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Indoor Air Quality
How does indoor air quality help you? There are many different tools and pieces of equipment that we can use to help you and your home. One of the most common pieces of equipment is the Wholehouse Humidifier. There are a number of different brands out there but the one that I
put in my house is an Aprilaire Model 600 Humidifier
with an outdoor temperature sensor that can detect
the humidity outside and automatically set your
house humidity based on the outside air. What does a
humidifier do? A humidifier adds moisture into the air
whenever your heat comes on during the winter.
That moisture helps with dry skin, bloody noses,
improves the indoor air quality, makes for a comfortable
heating cycle, and it saves on the wood around your
windows and throughout your house.
Another way to improve the air quality throughout your home is to install an Ultraviolet (UV) light in your ductwork by the evaporator coil. What the UV light does is attract all of the mold, mildew, bacteria, etc. to the light before it circulates throughout your home. They are perfect for people with allergies. Another option that is great for people with allergies is the Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC). This takes place of your standard filter that you change monthly. With a slight modification in your Return Air duct (due to the width of the EAC) you can have an air cleaner that traps about 80-90% of the particulates that flow through your ventilation system. You can clean the filter cells yourself by putting them in the dishwasher or just by taking a standard hose to them.
Although, some EAC’s are relatively expensive and so what some people might do to increase the air quality without installing an EAC is to go with a Deluxe Efficiency Media Filter. This is about the same width as an EAC but it is a media filter that typically needs to be replaced twice a year (depending on your home). The average cost of each filter is around $45, but you will never have to worry about the media filter breaking down on you because there are no moving parts. Depending on the MERV rating for the filter will depend on how many particulates are trapped. The average is around 70-80%. These are just a few options that you can do to improve the air quality in your home and if you would like some more information on indoor air quality products feel to contact me.
Thermostats
When it comes to thermostats there are really only a couple of options for you to choose from. There are Non-Programmable stats and Programmable stats, Digital, or Mercury Bulb. The Mercury Bulb thermostat is the cheapest one on the market and it is the worst one too. The reason being is that it uses a dead technology that causes the new furnaces to short cycle. What that means to you is that it will make your furnace and/or air conditioning turn off and on more frequently than a digital thermostat. What that does is causes your system to short cycle which eventually causes premature circuit board and/or motor failure.
Digital thermostats are so much more accurate and efficient. It keeps it a consistent +/-1 degree from what the thermostat reads vs. the Mercury Bulb stat at +/-4 degrees. Once you decide on what technology of thermostat that you want to use then you must determine if you want to have a Programmable or a Non-Programmable stat.
A Programmable thermostat is designed for people on the move. You can program your thermostat to go off when you leave for work and come on 2 hours before you get home so that your house is comfortable for you. It is also ideal for vacations. You can just program the thermostat to come on 3-4 hours before you get home so that you do not waste all of your utilities on an empty house. Plus, when you get home you will not have to wait for it to get comfortable and catch up from you being gone.
There are some people that still like to have a thermostat that they can just set it and forget about it. They like to have the constant temperature and they do not want to change it. That is where the Non-Programmable thermostat comes into play. First, you have to decide what kind of person are you? Are you on the move, do you want to conserve some energy, or are you the type of person that wants it a constant temperature all of the time. Either way that you go you will be pleased with the accuracy and efficiency that comes out of the Digital thermostats.
How does indoor air quality help you? There are many different tools and pieces of equipment that we can use to help you and your home. One of the most common pieces of equipment is the Wholehouse Humidifier. There are a number of different brands out there but the one that I
put in my house is an Aprilaire Model 600 Humidifier
with an outdoor temperature sensor that can detect
the humidity outside and automatically set your
house humidity based on the outside air. What does a
humidifier do? A humidifier adds moisture into the air
whenever your heat comes on during the winter.
That moisture helps with dry skin, bloody noses,
improves the indoor air quality, makes for a comfortable
heating cycle, and it saves on the wood around your
windows and throughout your house.
Another way to improve the air quality throughout your home is to install an Ultraviolet (UV) light in your ductwork by the evaporator coil. What the UV light does is attract all of the mold, mildew, bacteria, etc. to the light before it circulates throughout your home. They are perfect for people with allergies. Another option that is great for people with allergies is the Electronic Air Cleaner (EAC). This takes place of your standard filter that you change monthly. With a slight modification in your Return Air duct (due to the width of the EAC) you can have an air cleaner that traps about 80-90% of the particulates that flow through your ventilation system. You can clean the filter cells yourself by putting them in the dishwasher or just by taking a standard hose to them.
Although, some EAC’s are relatively expensive and so what some people might do to increase the air quality without installing an EAC is to go with a Deluxe Efficiency Media Filter. This is about the same width as an EAC but it is a media filter that typically needs to be replaced twice a year (depending on your home). The average cost of each filter is around $45, but you will never have to worry about the media filter breaking down on you because there are no moving parts. Depending on the MERV rating for the filter will depend on how many particulates are trapped. The average is around 70-80%. These are just a few options that you can do to improve the air quality in your home and if you would like some more information on indoor air quality products feel to contact me.
Thermostats
When it comes to thermostats there are really only a couple of options for you to choose from. There are Non-Programmable stats and Programmable stats, Digital, or Mercury Bulb. The Mercury Bulb thermostat is the cheapest one on the market and it is the worst one too. The reason being is that it uses a dead technology that causes the new furnaces to short cycle. What that means to you is that it will make your furnace and/or air conditioning turn off and on more frequently than a digital thermostat. What that does is causes your system to short cycle which eventually causes premature circuit board and/or motor failure.
Digital thermostats are so much more accurate and efficient. It keeps it a consistent +/-1 degree from what the thermostat reads vs. the Mercury Bulb stat at +/-4 degrees. Once you decide on what technology of thermostat that you want to use then you must determine if you want to have a Programmable or a Non-Programmable stat.
A Programmable thermostat is designed for people on the move. You can program your thermostat to go off when you leave for work and come on 2 hours before you get home so that your house is comfortable for you. It is also ideal for vacations. You can just program the thermostat to come on 3-4 hours before you get home so that you do not waste all of your utilities on an empty house. Plus, when you get home you will not have to wait for it to get comfortable and catch up from you being gone.
There are some people that still like to have a thermostat that they can just set it and forget about it. They like to have the constant temperature and they do not want to change it. That is where the Non-Programmable thermostat comes into play. First, you have to decide what kind of person are you? Are you on the move, do you want to conserve some energy, or are you the type of person that wants it a constant temperature all of the time. Either way that you go you will be pleased with the accuracy and efficiency that comes out of the Digital thermostats.
Call today @ 913-706-8710 for a free estimate of our Kansas City Heating and Cooling services and ask for Chris the "Family Man".:
Serving all of Northeast Kansas including: Kansas City, Leawood, Overland Park, Stillwell, Olathe, Spring Hill, Lawrence, Mission, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Roeland Park, Shawnee, Leavenworth, and more.
Serving all of Northwest Missouri including: Kansas City, Lees Summitt, Independence, Blue Springs, Raytown, Grandview, and more.
Serving all of Northeast Kansas including: Kansas City, Leawood, Overland Park, Stillwell, Olathe, Spring Hill, Lawrence, Mission, Prairie Village, Mission Hills, Roeland Park, Shawnee, Leavenworth, and more.
Serving all of Northwest Missouri including: Kansas City, Lees Summitt, Independence, Blue Springs, Raytown, Grandview, and more.
