The New Hampshire Plumbing & Heating Advisor

With all the bad news about the environment and cost of fuel, it's sometimes easy to overlook the good news--and there is good news.  Home heating systems are getting better and more energy-efficient all the time!

This is one of the reasons why, at Heritage, we give our technicians 150 hours of extra training every year.  We want our guys to stay up to date on the latest heating technology.

So if you think you might be replacing a furnace or boiler in the not too distant future, it's a good idea to stay informed about these improvements.  So in this and coming posts, I'm going to talk about high-efficiency heating and what it can mean for you.

Fishing for Efficiency: Measuring the Net Savings for Your Home

You may know this already, but every new boiler or furnace is given an AFUE number, which stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency.   This measurement takes the amount of energy consumed by a furnace or boiler and asks: how much of that energy is actually turned into heat for the home?  
So for example, if your boiler has an AFUE of 90%, this means that 90% of the energy consumed actually becomes heat for your home.  The other 10% escapes up the chimney and elsewhere.

Older, low-efficiency heating systems might have an AFUE in the range of 68-72%, or sometimes even less.  Mid-efficiency heating systems would typically have an AFUE in the 80% to 83% range.

But today's high-efficiency systems can have an AFUE in the range of 90% to 97%.  That's extremely efficient.

And this can make a big difference in energy bills.  For example, if you switched from an older, 70% AFUE furnace to a new, 95% furnace, you could expect to reduce your energy bill by 25%--month after month, year after year.   Good news indeed!

That's a lot of net savings--savings that are getting away if you have an older system.
There are other factors, of course, and we'll talk about them in upcoming posts.

This story is typical of many we hear from people who bought a new heating system.

When Sharon's furnace finally quit, she knew one thing for sure.  She wanted her new furnace to be powerful enough to keep her family warm throughout the house--even on the coldest nights.  She was tired of the draftiness and the hot and cold spots.  "I want my home to be a warm, cozy place for my kids," she explained to her heating contractor.

And naturally, the contractor was happy to oblige.  He did a rough estimate of the square-footage of the house, and then he told her, "The furnace we're installing will be more than powerful enough to heat your entire home, even on the coldest days."   

Both Sharon and her contractor came to some reasonable conclusions.  And both were wrong.  Sharon ended up with a heating system that was oversized for her home--and she ended up with some problems as a result.

Her over-sized heating system would overheat quickly, then cool down, then overheat again.  As a result, it cycled on and off more frequently.  This not only wasted energy, it also meant that her home alternated between feeling too warm and feeling too cool.  And to make matters worse, this was increasing the wear and tear on her heating equipment and would eventually shorten its life.   

Unfortunately, Sharon's story is not an isolated one.   

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that nearly half of all existing heating equipment is over-sized, and that this results in 20% wasted energy each year!

To avoid this problem, tell the contractors you're talking with that you want to buy heating equipment that is right for heating your home, but you don't want oversized equipment.  Ask them to explain why the equipment they are recommending is right for your particular size and style of house.   
Take the approach of Goldilocks:  insist on getting a heating system that is neither too big nor too small but just right for your house.

Michael purchased a new, high-quality, brand-name furnace and expected that he would get better performance, greater comfort, and improved efficiency.  Turns out, the performance of his new furnace was no better than the old one.  But the problem wasn't the furnace.  The problem was the installation: the furnace had not been installed and tuned to factory specifications.

There's a saying in the heating industry:  A great piece of equipment that is incorrectly installed is no better than a poor piece of equipment that is correctly installed.  And it's true.  On average, about 65% of how well a piece of heating equipment performs is directly related to how well the entire system is designed, installed and calibrated.

In fact, an industry study found that over 66% of equipment failure is a result of poor installation and lack of proper maintenance.  And bad installation accounts for the loss of 30% to 50% of heat in many homes!

To perform properly, your entire heating system needs to be installed, tuned and calibrated to factory specifications set down by the manufacturer.  

Your contractor should balance the air flow by making sure that the setting on the furnace fan is matched to the size and characteristics of your ductwork and to the characteristics of your furnace.  He should also tune and test your furnace or boiler to make sure it works efficiently in your home environment.  This is important because your equipment has been tuned and adjusted at the factory, and the environment there does not mirror your home environment.   

