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One of the things you need to consider when you own a home in Canada is the climate and how you’ll heat the space you live in. Replacing or remodeling the heating source means you’ll have some choices to make, and looking at the benefits of converting from oil or electric to gas means you’ll need to look at a few different factors.

Keep in mind, gas is the cheaper option so converting over from electric is a good idea. The conversion will be easier if you’ve got a forced air system, although it’s still possible if you’ve been using baseboard heaters. While there’s an initial cash outlay to change the furnace over, there’s generally short payback period involved.

In a word, the conversion from oil to gas is even easier since there is almost always the proper ductwork and HVAC system in place. With the prices of oil skyrocketing, the average homeowner sees the benefits right away in making the switch and like the changeover from electric to gas, the period to recoup the costs of the conversion is extremely short.

One more point to consider. Natural gas provides a domestic supply with air quality that’s often improved over older heating techniques like oil.

Innovation is leading the way in home appliances and everyone is generally familiar with the latest advances in high profile units like modern energy rated washers and dryers and even refrigerators. However, progress has even touched the way we heat the water in our homes with the introduction of tankless water heaters. Following are a few ways the experts consider these tankless models superior to the conventional ones.

· With the tankless water heater, you heat water only when you need it and that translates into energy bill savings. That can reduce hot water heating costs by 30% by some estimates.

· There’s no recovery time with the tankless models. With a direct, endless source of hot water and no tank, you can take showers, run the washing machine and even wash dishes all at the same time.

· These units are both flexible and convenient. Tankless water heaters take up only a fraction of the room of more conventional models and they can even be hung on walls to save space.

Finally, there’s a convenience factor since the temperatures can be set digitally with the touch of a button.

Research has told us that changing furnace filters and keeping any HVAC system in good working order is essential to good home ventilation. However, experts in the field say duct cleaning in another critical aspect that needs to be looked at. That said, here are five reasons why air duct cleaning is essential for good home ventilation.

1. Clear air ducts improve indoor air quality. Mold or excessive debris can affect the quality of the air you breathe in your home and getting the ducts cleaned prevents these irritants from building up.

2. Air duct cleaning improves system performance. Clean ducts means your furnace doesn’t need to work as hard to reach desired temperatures.

3. Air duct cleaning can save you money on your energy bills. With clear passageways, your appliances don’t need to work as hard and that can make a difference to your gas and electricity bills.

4. Clear air ducts don’t attract mold. The dirt and dust that accumulates in these ducts can absorb moisture from the air and attract mold. Keeping them clean is the healthy choice.

5. Air duct cleaning gets rid of pests. Keeping up a good maintenance routine of air duct cleaning means you’ll be getting rid of the nesting materials that pests like insects and small rodents can find and use in dirty ducts.

Being proactive and getting a regular duct cleaning done means you’ll be able to head off problems before they start.

Whether you’re talking about an air conditioner that keeps your inside environment cool on a hot day or the refrigerator where you store your food all year long, it’s important to know the refrigerant in either appliance is doing the work intended. Remember that if the levels drop in an air conditioner or other appliance even 10%, there can be a 20% rise in electrical costs for the homeowner or business.

If the levels fall low enough, the compressor can fail or the evaporator coils can even freeze. These systems are not designed to use any refrigerant and because they are completely sealed, the levels of refrigerant should never drop.

In some cases the valves or access ports might need to be cleaned or replaced by a professional. Where there is copper tubing used, the repair is often about soldering the damaged part. When it comes to air conditioners that are over a certain age, the problem is often with the condensing or evaporator coil and these usually need to be replaced entirely.

While the issue could very well be with a dirty cooling coil that needs to be blown clean, adding more refrigerant to a broken system isn’t generally considered a good idea. The best bet when you notice there’s a change in performance on any of your cooling appliances is to call in the qualified professionals that can find and fix the problem properly the first time.

When you stop to consider the fact statistics tell us Canadians spend almost all of their time indoors, it becomes obvious the quality of the air in our homes is a priority. While everyone needs to be concerned with air quality whether it’s at home, at work, or even in the classroom, there are a few groups that need to be especially aware for specific health reasons.

Those with suppressed immune systems, allergies or asthma are particularly susceptible as are children and people with lung diseases. Of course, you need to be aware of the sources of indoor air contaminants and these are classified as either biological like the dander from pets, or chemical like carbon monoxide and even second hand smoke.

Being aware of the symptoms that affect your health in important. While coughing and sneezing can mean that you’ve caught a virus or cold, these two factors can also mean you’re dealing with poor indoor air quality.

Other aliments include dizziness and nausea, as well as nose, throat and even eye irritation. One quick way to determine if there is an issue is by comparing the air inside and outside of your home. If your symptoms clear up dramatically when you stay away from home for a short or longer period of time, the issue could very well be with the air quality inside your residence.

