Heating Options to Consider in Dover, DE

December 3rd, 2012

Are you in the market for a new heating system in Dover? At Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, we have several options to choose from, and we can go over all your choices and help you select the right one for your home.

Here are a few of options to consider.

Gas, Electric, and Oil Furnaces

Whether they are gas, electric, or oil furnaces, there are many different models on the market that can produce highly efficient heat for your home.  You’ll need to know about AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) numbers to compare the different ones. Also, there are different sizes that produce different amounts of BTUs, which is the heating capacity. The heating output for your home will depend on the square footage of the places you want to heat and your comfort needs. A Dover, DE heating contractor should be able to assess your home and help you select the right size and type.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are so efficient because, unlike more traditional heating and cooling systems, they do not consume a fuel in order to create energy. Heat pumps make use of existing energy by utilizing heat transfer technology while maintaining comfort levels in your home. A small amount of energy is used to basically move heat from one location to another. There are also geothermal heat pumps available, but check with your contractor to see if these systems are right for your home and location.

Boilers

Boilers use hot water circulated to radiators to heat your home. These types of systems don’t need ductwork, which means they avoid any of the inefficiencies associated with leaky ducts. Boilers can also be used to heat your water instead of having a separate water heater.

If you are looking for energy savings this winter, talk to a Dover, DE heating expert at Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning about your options.

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Wilmington, DE Heating FAQ: Is Heating Repair Service Needed in My Home?

November 26th, 2012

Now that winter is here, it is a good idea to make sure the heating system in your Wilmington, DE  area home working properly at all times. The best way to keep heating systems lasting a long time and working at peak performance is to keep up regular maintenance on it. Your heating system may already be working efficiently, and therefore no repair work is needed.

More often than not, if your system is in need of attention, the repairs are minor. If you are uncertain as to if you need to call a professional contractor to look at your heating system, here are a few areas to look out for to see if your heating system may indeed need repairs.

Not Enough Heat

If you feel that your heater isn’t producing enough heat, the cause of the problem is usually not a major one. In many cases, the heat from your system is being blocked by a clogged filter or a blockage somewhere in a heating duct. If your system is producing a low amount of heat, check the filter to see if it’s time to change or clean it. A reusable filter may need to be checked more often in the winter since they’re getting more use.

You also want to check to make sure none of the ducts are blocked in your home. Often people believe shutting doors or closing vents in certain rooms will save energy, but it is actually the opposite.  That approach prevents smooth air flow within your heating system. Also, remember to check the thermostat to ensure that it is on the correct settings.

Continual Cycling

If your heating system is cycling all of the time, this problem could be brought about by a variety of reasons. Newer models are more efficient, but they are this way due to having more advanced settings, and they won’t heat your home properly if your heating system is not used correctly.

If you are uncertain about how to address or fix a problem, no matter how large or small, with your furnace or heat pump, it is best to contact a professional contractor.

If you have further questions, give the Wilmington, DE heating experts at Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning a call today!

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Can Solar Energy Heat My Home in the Winter? A Dover, DE Heating Question

November 19th, 2012

This is a question that we get from a lot of residents in Dover, DE. With the price of energy on the rise, many people are looking for ways to cut back their energy consumption. Solar power is a great way to do that. But some people aren’t sure about whether or not it would be worth it to do that during the winter. We thought it would helpful for us to just answer this question straight on to ease and confusion that people might have.

What is Solar Energy?

When you talk about solar energy it is necessary to be specific because there are several different kinds of solar energy.

  • Passive solar heating – Your cat or dog instinctively knows about passive solar heat. If you’ve ever seen them napping in a spot of sunshine on your carpet, they are enjoying passive solar heat. So if the question is can you heat your home in the winter with solar heat then the answer is yes. Leaving your blinds open during the day will allow you to warm your home with sunshine.
  • Active solar heating – This is what most people refer to when they talk about solar heat. Active solar heating involves converting solar energy into another form of energy like electricity using mechanical equipment (solar panels).

How Active Solar Systems Work

One of the more popular active solar energy systems are photovoltaic panels, better known as solar panels. What’s important to understand about this technology is that it relies on the sun’s light—not the sun’s heat. Using a special kind of material, solar panels are able to knock electrons off of sunlight and use them to create a current. This current is routed to an inverter that converts it from direct current to alternating current. That current can be connected to your home or to a battery bank for storage.

