I take very good care of the furnace and air conditioner installed into my home. I have set a reminder on my phone so that I don’t neglect to replace the air filters every four to six weeks. I’ve enrolled in a maintenance agreement with a local HVAC contractor. They call to set up service for the furnace in the fall and for the air conditioner in the spring. Before the start of the severe weather, a licensed technician comes to the house and completes a thorough troubleshooting, cleaning and tuning of the equipment. He checks for any minor problems that could graduate into a breakdown during the season and replaces any parts that are showing wear and tear. He removes the buildup of contaminants, tightens electrical connections, lubricates moving parts and verifies safe and proper operation. Because of this, I expect the furnace and air conditioner to perform dependably throughout the season. Last summer, I noticed some concerns with the cooling system. There were major temperature inconsistencies from one room to another. Not only was less air coming from the vents of certain rooms, but there was a lot more dust and an unpleasant, musty smell. The air conditioner seemed to be running more often than usual, and there was a definite increase in my monthly electric bill. When I called for repair, the technician told me that the cause of the issues was the ductwork. I had never even considered having the ductwork professionally serviced. Over the years, contaminants such as dust, dander, pollen, mold growth and even dead rodents had accumulated inside. The debris was restricting airflow through the system and polluting our indoor air quality. Fortunately, professional duct cleaning solved all of my complaints.

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The baseboard options are still linked to the boiler to put out heat and would be installed around the perimeter of the room.

The house we purchased has a boiler installed in the basement that handles heating. In our local area, the cold weather lingers for more than half the year. For the majority of the winter, the temperature is well below zero. It’s not unusual for it to drop down to twenty below zero, and the wind chill makes it feel even colder. A powerful heater is a necessity. We’ve been extremely pleased with the performance of the boiler. It requires only annual maintenance, operates silently and provides a very consistent, gentle and efficient heating. However, the boiler is currently linked to radiators located in each of the rooms. While the radiators provide a tremendous amount of heat, keep our energy bills reasonable and allow for zoned control, I’m not happy with them. They take up quite a bit of space and restrict the arrangement of furniture. Because they are super old, they are rather ugly and not overly safe. The ancient radiators heat up to the point where they are dangerous to the touch. I’m always worried about the kids or the dog getting burned. I’ve been doing some research into baseboard heating. The baseboard options are still linked to the boiler to put out heat and would be installed around the perimeter of the room. Instead of heat coming from a single point, it would be supplied from all sides of the room. They are very streamlined and unobtrusive and don’t become hot to the touch. Since they have no moving parts, there’s nothing to go wrong and require repair.

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When we first got married, my husband and I bought a very small house on a large piece of property.

We really liked the location and didn’t mind the limited square footage of the home.

We didn’t have many possessions at the time, and it was just the two of us. The smaller house was very easy to clean and maintain. Projects such as replacing the roof and windows wasn’t overly expensive. Our heating and cooling bills costs were very little. Five years later, we had added three kids, a dog and a parrot to our family. The house was all of a sudden cramped. It was time to put on an addition. One of our main concerns was how to handle temperature control in the new space. We considered extending the existing ductwork and utilizing our current furnace and air conditioner. However, we didn’t feel the heating and cooling systems could handle the bigger workload. We were also reluctant to sacrifice so much space and expense to a duct system. I did some research into compact heating and cooling units and discovered ductless mini-splits. This type of system starts with an outdoor air compressor that then links to separate indoor air handlers mounted in the different rooms. Each of the indoor units includes an independent thermostat that allows zone control. The installation process is not difficult or invasive and requires little more than a three-inch hole in an exterior wall. We hired an HVAC contractor to handle the installation, and the system was up and running in a single afternoon. It provides both heating and cooling capacity, operates quietly and is wonderfully energy efficient.

 

Ductless system is ideal choice for addition

My husband and I are in the planning stages of building a new home.

