Stay Within Your Comfort Zone
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No matter what type of heating or cooling system you have, your home's over all climate is unique.These systems maintain comfortable levels of temperature and humidity (moisture control). How well they do this depends on the house's insulation, ventilation and exposure as well as how efficiently the system is sized and maintained.
It is a good idea to learn as much about the care and maintenance of your new home's heating and cooling system as possible. You should have a qualified heating and cooling contractor clean and check your system yearly. This will ensure that the system will perform at peak efficiency and will keep unexpected repairs at a minimum.
There are several ways to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling system. Make sure your thermostat works properly and that all of your ducting system is properly sealed. Allow for adequate ventilation in the attic to let excess heat escape. Insulate it to reduce the amount of heat it sends into living areas below.
You would like your indoor air to be as clean, comfortable and healthy as possible. Professional air duct cleaning reduces allergy and respiratory problems, lowers your heating and cooling costs and improves the overall air distribution in your home.
Heating
If your home has an older furnace, you may save on fuel costs by installing new equipment. New energy efficient heating systems utilize the latest in modern technology. Condensing gas furnaces can achieve up to 97% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). These units are built with advanced heating technology and quickly can pay for themselves in energy cost savings alone.
Your system has a built-in filter which removes dust and dirt from your home. This filter should be cleaned or changed whenever necessary. A dirty air filter reduces your equipment's performance and causes it to work harder to produce the same amount of energy. Your service person can show you where he filter is located and tell you how often to change it.
Cooling
Today, more and more people want consistent climate control year round. Central air conditioning can virtually be installed in any home. New technology, such as the scroll compressor, enables manufacturers to produce air conditioners that use less electricity. With fewer moving parts, the scroll is quieter to operate and will last longer than conventional piston compressors.
Shade trees, awnings, window treatments, and low E replacement windows all coordinate to block the sun's rays and keep your home from gaining radiant heat. Higher temperatures are easier to take if the humidity level is lower than 60 per cent. If a central air condition ing system is sized properly for your home, it will reduce humidity to a comfortable level.
Moisture and Humidity
For comfort and health in wintertime, your home's humidity should remain between 30 and 50 percent. If your home is not equipped with a humidifier, the amount of moisture in the air is likely to be 2/3 less than the amount needed to be comfortable.
You can create a consistently comfortable climate inside your home, whatever the season, by careful maintenance of the heating and cooling system.
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