Solar Energy and Winter

As we mentioned about, the temperature of the air has very little to do with the amount of energy that solar panels can generate. It has to do with the availability of that sunlight. During the winter, there typically is less sunlight as the days grow shorter and because of bad weather. Depending on which area of the country you live in, it might be possible to run your home year round using only solar panels. Here in Dover, Delaware it is probably not possible to do that. However, a solar panel system can absolutely help you reduce the amount of energy that you have to purchase during the winter.

Solar panels are a great way to supplement your energy consumption during the winter. In some cases, solar panels can provide up to 60% or more of your electricity in the winter. If you have any questions about solar energy in Dover, DE, call the experts at Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. We have years of experience offering solar service in Dover, DE. We would love to talk with you about your home and the solar options that are available to you.

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Newport DE Heating Guide: Solar Heating Explained

November 12th, 2012

Can solar panels actually be used to heat your home in Newport DE?  How do they work? Due to rising energy prices, much attention has been put on the possibilities of solar energy. If you’re just starting to get interested in solar heating for your home, we’ve put together a quick explanation of how it works. If you’d like more information on the subject, just call the experts at Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. We can answer any questions that you have and help you move forward in the decision process.

How Solar Panels Works

Solar panels use a photovoltaic process to generate electricity from the sun’s radiation. Solar panels contains silicon cells. When light from the sun hits the silicone, electrons are “knocked” off. These electrons form a current that is passed through an inverter to convert it to AC (alternating current). This can then be connected to a battery bank or directly to the home.

How Solar Collectors Work

While solar panels use radiant from the sun, solar collectors actually use the heat from the sun. Solar collectors are used to heat refrigerant, water or air. The collectors are rectangular boxes that sit in direct sunlight and collect heat. In the case of a solar hot water heater, water is passed through the collector in tubes where it is heated and then returned to the hot water tank to be distributed through the home.

How to Heat Your Home with Solar Energy

Here are a couple ways to heat your home using solar panels and solar collectors.

  • Solar panels – Solar panels generate electricity which can be used to power a number of different household appliances. You can hook up your heat pump, furnace or boiler to a solar panel and power it using the light from the sun.
  • Solar Collector – A solar collector presents several options for you to heat your home. You can use the collector to heat water which can then be distributed to radiators in each room or pumped through a radiant floor system. With the case of an solar air collector, air is heated in the collector and pumped throughout the house, similar to a furnace.

These are just some of the options available to you if you’d like to take advantage of the free and limitless energy of the sun. If you have any questions about solar heating or if it might be a good choice for your home in Newport DE, contact Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning. We have years of experience working with all types and brands of solar systems. We can definitely answer your questions and work with you to get you started on solar energy.

 

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Wilmington DE Boiler Q/A: What Exactly Are High Efficiency Boilers?

November 5th, 2012

You have already read plenty about how energy costs are rising. You know plenty well that heating your home is a substantial expense, and that the cost of running a boiler in your Wilmington DE home is constantly on the rise.

But as technology has gotten better, so have boilers become more efficient at providing heat. It stands to reason that a more efficient boiler is one that costs less to run…but what does “efficient” really mean in the context of boilers? What makes a boiler “high efficiency”?

 What Is a High Efficiency Boiler?

All boilers are rated according to a standardized system of rating efficiency, called the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE). Essentially, this rating tells you how much heat energy is produced by a boiler compared to how much energy it draws. The higher a boiler’s AFUE rating, the more efficient it is.

For a boiler to be called high efficiency, it must carry an AFUE of at least 90%. For basis of comparison, older systems carry an AFUE of about 70%, while mid-efficiency systems run at about 82%.

In addition, a high efficiency system has a second heat exchanger for capturing and condensing flue gases, as well as a closed combustion system.

These three things — an AFUE of 90% or above, condensing flue gases and closed combustion – define a high efficiency boiler.

The initial investment in a high efficiency boiler can be costly, but the savings over time in heating bills make it well worth the expense.

If you would like a high efficiency boiler installed in Wilmington DE, give Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air a call today!

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Dover DE Geothermal Heating Question: How Does Geothermal Energy Work?

October 29th, 2012

Geothermal energy is energy extracted from the ground. This energy is in the ground in the first place because the ground absorbs the heat coming from the sun. This heat is always there, even when it is very cold outside. In fact, even when the ground appears to be frozen, you can actually extract plenty of heat to keep your home nice and toasty.

