I had been living with an oil furnace for years. My house came with an oil furnace and I just started getting in on it. I found a Sioux Falls heating dealership that did oil furnace maintenance. I also found oil deliveries. I then just did the normal maintenance to keep it afloat. For years I handled that oil heater. One day it occurred to me, I hate my system. I hated doing oil deliveries and worrying about running out during a storm. I hated that large on site oil tank that was ugly and took up so much room. I hated how the furnace looked, operated, and existed. I then decided to look at my options. What could I do about it? Thankfully my South Dakota heating dealership does oil to gas conversions. If you have an oil furnace and want to change to a gas furnace, they are on it. It is a different set up all together. No more on site oil tanks. Instead you need hookups and a flue system installed. You need to remove pieces and put new ones in. It was quite an involved project. It was time consuming, a bit expensive, and I worried it wouldn’t do the job as good as the old one. Well I was wrong. I now have a well working gas furnace instead. It operates smoothly, near silently, and is way easier to handle. Gas is a much nier resource than oil. I love that the gas isn’t as large and dependent on deliveries. It is a more common heating system too. So if I ever have a heater repair and more normal business can’t do it, basically any heating dealer in Sioux Falls could handle it.
Not used to the Minnesota cold anymore
I don’t know how Minneapolis people deal with it
I used to live in Minneapolis, MN when I was a kid. I got familiar with the ice, snow, cold, and severe wind. I used to go for super long walks in the severe winter. I walked no matter the temperature. I would just bundle up and ignore all the chill. I was a hardcore winter person. I rarely used my home heater. I would just deal with the chilly air and go to sleep in pants and a sweatshirt. I then moved down south and have lived there three years. The heat and humidity have now become the norm. I am used to wearing a swimsuit and no shirt for most of the time. Recently I visited Minneapolis in April. I figured it would be warm enough for me to get some things done around the house. I would help my mother with the gardens, pack up my old stuff, and enjoy my walks again. That wasn’t possible. The cold really got to me. I wanted to have the home heater running at all times. I wore a jacket in the house and slept in it. I complained to my parents the entire time. Now that I have concluded my stay there, I know I won’t go there again until the summer. No way would I chance getting into the snow and severe cold that I was used to. I don’t know how Minneapolis people deal with it. The cold must be a typical thing and their heating systems must be hardcore. My parents hardly even run it though!
Heat pump works best for my area
I love living in Florida.
I left a location that snowed 70% of the year.
We would get temperatures below freezing, severe windchill, ice, and hail. I then decided enough is enough. There are locations that just don’t get snow. I moved down south and eventually settled in St. Petersburg, Florida. I really enjoy the fact that the majority of the year isn’t winter. I used to own three heating systems. Now I get by with a heat pump. A heat pump never could have been used up north. With this device it is energy smart, green, and cheap to use. You can only operate it when the temperatures are 40 degrees and above. The reason is the system uses existing heat energy in the air to warm a home. So colder locations are out of luck. Having a heat pump saves me so much money. Very rarely does the temperature get cold enough that my emergency heat kicks on. The winter season is so short too that it doesn’t bother me. What I do is mainly use the cooling function of the heat pump. It keeps me comfortable most of the year and costs hardly anything to run. It isn’t set up to do ductwork so I don’t have a whole home temperature control. I had to get multiple indoor air handlers with individual thermostats. This means I can have zone control if I so desire. I can’t imagine getting any other device. A heat pump is the right kind of device for those living in hot locations like southern Florida.
Upgrading to high velocity heating and cooling
When my husband and I bought our home in Springfield, Missouri, we were delighted by the location.
The property is quite large and private. The home was built in the late 1800’s and features the original hardwood floors, doors and moldings. There is a wide front porch, high ceilings, big windows and a truly gorgeous staircase with a carved banister. After moving in, our biggest complaint with the house was the difficulties with heating and cooling. Springfield sees temperatures from the teens into the high eighties. Temperature control is extremely important. The former owners of the home got by with an assortment of window air conditioners, box fans and electric baseboard heaters. They were not sufficient to provide ideal comfort, looked horrible and cost a fortune to operate. Because the house was not outfitted with a conventional duct system, there seemed to be no way to install a centralized heating/cooling setup. I did some research and consulted with a local HVAC company in Springfield. The contractor suggested that we retrofit a high-velocity heating/cooling unit. This innovation is designed specifically for historical homes and features mini-ducts. The ducts are only two inches in diameter and flexible. They were able to be snaked through existing walls and around plumbing and electric wires without causing disruption. The vents are only six inches in diameter and blend unobtrusively into the decor. The high-velocity system uses a process called aspiration, delivering heated or cooled air into the rooms at a very high rate of speed. It creates a gentle suction that effectively mixes old and new air and quickly raises or lowers room temperature. The shorter run times, smaller ducts and insulated ducts keep monthly costs quite low.
Investing into a top-of-the-line furnace
Winters in South Bend, Indiana, are especially long.
The cold weather arrives sometime in October and typically lasts until the end of May.
