Essence of Home Improvement

Posts Tagged ‘Heating and Air Conditioning’

HVAC is the accepted term for the air cooling and heating systems installed in homes and buildings around the country. The new acronym is a result of the changing nature of controlling indoor climates; while air comfort systems were formerly separate systems, the two are now combined in a single system that has additional capabilities including air ventilation and filtering.

What does an HVAC system do?

• Heating
• Air Conditioning for cooling
• Ventilation for fresh air throughout your home
• Air filtration for cleanliness and health
• Monitors both air flow and air temperature

Advances in technology have changed the nature of heating and cooling the interiors of buildings, both private and commercial. The new air and cooling technology will improve your interior environment in several important ways:

• Noise control – new systems are quieter than ever before.
• Lower energy costs with smarter technology including automated thermostats and integrated sensors to monitor temperatures in multiple rooms.
• Increased efficiency means that the temperature is controlled more accurately with less energy, leading to less energy consumption overall and a decreased effect on the environment.
• Healthier air due to advanced filtration techniques.

By this we mean that sunrooms basically are designed in such a way, that they are able to absorb a lot of sunlight during the day time. At night sunrooms are able to radiate a lot of warmth within the room on cold winter nights. The use of dark colored tiles allows a lot of sunlight to be absorbed during the day time and at the same time these tiles also can give out a lot of warmth during winter time.

One more advantage of fixing these tiles is that they are quite easy to clean, and they are also resistant to moisture. There are connective airflows and other entryways that allow the flow of heat that gets collected within the sunroom during the day. With the help of the connective airflows warm air does not get collected in the sunroom itself, but it is spread to the other rooms of the house too, to warm them up.

Radiation is the transfer of heat through empty space. This type of system works on the same principal as baseboard heaters, but does it more efficiently, by heating the entire floor. Another advantage is that the heat can be felt directly by the inhabitants while walking around barefoot. Radiant floor heating systems can be divided into three categories depending on the heat carrying medium: radiant air, electric, or hot water. There are also two installation methods: wet or dry.

Radiant floor heating systems, when used in residential applications, are not very efficient due to the limited heat carrying capacity of air leaving electric and hot water systems. Electric heating systems consist of cables built into the floor or electrical conductive plastic mats that are usually placed between the subfloor and the floor covering. Electric systems are the most efficient when combined with time-of-use rates, allowing the user to heat the concrete floor during off peak hours. If the mass of the floor is large enough, the heat stored in it will keep the house comfortable for up to ten hours. This can save the homeowner a considerable amount of money compared to heating it during the day.

Remove as Many Allergens and Irritants as Possible – Smoke, pet dander and a buildup of household dust (when was the last time you dusted the tops of your kitchen cabinets?) are all obvious allergens and irritants. But so are the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted by certain paints and carpets. If you are considering having your home painted in the near future make sure you ask your painting contractor to use paints that are “low VOC”.

Install detectors – Most homes have a smoke detector or two, but do you have one that also detects carbon monoxide? Excess amounts of this gas can be emitted from faulty heating systems or even malfunctioning clothes dryers and gas stoves and it is highly toxic even in very low concentrations. Its chemical cousin, carbon dioxide, is also colorless and odorless in low concentrations, but can cause serious problems, even death. In addition to installing detectors you should also have your heating system checked by an HVAC professional regularly and make sure all appliances are properly vented.