Design Comfort Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

How AFUE Ratings Affect Your New Heater

Monday, March 17th, 2014

If you’ve looked at the cabinet of a furnace or a boiler, you may have noticed something called the “AFUE rating.” This is one of the most important stats to know about the new heating system you decide to install, because it will have an effect on your heating bills for many years to come… as many years as you the heating system lasts. We’ll explain what AFUE means and how it affects your new heating system.

Make sure that you don’t purchase a new heater without help from professionals. Design Comfort installs many types of systems and provides heating repair service in Salt Lake City that will keep any heater humming away.

AFUE rating and what it means for you and your heater

AFUE is a way of rating the efficiency of heating systems like furnaces and boilers. (Heat pumps have a separate dual rating, SEER/HSPF.) The initials stand for “annual fuel utilization efficiency,” and is expressed as a percentage. The percentage represents how much of the heater’s fuel supply it changes into heat. For example, a gas furnace with 78% AFUE produces 78 BTUs of heat for every 100 units of gas available. This means it produces a waste of 22 units of fuel, which goes unburned. The higher the percentage, the more completely the heater consumes fuel and turns it into heat power.

For a gas furnace to earn the EPA’s ENERGY STAR label for efficiency in Utah, it must have 95% AFUE or greater. All furnaces produced in the U.S. must have at least 78% AFUE. For boilers to receive the ENERGY STAR label, they must have 85% AFUE or higher.

A furnace’s AFUE rating isn’t a guarantee of heating effectiveness. You may not get the level of comfort you desire from a high-AFUE furnace or boiler, especially if it was installed poorly or sized incorrectly for your home. However, a high AFUE rating does mean lower energy bills. For example, if you changed from an old 70% AFUE furnace to a new model of 90% AFUE, for every 1000 BTUs you burned, you would save $136. The savings with higher efficiency furnaces and boilers can be substantial.

However, higher AFUE models are usually more expensive. When it comes to picking a new furnace or boiler, you’ll have to weigh upfront costs against long-term budget plans. In most cases, you can expect larger savings from a higher AFUE model. But you should consult with an installation professional to help you make the best choice possible.

Design Comfort has a staff with NATE-certified technicians with many years of experience installing heaters and providing heating repair in Salt Lake City, UT. They can assist you with picking a heater with the AFUE rating that will work for you and keep you warm for many years.

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Benefits of Zone Control Heating

Monday, February 17th, 2014

When you are installing one of the many different kinds of heating systems in your Salt Lake City, UT home, you’ll have the option to put in a zone control system as well. These systems use dampers inside ductwork and a series of connected thermostats to control where the heat from the HVAC system flows. Instead of heating your entire house at once, you can choose to heat only particular “zones.” However, you don’t need to have zone control put in during installation. Skilled technicians can retro-fit your ductwork for this technology; it’s available to anyone who wants to enjoy the advantages.

Here are some of the major benefits you’ll get from a zone control system. Call Design Comfort today to talk to one of our Salt Lake City Heating Systems specialists to learn more about zone control and how we can put it to work for you.

What’s great about zone control heating

  • Energy savings: The most noticeable benefit of installing a zone control system will appear on your monthly heating bill. Unlike standard centralized heating, where you must heat the whole house whenever you need any heat at all, zone control permits you to only heat the rooms that require it. Guest rooms or unused storage areas no longer need to be heated. This will result in major savings.
  • Adjust the heat for everyone in your home: How often have you heard someone complain, “This house is too hot,” or “This house is too cold”—sometimes different people at the same time? Everyone has individual temperature needs, and zone control allows you to tailor the house’s temperature to fit them. The local thermostats give them temperature control wherever they are, so they can have the comfort they need without interfering with the rest of the house.
  • More evenly spread warmth: In a standard whole-house heater, the heat spreads out to all the rooms upstairs and downstairs at once, and the rising heat often leaves areas cold. Zone heating lets you vary where heat is going so that it spreads throughout the home in a controlled way, so new heat fills in places that will lose it as it moves upstairs.

