temperature in other rooms. Is a Zoning System the Right Choice For My Home? Zoning systems make good sense...

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