Everyone wants to stay warm in the winter, but we would all love to keep as much money in our pockets as we can. There are all kinds of ways we can make our homes more energy efficient but here are some quick tips you can implement today to save some money.

1.Get your furnace cleaned

There are cheaper things you can do on this list, but having your furnace cleaned and maintained by a professional, licensed technician will have the biggest impact on your furnace’s efficiency.

Having your furnace serviced when the cold weather starts every year can save you a ton of money on your energy bill.

Even modern high efficiency furnaces can perform well below their efficiency ratings if not cleaned and maintained annually by a licensed technician.

2.Replace your filter

Furnaces can lose performance and even stop working all together if using an old, clogged filter. Putting in a clean filter will help you and your furnace to breathe easier.

Replacing a furnace filter is a simple job and can be done by most homeowners on their own. Just make sure you get the right size filter for your furnace to ensure proper operation.

If you aren’t sure what size filter your furnace needs, ask your heating contractor. They usually have all the most common sizes in stock, and since you’re already getting that furnace cleaned, they’ll install the new filter for you for free while they’re there.

3.Turn down your thermostat

You can save about 3% on your energy bill for every degree you turn down your thermostat. Turning your thermostat down by10 degrees when you leave for work and again when you go to sleep can add up to a decent savings on your energy bill.

An even better option is to use a programmable thermostat so that you don’t even have to remember to constantly adjust your temperature. You can even set it to warm up the house a little bit before you wake up to prevent those dreadful cold mornings.

4.Catch some free solar

Opening your curtains during the day allows the heat from the sun to help warm your house. If you have a lot of sun exposure, why not take advantage. As a bonus, the more sunlight you allow in your home, the less you need to use electric lighting leading to even more energy savings.
Just remember to close the curtains once the sun goes down to keep all that heat in.

5.Watch those fans

A kitchen or bathroom fan can get rid of a house full of warm air in about an hour if left on. When you use them make sure to turn them off as soon as they’ve done their job.

6.Plug your leaks

You wouldn’t leave your door open all winter, would you? Yet the average house has close to that big of a hole in it if you put all the gaps and spaces together.

Applying weather stripping to doors and caulking window frames is an inexpensive way to improve your entire homes energy efficiency, and the negligible cost of supplies will easily be made up for by the energy savings of a single season.

7.Unplug your vents

Make sure your heating system has an unobstructed flow through your house. Rugs and furniture in front of vents can prevent hot air from circulating in your home properly.

8.Shrink your house

Have a room no one spends time in? An empty guest room maybe. Closing the vents and door to that room can quickly make your furnace’s heating load 100-200 square feet smaller.

9.Add some insulation

A properly insulated attic and exterior walls will help keep all that heat you paid to generate inside your home. This means your furnace won’t be working overtime to replace escaping heat.

10.Dress seasonally

It’s a no brainer but keeping your house so warm in winter you need to wear shorts and a tank top to stay comfortable makes about as much sense as having your AC so high that you’re wearing a parka in the summer.

We’re not saying you should have to wear jackets indoors in the winter,that’s why we have furnaces in the first place. Set the temperature to something you’re comfortable with wearing pants and a long sleeve shirt or light sweater. Remember, it’s always free to put another layer on.

What Next?

These are a few quick tips to get you saving money right away but the best thing you can do if you have a furnace over 10 years old is replace it with a modern, high efficiency model. The energy savings alone often pays for the installation, which is the most important factor in determining a furnace’s efficiency. If you’re planning to go that route(we’ve already discussed how to choose the right installer) why not give us a call to find out about our current promotions on new furnaces.

Furnace King is a heating and cooling company with over 40 years experience, always putting customers first.

Call us today for a no cost, no obligation free Home Comfort Survey at (905)564-5464
or Click Here to have a member of our friendly team contact you.

As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we are regularly asked “why is now the ideal time to switch from oil to gas for my HVAC system?” The answer is simple: savings. The explanation however is a little more difficult, as there are two elements to consider in terms of HVAC costs: the cost of fuel and your furnace’s efficiency.

Fuel Costs

The oil furnace was a popular system in years gone by thanks to the low prices of oil and the, relatively, high prices of natural gas. The tables have turned however now that natural gas prices are at an all-time affordable rate when considered in relative comparison to oil. In fact, for the last 5 years natural gas prices have been below their rates from 20 years ago. Time hasn’t been so kind to oil—making natural gas a cost-efficient fuel choice. To make a historical-price comparison use the calculators below:

1. PECO Residential Oil to Gas Heat Conversion Calculator

2. PSE&G Residential Oil to Gas Spreadsheet Calculator

But of course, fuel cost alone can’t determine whether it is a good financial choice to make the switch from oil to gas, so here is another tip from your HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville…

Your Furnace’s Efficiency

Very few oil furnaces have been installed in recent years, which means most oil furnaces are rather dated—a solid reason on its own why now is the time to switch from oil to gas. Most are close to—or more than—a decade old, BUT, HVAC has come a long way baby! The gains in energy efficiency have been massive, which means to determine your overall total cost of ownership you will need to compare the cost of each fuel along with the energy efficiency of your current oil unit and your possible natural-gas furnace upgrade.

