Archive for the ‘home heating cooling’ Category
April 15th, 2010 | 
Author: There are many benefits to having a heat pump air conditioner installed.
A heat pump will provide you with energy efficient heat all through winter, and come summer will cool your home effectively.
If you suffer from asthma, a heat pump can help by reducing the relative humidity of the room, and filtering out dust particles and other allergens by trapping them inside the air filters. Reducing the humidity makes it easier to breathe and also makes the room feel less ‘stuffy’.
Heat pumps are also child friendly as there are no open flames or hot heating elements. Most heat pumps are mounted high on the wall or hidden away so the prying little fingers of children cannot get inside.
Most air conditioners today are ‘split type’ inverter heat pumps. A ‘split type’ air conditioner basically means you have an indoor and and outdoor unit with pipework connecting the two. An inverter heat pump means that the compressor speed is varied by the use of a DC inverter and speed drive. This enables the compressor to slow down in speed to maintain a constant temperature rather than cycling between full capacity and switching off every 10 to 15 minutes. Always opt for the inverter type heat pump as it will save you money on energy.
An electric heater converts electricity into heat, whereas a heat pump simply transfers heat from one source to another. This means that you can have heating or cooling by moving heat into or out of your room. It also means that heat pumps are very energy efficient as they can transfer up to 4kW of heat into your home for every 1kW of power used. Compare that to an electric heater that only generates 1kW of heat for every 1kW of power used.
There are a number of heat pump options available to you, dependent on whether you wish to air condition one room or your whole home.
To air condition a single room, a wall mounted heat pump is recommended. Wall mounted heat pumps can be installed high up (high wall), or low down by the floor like a conventional electric or gas heater. For two or three rooms, you can opt for a multi-split heat pump system. This means you have one outdoor unit connected to multiple indoor units. Alternatively, you can go for a ducted heat pump system. These can be installed hidden away inside your loft, or under your floor and are connected to outlet grilles around your home.
The correct sizing of a heat pump for a given room size is critical. Too small and it will struggle to heat or cool the room. Too large and it will constantly cycle on and off. Always consult the professionals for correct sizing.
Your local air conditioning and heat pump specialists will be able to correctly size the heat pump for your requirements. Most companies also provide a free, no obligation quotation. My advice as an air conditioning and refrigeration engineer is that you should phone around for a number of quotes. This ensures that you can verify the unit sizing from a number of engineers, plus you can also save a few hard earned dollars.
We forget that solar power comes in many guises. Stand alone solar lighting can provide simple efficient lighting to the outdoor areas of your home. Either installed as off the shelf or a DIY solar panel hook-up, it can provide garden, garage or porch lighting for home security and enhance your homes appearance. When it comes to solar, we are so used to seeing solar hot water systems and solar panel electrical systems, that we forget that the suns heat and energy can be used in many other ways.
Home designers these days are well versed in passive solar design. However, these features are not always adopted unless asked to do so by the client, or unless required by local regulations to implement them as energy saving measures. If you are considering a new home, you are well advised to discuss the many design features that would make your home highly energy efficient and practically free of heating and cooling costs, simply by applying good design.
Solar can provide heating and cooling to the home. The heat energy of the sun can be trapped and recirculated in a heat collector on the roof or a wall. These are usually painted black and heat air or water containers that become a storage of heat, they in turn heat air which is circulated through the home. These heat storage containers can even become part of a wall, radiating warmth into the room. Typically though, the heat trap warms air that is then circulated via ducts throughout the house. A fan is used to push the warm air through your home, which can be powered by a solar panel.
Cooling is achieved in a similar way. A dark or black heat module or tower on the roof is heated by the sun. As the air in the tower is heated, it rises, it in turn draws cooler air, often drawn through underground piping where it is cooled, then into the home. This simple method can provide comfortable air temperatures in the home. When coupled with an attic fan that extracts hot air from your roof space will significantly lower internal temperature.