We’ve agreed upon a floorplan for the house but are still deciding on some of the details. One of the biggest debates has been over the type of heating and cooling system. We live in an area where the weather requires just about year round temperature control. Heating and cooling accounts for about 50% of household energy consumption. We’re looking for a system to provide safe and efficient comfort. While we considered all different makes of furnaces and air conditioners, we are leaning toward the installation of a geothermal heat pump. Although the cost of this type of system is a lot higher than conventional options, there are a lot of tax incentives that make it more affordable. Plus, geothermal heat pumps achieve efficient ratings between 300% and 500%. That means that for every single unit of energy the equipment needs to operate, it produces approximately five units of energy. It is around twice as energy efficient as other types of heaters and air conditioners. We’d be able to cut the monthly cost of temperature control by up to 70%. Plus, with a simple addition to the system, it would provide hot water and save us around 40% on our water heating bills. We’d have plenty of time to recover our investment because geothermal heat pumps last an average of twenty to twenty-five years. The underground loop is warrantied for fifty years and can be expected to last twice that long. Because there’s very few moving parts, there’s very little to go wrong. We’d also be implementing the most environmentally-friendly means of heating and cooling on the market. Geothermal heat pumps don’t burn fossil fuels to operate, so there’s no carbon monoxide or greenhouse gases.

 

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The only reason we could afford such a large house with so much property was because the property had been left abandoned for several years.

It was in really bad shape.

There were broken windows, a leaky roof, water damage and all sorts of problems with the plumbing. The electrical wires weren’t up to code. The water heater was rusted through and all of the appliances needed to be replaced. My husband and I are both quite handy and looked forward to tackling the renovations. We basically gutted the house down to the bare studs. We called in a licensed electrician to replace the wires and an HVAC contractor to inspect the boiler in the basement. We assumed that the boiler would need to be torn out and replaced. The contractor surprised us with the news that the heating system was actually in good shape and simply needed a thorough service. He said we could expect the boiler to remain operational for quite a few more years. There was no way we were going to keep the big, ugly, ancient radiators in every room. Having the floors ripped up gave us the opportunity to install radiant heating. We now have a series of pipes that link to the boiler and are concealed under the ceramic tile and hardwood floors throughout the house. The boiler heats up water and pumps it through the network of pipes. The heat radiates across the surface of the floor and warms anything that touches the floor. This style of heating provides wonderfully consistent temperatures with no drafts or stratification. It avoids introducing air contaminants, operates silently and requires very little maintenance. Not only is the boiler and radiant flooring extremely energy efficient but allows the many advantages of zone control. We’re able to adjust the temperature of each room to our needs and preferences.

 

 

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Ever since the outbreak of the covid virus, I’ve been more concerned with indoor air quality. Because of the severe weather in my local area, it’s necessary to rely on either the furnace or the air conditioner for most of the year. I spend a great deal of money on my utility bills. In an attempt to minimize costs, I’ve gone to great lengths to tightly seal up the house. I don’t want the heated or cooled air to escape and hope to prevent outdoor air from getting inside. I’ve caulked and weatherstripped and installed new windows and doors. My efforts have helped to stop drafts and energy waste. However, air pollutants get trapped inside. There are sources of air contamination in just about every room of the house. Pets, cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene, humidity and everyday life just add to the problem. There’s dust mites, mold growth, bacteria, dust, pollen, viruses and so many contaminants to worry about. I make sure to have the furnace and air conditioner professionally serviced every fall and spring. A licensed contractor comes to the house and thoroughly cleans all of the components. I am diligent about replacing air filters, vacuuming and scrubbing with disinfectant products. I’ve also been proactive in having an air purifier installed. The air purifier is situated inside the ductwork and treats the air as it passes through. It uses negative ions to cause dust and other allergens to clump together and become heavier and more easily filtered out. It actively kills harmful pathogens by disrupting the DNA and helps to remove VOCs and unpleasant smells from the air.
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For comfort in the summer, I don’t need to invest in a whole-house cooling system.

Our warm weather just doesn’t hang around all that long.

We’re fortunate if we manage three months of blue skies and sunshine. It’s often rainy, chilly and windy. When we finally get some nice weather, the last thing I want to do is keep the windows shut for the sake of running an air conditioner. After eight months of relying on the furnace and keeping the house sealed up tight, the indoor air is excessively dry, stale and stuffy. I’m anxious to open the windows and improve indoor air quality. I just love the feel of a fresh breeze. I certainly don’t want to spend much time inside the house. There’s always a ton of work waiting outside. I enjoy breathing fresh air and the sun on my skin as I mow the lawn, trim shrubs, rake and pull weeds. Any free time I have, I enjoy swimming, riding my bicycle and sitting in the sun, reading a book. I only head inside for meals and to sleep. There’s no reason to spend a great deal of money on the purchase, installation and operation of central air conditioning. Most of the rooms have ceiling fans that help to push the heat up and out of the house. I run box fans in the kitchen and living room to circulate the air. For my bedroom, I have a window air conditioner. The cooling unit is lightweight, compact and easy to both install and remove. During the fall and winter, I store the air conditioner in the attic. During late spring and summer, it is sufficient to keep the bedroom perfectly cool. Although the operational noise is minimal, it’s just loud enough to drown out exterior noise pollution, such as barking dogs, traffic and early morning birds. It circulates the air to keep it feeling fresh and filters out dust and other contaminants.