How you can start with zone control heating

Adding a zone control system to your existing heater takes a significant amount of work: not only do dampers need to be placed inside the ducts, but a new network of thermostats must be installed that will link together as one system. However, if you call heating experts, the installation should go smoothly, and soon you’ll enjoy all the above benefits and more.

Get in touch with Design Comfort and highly trained teamed today. We can install many types of heating systems in Salt Lake City, UT, and we make your satisfaction our #1 priority.

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Stages of Installing a New Heating System

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Having a new whole-house heater installed isn’t like putting in a window air conditioning unit or plugging in a space heater. There are many steps involved in the correct installation of a heater; we’ll go over the basic ones in this post. Each type of heating system will have its own particular steps, and some will take more time than others. If you’ve hired the right installers for the job, you should experience no troubles with your installation.

Design Comfort installs a variety of heating systems, from boilers to radiant floor heaters. We have the experience necessary to make your heating installation in Holladay, UT go as smoothly as possible.

Basic heating installation steps

  • Selecting the new system: There are many choices for heating systems available today, all with different pros and cons. However, some systems will make better fits for your home than others, so when it comes to picking out a new heater, you’ll need the advice of professionals. This is why you should have installers involved from the beginning. They can look over your home, analyze how much heat it needs, and lay out your best options. From there, you will need to look at your long term budget plans to help you make the choice that will give you the ideal performance.
  • Sizing the system: Next, the heater must be sized to find a unit with the right amount of heating power. A system cannot be too large or too small for the space it is supposed to heat; either will cause it to drain energy and end up giving the wrong level of heating. The installers will do a heat load calculation to take into account many factors about your house and then use that information to determine the right-sized heater to do the job.
  • Removing the older heating system: When the day comes to install the new heater, the first and usually most time-consuming step is to remove your current heating system.
  • Place the new system: The installers will put the new system in place where it can access the various ductwork, pipes, power supply, etc. that it needs. Usually, the system will be bolted to the floor.
  • Make the necessary connections: The installers will now make the connections between the new heater and its distributions system (ducts, pipes) and then its power supply (electricity, gas lines).
  • Test the system: The installers won’t leave your home until they are certain your new heater operates correctly and poses no safety hazards.

Make sure you hire professionals

As these steps should make clear, heating installation is a large task that you can’t do on your own, nor should you entrust it to amateurs. For your heating installation in Holladay, UT, rely on Design Comfort. We’ve delivered quality heating since 1982.

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Replacing Your Furnace with a Different System

Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

Has your old reliable gas furnace at last come to the end of the line? It had to happen at some point; no matter how well you maintain a furnace, eventually the years will wear down its components to the point that it must be replaced.

But maybe you’re interested in a change. Instead of installing a new furnace, why not consider one of the other options for your Holladay, UT heating? Here are a few systems that can provide you with excellent warmth this winter. Call Design Comfort today to find out more about your replacement alternatives.

Some options to consider for replacement:

  • Heat pumps: We put this system first because it also uses ductwork to distribute heat, so it is usually a simple job for installers to connect one in place of a furnace. Heat pumps are versatile systems that function as both heaters and air conditioners, which is perfect for the temperature differences in Utah. Because of heat pumps’ more efficient use of energy (they don’t create heat, they only move it), switching to one from a furnace can mean up to 30% savings off your heating bills.
  • Boiler: If you want to switch over from forced-air heating and ductwork to the cleaner power of hydronic heating, a boiler is an excellent choice. Boilers can work from the same natural gas line used for your gas furnace, making them ideal if you still want to benefit from the lower cost of gas. Boilers perform at high efficiency and need few repairs, so they can outlast most other systems.
  • Radiant floor heating: This is also a hydronic system, but instead of using baseboard heaters (or radiators) to send out heat into a room, they use pipes built into the floor to warm up the floorboards themselves. Radiant heating is quiet and creates cozy and even heating. However, they require more construction work to install than other systems because they must be fit into your floors.
  • Ductless mini split heat pumps: This is another option for heat pumps, but they bypass the use of ductwork and instead send heated (or cooled) air directly into rooms through individual wall-mounted blower units. Ductless systems can save you money off heating because you can control the heat in different rooms through the blowers, eliminating the need to heat rooms that aren’t being used.