Did your heating bill again knock your socks off? Why not mine? I have a 2100 plus square foot house but my heating system costs only $200 per month. As compared to me, your bill may be even more than $500. Why is there such a big difference? Let’s know the basics to minimize this intolerable difference.
When it comes to my house, its visage is southern and obtains a good heat in winter seasons which turns into shade in summer. Most importantly, it is earth sheltered and on ground floor it is heated by propane heater. Additionally I have a wood stove for wintry days and even it is used for cooking whenever power is off. Higher altitude of mountainous location gives my home an appreciable air conditioning for free.
Now let’s look on possible problems in your house. First of all your house may be in city where it gets little sun heat. Even though your house might be new and expensive but still I think insulation may be poor. Additionally you may have conventional gas heating and electric cooling system, both of which are expensive. In this way your house is sucking some extra money from your pocket. Obviously most of the houses in US are power controlled. So what you should do to save money? Here are three valuable strategies to do it efficiently.
1. Make sure to use less gas and power in extra efficient systems like air conditioners, hot water heaters and thermostats.
2. Insulation makes a big difference. You should try to increase insulation in structures which are not properly insulated. Cover all cabinets and shelves in the wall with doors. Also build a porch to shade the windows which will serve to save your home from hot sun. Investment in new sheet rock and insulation is required only once but your bill will come every month. Surely these are old ideas but we need to bring these ideas back to save some useful money.
3. While building your house you should ensure good science. Many builders avoid learning and doing something new so they use conventional ideas which are surely sucking our resources. Also poor quality systems are embedded in these extra large and too fragile houses. For this you need to learn all the basics so you become able to ask your builder for a higher quality.
Always remember houses built on small footprints have proved more energy efficient. Experiences have proved that smaller houses are cheaper to have proper heating and cooling system. Another way of proper heating and cooling is to stack the floors over each other. This way they work more efficiently and save some extra money. Similarly, earth sheltering is another useful approach. By this approach the under ground temperature remains 55 degree and it requires only a small amount of heating and dehumidifying. However some of these structures my not need any cooling or heating but still best thing about them is storm and fire resistance capability. Another option can be the addition of solar collectors to your yard and house. The idea of fireplace can be excellent in cold climates to have good heating environment in your house.
Does all this sounds good for you? Surely, if we go for good science rather than fashion, valuable money can be saved to invest some where else!
A heat pump will provide you with energy efficient heat all through winter, and come summer will cool your home effectively.
If you suffer from asthma, a heat pump can help by reducing the relative humidity of the room, and filtering out dust particles and other allergens by trapping them inside the air filters. Reducing the humidity makes it easier to breathe and also makes the room feel less ‘stuffy’.
Heat pumps are also child friendly as there are no open flames or hot heating elements. Most heat pumps are mounted high on the wall or hidden away so the prying little fingers of children cannot get inside.
Most air conditioners today are ‘split type’ inverter heat pumps. A ‘split type’ air conditioner basically means you have an indoor and and outdoor unit with pipework connecting the two. An inverter heat pump means that the compressor speed is varied by the use of a DC inverter and speed drive. This enables the compressor to slow down in speed to maintain a constant temperature rather than cycling between full capacity and switching off every 10 to 15 minutes. Always opt for the inverter type heat pump as it will save you money on energy.
An electric heater converts electricity into heat, whereas a heat pump simply transfers heat from one source to another. This means that you can have heating or cooling by moving heat into or out of your room. It also means that heat pumps are very energy efficient as they can transfer up to 4kW of heat into your home for every 1kW of power used. Compare that to an electric heater that only generates 1kW of heat for every 1kW of power used.
Benefits of installing Ground source heat pump:
The efficiency: The efficiency of ground source heat pump is much greater than any other heating system. This lets you enjoy the best of heating benefits at much lesser the cost.
Cost and savings: Any ground source heat pump of 8-12k.w. will cost you anywhere between £6,000-£12,000.
A ground source heat pump obtains heat from water present in pipe that meets the ground that can thereafter be easily circulated via heating system.