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Moving down south was a big change for my husband and I. We’d lived our whole lives in the northern area of the country. We were accustomed to winter weather that lasts for more than half the year. We used to rely heavily on the furnace and face temperatures down to twenty-five below zero. We spent a lot of money on our heating bills and devoted a great deal of time to dealing with snow removal. Four-wheel-drive vehicles, snow shovels, wool coats and ice scrapers were necessary equipment. When we started looking at houses for sale much further south, we were surprised that none of them included a basement. The water pump, heating and cooling systems are located outside. We were unfamiliar with fire ants, sinkholes and heat pumps. Many of the houses we looked at had big pits in the yard that the realtor explained were sinkholes, which can cause major damage to the foundation of the property. There were strange mounds of sand all over the place that we learned are caused by fire ants. I’d never experienced a type of ant that was so aggressive and nasty. Getting bit was extremely unpleasant. We ended up buying a house that is equipped with a heat pump. Being totally unfamiliar with that type of system, I did some research. The unit is an impressive innovation. It actually provides both heating and cooling capacity by reversing refrigerant flow. It can operate very much like an air conditioner and pull heat out of the inside air. It can also pull ambient heat from the outside air and transfer it inside to warm the house up. The heat pump is wonderfully energy efficient and environmentally friendly. It doesn’t burn fossil fuels so there’s no worry over carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, fumes, hot surfaces or greenhouse gases.

 

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I waited a long time before installing central air conditioning into my home. Because I live in the northeastern part of the country, it’s not really necessary. Our cold winter weather tends to last anywhere from six to eight months. We get temperatures well below zero, tons of snowfall and brutal wind chills. I spent a fortune on a state-of-the-art, high-efficiency furnace and my monthly utility bills are plenty expensive. I need to keep the house sealed up tight to prevent energy waste, and there’s no opportunity to spend time outdoors. Once the weather finally warms up, I am anxious to open the windows, air out the house and freshen up our indoor air quality. I had no desire to close the windows and run an air conditioner. Since my family spends most of our time outside, the heat and humidity is only a problem at night. Plus, the summer season in this area tends to be brief. I had no problem getting by with a few window air conditioners and box fans. It wasn’t until my daughter was diagnosed with severe asthma that I knew I needed to make some changes. Having the windows open aggravated her symptoms. Pollen, dust, exhaust fumes and all types of toxins in the air pose a huge threat to her. This prompted me to call an HVAC contractor and get an estimate for central air conditioning. It was definitely worth the cost. Not only does the cooling system filter contaminants out of the air to create a cleaner, safer and healthier living environment for my daughter, but it has greatly improved comfort throughout the house.

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When we bought our house, it was equipped with an older furnace.

Although the heater had been properly maintained with annual professional maintenance, we expected to need to replace it within a year or two.

A furnace can easily last for fifteen years but then tends to start having issues. We figured that the heating system was at least twenty-five years old. We’ve now owned the home for twelve years, and the furnace remains operational. We’ve had very few problems, and the repairs have been minor. There are now gas furnaces on the market that are a lot more energy efficient. By replacing our heater, we could significantly lower our monthly utility bills and our carbon footprint. Modern furnaces are much quieter and include superior safety features. Features such as adaptable speed technology allow the heating system to automatically adjust speed to maintain more even temperature and lessen negative impact on humidity. We could upgrade to zoned control and be able to customize the temperature in each room. That would eliminate the need to heat empty rooms and cater to personal preference. While I know that investing into a new furnace is probably the right decision, I’m reluctant. A new heater is expensive, and the installation would cause mess and disruption to the house. I’ve decided to contact an HVAC contractor and get an estimate. I’ve started looking into different makes and models of furnaces. The best time to handle the project would be over the summer, when there’s plenty of time to get the heater up and running before the cold weather.

 

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