Greenwood Heating & Air

The Truth Behind Some Common Home Heating Efficiency Myths

Cold weather means turning up your home heating and racking up serious energy bills. Efficient home heating can help bring the bills down, but with all the information and misinformation on home heating, it can be a challenge to sort out what's true and what's false. Read on to dispel some common home heating myths and find out how you can reduce your energy consumption:

Myth: Cranking the Thermostat Helps
One of the most common home heating myths is that cranking your thermostat up can heat your home quickly. In fact, raising the temperature doesn't speed up your furnace; it just makes your furnace heat for a longer duration, and can have a terrible effect if you forget to turn the temperature down. 

Myth: Ceiling Fans Only Cool
When most people think of fans, they think of cool breezes. If fact, fans can help with home heating, too. Simply set your ceiling fans to spin clockwise, and they'll help move around hot air that gets trapped near the ceiling. With help from your ceiling fans, you won't have to turn the thermostat up as much.

Myth: Space Heaters Are Cheap
Sometimes homeowners try to save money by turning off their gas heating and setting up space heaters in the rooms they use most. Their reasoning is that less square footage for heating means less money on their bill. While this may be true some of the time, many space heaters are less efficient and more expensive to run than HVAC systems.

Myth: Replacing Windows Is Cost-Effective
Though it's true that a leaky window will let out heat, you shouldn’t replace your windows for the sole purpose of increasing home efficiency. After all, putting in new windows can cost thousands of dollars. Before you opt for replacement windows, focus on other leaks throughout your home.

Greenwood Heating & Air will gladly help you heat your Seattle home more efficiently. We provide installation, maintenance, and repair for all brands of heating and air conditioning equipment. Find out how we can help you with home heating by giving us a call at (206) 734-3370.

HVAC Maintenance: What You Need to Know

Is your home’s HVAC system properly maintained throughout the year? HVAC care isn’t just great for keeping your equipment performing at its best—it can also save you hundreds of dollars! Proper HVAC maintenance requires a combination of DIY care and professional attention. Take a look at this infographic from Greenwood Heating & Air Conditioning, a Seattle HVAC repair service, to get a better understanding of HVAC maintenance, repair, and replacement and to discover how much energy you can save. Feel free to share this heating and cooling information with friends and family to help them improve their energy efficiency and cut their costs on utilities!

Discover More About Maintaining, Repairing, And Replacing Home Heating Systems By Visiting These Sites

Greenwood Heating & Air provides Seattle homeowners with top-notch furnace service and maintenance. We also install a variety of energy-efficient heating and cooling appliances. Give us a call at (206) 734-3370 to inquire about heating options for your home, and explore these websites for more information:

• Learn more about geothermal heat pumps by reading this article from the U.S. Department of Energy.
   
• Visit Bob Vila’s website if you need help selecting the correct filter for your furnace.
   
• This page from Family Handyman has another helpful guide to selecting furnace filters.
   
• If you would like to reduce your hot water bills, consider upgrading to a tankless water heater. You can find out more about how they work at Energy.gov.
   
• Discover how heat pumps warm your home in this article from HowStuffWorks.com.

How Your Dirty Furnace Filter is Costing You

During the wintertime, your furnace is an essential part of your indoor comfort. Just like any other machine, your furnace requires maintenance to stay in peak operating condition. Though you should call a heating service professional to inspect your furnace every winter, you can check and change your furnace filter yourself. Discover the hidden and no-so-hidden costs of a dirty furnace filter below:

Low Energy Efficiency

In order for your furnace to operate at peak efficiency, air must be able to circulate through it. The more dirt that accumulates on your furnace filter, the longer it takes your furnace to reach the temperature on your thermostat. This means that your furnace consumes more energy than it needs to. Fortunately, you can remedy this problem by using good furnace filters and changing them frequently.

Greater Risk of Damage

Dust is not the only substance that can affect your furnace filter; small, hard clumps of dirt tracked in from outside can clog airflow. If any of these substances build up on your filter, they can eventually get into the blower mechanism and damage the belt or fan. A faulty blower can’t pump heated air into your home, and requires expensive repairs.

Poor Indoor Air Quality

Part of your filter’s job is to prevent pet hair, pollen, and other allergens from entering your home’s air supply. When the filter becomes saturated, it can no longer catch all these fine particles, and you may find yourself sneezing and sniffling more often. If your furnace is working overtime or if any components are damaged, it might release harmful fumes such as carbon monoxide into your air ducts.

Avoid furnace problems by having the contractors at Greenwood Heating & Air of Seattle inspect, clean, and tune your system. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to your heating or air conditioning emergency. To learn more about our heating services, call us now at (206) 734-3370.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Deciding Between Furnace Repair and Replacement

Since the Seattle area experiences fairly chilly winters, every home needs a quality heating system in order to keep its occupants comfortable. People who live in older homes may find that their energy bills have been slowly increasing over the years, or that their furnaces need tune-ups more and more frequently. Eventually, it may be more economical for you to replace your system with a new one than to constantly have your existing one repaired. If you are unsure, ask yourself the following questions:

How High Are My Energy Bills?

If you still have last year’s heating bills, you should have a clear idea of your winter home heating costs. If you notice a difference of more than five to ten dollars from the same month last year, have your furnace professionally inspected and tuned. If you notice a dramatic spike in your energy bill, consider replacing your furnace with a heat pump or another, newer system.  

How Long Does It Take to Heat Up My House?

Another way to tell if your furnace is operating efficiently is to monitor how long it takes to reach your target temperature. A heating unit operating at peak efficiency should not take an hour to warm a home up to 70°F. When your furnace is struggling to maintain a relatively cool temperature, it may be time to invest in a new unit.

How Does the Air Inside My Home Feel?

Even if your utility bills are not particularly high and your furnace appears to run well, it may still have other serious problems. Some older furnaces can leak carbon monoxide into your home, which causes dangerous health issues after prolonged exposure. Newer heating systems not only operate more efficiently, they are designed to minimize potentially toxic emissions.

Greenwood Heating & Air services and installs a variety of heating and air conditioning systems, including furnaces, heat pumps, and geothermal heat pumps. To find out more about our heating maintenance services, visit our website or call us at (206) 734-3370.