Sunset Air Blog: Archive for October, 2014

Should I Consider a Wood Stove?

Friday, October 31st, 2014

If you’re looking for a new heating option in Olympia, WA, a wood stove may be the perfect option for you. Wood burning stoves are often overlooked by homeowners looking for a new way of heating their homes. But utilizing a wood stove can save money, reduce pollutants, and keep you cozy and warm through the night. Learn more about some of the benefits of installing a new wood stove in this guide.

Comfort and Design

Many people prefer the radiant heating of a wood stove to other forced-air heating systems like furnaces. That’s because a woodstove allows heat to move in all directions and fill the room, rather than blowing heat into a space like with forced air systems. Besides, the design of a wood stove conveys a comfort of its own. It’s often the rustic centerpiece of a room, a focal point by which family members gather and converse after a long day away from home.

Clean and Efficient Heating

Wood stoves do not burn fossil fuels to generate heat, which is why many homeowners choose these units to not only save some money but also feel better about their environmental impact. Modern innovations in the technology used to manufacture wood stoves makes them far more efficient today than they were years ago. In fact, according to the U.S. EPA, if you replace an older wood stove or fireplace with a new more efficient model, you can save up to 50% on energy costs and release 70% fewer particle pollutants into the air. And the health benefits for your home are important as well, as newer models reduce indoor pollutants as well.

Choose Professionals for Installation

No matter what your reasons for installing a new wood stove or replacing an older one, you should always rely on heating specialists for a job well done. Wood stove installation involves many factors, including a few safety measures and calculations that could prove dangerous without previous expertise. Professional installation will help the job move more quickly and prevent problems caused by faulty sizing or other inaccuracies.

To discuss your options for heating, trust the Olympia, WA heating experts at Sunset Air.

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3 Potential Reasons Why Your Furnace Is So Expensive to Run

Friday, October 24th, 2014

As we head toward winter, more and more people are turning on their heating systems. If you’ve noticed a big jump in your heating bill as compared to last year, you may need to consider some reasons as to why your heating has become so expensive to run. Our Sunset Air technicians have put together a short list of reasons that can account for a sudden jump in energy costs, as outlined below.

Reason 1: Faulty Ductwork

Your ductwork in an integral part of your heating system, but it can be overlooked or even ignored because it isn’t as visible as other parts of the system. Faulty ductwork – ductwork with significant cracks, holes or disconnections – can account for up to 30% of your home’s total air loss. Your furnace will work to compensate for this loss by working harder, which forces it to use more energy.

Reason 2: No Programmable Thermostat

A programmable thermostat allows you to set a heating program for different times and days, as far out as a week. You can program your heater to maintain more moderate temperatures when your home is unoccupied, such as during the work week, or at night when everyone is in bed. It can be difficult to remember to change your thermostat on your own, and the EPA estimates that for every degree you can lower your thermostat during the winter, you can save up to 3% on your energy costs.

Reason 3: Insufficient or Poor Maintenance

Every season your heating system operates causes it incurs a certain level of wear and tear. Without annual maintenance, this wear and tear is not taken care of, and will continue to run down your system season after season. Maintenance helps reduce your energy usage because it is cleaned and adjusted, and all moving parts are lubricated, which allows the system to work optimally. When your system works optimally, it doesn’t use extra energy to work.

If your heating bills have taken you by surprise, call Sunset Air today and let a trained HVAC technician in Olympia, WA help you find out what is happening with your furnace.

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Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency for This Winter

Friday, October 17th, 2014

Improving energy efficiency doesn’t have to involve purchasing a new heating system. By taking a few simple steps, you can improve your energy efficiency without breaking your budget. Fall offers the perfect time to prepare for winter, and taking some of these steps now can get you and your heating ahead of the cold days that are coming. Our Sunset Air technicians have put together a list of energy-saving tips to help you this winter. Should you need repair, maintenance or any other heating service, make an appointment with one of our trained and certified technicians.

