How Do I Reduce Dust?

Dust is the plague of many Denver homeowners. It seems to appear out of thin air and gather in your home. Dust, dander, and allergens permeate the air in any home.

Worse than the dust you can see are the particulates floating in the air of your Denver home that are invisible to the naked eye. Like dust, these particulates will eventually settle. But that can take half a day or more and while they are floating in the air, you are breathing them into your lungs.

Fortunately, there is a simple solution that will capture 95% of indoor pollutants automatically, without effort on your part. For pennies a day over the life an electronic air cleaner, you can reduce household dust and airborne pollutants.

Where Dust Comes From?
Dust comes from a variety of sources, including skin cells, carpet and fabric fibers, gypsum dust from walls, wood fire ash, candles, pollens, dust from outdoors, your hair, insect remains, and so on. What you can see is just the half of it (well, not even the half of it). Your home is filled with invisible airborne particulates from aerosols, cooking residue, grease, smoke, bacteria, and viruses. Visible particulates collect on your furnishings. Invisible particulates remain airborne for long periods of time, increasing the chance you will inhale them so they will collect on your lungs.

What Can I Do?
Throwaway air conditioning filters can help catch some dust. More effective are mechanical filters (i.e., deep, pleated media filters). The most effective solution—some say the only effective solution is an electronic air cleaner, which traps 95% of indoor pollutants. Over it’s life, an electronic air cleaner costs less than 30¢ per day, a bargain compared to the price of paying someone to dust.

A few facts:

Government research studies have found that indoor air is 10 to 100 times more polluted than outside air. People spend 90% of their time indoors.

Most airborne particles are so small they cannot be seen without the aid of an electron microscope. These particles comprise 80% of the airborne particles in your home. The airborne particles visible with the naked eye represent 0.1% of visible particles. The rest are visible with a microscope.

It should be no surprise then, that each person breathes an average of two teaspoons of dust, dust mites, pollen, mold, viruses, bacteria, pet dander, carpet fiber and second-hand smoke into their lungs each day. These particulates are invisible to the human eye.

Throw-away filters trap less than 10% of the pollutants, while electronic air cleaners capture 95%

Article provided by Denae Keutzer, Aardvark A/C & Heating, Houston Air Conditioning Company.

Green HVAC Ideas

Does my air conditioning and heating system hurt the environment?

Many consumers have grown more aware of their personal impact on the environment. People want to find ways to maintain comfortable, modern lifestyles, but they also want to do their part to protect the world we share.

The heating and air conditioning industry has been one of the most responsible about reducing the industry’s impact on our environment. Yet, we cannot do it alone. Some of the greatest environmental gains come from simple steps you can take.

What’s The Easiest Thing I Can Do To Help?
One of the simplest, most economical, and smartest things you can do to reduce your home’s environmental impact is to tune-up the air conditioner every Spring (heat pumps should be tuned in the Spring and Fall) and to clean and adjust the furnace burners in the Fall. This helps the environment by restoring system efficiency and capacity, which reduces waste and run time. It also cuts utility expenses, reduces the potential for an equipment breakdown, and extends equipment life. It’s not just smart for the environment. It’s smart for your wallet and your time.

What’s Can I Do To Make The Most Impact?
The most significant way you can reduce your home’s environmental impact is to purchase one of today’s most efficient systems. Heating and air conditioning technology has improved dramatically in recent years, both minimizing the industry’s environmental impact and energy costs. The most efficient gas furnaces release the least amount of nitrous oxide and other by products of combustion. The most efficient air conditioners and heat pumps use the least electricity, cutting smokestack emissions at generating plants.

How Can I Avoid Damage From Refrigerants?
Older residential air conditioners use HFCs, which do impact the ozone layer, but far, far less than the CFCs found in household refrigerators. Since your air conditioner is a sealed system and we capture and recycle HFCs from your air conditioner, there is little risk that your refrigerants will impact the environment as long as there are no leaks. If your systems leaks refrigerant, it is important to get it repaired or replaced as soon as possible. If you replace your air conditioner, many new air conditioners use a different type of refrigerant that is environmentally neutral.

