Look For High-Efficiency Oil Boilers And Furnaces

Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Most homes today are heated during cold winter months using furnaces or boilers. These heaters work by heating the air within the device and then distribute it throughout the home by way of air ducts that are strategically placed behind the walls, under the floors, or above the ceiling or any combination of the three.

When boilers are used to heat homes, they do so by heating water that is then sent through radiant floor systems or baseboard or other radiators. This hot water can also be used to heat air inside coils. Steam boilers can also be used, but they are less efficient. For greater energy efficiency, older systems that are still in otherwise sound shape can be retrofitted to improve efficiency and safety of the appliance.

Before deciding to have old oil boilers retrofit, it is important to carefully weigh whether or not the overall condition and expected life of the entire system justifies the cost. It may be more cost effective to install a replacement unit instead. Many people today are replacing older heating units with new, higher efficiency models to which air conditioning can be added.

When choosing the retrofit option, it is important to remember that these are fuel-specific. So, if the unit is gas-fired, it will still be fueled by propane or natural gas once it has been upgraded with new ductwork, programmable thermostats, or other convenience features. The same is true for oil-fired boilers and furnaces. They will continue to be fueled by the same oil they previously ran on.

The oil boilers and furnaces of the past achieved energy efficiencies that ranged from 56% to 70%, but today's higher efficiency systems are designed to convert as much as 98.5% of the fuel used into useful heating for the home. That means installing a new system can help cut energy bills in half and reduce the pollution from an old unit by that same amount.

In addition to that, the simplest solution for most homes is to replace old, worn out oil boilers that are too large or too small for the space it has been heating for years, with modern high-efficiency models. Prime candidates for replacement are old coal burners that sometime in the past were switched over to gas or oil. Even owners of gas furnaces that eat up a large amount of energy with constantly running pilot lights have been known to benefit from the energy savings afforded by switching these units to electronic ignition.

One of the best things homeowners can do prior to buying new oil boilers or other furnace types is improve the energy efficiency of their home in other ways first. That may involve installing new windows or covering older ones with storm windows, sealing cracks to prevent air transfer, and a number of other measures. Once this has been completed, the services of a heating contractor can be enlisted to evaluate the home and recommend the correct furnace size.

A good choice when shopping for new oil boilers and furnaces is to check for the ENERGY STAR label. This will ensure that the heating system is high-efficiency and will save money over the life of the unit.