Generally, new systems are at least 20% more efficient, so add up your bills and multiple them by 20%. You can then take that number (your potential savings) and use it to divide the cost of a new unit and installation. This will give you how long until you break even and begin with monthly savings. If the length of ‘pay me back’ time is too long you may want to consider energy-saving measures that will reduce the overall ‘heat load’ for your house, to offset the costs.

When calculating and deciding that now is the time to switch from oil to gas, be sure to include a local HVAC specialist in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville in your decision, to ensure that you have properly calculated your installation costs, energy efficiency and total cost of ownership numbers.

As HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we’ve long said that sleeping in a room with excellent air quality enhances the quality and depth of a good night’s sleep, but a recent study from Harvard confirms the link. Harvard’s School of Public Health’s recent study found that air pollution increases the risk of poor sleep patterns, and as such should be treated as a quality-of-life issue.

Poor air quality can increase the risk and severity of Sleep-Disordered Breathing disorders, including sleep apnea, and allergies due to airway and lung irritation from pollutants. The study from Harvard found that there was an increase in sleep apnea symptoms of 13%, from the increased pollutants during the summer months, an important air-quality fact given that 17% of adults have some form of SDB. The increase in allergy symptoms due to poor air quality and its airborne fungi and bacteria can also contribute to a poor night’s sleep. It is estimated that 1 out of 6 allergy sufferers do so because of the poor air quality inside of their offices and homes.

Having an HVAC specialist in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville remove air pollutants from your indoor air will allow you and your family to breathe easier and sleep deeper—and is an overall good idea since indoor air is generally 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor, but can be up to 100 times more polluted.

How to Improve the Air Quality in your Home

There are a number of contributing factors to poor indoor air quality inside your home that can be easily remedied by the following:

·Using natural, plant-based cleaners (especially in bedrooms) in place of chemical-based cleansers with harsh irritants

·Regularly changing your heating and cooling units’ air filters

·Regular HVAC maintenance

·The installation of an air purifier

·If needed, the addition of a humidifier or dehumidifier

·Ensuring that your bedroom has adequate ventilation and air circulation

If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home, call us at Furnace King, your local HVAC specialists in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville, and we can perform an air-quality assessment and make recommendations on ways you can enhance the quality of air in your home through proper air flow, air filtering and ventilation.

Like homes themselves, air conditioning systems differ greatly—with some being better for some homes than others. As specialists for AC systems in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville we know the importance of making the right AC system choice.

When it comes to choosing the best AC systems for any home there are a number of systems and factors to consider. To help you through this process we’ve put together a list of all the relevant factors to consider…

Choosing the Best AC Systems for any home—Types of AC Systems:

1. Natural Gas and Electrical
2. Electricity-Based
3. Ductless
4. Split-Air
5. Window-Mounted

Choosing the Best AC Systems for any home—Relevant Factors to Consider:

·Energy Efficiency
AC manufacturers are required by law to post the energy-efficiency rating of devices on each unit, which means buying an energy-efficient model has never been easier. Compare the cost of a device with higher energy efficiency with that of less-efficient units (which are often cheaper) and use it to determine which will give you a lower total cost of ownership.

·Strength/Power
When it comes to making a wise decision about choosing the best AC systems for any home you need to buy one with the strength and power necessary to cool your entire home (or the entire room it is installed in if it is a ductless or window unit). Buying an AC that is sufficient to cool your own home will mean you won’t be hot-and-sticky and the unit won’t be overexerting itself, which will lead to excessive wear and tear of your unit. While you want to choose one that can sufficiently chill your home you don’t want to purchase too big of a unit as it will likely end up using too much energy and driving up your energy bills.

·Affordability
When deciding on the system you can afford be sure to calculate not only the unit purchase price but also related costs, including: installation, maintenance and power-consumption costs. For example, a ductless system may be a little more expensive to purchase than duct-using ones, but it will save you money if you would need extensive duct work done.

·Warranty
Purchasing a unit with a lengthy and all-encompassing warranty can save you money—and headaches—over the long term.

While shopping around for systems, and choosing the best AC system for any home, be sure to consult with a qualified specialist in AC systems in Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville about the best system for your home, which systems are the most reliable (after all, they know better than anyone!) and additional installation and maintenance costs.)