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Keep the Right Air In When Heating and Cooling

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Keep the Right Air In When Heating and Cooling

windowsSpeaking today about efficiency in heating and cooling your space, whether it be your home environment or your commercial building, there are plenty of things you can do to maximize efficiency and do so in the way of cutting what you use and therefore spend.  Sometimes it is as simple as using alternative forms to gain the temperature you desire, according to our most recent research on behalf of your Industrial Cooling Service near St Charles MO.

“Put a space heater in the place where your family gathers, like the living room, and turn down the furnace temperature. The rest of the house will be cooler but you’ll be warm, and you can save 3 percent on your heating costs for every degree below 70 F that you turn down the furnace, according to utility company Pepco. You’ll see those savings all winter long.”

You will, obviously be buying a heater to handle the space and that isn’t free.  “Of course, you have to buy the heater and use electricity, which cuts into the overall savings. Portable heaters start at about $30, and an electric heater that uses 1500 watts will cost you 14 cents per hour, based on a rate of 8.14 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to Nebraska Public Power District.”  There will be a shift that happens in your favor, however, when you incorporate this mechanism for heating and cooling in St Louis near St Charles. “Still, the savings from reducing the furnace temperature should offset the cost of using the space heater and then some.”  So, using a portable heater is but one way to reduce heating costs, also covering windows and patio doors with plastic sheeting/film is one other way to achieve the best efficiency in heating and cooling your space.  Read more about that in the posts to follow.

Cooling

Stop the Heat Leak

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Stop the Heat Leak

stopWe discussed weatherstripping in our last post here on behalf of your heating and cooling service in St Louis near Fenton and the ways in which you can minimize excess cost and heat your space most efficiently by making sure you have this in place and that you swap it out for new stripping every few years.  There are other things that pertain to the efficiency of heating and cooling your home.

You can and should adjust your door thresholds, according to the research we did recently on behalf of your St Louis Heating and Cooling service near Fenton MO.  “If you can see daylight under your front door, then you’re losing the indoor air you’ve paid to heat. ‘If the door is not in contact with the threshold, the air is going right under the door,’ Rogers said.”  There are adjustable thresholds that can do the trick, with screws that allow for you to change the height of the actual threshold, thereby eliminating or reducing gaps that are allowing for air to escape.  “A little light in the corners is okay, but don’t raise the threshold so high that it interferes with opening and closing the door. And the door shouldn’t drag on the threshold or it’ll wear out the weatherstripping.”

Electrical boxes in your exterior walls are also known for being drafty because insulation isn’t always placed behind and around them in the correct fashion. “You want to try to stop air from flowing around the box and through the box,” Rogers says.  Removing the cover plates and filling the small gaps around the boxes with acrylic latex caulk, will typically do the trick according to the information gathered on behalf of your Heating Sales in St Louis MO.

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Heating and Cooling Factors to Weigh

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Heating and Cooling Factors to Weigh

pros and consWe are discussing the most efficient ways to heat and cool in your home or commercial space.  There are definite things you can do to actively increase the efficiency by which you maintain the temperature of your internal environment. Many times it is things you will want to avoid and or fix.  For example, on behalf of your St Louis Cooling Sales and Service near Ballwin, we did research and found that there are actually holes in exterior walls sometimes.  These need to be plugged up in order to help minimize the loss of heated or cooled air that is meant to stay indoors.

“Pipes, gas lines, and electrical cables that enter your house often have gaps around them that have been haphazardly filled with some kind of caulk. But that caulk eventually cracks, peels, and falls off. These gaps let in outside air, plus they are ideal entry points for mice and insects.”  So, we don’t mean gaping obvious holes, according to your St Louis Cooling Repair near Ballwin MO, these “holes” are not quite so obvious, but the sealing of them can make an immense difference.

There is more, about which we are guessing you are unaware, at least we were in the dark about this at your St Louis Cooling Sales near Ballwin, “Seal the gaps with expanding foam. For water pipes under the sink, unscrew and pull back the escutcheon ring, then caulk around the pipe. ‘The ring is just decorative,’ Rogers says. ‘It’s not going to block airflow.’” You can also benefit from an efficiency in heating and cooling standpoint if you decide to buy and use a portable heater.  Put the heater in a place where your family gathers together and (when heating, as opposed to cooling, of course), use this opportunity to allow for less heating of the entire space and more comfort to come from the portable heater that is being driven so easily with such little energy.

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Active Forms of Heating and Cooling

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Active Forms of Heating and Cooling

geothermalWe have spent some time lately talking about heating and cooling and more importantly, the reasons it is imperative to consider and the ways in which one can accomplish the task.  On behalf of your St Louis Refrigeration near Sunset Hills, we covered pretty extensively the passive end of things in our previous post.  Moving onto active ways of heating and cooling on behalf of our St Louis Refrigeration near Sunset Hills, we begin next to discuss things like solar power, geothermal power and other sources of mechanical heating and cooling that also accomplish all things in the name of green.

