optimumair.ca » Does a solar heated shower feel different? | Heating and Cooling Specialists | Serving Kamloops Sun Peaks Sun Rivers Thompson Rivers Merritt Chase Barriere Savona Logan Lake Cache Creek

Does a solar heated shower feel different?

Jim — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:56:32 +0000

Water is water right? Heat is heat. So how could solar heated water feel different? There is no scientific difference between a shower heated by a fossil fuel water heated and a shower heated by the sun. But there is a difference in how it feels to be showering in water heated by the Sun. Every morning when I turn on our shower and stand under a warm spray for a few minutes I consider the Sun. I think about how much energy the Sun delivers to the earth each and everyday. I wonder how many tons of CO2, how many barrels of oil, how much coal, and how many dammed rivers are basically being used just to heat water when the Sun is capable, willing, and ready to supply that heat year after year. So for me, the answer is Yes, a solar hot water shower feels different, but different in a good way.

Why is my home so dusty?

Jim — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:38:51 +0000

If you have a fairly good (rated) filter in your hvac system it is unlikely that dust is entering your home from your supply registers. Many homes are equiped with a variety of exhaust fans. These include the kitchen exhaust, all of the bath fans, and your cloths dryer. Running these fans frequently puts some homes into a negative pressure condition. (more air leaving the home). This may be allowing dust from outdoors to enter through windows, doors, and any other gaps in the building envelope. To overcome this condition try running your furnace fan constantly. Whenever your furnace fan is running it is bringing a small amount of outside air into the home through the return system and a small vent somewhere on the exterior perimeter of your home. This helps to pressurize your home with clean air, preventing the infiltration of dust from outside and continuously cleaning the houshold air through your filter.

Ductless Heat Pumps

Jim — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:27:32 +0000

A popular option for homes with boiler or electric heat are Ductless heat pumps. These systems do not use ductwork to move condtioned air around a home. Individual modules or “cassettes” are connected to an outdoor unit with small copper lines and deliver heating or cooling to the space they are installed in. These units deliver conditioned air at very high efficiencies. They are quiet, programable, and easy to operate. www.daikinac.com . The most efficient units use inverter technology. This allows the outdoor unit (condenser) to vary its speed to match the load (amount of work to be done). Rather than cycling off and on as the indoor temperature varies, an inverter condenser continues to run at a lower speed when the load changes resulting in a more efficient and more comfortable air conditioner.

Why bother with High Efficiency?

Jim — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:14:30 +0000

Making your home more efficient and less dependant on the oil and gas industry has many benefits. Over the long term you save money. Using less fossil fuel decreases the demand for desparate projects like the Alberta Tar Sands or the Gulf of Mexico deep water drilling. Over your lifetime you will save thousands of dollars that could be put to better uses. High efficient equipment might help pay off a mortgage, help your children attend university, or just make that dream vacation a possibility.

When do I choose replacement over repair for either my heating or cooling system?

Optimum Air — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:24:21 +0000

Having your heating system serviced regularly will ensure it is running at peak efficiency. If one of the main parts of the natural gas furnace fails and it is costly to repair, you may be better off buying a new system, particularly if the furnace is older (i.e., has a pilot light). With a more efficient system, installation costs could be recovered within as little as three to five years.

Regular servicing of your air-conditioner could well extend its life. Again, if repairs are costly, upgrading to a newer, quieter, more energy efficient system may be the better answer and will save you money in the long run. Remember, though, that due to global concerns about ozone-depletion, chlorine-based refrigerants are being phased-out and will become less available in the future, so the cost to service an air-conditioner with such a refrigerant may rise dramatically. You might consider going to an air conditioner that has a more environmentally sound, energy efficient and cost saving refrigerant.