Winter Has Come Early
Friday, October 13, 2006
Looks like Old Man Winter has made an early arrival. An early October snow storm swept through the midwest and great lakes region, slamming Buffalo, New York through the night, causing the snowiest October day in city history. Other areas hit by snow include Grand Rapids, MI, Chicago, IL and portions of Canada. Let us know if you need to find a snow removal specialist.
Looks like my previous post on Preparing Your Home for Winter was none-too-early. But for those of you who have just had to turn on your heater... and it didn't work, I wanted to provide some info on buying a new Heating System for your home.
Buying a New Heating (and/or Cooling) System
Heating and cooling systems should last 15 to 20 years. If your's is older than that, or if has just quit on you, it might be time to replace rather than repair your HVAC equipment. It's a major expense but modern heating and cooling equipment can operate more efficiently than the older units.
Most HVAC Contractors specialize in installing the equipment of a few manufacturers, so keep this in mind when preparing to talk about replacing your system. Why? Well, it will be important to do your homework on the brands out there, to talk to several companies about those brands, and decide what your budget is and what amenities you need to come with your new HVAC system. Try to go with a contractor that installs at least 2 different brands. They won't be pushing one style (because it's all they have!) -- they'll do what's best for your home.
The key to having a new Heating & Cooling system installed is getting the right size unit required for your house. Your contractor will have to do a heat loss calculation - how much heat is being sucked out of your house by the cold air outside, measured in btu's. It takes into account your insulation, the number and quality of materials of your doors and windows, and the region of the country where your house is located. If they contractor doesn't do this calculation, using software that most companies have, you could end up getting a recommendation for too large of a unit (which will cost more and use more energy to run.)
Your Heating Contractor should also advise you to perform some energy-saving upgrades and then have you go with a smaller unit, if possible. Adding or upgrading insulation, replacing certain windows and doors, whole-house fans, programmable thermostats, and even adding some ceiling fans (fans can be used to circulate heat as well as cool air) can cut down on heating requirements.
If you receive a payback calculation (and you should, if you've got a good HVAC company), which shows you how much a unit will cost to run, keep in mind that the costs may be an average for the entire country. Some western and southern states do not have as high of utility rates because of warmer weather. You may not get the same savings you expected from the calculation if you live in a warmer part of the country.
Looks like my previous post on Preparing Your Home for Winter was none-too-early. But for those of you who have just had to turn on your heater... and it didn't work, I wanted to provide some info on buying a new Heating System for your home.
Buying a New Heating (and/or Cooling) System
Heating and cooling systems should last 15 to 20 years. If your's is older than that, or if has just quit on you, it might be time to replace rather than repair your HVAC equipment. It's a major expense but modern heating and cooling equipment can operate more efficiently than the older units.
Most HVAC Contractors specialize in installing the equipment of a few manufacturers, so keep this in mind when preparing to talk about replacing your system. Why? Well, it will be important to do your homework on the brands out there, to talk to several companies about those brands, and decide what your budget is and what amenities you need to come with your new HVAC system. Try to go with a contractor that installs at least 2 different brands. They won't be pushing one style (because it's all they have!) -- they'll do what's best for your home.
The key to having a new Heating & Cooling system installed is getting the right size unit required for your house. Your contractor will have to do a heat loss calculation - how much heat is being sucked out of your house by the cold air outside, measured in btu's. It takes into account your insulation, the number and quality of materials of your doors and windows, and the region of the country where your house is located. If they contractor doesn't do this calculation, using software that most companies have, you could end up getting a recommendation for too large of a unit (which will cost more and use more energy to run.)
Your Heating Contractor should also advise you to perform some energy-saving upgrades and then have you go with a smaller unit, if possible. Adding or upgrading insulation, replacing certain windows and doors, whole-house fans, programmable thermostats, and even adding some ceiling fans (fans can be used to circulate heat as well as cool air) can cut down on heating requirements.
If you receive a payback calculation (and you should, if you've got a good HVAC company), which shows you how much a unit will cost to run, keep in mind that the costs may be an average for the entire country. Some western and southern states do not have as high of utility rates because of warmer weather. You may not get the same savings you expected from the calculation if you live in a warmer part of the country.