“The uptick in green-energy use in recent years is slowly having an impact. For one thing, Americans saved more than $19 billion in 2008 by using various green heating and cooling systems [source: U.S. Department of Energy]. But these green systems are not cheap — some solar collectors cost between $30 and $80 per square foot for installation. The government, however, has incentive programs to help builders and homeowners defray some of the cost.”

There exists one great tidbit on a very real example in our nation when it comes to heating and cooling in the green ways available.  “Santa Clara University is not alone in installing green heating and cooling systems.”  Santa Clara made a huge effort recently in solar panels.  On your St Louis Refrigeration site you can find the post written about this a couple weeks ago.  But, they are not the only ones in on the efforts, according to our research.  “Other universities, businesses and homeowners are taking advantages of this green technology. Compared to standard heating and cooling systems, going green is better for the environment because it helps eliminate greenhouse gasses.”  Anytime there is a push for efficiency that helps the environment, there is typically a savings for people involved.  The up front cost aside, it will be less money in the long run.

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Efficient Heating of Your Space

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Efficient Heating of Your Space

efficientSt Louis Heating and Cooling Service near Wentzville works to deliver all of the latest helpful information to apply to the seasons and the heating and cooling of your commercial or home environment.  Today, we bring you efficiency tips for heating your space.  The information was gathered in our recent research done on behalf of your St Louis Heating and Cooling company near Wentzville MO.

“Winter is coming, but it doesn’t have to bring outsized heating bills with it. Take a tour of your home and check out these problem areas; fixing them up could dramatically reduce how much you need to spend to keep the place warm and toasty. Worn and torn weatherstripping around doors and windows creates drafts and lets in cold air.”  It is true, according to our research done on behalf of your Heating Service near Wentzville MO, that 7 to 12 percent of a home’s heat loss occurs around windows and doors, according to Black Hills Energy, and these leaks often prompt homeowners to turn up their furnace to keep comfy as a result, costing us much more money than would be necessary otherwise.  Then, those who choose not to turn it up and deal in cooler conditions are still at a disadvantage since their furnace is made to work harder as a result of heated air being lost.

“Weatherstripping around doors, and caulking around doors and windows, can cut down on drafts,” says Jeff Rogers, president of the Energy Audit Institute, an energy audit training and certification company in Springfield, N.J. You will likely need to replace the weatherstripping at some point as well.  According to our research on part of your St Louis Heating Installation and Repair near Wentzville, we found that experts say every few years due to wear and tear.  Stay tuned for more information on how to most efficiently heat and cool your space.

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The Heat Pump Considering Factors

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The Heat Pump Considering Factors

HVAC installationWhen shopping for a heat pump to add to your HVAC system, it is important to know that there are many things to consider ahead of time.  The climate in which you live is just one point to consider which will have an impact on whether a heat pump is right for you, according to the research we recently completed on behalf of your St Louis HVAC repair near Creve Coeur MO.  Also important is the efficiency rating and the system by which it is rated.  For example, a geothermal heat pump’s cooling efficiency is rated by EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) and its heating efficiency by COP (Coefficient of Performance). “Based on type, the federal EER minimums are 17.1 to 21.1 and the COP minimums are 3.1 to 4.1.”  Knowing these details will assist you in meeting your St Louis HVAC needs.

Also, important to be aware of is that typically, the higher the rating, the higher the system’s cost. It is possible to spend several thousand dollars more for a more efficient heat pump. “But, depending on where you live, you could save $115 a year or more on your utility bill by replacing your older heating and cooling system with an Energy Star-rated product.”  These are all pertinent findings by our research on behalf of your St Louis HVAC installation company near Creve Coeur MO.

Size is another important factor. If a heat pump is not the correct size then it will not likely heat or cool effectively and will increase your energy bills and expenses too. In addition to this, whatever area you are heating or cooling with your St Louis HVAC system will likely not feel comfortable.  “A unit that’s too big will cost more upfront, and will cycle on and off too many times, shortening its life.”  And a unit that isn’t big enough will obviously struggle to keep up with the house or office needs.

HVAC

A Few Commercial Oven Pointers

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A Few Commercial Oven Pointers

HVACIn the commercial restaurant equipment category of discussion, it becomes important to discuss the ins and outs of you options before you buy one and find out that you didn’t think ahead.  When it comes to the style of your range in the St Louis Restaurant Equipment sales near Overland MO, you can pick from a few different designs and styles of ranges.  Consumer Reports covers them at length.  We will brush up on the differences here.  You can go with a slide in or drop in range for your St Louis Commercial Restaurant Equipment near Overland MO.  There are many things to keep in mind when shopping for your commercial Restaurant equipment though.  Such as the following point made by consumer reports, “We note features on the model page for each range. Here’s something to keep in mind when shopping. On some pro-styles the oven may be relatively low to the floor, making it a bit inconvenient to use the low-rack position.”