We frequently experience temperatures in the teens and even well below zero. My heating bills are always a concern. The furnace blasts at maximum capacity round-the-clock for months at a time. I have invested into a top-of-the-line, Energy Star rated furnace, hoping to reduce utility bills. I chose a heating system with a 96% AFUE rating that features both adaptable-speed technology and zone control. It cost me a small fortune but is steadily paying for itself. The adaptable-speed operation allows the heater to automatically adjust output and supply only the exact amount of heat necessary to maintain perfect comfort. This avoids temperature swings, and the energy waste of a system continually starting up and shutting down. Zone control is especially helpful because I can customize thermostat settings room-by-room. I’m not forced to maintain perfect comfort in empty spaces. I can cater to the specific requirements of the room as well as personal preferences. It’s possible to keep bedrooms cooler than the living room. I can set a lower temperature in the kitchen when I’m running the oven. Although I am very happy with the new furnace, I continue to look for ways to trim energy usage. I make sure to open the blinds during the afternoon to take advantage of warmth from the sun. I’ve added insulation to the attic, caulked around the windows and installed weatherstripping on exterior doors. The weather in South Bend means relying on the furnace for around eight months, which is expensive.
Glad I sprung for heated flooring
I recently redid the flooring of a house that I bought in Tuscaloosa, AL. I was really worried that I made a mistake. I bought a new home and immediately ripped up the old rug. I also decided to splurge for heated flooring. I called my family up north and they all advised against it. They told me Alabma was so warm why would I want heated flooring? I looked at the high and lows of Tuscaloosa. While it does experience a lengthy summer season, there are colder days and nights. So I sprung for heated flooring. I called a Tuscaloosa HVAC dealer and did everything right. I then sealed them up with tile flooring and hoped I didn’t make a mistake. After experiencing one winter in Tuscaloosa, I am super glad that I sprung for heated flooring. The winter season isn’t long but there are cold days. Tile seems to get especially cold. Having a heated tile under my feet makes all the difference. This heating system is silent, clean, and requires no maintenance. It also warms anything that it touches like the bad and the couch. My cat certainly loves to lay directly on the tile. My current home heater is going to die at any point. Having a heated flooring system as a backup is really amazing. It offers my total peace of mind since I won’t freeze during the winter. Radiant flooring is great for any location. Everywhere gets cold. Who wouldn’t want an amazingly efficient, clean, and effective heating system?
Using VRF in Plano, Texas
I recently updated my HVAC situation into a VRF system.
I love the idea of VRF technology. This is almost like a ductless mini split but better. You can control the amount of refrigerant going to each room of the household. You can also enjoy simultaneous heating and cooling. I can have my living room heated while the kitchen is cooled. I really utilize this idea when I am working from home but my kids are sleeping. In Plano, Texas the weather sees periods of high heat and humidity but also colder nights. Having both quality heating and cooling is required. But the simultaneous heating and cooling is wonderful. My husband and I don’t even share a room anymore. Most of the year he wants to have the AC system working. The rest of the time I want to have the heater on. We have our own bedrooms, separate temperatures, and settings. A VRF system is wonderfully efficient, effective, and lasts a very long time. The key is to find a good quality HVAC dealership that specializes in VRF installation. It is kind of a speciality practice. Finding a quality VRF installer in Plano, TX took some googling around. I did find a good local Texas company that does installation, repair, and service. It is fantastic to have a one stop shop for all my heating and cooling needs. Hopefully the VRF doesn’t require much love and care. I want it to be pretty self sufficient. The benefit is the wonderful energy efficiency, silent operation, and extended lifespan. I don’t want to add a bunch of care.
Dehumidifier improves comfort
The excessive humidity in Lakeland, Florida is a problem for the majority of the year, but the temperature climbs into the nineties for three or four months, rises into the high eighties for another four months plus at leasts gets into the seventies nearly every morning.
The air conditioning system is a necessity plus runs almost consistently. The electric bills can get quite high, but although the air conditioning system helps to combat humidity, it’s not designed to remove moisture. When moisture levels are above the commanded amount, the hair feels hotter plus stuffy, then it can be tempting to lower the control unit setting. This simply leads to the AC working harder, using more energy plus overcooling the residing space separate from solving the problem… High humidity levels can cause disfigurement to home furnishing, such as warped wooden floors, doors plus molding. It encourages the growth of mold, mildew plus bacteria plus provides the perfect environment for dust mites plus cockroaches. The sticky conditions make sleeping strenuous plus diminishes productivity. Aggravated symptoms of dust sensitivities plus asthma can often be blamed on the humidity levels. I tried portable dehumidifiers. The reservoirs filled truly suddenly. I needed to empty them frequently or they became a breeding ground for harmful allergens. I didn’t notice any improvement at all. I finally called an Heating plus Air Conditioning supplier in Lakeland to learn more about a whole-home dehumidifier. The Heating plus Air Conditioning specialist installed the dehumidifier in the HVAC duct, where it pulls moisture of the air as it passes through. It maintains ideal humidity levels throughout the whole home. I have been able to raise the control unit setting plus yet the house feels perfectly cool plus comfortable.