Whatever system you decide to have installed, make sure that you hire trained professionals to do the work. Our team at Design Comfort  can perform a heat load calculation to help you find the right sized system, and then we’ll install it so you’ll get the full benefit of your new heating in Holladay, UT.

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What to Expect with Radiant Heating Installation

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

Imagine walking into your home in the early evening after work, on a cold day when the snow on the ground has started to crust over and the chill is seeking any path through the gaps of your parka or woolen mittens to gnaw at your skin. You get through your front door, shut it, and as you pull off the outer layers of clothing you feel a swell of warmth, like the summer sun off a lake, comes from beneath you, starting with tickling through the soles of your shoes and then rising up all around you, leaving no single spot of icy cold anywhere in the air.

This is radiant floor heating. And if you’ve never felt it, it is amazing.

If you want to have this experience in your home, call Design Comfort today. We provide heating system installation in Salt Lake City, UT that includes up-to-date radiant floor heating.

Here’s some of what you can expect from installation.

  • It is labor and time-intensive: If you are having radiant heating installed as part of new construction, you won’t need to think about it much. But if you are retro-fitting a home for this type of heating, it will involve extensive work removing flooring in order to install the heating pipes. Make sure you plan ahead with your installers about when installation will take place.
  • It requires trained technicians: Hand-in-hand with the intensive work involved in installing radiant heating is the skill necessary. Radiant heating installation goes beyond hooking up connections to a unit once it is in place. It involves construction work that must be done with skill and attention to avoid causing damage to your home. This is not “do-it-yourself” work—believe us, you really don’t want to try this on your own.
  • It’s actually not much different from boiler installation: …outside of installing the floor pipes, at least. Radiant floor heating is a hydronic system that uses a hot water tank and water circulation systems that are very close to what you find in a boiler. The installation process is much the same, with tank placement, attachment to the gas line, and linking the pipes. It still requires a trained technician, but it is a relatively simple part of the process.

Are you ready for radiant floor heating installation?

If you are planning a new house, we think you should move radiant floor heating to the top of your list for home comfort options. If you want to retro-fit your current house for radiant heating, consult with experts about how they can do it, and if it is a wise choice.

Contact the heating team at Design Comfort to have all your questions about heating system installation in Salt Lake City, UT answered.

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Benefits of a Humidifier to Your Home

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014

Living in Salt Lake City means dealing with very dry temperatures, especially during the summer. Although humid climates are often very uncomfortable, dry climates bring their own problems as well that range from health issues to furniture damage. Because of the city’s dry climate, we advise many people to install a humidifier in their home to alleviate some of the issues that low humidity can cause.

Design Comfort installs whole-house humidifiers that incorporate into current HVAC systems so that they work with a home’s cooling and heating throughout the year. Look to us whenever you need heating repair service in Salt Lake City, UT or other solutions to your comfort problems.

Reasons a humidifier will help you

  • Improved health: Dry air can create a number of health troubles, such as itchy eyes and frequent nose bleeds. It is especially damaging to skin. In addition to alleviating these problems, a humidifier is also beneficial to your lungs and nasal passages, which will help you heal from common illnesses. For people in your home with asthma and allergies, humidifiers will offer them immense relief. Humidifiers have also been shown to help stop snoring and allow people to sleep better.
  • Less damage to furnishings: At low humidity levels, wallpaper will begin to peel, wooden surfaces on furniture start to crack, and paint chip off all kinds of surfaces. Increasing the humidity is good for your home’s décor in general.
  • Save money with heating: Balanced humidity in your home will make it easier for you to get comfortable with your HVAC system during the winter. You know that you feel hotter with high humidity. It works the opposite way as well: you feel colder in low humidity. A dehumidifier will make your house feel warmer in cold weather, and that means you’ll spend less money running your heater.
  • Reduced static electricity: If static electricity is a constant problem for you—from shocks on doorknobs to rumbled clothes to frizzy hair—a humidifier will reduce the problem.