Article written by Tony Davis

You Might Also Like

0 kommentarer

Labels

4-Slice Toaster AC Accessories Air Air Conditioners Air Purifiers Air Quality Animals Animals - Horses Apartments Apartments - College Appliances Architecture Attic Auction - Home Australia Away from Home Babies Baby Furniture Baby Shower Backyard Activities Backyard Revamp Baking Baptismal Basements Bathroom Bathroom Pampering Tips Bathtubs Beat the Heat Bedroom Bedroom - Luxury Bedroom Ideas Bedroom Mistakes Beds Bidets Bills Blinds and Curtains Blogs Boilers Budget Style Buying a Home Cakes Canine Canopies Car Maintenance Care Homes Carpets Carpets and Rugs Cars Cars - Uses Cats Ceiling Fans Celebrations Children Chores Christening Ideas Christmas Christmas lighting ideas City Life Claims Cleaning Cleaning Services Coffee Tables Comfortable Living Commercial Lease Common Problems Community Spaces Concrete Condo Condominium Conservatories Cool Stuff Cooling Ideas Cost of Living Costumes Couch Credit Scores Curbs Curtains Curtains - Scalloped DA Dates Decking Dining Room Dining Table Dishwashers Display Racks DIY DIY - Carpet Cleaning DIY - Cleaning Products DIY - Soundproofing DIY Addiction DIY Schools Dog Breeds Dogs Dogs - Diet Dogs - Health Dogs - Hygiene Doors Dream Home Dreams and Hopes Earning Tips Eco Friendly Ideas Eco-Friendly Eco-Houses Electric Bills Energy Saving Tips Energy System Entertainment Room Entertainment Space Ethical Living European Inspired Expo Extra Rooms Family Family Room Fans Few Things in Between Filters Fireplace - Outdoor Fireproofing First Time Homeowners Flags Flooding Flooring Flooring - Bamboo Flooring - Tiles Florida France Furnace Furnished Properties Furniture Furniture - Dining Sets Furniture - Shopping Guide Gadgets Garage Garden Gardening Gardening - Allotments Germ-free Home Gift Ideas Gift Ideas - Babies Gift Ideas - Christmas Gift Ideas - Him Gift Ideas - Home Gift Ideas - House Warming Gift Ideas - Kids Gift Ideas - Parents Gift Ideas - Personalized Gift Ideas - Valentine's Day Gifts for collectors Gifts for her Go Green Living Grass Green Living Halloween Health and Home Health and Lifestyle Heater - Heat Pumps Heaters Heaters - Parts Heating Hen Parties Holiday Homes hom home Home - Building Home - Gadgets Home - Luxury Home - Technology Home Accessories Home Appliances Home Builders Home Buying Home Cooking Home Decorating Home Decorating - Christmas Home Designs Home Disasters Home Essentials Home Extensions Home Flooring Home Heating Home Hunting home imp Home Improvement Ideas Home Insurance Home Investing Home Maintenance Home Office Home Organizing Home Projects Home Reconstruction Home Redesigning Home Remodeling Home Renovation Home Repair Home Repair - Foundation Home Repair - Professional Home Restoration Home Safety Home Security Home Spas Home Tech Ideas Home Theater Home Upgrades House Problems House Warming Household Chores Housewarming Gifts Housewarming Party HVAC Hygiene IKEA Indonesia Indoor Designs Insulation Insurance Insurance - Car Insurance - House Insurance - Pets Interesting Architecture Interior Additions Interior Design Interior Design - Modern Interior Ideas Jewelry Jewelry Organizer Keeping Warm Kitchen Kitchen - Cabinets Kitchen - Spanish Inspired Kitchen Designs Kitchen Flooring Knives Landscaping Lawn Mowers LED Lights Lifestyle Lighting Lighting - Chandeliers Lighting - Garden Lighting - Lamps Lighting Options Lights Living Room Living Room - Designs Loans Loans - Home Loft London Luxury Home Luxury Houses Maintenance Malls Minimalist Mirrors Mitigation Mobile Apps Modern Home Designs Money Saving Tips Morphy Richards Mortgage Moving Moving Tips New Home Nursery Online Shopping Orangeries Organizer Organizing tips Outdoor Designs Outdoor Living Outdoor Living - Furniture Outdoor Living - Patio Outdoor Room Outdoor Spas Ovens and Cooktops Painting Paintings Parenting Parties Passion Patio Pest Control Pets Pets - Ailments Pets - Cats Pets - Dogs Pets - Health Pets - Sitters Pets - Toys Phones Pillows Plans and Visions Planting Ideas Plastering Plumbing Plumbing Issues Pool Accessories Pools Power Cut Quilts Quotes Rabbits Real Estate Recycling Relationships rent Renting a Home Retirement Reviews Rodent Problems Romantic Dates Roofing Roofing Contractors Safety tips Saving - for a Home Saving Tips Saving Tips - Water Security Self Improvement Selling Your Home Septic Tanks Shaving System Shaving System - for Men Shopping Shutters Sinks and Countertops Skincare Sleep Small Spaces Sofa Soft Furnishings Solar Energy Solar Panels Soundproofing Space Saving Ideas Spring Ideas SR Stains Steel Storage Ideas Student Life Study Room Summer Survival Tips Taps the UK the USA Toaster Toilet Toolbox Tools Travel Treehouses Trends Trimmer Trimmer - Cordless Trimmer Tubing TV Bench Urban Living Vacation Preparation Valentine's Day Ventilation Video Surveillance Vine Covered Homes Vineyard Vintage-Inspired Walk in Wardrobes Wall Decorations Wallpaper Wardrobes Washing - Clothes Water Water Damage Water Heaters Water Softeners Water Usage Weather Welding Windows Wine Racks Winter Tips Wish List Wood Work Area