Go Green with Your Heating This Winter

There are many ways to cut down on your heating bills in Canton. Simple tricks like adding insulation and turning down your thermostat can save you a lot of money in the long run. But an even more effective way to make your house more energy efficient (and help your wallet too) is to upgrade your entire HVAC system. Here are some of the new products that have become popular in the HVAC industry that can really green your home.

High-Efficient Furnaces

Today’s furnaces can have an AFUE rating of 97 percent; which means that 97 percent of the fuel it burns goes towards heating your house. This is possible because of their sealed combustion chamber, two-stage gas valves, and variable speed blowers. Not only does a high efficiency furnace burn fuel better, it will only burn the amount that you need to keep your home at the right temperature, saving fuel and heating your home more evenly.

Geothermal Heating

Geothermal heating is an old technology, but it recently has gained widespread popularity. Geothermal heating involves piping water underground that absorbs the heat exists beneath the Earth’s surface. That heated water is then taken to a heat pump which extracts the heat and distributes it throughout your home. Not only is geothermal completely renewable, it also requires very little maintenance. Not to mention the advantage that the heating process can be reversed to cool your house during the summer.

Solar Heating

Solar heating is another renewable heating option in Canton. Solar heating involves using the sun’s rays to heat water that can then be circulated to heat your home. You can also buy HVAC equipment (like a heat pump or an air conditioner) that has solar panels as part of their design and use solar energy to power heating and cooling. While not enough to power your entire house, solar powered HVAC equipment will significantly reduce your utility bills.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps have been around for quite a while, but the heat pumps you can buy today are much more energy efficient than ever before. Air source heat pumps use electricity to generate heat, and newer models can have a heating efficiency of 150-300 percent! They also use R-410A refrigerant, which doesn’t have the polluting hydrochloro-fluorocarbons that older refrigerants do. If you already have a heat pump, upgrading it is a great way to make your home more environmentally friendly.

Even if you don’t decide to upgrade your HVAC system right now, it is good to know about the new technology that is out there. There are plenty of less expensive ways lessen your house’s carbon footprint, but few are as effective as a new heating and air conditioning equipment.