Getting The Most Out Of Your Furnace

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Summers Are More Fun with a Backyard Deck

When I was growing up, my family home had a backyard deck. I didn't realize how much I loved it until I later moved into my own home that didn't have one. We used to have family over for outdoor gatherings and cook out on it. It was covered, so if it rained, it never ruined the party! As a teenager, one of my favorite ways to relax was to go outside onto the deck and listen to the rain fall on its roof. The sound was so soothing. After enduring one summer in my new home with no deck, I was determined to have one installed quickly. I found a local contractor who got the job done quickly and accurately, and my house now feels like a "home!" I decided to start a blog to share what I learned during the deck construction process along with some other tips!

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Getting The Most Out Of Your Furnace

18 December 2014
 Categories: , Blog

A furnace is only as efficient as the duct system and home that it is connected to. You can buy a highly efficient condensing furnace for your home. Such a furnace will top out at about 98% efficient. Connecting an efficient furnace to an inefficient duct system can vastly decrease the overall performance of your system. Furthermore, if your home does not retain heat as well as it should, the performance of your heating system can be further compromised. In order to get the most from your furnace, you will need to maintain your ducts and the insulation in your home. 

Problem Ducts

The pressure of the air rushing through ducts can put strain on the joints and seams of the ducts. These seams can fail, and the ducts will start to leak. Leaky ducts can reduce the efficiency of an HVAC system by up to 40%. Thus, if you start with a furnace that is 98% efficient, a leaky duct system can reduce your efficiency to 58%. If your furnace is already inefficient, your HVAC system can have an expensively low efficiency rating. Professional duct repair technicians can easily find and repair leaks to get your system back on track.

Windows Are a Weak Spot

Double-pane windows have an R-value of around 2. This is vastly lower than the R-value of insulation in the walls of your home. During the day, windows can allow in UV rays of the sun, which will help to heat up a home, but at night, windows can allow cold air from outside to seep in. In order to protect your home from low night-time temperatures, you can use thermal curtains. These curtains are designed with insulating properties, which will help to keep the cold out. Proper use of thermal curtains can reduce heat loss through windows by 46%. Thus, they can help to keep heating costs lower.

By maintaining your ducts, you can make sure that the heat from your furnace makes it to your home as efficiently as possible. While leaky ducts can have a devastating effect on your furnace's efficiency, even if heated air efficiently reaches your home, you can still have problems. As heat leaks out of your windows, your home cools, and your furnace has to work more often just to keep your home warm. In order to keep heating costs down, homeowners need to do their part to maintain the energy efficiency of your home.  For more information, contact a local heating company, like Kook & Son Inc.