Schedule professional humidifier installation

Although you can buy small humidifiers for individuals rooms, to get the most balanced indoor humidity requires installing a whole-house unit. This job is technical and requires a professional. Contact Design Comfort for help with getting a whole-house humidifier today. We also repair and replace old, rundown humidifiers. Call us when you need heating repair in Salt Lake City, UT to make this winter more comfortable.

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How Do Zone Control Systems Work?

Friday, January 10th, 2014

If you’ve ever wished you could shut off the air from parts of your house that you don’t use, or if different members of your household are always at odds about how hot or cold the house is, then you should consider having a zone control system installed. “System zoning” offers you a more precise control over how heating and cooling gets sent around your house. It allows for more even temperature distribution and individual fine-tuning for the needs of different people. And it can save you money on your energy bills.

Design Comfort can install a zone control system in your home. If you’re interested in superior heating services in Salt Lake City, UT, contact us today to talk over your options.

How zone control systems work

Zone control systems divide a home into separate zones, which are usually individual rooms, although areas that receive less use might be lumped into a single zone. The installers place dampers in the ductwork that can cut off the flow of conditioned air to particular zones, acting much like valves. These dampers are controlled electronically, and they are hooked up to thermostats. Most systems will have separate thermostats for each zone, but every unit is wired into a central control panel that can operate all of them.

Whenever a zone’s thermostat senses that its region has reached its target temperature, it closes off the damper that accesses the zone. Individuals in separate zones can also manipulate their region’s temperature using the local thermostat.

A simpler use of zone control that people can have installed to help create more even heating in two-story houses is to install one zone downstairs and one upstairs. As one zone reaches the target temperature, the damper closes and sends more air to the other zone, which creates a balance that won’t produce cold or hot spots.

On top of the improved temperature control, zone systems can also save money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, having zone control installed can save homeowners up to 30% on monthly bills, whether heating or cooling. You no longer have to send conditioned air to guest rooms when they aren’t in use, or heat up a large dining rooms on days when no one eats there.

Call for installation today

After reading this, you will probably know if you have the kind of household that will benefit from zone control or not. For more information, contact Design Comfort. We will look into your home’s requirements for heating and cooling in Salt Lake City, UT and determine how best to set up a zone control system that will keep you and each member of your household happy.

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Take It from a Pro: How Does My Electricity Create Heat?

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

When people first think of “heating,” they imagine fire. They think of fireplaces, wood burning in stoves, and gas jets warming air in a furnace or water in a boiler. However, electricity is one of the major fuel sources for indoor heating, powering many boilers and furnaces. You might have wondered exactly how the electrical power in your home translates into heat. We’ll give you a short rundown.

If you need help with an electrical heater so you get quality holiday heating, contact Design Comfort. Our NATE-certified Holladay heating technicians are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to make sure you have a comfortable holiday season.

Electricity into heat

The key aspect of how electricity provides heat is resistance. As electricity passes through conductive material, like a copper wire, resistance causes the flow of electrons to pack together closer, and produce heat. If you’ve ever touched an incandescent light bulb, you’ll know about the heat given off from electricity going through a single electrical filament.

Let’s turn to the electric furnace and examine how it operates. The interior of the cabinet of an electrical furnace contains an array of heating elements that consist of coils made from conductive material. An electrical ignition runs current through these coils, enough to make them begin to glow red hot and give off heat. This heat transfers to the air in the cabinet, and this hot air is what goes through the vents of the system. Where gas-powered furnaces need to first transfer the combustion gases’ heat to the walls of a heat exchanger before raising the air temperature, electrical furnaces can transfer their heat more directly.

Electric boilers take a similar approach to how they transfer heat, this time raising the temperature of water. Electric heating elements are located inside the boiler tank itself—usually one near the top of the tank and one near the bottom—and turn hot as current runs through them. This directly raises the water temperature, the same way that an electric stove top boils water.