Energy Tips

Here are some energy tips that can help you save some energy this coming winter season:

  • Schedule maintenance – if you haven’t done so already, schedule maintenance for your heating system. Maintenance involves conducting a full tune-up on your system, which helps it to perform optimally.
  • Open curtains and shades during the day – heat from the sun can add needed heat to your indoors, so keep curtain and shades open during the day.
  • Use plastic to cover drafty windows – window kits have made it very easy to create a barrier against drafts that can enter through drafty windows, and the kits are widely available at hardware stores.
  • Use a programmable thermostat – a programmable thermostat can help you stay on track with energy usage by allowing you to control the amount of heating you use on any day at any time. With a programmable thermostat, you can program the temperature to lower during times of low or no occupancy, and cycle up just before coming home.
  • Schedule an energy audit – do you suspect you may be losing heat but can’t figure out where the problems are? An energy audit can help by pinpointing the exact source(s) of loss and helping you create a plan to remediate these problems.
  • Use ceiling fans – ceiling fans help circulate air, helping heat to move through your home. If you use a ceiling fan to help you cool, it very likely has a switch that allows it to change direction to help with heating. Simply flick the switch, and you can help your heating just as you helped your cooling.

With a little bit of effort, you can help improve the energy efficiency of your heating this winter. If you need assistance, or have questions about other options, call Sunset Air and schedule your heating service in Olympia, WA with one of our experts.

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Benefits of a Boiler System

Friday, October 10th, 2014

Considering how popular forced air systems are across the country, it may seem odd to prefer a boiler system over a furnace. If you dig a bit deeper into how a boiler works, however, you’ll find that there are a number of benefits that it offers over other systems.

Have a look at the following benefits to see if a boiler system is right for you.

Heating Efficiency

One of the first things you need to know about a boiler system is the difference between using air and water to deliver heat. Water is actually a much better conductor of thermal energy than air is, making it a more efficient medium for delivering heat. If you use a radiant heating system, your heating bills will often be noticeably lower than if you used a forced air system.

Radiant systems also avoid some of the major pitfalls that forced air systems fall into. For example, almost 30% of a forced air system’s heat is lost to things like duct leakage. A radiant system not only uses a more efficient thermal medium, it uses a more efficient delivery system as well.

Even Heating

In forced air systems, especially downflow furnaces, hot air pumped into a room will immediately rise to the ceiling. This wastes a lot of heat because the warm air will only sink as it cools, making it of little use to the room’s occupants. Radiant heating, on the other hand, often transfers thermal energy through water pipes underneath the floor of a room. These pipes radiate heat up through the floor, transferring into other solid objects without relying on air. This keeps heat from being lost by air rising to the top of a room. A boiler heating system can provide a much more comfortable heating experience by using this method.

A boiler system can be a great heating system upgrade, if you have it properly planned and budgeted. If you are interested in upgrading to a boiler system, call Sunset Air. Our HVAC professionals conduct heating installation and replacement service throughout the Olympia region.

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Why Is It Important to Schedule Heating Maintenance?

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

The leaves are turning, and with autumn comes cool days and even cooler nights. You may not have turned your heating on yet, but winter is coming, and one of the best ways to prepare for winter is to schedule heating maintenance in Olympia, WA. Heating maintenance provides a number of benefits for you and your system, but to truly gain the benefits, maintenance should be performed by a trained and certified professional. For over 35 years, Sunset Air has helped hundreds of customers with their heating maintenance, repair and installation, and we can make sure your heating system is ready for winter this year. Call us today!

What Happens During a Heating Maintenance Appointment?

Here is a quick overview of what your technician will do during a heating maintenance appointment: 

  • Conduct thorough inspection of entire system
  • Clean, adjust and lubricate all parts as needed
  • Check burner assembly/pilot light
  • Conduct safety checks
  • Test system for performance
  • Inform customer of any problems or issues discovered during appointment

What Are the Benefits of Heating Maintenance?

Heating maintenance offers several important benefits: 

  • Better energy efficiency – when your system is dirty, dusty and has worn parts, it can’t operate at the level of energy efficiency it was made to. During a maintenance appointment, components are adjusted, lubricated and cleaned, allowing them and your system to operate optimally.
  • Helps prevent future repairs – the thorough inspection your system undergoes allows the technician to discover any existing or developing problems. Additionally, small items like worn fan belts and frayed or corroded wiring are repaired during the appointment. These actions help you get ahead of potential problems, as well as to prevent small issues from developing into big issues.
  • Extends life of equipment – when any mechanical system operates for a long period of time under stress due to lack of maintenance, premature aging can develop.  When your system is in good working order, it runs as it should, which helps elongate the life of the equipment.

Heating maintenance helps improve the overall operation of your system. Schedule your heating maintenance in Olympia, WA, call Sunset Air today!

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