While this may at first appear to defy logic, the way that geothermal energy can be used for heating your home is actually quite simple. A geothermal heating system typically consists of an indoor air handler with a fan, a series of air ducts for the heated air to travel through and a closed loop of pipe that extends into the ground below and around your home.

This closed loop of pipe is actually where the geothermal heat is collected. Some type of liquid, usually water or antifreeze, will be continuously run through this pipe loop. As the liquid passes through the area of pipe that is below ground, it will absorb the heat from the surrounding soil. Once the liquid makes it back up to the air handler, the heat is able to disperse, heating the air in the chamber.

This heated air is then circulated throughout your house through the ducts by a fan. After it has released its heat into the air in your home, the liquid will cycle back into the ground to absorb more. This allows a geothermal heating system to provide you with a constant supply of warm air.

Unlike a furnace, which mixes in blasts of very hot air with periods of inactivity to try and keep your house at a constant temperature, a geothermal heat pump is able to provide a more consistent flow of air that is just the right temperature to keep your home comfortable. This means that these types of heat pumps are running just about all of the time as opposed to furnaces, but they are designed to work this way and the constant operation does not cause any excessive wear and tear.

Another great benefit of geothermal heat pumps is that they are able to keep your Dover DE house cool in the summer as well. Just as the ground is warmer than the air in the winter, it is also cooler in the summer. That means that heat removed from your indoor air can be transferred to the ground in the same way that it was transferred in during the winter.

For more information about installing a geothermal service in Dover DE, give Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning a call!

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Wilmington Heating Tip: Reasons Your Furnace Is Producing No Heat

October 22nd, 2012

The last occasion on which you want to worry about your Wilmington home’s furnace not producing any heat is the winter, when the outside is chilly you just want to seek refuge in your own toasty home…only to discover that it’s not much warmer than the outdoors.

This may seem like a total emergency, and the combination of chill and frustration may cause panic to set in. Don’t start fretting too much just yet, though. There are some potentially simple causes and solutions for this problem, such as:

  • The thermostat may be set too low or on the wrong setting. Yes, it seems obvious, but sometimes the solution is staring you right in the face. Check that your thermostat is set high enough to call for heat and that it is on HEAT mode.
  • A circuit breaker may be tripped or a fuse may be blown. It could be the one dedicated to the thermostat, glow coil igniter or furnace itself. Check the breaker or fuse box in your home and either flip the breaker or replace the fuse. If it continues to trip or blow, get it looked at professionally—there may be a bigger problem going on.
  • The thermostat may not be working, so it is either improperly detecting the temperature or improperly reporting it to the furnace, so the heat does not kick on. Either way, it probably needs to be replaced.
  • The furnace is not igniting properly. This could mean the pilot light is out on furnaces without electric ignition, the gas valve is closed and can’t ignite or some other ignition malfunction. Check the pilot and gas valves to make sure they are on and working.

If you have checked all these things and the thermostat still is not working, or if you don’t feel comfortable looking into these causes on your own, you are best served by calling a professional Wilmington furnace contractor to diagnose and fix the furnace.

Often, these big failures are just the symptom of a smaller problem, so in all likelihood you won’t have to replace the furnace or do any major repairs, especially if it has been well-maintained throughout its life.

For furnace service in Wilmington, give Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning a call!

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Basic Heating Safety Tips: A Guide from Wilmington

October 15th, 2012

While you should schedule a yearly maintenance visit with a qualified HVAC technician to check for any safety concerns, you can also reduce potential safety hazards in the heating system of your Wilmington home. Whether you have a furnace, heat pump, or boiler, you can substantially decrease the chances of dangerous situations with a few minor routine tasks.

If you have any questions about how to better maintain your heating system, give Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning a call to speak with one of our expert Wilmington HVAC technicians. Here are a few guidelines to get you started.

Ventilation in Forced-air Systems:

  • Regularly vacuum and clean out your heating vents and fan blower.
  • Check the condition of your chimney and vent pipe to make sure that none of the parts are damaged or show signs of deterioration.
  • Test the thermostat occasionally to make sure your heating system is working at optimal levels. There could be a safety concern if your heater is not properly heating your home.

Heat Exchangers:

  • The heat exchanger for furnaces should be inspected by a professional once a year in case there are hidden problems with the equipment, or if any of the components need to be replaced.