Electric heater safety

One of the advantages that electric heaters have over natural gas-powered heaters is that they are relatively safer, offering no risks from carbon monoxide leaks. But this doesn’t mean you should try to fix a broken electric furnace or boiler on your own; this kind of tampering can lead to high voltage shocks. Instead, call on HVAC repair experts. Design Comfort is prepared to handle any troubles you may have this holiday with heating your home safely and effectively. We will do everything we can to deliver you 100% customer satisfaction.

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3 Ways You Can Upgrade Your Heater Now

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

The first cold days of winter are only a few weeks away… is your home heating system ready? Even if you think it’s prepared to handle the cold, there are ways you can get even more efficient and effective warmth with an upgrade to your home’s heating system.

Here are some options available that can give you better heating right now. Design Comfort provides all these services, and many more, for when you want improved heating in Salt Lake City, UT.

Install a programmable thermostat

If you still have an old digital thermostat, or even a manual model with sliders and dials, you are missing out on energy savings and comfort. A digital system gives you more accurate control over the temperature, with a reduced margin of error. A programmable system provides you even more control: you don’t have to be home to shut the system on and off. You can program your thermostat to turn your heater on half an hour before you get home, so you will always arrive to a warm house without having to keep the heat on all day. You can program the heater to shut off when you’re asleep and turn on before you wake up. You will notice significant savings on your energy bills with an upgraded thermostat.

Zone control systems

With zone control, you no longer have to heat up the whole house every time you turn on the heater: you only need to heat the rooms that you are using. You can also tailor the heat in the house to suit individuals, or change the temperature levels in different rooms to fit the activity there (for example, keeping the kitchen cool and the dining room warm). Hire professionals to see if they can integrate a zone control system with your current heater.

A tune-up for the winter

One of the best ways to upgrade your heater is to get it back to top-line condition with an inspection and tune-up visit from an HVAC technician. You should have maintenance done every year to keep your heater in prime working condition and to catch any possible troubles before they turn into serious repairs. However, it’s never too late to start if you’ve put it off—get started with annual maintenance now, before the serious cold arrives.

Design Comfort is available to answer all your questions about heating in Salt Lake City, UT this winter. We install thermostats, zone control systems, and many different types of heating systems. We’ve been in business since 1982 and have the experience to deliver you the home comfort satisfaction you need.

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Hot Air or Radiant Heat: How to Make the Right Decision for Your Home

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

Heating options in Salt Lake City aren’t limited to the traditional gas furnaces or boilers than many people are used to. True, a lot of homes still use forced-air systems to stay warm in the winter, but you’re just as apt to see other homes using heat pumps, geothermal systems and radiant heating systems instead of those older systems. Radiant heating, in particular, makes an attractive choice for a number of reasons. But which one is right for you: hot air or radiant heat? Here’s how to make the right decision for your home.

Radiant heating means running tubes or coils underneath the floor of your home. The heat comes up through the floors, warming the furnishings and people in the room in question. Contrast this with hot air: generated in the furnace and blown through your home via a system of ducts. Strictly speaking, the radiant system is more effective. It generates no breeze, it doesn’t create drafts or warm spots, and because there are fewer moving parts, it runs less risk of breakdown that a forced-air system. It’s also much more efficient, which translates to significant savings on your monthly heating bill.

On the other hand, the start-up cost tends to be much higher than a traditional gas furnace. It also involves considerably more disruption, since your floors will need to be altered in order for the system to work. Some homes simply cannot support a radiant heating system, and homes which already have an existing duct system may not consider such a radical change worthwhile. Those less efficient, forced-air systems still do a good job of heating many homes, and the installation fees may not be worth the slow, gradual long-term savings.

Educating yourself about the specifics is a good way to make the right decision for your home, and the experts at Design Comfort can help. We’ll explain the details of each system, and stand ready for installation whether it be hot air or radiant heat. We understand all the heating options in Salt Lake City, so don’t hesitate to give us a call today!

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