A Few Facts:

Thanks to the heating and air conditioning industry, our cities are much cleaner today than they were a century ago. It’s true. Remember the foggy London of Dickens’ England? It wasn’t really foggy, it was smoggy London, thanks to coal fireplaces and boilers.

Though unheralded, modern gas and electric heating systems have probably done more than any single innovation to clean the air in our cities.

The heating and air conditioning industry is a leader in environmental protection. Long before there was a Montreal Protocol or Kyoto Agreement, the heating and air conditioning industry voluntarily began to reduce and eliminate the use of ozone damaging CFCs and HFCs.

Article provided by Denae Keutzer, Aardvark A/C & Heating, Houston Air Conditioning Company.

Denver Heating System Saves Up To 40%

No matter how efficient you think your Denver heating system is, you can still save up to 40% off your heating costs! You’ve got to see the results of an independent lab study that proves System 2000 is most efficient, and saves significantly over even the highest Energy Guide (AFUE) rated boilers.

Find out how this remarkable system is different and why it outperforms all others, how it can pay for itself, and how other Denver homeowners have benefited.

Over 30% Average Savings achieved by replacing 85%-86% AFUE cast iron boilers with System 2000. In this multi-year study, the U.S. Coast Guard in Kodiak, Alaska, replaced (24) new 85% and 86% AFUE cast iron boilers of various makes, indirect water heaters, and electric water heaters with System 2000 in residences.

The tremendous savings led to the 2007 replacement of another (150) cast iron boilers as part of a Super Energy Saving Performance Contract (Super ESPC) which is run by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). This project capitalizes on the expertise and financing of the ESPC contractor to assist the Coast Guard in complying with the recent Executive Order which requires all Government agencies to reduce their energy use by 20% by 2015. The Coast Guard also realized operations and maintenance savings with System 2000 over the cast iron models.

Provides high efficiency heat using coils inserted into the same ductwork as heat pumps or central air conditioning in single or multiple zones.

The System 2000 is more than just hot air – it’s efficient and provides virtually unlimited hot water for a fraction of the cost of typical hot water heaters. Its hot water making ability also makes it ideal for commercial installations like restaurants, motels, laundromats, etc. The system’s low mass design with just 2.5 gallons of water is unmatched in its ability to provide near instant heat.

The Choice is simple … if you want the best equipment for your Denver home, install the only heating system versatile enough to meet the demands ot today’s Denver homeowners – System 2000.

PLUMBERS AND CONTRACTORS THAT PROVIDE THIS SYSTEM

Mid Hudson Plumbing
P O Box 7466
Newburgh, NY 12550
Phone: 845-569-1299
Fax: 845-220-0050
System 2000 Heating

Steve Basso Plumbing Heating & A/C LLC
83 Brookfield Ave
Bridgeport, CT 06610
Tel: (203) 335-0224 / (203) 852-7144
Fax: (203) 331-1561
Stamford Heating Contractor

How Green Is Your Hot Water?

No, we’re not talking about the color of your hot water – although green water could indicate a problem. We’re talking about how your water is heated and about how much water and energy you could be conserving by switching to a Denver tankless water heater (instant water heater).

Tankless water heaters can save water and energy. They also (because of this savings) can reduce your utility bills. And, they can cost less to install and operate than a traditional water heater.

Whether you are using an electric or a gas water heater, you are actually heating the amount of water held in your tank again and again to maintain a constant temperature. Depending upon the amount of hot water you use and when you use it, you could be spending quite a chunk of change to keep water hot for extended periods when you don’t need it.

For example, say you don’t cook (so you only run the dishwasher once a week), you don’t have a washing machine in your home, and you prefer to shower in the morning. You need hot water in the morning and on the day you run the dishwasher. If you use a traditional hot water heater, with a capacity of 50 gallons, you will be heating 50 gallons of water to the predetermined temperature and then continuing to heat it enough to keep it at that temperature twenty-four hours every day. If you only use 30 gallons of hot water when you shower, you are heating 30 gallons for an extra 23 hours and 20 gallons for an extra 24 hours every day. If you used a Denver tankless water heater, you would only heat the 30 gallons you need for your shower as you need it. Over the course of a year, this savings in energy could add up to a noticeable savings in your gas or electric bill.

