Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Month: December 2017

Furnace Installation

If you are thinking about installing a furnace in Loveland, CO, then you are already on a path toward great comfort! Furnaces have the potential to heat homes efficiently and reliably. However, this potential can only be fulfilled when that system is carefully chosen, designed for, and installed in your home. If you are serious about getting the best performance that your furnace has to offer, then it is important to take a few facts into consideration.

Our team wants you to get the most from your furnace, which is why we’re happy to use today’s post in order to help you focus on these facts. We are also happy to answer any questions you may have, so be sure to call our number and ask away. It gets far too cold for too long in this part of the country to take any chances with the overall performance of your new home heating system. 

Gas or Electric?

Natural gas is a great fuel source, and it is the preferred fuel of many homeowners when it comes to their ovens, water heaters, and, yes, furnaces. In order to use natural gas, however, you must have access to a gas line and you must have the hookups required for piping that gas safely to your appliances. If you don’t have access to natural gas, or if you just don’t want to pipe it into your home, you may consider the use of an electric furnace.

Electric furnaces are reliable, and they can heat air as effectively as a gas furnace. Because the cost of electricity is relatively high when compared to that of natural gas, though, using an electric furnace does typically cost more than it would to heat your home with natural gas.

Energy Efficiency

You should definitely look carefully at the energy efficiency rating given to your furnace. Furnace efficiency is measured with an AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating. The higher the number, the more efficient the system. Because electric furnaces don’t lose any heat to flue gases, they tend to work near 100% efficiency.

That’s great and means that you’re really getting your money’s worth out of the electricity that you’re paying for, but the issue of cost associated with electricity raised above still means that, more efficient or not, electric furnaces may cost more to run. It is not the only factor to consider, but it is one to keep in mind.

Sizing

When it comes to a furnace, bigger is not always better. You obviously are not going to want to invest in a furnace that is too small to heat your home effectively. However, an oversized furnace is no better than an undersized one. You’ll be paying for a heating capacity that you’ll never need, and you’ll wind up with a system that short-cycles as it adjusts temperatures too rapidly. There is a perfect furnace for you out there, and we want to help you find it.

AtFort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning, we’re big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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Need Heating Repair

Winter in Colorado is something that a lot of residents look forward to all year long. Whether you’re excited about hitting the slopes or you want to get out on the ice for some winter fishing, there’s a lot to enjoy around here during this part of the year. Of course, it is a lot easier to get out and enjoy the winter weather when you know that you have a warm, comfortable home waiting for you at the end of the day.

That is why having a quality heating system is so important. Unfortunately, having a quality heating system in your home does not mean it will always function 100% reliably. No mechanical system can truly make that claim. Because it is always going to be better for you to schedule any necessary heating repairs in Loveland, CO as soon as possible, we’d like to share some tips with you for spotting signs of trouble early on.

 

Watch Your Utility Costs

If your gas or electricity bills really start to spike when you’re running your heater, you may want to compare them to those of previous seasons. Obviously, you are going to be paying more for such utilities once you put your heater into action for the year. However, you should not be seeing spikes that cannot be explained by regular usage.

Just about any problem with your heater will negatively affect its efficiency. Sometimes, the solution to the problem may be as simple as changing a dirty air filter. In other cases, you may need actual repairs to get your heater back on track and functioning efficiently. We’ll diagnose the problem and resolve it.

Feel for Cold Spots

There are a lot of different reasons as to why your home may develop cold spots. First of all, you may have issues with air leaks and/or subpar insulation in your home. These will need to be located and resolved by trained professionals. However, these cold spots could also be the result of problems with your heating system itself.

An undersized system may result in cold spots in those areas of your home farthest from the system. You may also have leaky ductwork running to an area of your home, in which case you’ll experience hot spots in the summer season, as well. Professional installation by an experienced technician will help you to avoid sizing issues. We also offer professional duct sealing services.

Listen for Strange Sounds

Depending upon the location of your heating system in your home, you may hear some noise as it kicks on or as air starts moving through the ducts. There are a lot of sounds that you also should not be hearing from your system, though. These include screeching and grinding sounds, as well as loud banging, clanging, or booming sounds.

We are more than capable of handling just about any heating repairs that you may need. Before we can do so, though, we’ll need you to alert us to the problem to begin with. A bit of attention paid to these warning indicators will give you the information that you need to do so.

Big enough to serve, small enough to care. That’s the Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning way.

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