You are investing in a quality piece of equipment.  But if that equipment is not installed correctly, you won't get optimum performance.  When you are getting bids, ask contractors if they guarantee that the heating equipment will be installed and tuned to factory specifications.

When you're shopping for a new heating system, it can feel like you've got a little angel on one shoulder whispering in your ear, and a little devil on the other shoulder, whispering in your other ear.

But how can you tell which advice is from the angel and which is from the devil?  For example, it can be really tempting to go with the lowest bid.  A voice whispers, "All furnaces are the same, you might as well save some money!"  But is this true?   

No, it's not true.  Very often, the contractor giving the low bid is cutting corners to get the business...and that can leave you stuck in a corner!

For example, some contractors don't take time to do a thorough analysis of your home before they put together a recommendation.  And, unless you're very lucky, this can lead to all kinds of problems.

This is why the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that you should "only hire a contractor who asks questions, measures windows, doors, floors, ceilings, checks insulation, calculates a heating load, and fixes system problems that may compromise comfort and cost you money."

Your contractor should never recommend a heating system without first doing a complete analysis of your home and checking a long list of factors such as the size and style of your house, insulation, passive solar energy, how much heat comes from lights and appliances, the condition of your ducts and pipes, and more.

Your contractor should also do a computer load calculation--measuring all the rooms, checking the insulation and doors, and inputting all this data into special industry software to calculate the heat loss/gain.   

Finally, your contractor should do static pressure, temperature and flow tests to help determine exactly how your heating system's current distribution system is working within your home.

When you are interviewing contractors, ask them to describe the methods they'll use for doing an analysis of your home.  Then work with a contractor who does his homework. 

Getting a new heating system is a big deal.  It's expensive.  It's complicated.  And it's a decision you and your family will live with for years to come--for better or worse.     

So it's no wonder that many people get "cold feet" when trying to make this decision.  I don't blame you, I would feel the same way.       

In fact, my brother Steve and I have spent a lot of time talking to people who are nervous about buying a heating system.  We've heard all the questions and stories.  We've seen the costly mistakes that homeowners and contractors can make.  And the truth is, most of those mistakes could have been avoided with better information.

That's why we've created a special guide for anyone in the market for a new heating system.  It's called:  NO COLD FEET: How to Make Sure You Get the Right Heating System--and Get it Installed Right. 

In upcoming posts, I'll be sharing some of the insights from the guide--including important inside information that you often won't hear from contractors.  
Whether you're in the market for a heating system or not, I think you'll find this information interesting, enlightening, and helpful.

And if you are shopping for a heating system, this information will not only help eliminate the "cold feet" from your decision-making process, it will also help you end up with a heating system that keeps your feet warm all winter!

After all, nobody likes cold feet!

Are you an overlooker?  I know I sometimes am, about certain things.

It's so easy to overlook the little things we should do, little things that eventually can build up and cause big problems.  

And that's true with our heating systems: it's easy to overlook the need for annual maintenance.  

Right now, before winter strikes, is a good time to trade the overlook for the look over by calling your heating company to come look over your system, clean it and tune it.  A qualified, trained technician can spot and fix small problems before they become big.  

Of course, the tune-up is actually much more than just a look over.  Let me tell you some of the things we train our technicians to do when they do a tune-up.

They look over the heat exchanger, a piece of equipment which separates the products of combustion from the air in the house.  Over time, the heat exchanger can get holes in it, and you could end up with a carbon monoxide leak.

They clean and check the automatic controls.  Clean the burners.  Check the heating controls and their operation.  Check and adjust the thermostat to make sure it's working properly.  Check and oil the blower, motors and pumps as needed.  And also check the blower belt wear, tension, and alignment.  

They also check the flue, inspect the chimney and vents, and perform a carbon monoxide test on the unit.  Plus, they'll tighten all the electrical connections, and inspect and clean or replace the air filter.

In short, they make sure the system is running smoothly, at peak efficiency, and ready to take on the worst of winter!  You'll have the peace of mind that comes from knowing that nothing has been overlooked.

