Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Question: At what temperature should I set my thermostat at and what are the benefits of a programmable thermostat?

Temperature settings depend on the time of year and your personal preferences. In the summer, the average temperature setting is 23°C-26°C. In the winter 20°C-22°C is the norm. Remember, when leaving your house; try to avoid drastic temperature changes. Do not set your temperature back more than 5°; this will cause your unit to work harder to reach your desired temperature setting.

Because they are electronic, programmable thermostats are more accurate and efficient than thermostats that contain mercury. Plus, they allow you to automatically control the temperature in your home at different times of day without you ever having to touch your thermostat. There is a LiveSmart BC rebate available that ends March 31st 2013 for homeowners who replace a minimum of five thermostats for electric baseboards with electronic thermostats. Contact your preferred heating company to find out more at 604.283.2383.

Question: I’m afraid my old furnace will quit in the middle of winter, is it worth replacing before it breaks down?

Being without heat in the middle of winter when your old furnace quits is something you want to avoid especially with the cold snap we are having now. If your contractor is suggesting that your furnace needs replacing it is wise not to put it off. If the cost of replacing your old furnace is the reason making you hold off, consider that some older models of furnaces deliver only 55% of the heat to your home while a new high-efficiency natural gas furnace may deliver up to 97% of the heat it creates to your home. Your old furnace is probably costing you money. A new natural gas furnace will likely save you money on your heating bills.

Financing options are available from financial institutions for home improvement projects and at Ashton Service Group we offer financing to our residential customers with Snap Financial. Check with your preferred plumbing and heating contractor and find out what financing options are available.

I am sure many of you have heard of a heat pump, some of you may even have one, but has anyone ever taken the time to explain what they are and how they work?

Heat pumps are often misunderstood or not understood at all. Because of this, you may not realize that there may be a better heating and cooling option than a furnace or air conditioner. A heat pump is an efficient method of cooling your home in the summer and warming it in the winter.

Although heat pumps are new to many people, they have been around for over three decades. Its name is a little misleading, a heat pump is an efficient method of heating a home during the cold winter months and also cooling it during the blistering summer months. A heat pump looks like an air conditioner, but that’s only the outside appearance. It actually has two functions based on the same principles for both. In warm weather situations, the heat pump works as a normal air conditioner. It extracts heat from inside the home and transfers it to the outdoor air through a condensing process.

In colder weather, however, the process reverses, collecting heat from the outdoor air and transferring it inside your home. Even when the air outside feels extremely cold, the air still contains some heat. The heat pump pulls the heat from this cold outdoor air and sends it inside to warm your home, using a similar process that a refrigerator would. When there is not enough heat in the outside air to meet the demand of the thermostat setting, an electric heater supplements the outdoor air to warm the home. While many people find the winter operation of a heat pump the most difficult to understand, it is during the heating cycle that the heat pump produces the most savings. Unlike a furnace that turns fossil fuel or electricity into heat, the heat pump collects heat that already exists in the outdoor air by means of its refrigeration cycle.

Consequently, a heat pump will produce two to three times more heat than the energy it uses.

In addition, a heat pump can be an effective add-on option to use in conjunction with an existing gas furnace. With a dual-fuel system, the two systems share the heating load but never function at the same time. Each system operates when it is most cost effective. The heat pump will be the primary heating and cooling system. However, when the temperature drops below the heat pump’s ability to operate as efficiently as the gas furnace, the gas furnace will take over until the temperature rises enough for the heat pump to operate more efficiently.

Remember to take into consideration the noise that may be generated by your heat pump related to where the equipment is installed, and how this may affect your neighbour – be a good neighbour!

 If you have any doubts or require an expert analysis, please contact Ashton Service Group at 604-283-2383.