Some pro-style ranges, which are another pretty common choice for restaurants, have smaller ovens than you may imagine.  Despite their extra width and space for additional burners, some are so well insulated on the inside that the usable oven capacity is small compared to what you may expect.  “Given their commanding look and width, typically 36 inches or wider, it’s surprising that some pro-style ranges have small ovens, but that’s what we found when we measured their usable space. The $7,200 Viking VGSC536-4G is one of the 36-inch ranges tested that has a small oven, and among 30-inch ranges, the KitchenAid KDRS407VSS, $4,000, Thermador PRG304GH, $4,500, and Wolf GR304, $4,900 have small ovens, to name a few.”

Last point to make regarding your commercial grade oven and range in the pro-style category is that despite what you may expect, many of these St Louis Restaurant Equipment near Overland are without self-cleaning ovens.  This is a shock for many people who definitely want that convenience.  If this includes you, then make sure you ask and don’t assume anything.

Restaurant Equipment,

Passive Green Cooling

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Passive Green Cooling

light roofWe recently passed along the installation of solar panels in an effort to achieve more green cooling systems in St Louis Cooling Repair near Hazelwood.  “Santa Clara University is not alone in installing green heating and cooling systems. Other universities, businesses and homeowners are taking advantages of this green technology.”  We pretty much all know that going green is imperative for the environment.  Even climate change deniers get that point.  “Compared to standard heating and cooling systems, going green is better for the environment because it helps eliminate greenhouse gasses.”

For the individual in St Louis Cooling Sales near Hazelwood, we want you to know that the environment isn’t the only thing that stands something to gain.   “In addition, the efficiency of these green systems allows people to save money on their energy bills, which has the potential to make a huge difference.” According to the U.S. Department of Energy, costs that are associated with heating and cooling your home make up at least 56 percent of a home’s energy use.

Green heating and cooling systems fall under two distinct categories: there is passive and then there is active. Passive systems maximize nature’s ability to heat and cool without furnaces or air conditioners or any man made interference or sources.  According to our most recent research on behalf of your St Louis Cooling Installation near Hazelwood, it can be achieved in the construction of the home itself.  “Among other things, passive technology includes constructing homes with white or light-colored roofs that reflect the sun’s energy instead of absorbing it. As a result, the amount of energy it takes to cool a house is less.”  Another passive cooling design might be the windows used.  It they keep heat out and cool air in, then they would count as passive cooling.  Read more next time on active cooling in the green ways we found in our research.

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Heating and Carbon Dioxide Reduction

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Heating and Carbon Dioxide Reduction

co2When it comes to heating and cooling in St Louis near Bridgeton, we are working in an ongoing fashion to deliver you the latest information in technology and heating and cooling movements.  Today, we discuss and deliver information regarding the latest in green technology, both to show our appreciation for the energy efficiency, life sustaining movements from the earth’s perspective, and also in the name of keeping you all informed of the latest and greatest technology in the St Louis Heating and Cooling industry.

“Santa Clara University is not only a pantheon of learning in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, but it’s also a temple of green technology. In April 2011, the university installed 60 rooftop solar collectors to heat and cool its student center. Engineers designed the large-scale array to run the building’s hot water and air conditioning units.”  The heating and cooling method is very efficient and one way that they began down the green HVAC road.  “The system is very efficient. The solar collectors grab the sun’s rays and concentrate their captured energy, heating the building’s water to 200 degrees. University officials expect the system to reduce the building’s natural gas consumption by 70 percent each year and eliminate 34 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.”

The latter is an interesting bit of information found and reported on behalf of your Heating St Louis Installation and Sales and is worth pointing out as something many don’t see in the solar benefits model.  Solar energy is definitely harnessed for little or no expense after the initial startup, but do people understand the benefits such as drastic reduction in CO2?  Its time we start to see things for what they actually are in the world of efficient energy.

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Nitrogen and Refrigeration

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Nitrogen and Refrigeration

liquid nitrogenI am a pretty big science junkie.  For this reason, when writing for the businesses who pay me to do so, I always migrate towards late breaking news and information in this field.  Refrigeration is a subject that really comes to light in the world of technology and science.  There almost always seems to be something new and exciting worth talking about.  Today, on behalf of your St Louis Refrigeration sales near Overland MO, we look at cryogenic, more specifically, how cryogenics relates to the future of refrigeration.

“The Sustainable Innovation in Refrigeration, AC and Heat (SIRACH) network will next month host a special event looking at potential applications for the innovative use of Cryogenic Cooling. These applications will include a broad number of functions such as the potential use of cryogenics for functions such as refrigerated retail delivery.”  This is specifically talking about refrigeration with the use of nitrogen liquid, according to the reading we have been doing on behalf of your St Louis Refrigeration Service near Overland.

“The event, which is taking place at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) on October 12, will bring together expertise from across academia, the private sector and space exploration to understand possible industry implications for innovative cooling.”  The day will include many different things that discuss and verify the validity of Nitrogen driven cryogenics in the refrigeration world, including case studies like the one from Sainsbury concerning the usage of refrigeration delivery trucks being cooled presently with liquid nitrogen. There are also expected to be presentations covering larger scale energy storage using cryogenics.  The possibilities are endless and the science is intriguing.  For more information, talk to your St Louis Refrigeration Company near Overland MO today.

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