We all understand the importance of tuning up our automobiles.  Sure, we might get by for a while without tuning up our nice, new car.  But eventually it will cost us!  

We realize that the cost of tuning up our cars is miniscule compared to the idea of protecting our much larger investment in the car itself.

And the same is true of your heating system.  Regular tune-ups are the best way to protect the sizable investment you have in this system.

And there are good reasons to have your heating system inspected, cleaned and tuned before winter comes.

For one thing, you don't want to be the 100th person to call your heating company on a very cold day when the heat breaks down!  A thorough tune-up will spot and fix small problems before they turn into breakdowns.

For another thing, you'll have greater peace of mind.  A qualified technician will clean out dust and particles that could clog and perhaps even start a fire.  He'll also inspect for any carbon monoxide leaks.

Regular tune-ups will keep your system running smoother, more energy-efficiently, and longer.

If your heating system has a few years on it, you should definitely get it cleaned and tuned every year.  

I know, getting your heating system tuned is easy to forget.  Easy to overlook.  Easy to take for granted.  But it's a wise move.  

How time flies.  Just a few weeks ago I was talking with you about how important it is to change your central air conditioning filter every 1-2 months.  Now summer is over, and it's time to make the same point for your heating system.

There's no question that changing your filter is one of the simplest and most important things you can do to reduce your heating bill and extend the life of your heating equipment.  And yet, how many people forget to do it?  My guess is most.

If your system runs with a dirty filter, your unit will have to work a lot harder to heat your home.  That drives up energy costs, and it also puts a strain on the system which, over time, can shorten the life of your equipment.

Here's an example.  If you've got a forced air system, your furnace has a fan that pushes the air through your home.  Imagine that you put a fan in your living room to circulate the air.  If you put a plastic bag over the back of the fan, what would happen?  You wouldn't get much air circulation!  This is, in effect, what happens, when your filter is dirty and clogged. 

Your filter should be changed every 1-2 months.  You might also check to see if your return ducts have filters that need to be replaced.  And make sure that you only use a filter that is the correct size for your unit.

Okay, so maybe global warming hasn't impacted you much yet.  But what about "local warming"?  

Here are a few things you can do to keep cool, while saving a little money, in the dog days of summer.  (You may already be doing many of these, but a little reminder doesn't hurt.)

•    Turn off the lights when you leave rooms.  (Your mother was right!)
•    Shut down computers when you leave the house or go to bed.  They put off a lot of heat.
•    Install nightlights in hallways so you don't have to turn on larger lights when you get up at night.
•    Replace incandescent bulbs with those coiled, curly energy-efficient bulbs.
•    Unplug equipment, such as TVs and stereos, when not in use.
•    Run washer, dryer, and dishwasher on energy-conserve settings.
•    Use window shades or blinds to block out the sun, so solar energy isn't constantly beating down through your windows and warming up the house.
•    Remedy drafts by caulking gaps in windows and floorboards
•    And of course, when the AC is on, keep windows and doors close.

You've heard the saying, "Think globally, act locally."  Small "efficiency adjustments" like these won't change the world of course.  But they will help to make things a little cooler and more affordable in your world.

If you have central air conditioning, you've probably experienced your own version of the "energy crisis."  It goes something like this:

If you keep the temperature nice and cool in your home, you fear that your energy bill could rival your mortgage payment!

But if you try to save money by turning the thermostat up, you end up feeling like a chocolate bar left in a hot car on a summer's day.

So how can you keep from overheating--and overspending--all at the same time?

Here's one thought.  Turn up your AC thermostat one degree at a time.

Here's why.  The human body has an amazing ability to adapt, if you give it a chance.  If you've been keeping the thermostat at 70, try it at 71 for a few days and give yourself time to acclimate.  Then, try moving it to 72.

If you suddenly raise the setting to 78, you will, of course, be very uncomfortable.  But by making small changes, you'll give yourself a chance to adapt, save money, and stay cool.

Hey, it's not the most dramatic thing you can do to combat the "energy crisis", but it's a start.  And it's better than nothing.

There are some other simple things you can do to keep cool and save money in these dog days of summer, and I'll mention them in the next post.