From sub-zero winter nights to summer days with heat indexes shattering the 100-degree mark, citizens of the Kansas City area are familiar with both ends of the weather spectrum. With the ever-changing outdoor climate, the interior temperature of homes also can be unpredictable.
HSPF And SEER: Look For Those Ratings When You’re Deciding On A Heat Pump
You’ve made the decision to purchase a heat pump and are trying to determine which manufacturer’s unit to buy. Two ratings that will assist you with making your selection are the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) and the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER).
Why Your Home Needs Heat-Recovery Ventilation
Adequate ventilation provides your home with a continuous supply of fresh air. Energy-efficient improvement and construction methods such as weather-stripping and insulation can save you money and enhance climate control. However, these methods tend to render your home airtight, which can keep pollutants inside, not allowing them to escape into the outdoors. They should be complemented with a ventilation system …
Is This The Year You Should Replace Your Furnace? Do The Math
If you answer yes to two or more of the following questions, you may need to explore replacing your existing heat and cooling system:
Seal Your Ductwork, And You Can Plug The Drain On Your Pocketbook
Your ductworkcould be costing you a lot of money. According to Energy Star, a typical house may lose 20 percent of its heating and cooling energy through leaks, holes and improper duct connections. Your home will benefit from a professional inspection of the ductwork, but you may be able to take a preliminary look yourself at any ducts that are easily …
Options In Standby Generators Give You Precisely What You Need When The Power Goes Out
Electrical power outages are a big problem these days — a roughly $80 billion-per-year problem, according to one government study. You might think that our advances in technology would be making blackouts less common, but the opposite is actually the case: the increasing number of electronic gadgets in each home puts more strain on our electric transmission grid, while the …
How Your Contractor Will Tailor Your New Air-Conditioning System To Your Home’s Unique Requirements
In the middle of the Kansas summers you’re hot, and in the middle of the Kansas winters you’re cold. Is that your body’s inability to regulate your temperature, or is it due to an improperly-sized HVAC comfort system? Chances are it’s the latter, and so you need to have your contractor tailor your new HVAC comfort system to your home’s and …
Degree Days: How They Figure Into Your Energy-Use Calculations
By calculating degree days, you can project your future energy use and also compare it to past months and years. It’s a relatively simple formula that uses 65 degrees Fahrenheit as a baseline.
Sizing Your New Water Heater
Having a water heater that’s large enough is important for meeting your home’s hot water needs, but water heaters that are too large actually prove less efficient. What this means is that you need to properly size your unit before you start shopping for water heaters. Here are some tips for correctly sizing different types of water heaters.
Maintenance: What You Can Do, And What You Should Leave To The Pros
When it comes to taking care of your HVAC system, some steps can easily be performed by homeowners, while others should be left to the professionals. While most heating and cooling systems don’t require very much maintenance beyond twice-annual professional check-ups, there are still tasks every homeowner can do to keep their equipment functioning properly and efficiently. For advanced tasks, …