The average temperature existing below ground is somewhere between 8 degree and 13 degree Celsius. The whole process tends to cool the fluid. However, it can also be re-circulated back via the ground. The ground will help the system to absorb more amount of heat prior to being passed via the heat pump the second time.
Heat pumps are not actually capable of generating electricity. However, they are highly capable of generating heat and can easily be operated in reverse pattern to provide cooling effect. The pumps require some amount of electricity to operate. However, the ground source heat pumps are quite energy efficient and can easily produce heat energy up to five times for each electrical energy unit.
Solar heat for homes is not a daydream. As energy prices rise and the global community talks of energy sources drying up, solar homes are becoming increasingly appealing to consumers. So is the idea of heating the home with solar energy. As a result, ways to heat a home with solar energy are becoming more affordable.
Solar heat for homes can be achieved in several ways. It is not simply a matter of placing photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof and generating electricity for a furnace. That can be done, but other things can also be done to get solar heat for homes.
Passive Solar Heat for Homes
Passive solar is one of the simplest methods of acquiring solar heat for homes. Passive solar heating collects and distributes heat from the sun without external, mechanical pumping systems.
Passive solar heat for homes begins by positioning the solar home in such a way that it takes full advantage of winter sunlight to warm interior rooms and walls. In the northern hemisphere, a solar home will be positioned to give its main area southern exposure. In the southern hemisphere, a solar home will be positioned to give its main area northern exposure.
Passive solar heat for homes is also available through building materials and architectural design. A solar home should have many vertical windows on its winter sun exposure side to collect solar warmth. These windows should be glazed, and uncovered during the day to allow warmth to enter. As the sun goes down, shades and curtains should be drawn to retain the heat. The side of the solar home that gets summer sunlight should have fewer, and smaller, windows.
A passive solar home should feature masses of brick, concrete, stone, or adobe (mud bricks) that absorb and hold heat during the day, releasing it gradually as the air cools. These building materials should be used for walls and floors where the sunlight will hit them.
Passive solar heat for homes also requires thick insulation. Once heat has entered the solar home through large, glazed windows, insulation will help hold it there as the air cools. Placing the garage on the non-solar side and main living quarters on the “exposure” side also helps heat a solar home.
Active Solar Heat for Homes
Active solar systems for heating a solar home consist of “collectors” that collect solar energy, and electric fans or pumps to distribute collected heat. Heat is transferred by liquid or air, and can be stored to provide heat when the sun is not shining.
Solar air “collectors” will collect solar energy in air passing through the system. The air absorbs the sun’s heat, and transfers it into the solar home. This works best for heating individual rooms, although some systems can heat larger areas with the use of pumps and fans. Solar air collectors for individual rooms can be mounted in an existing window.
Solar liquid “collectors” are more appropriate for central heating. These are the same type of collector as those used in solar water heating systems. Flat plate collectors are mounted, usually on a roof. Each collector contains water, antifreeze, or another liquid that will collect the solar energy. At a predetermined time, regulated by a controller, a circulating pump sends the fluid through the roof-top collector. The liquid is directed to a heat exchanger for immediate use, or sent to a storage tank for later use.
Active liquid solar heat for homes can be sent through pipes under the floor to maintain an even radiant heat at floor level. Radiant floor heating is ideal for liquid solar systems. It performs well, even at relatively low temperatures.
Combination Solar Heat for Homes
The best solar home will combine passive and active solar energy collection. Passive solar heating can reduce heating bills by nearly 50 percent. Active solar heating can supply 40 to 80 percent of your heat, depending on your local climate and the system’s size. Put the two together, and you have a solar home that is comfortable and efficient.
If concrete floors topped with tile are already warmed by passive solar heating, an active system that send hot water through pipes in those floors will keep the solar home cozy and warm.
Free Heating
Aside from any initial costs for active solar energy systems, solar heat for homes can be free. It is clean and environmentally friendly. It leaves a smaller carbon footprint, too. Is it for you? That is worth serious consideration.