High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems
A lot of energy is wasted with older-model heating and cooling equipment found in many homes. Today with high energy prices, the cost of running standard HVAC equipment is- no pun intended- through the roof.
These days, you need to make sure that every dollar you spend on running your HVAC equipment will be used to heat and cool your home and not be wasted up the chimney. Old models working at 50%, 60% and even the 80% efficient systems sold in the 1980s do not work well at all. Modern high efficiency equipment works at 95% efficiency or higher.
For example; the standard chimney. Old chimneys- which leak an enormous amount of hot air that you pay to heat — are no longer necessary. Modern high efficiency units are vented to the outside through small PVC pipes running through the side wall. The bulk of the air you paid to heat stays where it belongs: in the living areas of your home.
At Halco, we pride ourselves in choosing and installing only the best high efficiency systems to fit each individual home’s needs, as well as the homeowner’s expectations and budget. We thoroughly inspect and evaluate each home to design a solution that will give you the best performance per dollar invested.
To learn more about high efficiency systems and many other ways to save money and energy at home, visit our website or contact us for a free estimate.
Oil Furnace Replaced With High Efficiency Heat Pump, Gas Furnace and Air Conditioning System
A 70-year-old house with an old inefficient oil furnace, receives a full heating and cooling system upgrade.
Dr. Energy Saver replaced the old furnace and High Efficiency Heat Pump with a backup High Efficiency Propane Gas Furnace and High Efficiency Air Conditioning System.
High efficiency HVAC systems, by definition, are systems that give you the best results in terms of heating and cooling, per each dollar spent to run the unit.
A heat pump works by bringing heat from the outside to the inside. It will produce $3 worth of heat per each dollar spent in electricity. When the temperature outside is below 35 degrees, the backup propane gas furnace kicks in, operating at 96% efficiency.
High efficiency air conditioning/heat pump systems have a much bigger condenser and a higher SEER – Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating- which is an efficiency measure for HVAC units.
Energy Efficient Barn with Radiant Heated Floors, Tankless Boiler and Spray Foam Insulation
This homeowner wanted to build an ultra energy efficient heated barn, comfortable enough to be used as a recreation room or extra living space on the weekends, and not too costly to maintain. Larry Janesky of Dr. Energy Saver explains how the objective was accomplished. Since it was a new construction, the barn was fully insulated with spray foam. Spray foam insulation expands when applied, closing gaps in the building’s structure, and simultaneously sealing air leaks. The concrete floor was fitted with radiant heat loops and the upper floor with baseboard heaters – both heated via a high efficiency tankless boiler. This tankless water heater also provides hot water for the bathroom. The entire high efficiency heating system operates at 96% efficiency. Dr. Energy Saver offers free energy efficiency checkups.
High Efficiency Oil Furnace Replacement
When it came time to upgrade a 10-year-old oil furnace with a cracked heat exchanger, Dr. Energy Saver and the homeowner opted for installing a replacement oil furnace that operates at 87% efficiency – the highest efficiency rate available from an oil furnace.
Although propane heating systems are more energy efficient (up to 96% efficiency) than oil furnaces, it was best to install a cost-effective High Efficiency Oil Furnace for this home, as there would be a higher cost involved in converting the existing system to propane.
Dr. EnergySaver’s commitment to responsible energy conservation practices guarantees that we will always carefully evaluate each case, and only suggest the best energy efficient solutions to fit your budget and your home. Dr. Energy Saver offers free estimates on all heating replacements.
Radiant Heating in Floors
In episode #59 of the On the Job video series, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, walk us through a project where radiant heating was used to make a two-level building more comfortable and energy efficient.
A high efficiency boiler was installed to heat up the water for the system. A network of pipes designed to conduct the heated water was then installed under the concrete slab at the ground level, and under the wood subfloor of the above level.
There are many advantages to using this type of heating system in a two-level building. In conventional heating systems, hot air is blown through the vents but does not heat up the concrete slab. This causes the concrete slab to still be very cold and the room would still feel very cold close to the ground.
The thick concrete slab used in a radiant heating system provides enough thermal mass to conserve the heat provided by the radiant heating system for a long time, so when the big garage doors in this particular structure are open, there isn’t a lot of heat loss to the outside, and once the doors are closed the rate of heat recovery is higher and the entire place will warm back up very quickly.
A similar network of hot water lines was attached beneath the subfloor on the upper level, attached to aluminum plates that help distribute heat through the surface, making the upstairs room just as comfortable as the ground level room.
The owner of this building is now very happy with the results in terms of comfort and energy savings. Would you like to learn more about other great ways to make your home more comfortable and save a lot of money on your heating and cooling bills?
Watch some of our other On the Job videos, and subscribe to this channel for all the latest updates!
Ductless Heat Pumps
In episode #57 of the On the Job video series, Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Dr. Energy Saver, walks us through the installation of a high efficiency ductless heat pump.
A heat pump’s job is to extract heat from the air to either cool or heat a home. During the summer, it will extract heat from the inside, and move it to the outside, to cool the living space. In wintertime, it will extract heat from the outside and move it to the inside.
Heat pumps are very efficient at extracting heat, even when the temperatures are very low outside. They will always be able to extract enough to heat up the home.
The unit being installed in this project is a split system, with an outside unit and three internal heads designed to serve three different zones of the building – each with its own thermostat. In Air Condition mode, it has an 18 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating). In Heating Mode it has a 9.5 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) rating.
Heat is transferred between the external and external units through refrigerant line sets. The shorter the line sets, the more efficient the system is. A fan in the internal units then distributes hot or cold air throughout each of the three zones.
While it may seem like a disadvantage having the hot or cold air blow from a single wall mounted unit, a high efficiency ductless system is still able to effectively maintain comfortable temperatures because there is no heat loss or gain through the ducts. The ductless heat pump is a great option when there isn’t a lot of space for bulky ductwork.
To learn more about heat pumps and other energy efficient ways to heat and cool your home, watch our other On the Job videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest updates.
Energy efficient upgrades to Rochester, NY Home | Customer Testimonial
Rochester, NY customer works with Halco to achieve energy efficient home.
Heat Pumps in the Finger Lakes
Heat pumps provide heating and cooling power using only electricity, and work well even in the sub-freezing temperatures of New York. Say goodbye to oil and propane, with a whole home heat pump heating and cooling system installed by the experts at Halco Energy.
http://www.halcoenergy.com | 315.946.6200
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Getting Your Home Heating Up-to-Date
The Finger Lakes Climate Fund, HeatSmart Tompkins, and Halco work together to make your home heating system energy efficient without any hassle! With so many different incentives, it can be hard to straighten out which forms go to which people. That’s why we’ve worked hard to make it as streamlined as possible for you. Contact us to start saving money, saving energy, and saving the planet.