Because tankless water heaters provide hot water by heating the water as it passes over a heating element, you only heat the amount of water you actually use. And, you don’t have to stand around waiting for the hot water to travel through the pipes from the hot water tank to the faucet you are using, which also saves water.

Tankless water heaters are becoming very popular because they are energy-efficient and because they conserve water. If you want to reduce your monthly utility bills and protect the environment, you can “green up” your water use by installing tankless water heaters in key parts of your Denver metro home.

Geothermal Heat Pump Basics

As people throughout the Denver metro area think and take action to preserve the natural environment, most in developed countries are taking a fresh look at how they use energy to heat and cool their homes. Furnaces, boilers and air conditioning units are becoming more efficient. Most, however, rely on fossil fuels. Whether a homeowner looks at a more efficient air conditioner or an air-source heat pump, they will reduce their energy usage somewhat. Whether these systems are operated by oil burners, natural gas or electricity, they still rely on fossil fuel. The alternative, and the most energy-efficient way to heat and cool a home, is a geothermal heat pump.

Use of geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool residential homes is a relatively new phenomenon. For many, these systems remain too expensive to consider for their homes. Geothermal units are being installed in an increasing number of homes. Because of their amazing energy-efficiency, geothermal units are worth understanding and considering. To help you understand these heating/cooling units, here are some of the basic facts.

Geothermal heat pumps use the heat in the ground to heat or cool water or a liquid coolant. The temperature of the ground is 55°F year round.

Geothermal heat pumps handle both heating and air conditioning.

Most geothermal heat pumps also provide hot water, eliminating the need for a separate water heater for the home

There are three main parts of a geothermal heat pump system: the geothermal heat pump which moves heat between the building and the fluid in the earth connection; the earth connection which transfers heat between the earth and the fluid inside it; and a distribution system which delivers heating and cooling to the building.

Geothermal heat pumps use underground pipes filled with either a heat transfer fluid or with water. This fluid carries heat from inside the house and releases it into the ground in summer to cool your home; in winter it draws heat from the ground to heat your home.

The exceptional efficiency of the geothermal heat pump is due to the fact that the system must only heat or cool the fluid in the pipes by 15 to 20 degrees. Compare this to a conventional air conditioner which must cool or heat outside air as much as 40-50 degrees in some climates.

Geothermal heat pumps use 23-44% less energy than the most popular air-source heat pump. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that a Geothermal heat pump can save a typical family 30 – 70% on heating costs and 20 – 50% on cooling costs.

Water in the pipes can be drawn from a well or heat transfer fluid.

The cost to install a geothermal heat pump system is usually in the $7,500 – $15,000 range. This seems staggering when compared to the $1,500 - $5,000 for installation of a air-source heat pump. But geothermal units pay for themselves quickly in extremely low operating cost.

The U.S. Government offers some tax credits and special financing options for purchase and installation of geothermal units.

Many utility companies offer rebates on the purchase price of a geothermal system.

Many state and local governments offer tax credits and/or rebates on geothermal systems.

Boulder HVAC Contractor Explains Green HVAC

Colorado homeowners are beginning to wake up and realize that we live on a fragile planet and we continue to abuse it at our risk. The green building and HVAC movement is a place to stop the slide, and return to sanity. It is a grassroots movement that offers hope not only to us, but also to the generations that will follow us upon this earth.

When building a new home, adding on an extension or even just a simple remodeling project within your Colorado home, you should always consider your local environment to maximize the efficiency of every aspect of your project.

At Air Craft Heating and Air Conditioning, we are dedicated to being environmentally friendly and all of our work is in the efforts of installing the most energy saving solutions for your home and the planet.