Heating Equipment Inspections and Adjustments:

  • Boilers should be drained regularly to reduce sediment buildup, in addition to testing the water level safety controls. It’s best to have a professional perform these tasks.
  • Adjust the temperature settings if you suspect that the heater isn’t working properly, and if it doesn’t work call a professional heating technician, or if you aren’t sure how to locate or adjust the controls.

In addition to performing these tasks, call Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning to inspect your heating system at least once a year.

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5 Reasons to Replace the Furnace in Your Newark DE Home

October 8th, 2012

Many Newark DE homes are heated with furnaces, since they generally provide safe and efficient heat.  Furnaces have also improved dramatically over the years as manufacturers find ways to make them more efficient. Even if your furnace has been reliable for many years, it may be worth the money to replace your old furnace with a newer, more efficient model.

Here are five major benefits to upgrading your furnace.

1. Lowering Your Utility Bills

Whether you realize it or not, your current furnace could be costing you more than it should in heating bills. If your furnace is 15-20 years old, it’s probably not heating your home as efficiently as the newer models with higher AFUE ratings. Even if your heating system has been replaced within the last ten years, the technology has advanced enough to consider an upgrade.

2. Fewer Repairs

Repair costs can add up if you are constantly repairing your furnace. Routine maintenance for your furnace can help reduce the need for repairs, but as furnaces age, they tend to need more repairs and replacement parts. If you need frequent repairs for your furnace, it may be time to replace it with a newer one.

3. More Consistent Heat

While maintaining consistent temperatures throughout your home involves several factors, such as insulation and thermostat control, your furnace could also be the reason you aren’t getting enough heat to all parts of the house. If some rooms are colder than others, or if your heating bills have recently gone up, it may be time for a furnace replacement.

4. Reduce the Chances of a Breakdown

When a furnace breaks down, it not only leaves you without heat, but it is also a major expense. Budgeting for a new furnace before it breaks down will put less financial burden on you than needing an emergency furnace replacement. Newer model furnaces are also more reliable and less likely to give you problems if maintained properly.

5. Safety

There’s higher potential for safety concerns with older or poorly maintained furnaces. In addition to fire hazards, carbon monoxide poisoning is another serious threat. When the heat exchanger stops working because it’s corroded or faulty, carbon monoxide can leak into the home. If you’ve had your furnace for more than 20 years, it could create safety hazards that you may be unaware of.

No matter how long you’ve had the furnace in your Newark DE home, it’s always wise to speak with a qualified HVAC technician about furnace upgrades, particularly if you have expensive heating costs. Call Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning today to talk with one of our heating experts about furnace upgrades.

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Wilmington DE Heating Guide: Signs of an Undersized Furnace

October 1st, 2012

If you’re purchasing a new furnace for your Wilmington DE home, you want to avoid buying one that is undersized for your particular space. To do that, here are some common signs that the furnace isn’t powerful enough for the heating needs of your home. These signs might appear for an older furnace as well, especially as it ages and loses its ability to provide adequate heat for your home.

 Maintaining Temperature

The most common (and in many cases only) sign that your furnace is undersized is that the device simply doesn’t maintain the temperature in your home properly. This means that when turned on to full and left for a few hours, your furnace doesn’t heat your home to the thermostat setting.

This can be due to an improper load calculation or a load calculation that wasn’t taken at all. The perfectly sized furnace will heat your home evenly on the coldest day your area is likely to have. So, undersizing should be pretty evident – if it doesn’t heat your home evenly and it’s not exceptionally cold outside, you might not have enough BTUs under the hood.

How to Fix the Problem

The problem is one that varies depending on the severity of the undersizing. Modern furnaces are often available with two stages, meaning they can operate at both a low BTU rating (often around 40K or so) and a higher BTU rating (70K or higher). This is the perfect solution for homeowners worried about undersizing because it ensures that your home always has enough heat in reserve should the weather get exceptionally cold.

For example, most furnaces are sized for extremely low temperatures, but if the temperature jumps up to 50 degrees F outside, your furnace is now oversized for that weather. A two stage furnace offers solutions for both common conditions and extreme conditions and will resolve most of the concern you have about undersizing and not having enough heat to offset outdoor temperatures.

For more information about heating installation in Wilmington DE, give Boulden’s One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning a call!

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