What Are the Most Modern Options in Solar Heating?

Solar energy, one of the trendy eco-friendly energy sources available, is making major inroads into the HVAC industry. You can now use it to provide new heating alternatives for homes and other buildings. Pairing solar heating systems with conventional systems can help you reduce your energy bills significantly. Read on to learn about the solar heating optionsavailable today.

Room Air Heaters

Room air heaters come with a black metal plate that absorbs solar heat, which then heats an air collector. The collector can be installed on a south-facing wall or roof. A fan or blower draws air from your room through this collector and then blows the heated air back into the room. You can use a room air heater to heat more than one room.

Transpired Solar Air Collectors

These systems have dark, perforated, heat-conducting material installed over a south-facing wall. The sun-warmed perforations heat the air that the fan pushes through them and into the building. Transpired systems are best suited for large buildings that have high ventilation loads.

Liquid Solar Collectors

Liquid-based solar collectors use antifreeze, water, or other types of liquid to absorb solar energy. At an appropriate time, a controller activates the circulating pump to move the liquid through the collector. The heated fluid flows to a storage tank for later use or to a heat exchanger for instant use.

Common types of liquid solar collectors include:

• Flat-plate collectors

• Evacuated tube collectors

• Concentrating solar systems

Radiant Floor

Solar heat can be distributed using a radiant floor system. The system comprises a network of tubes embedded in a concrete slab floor. A solar-heated liquid flows through the pipes and radiates heat to your room. A standard water heater or conventional boiler can provide backup heat for the fluid.

While solar systems can help you reduce your HVAC bills, their efficiency will be dependent on how your contractor designs and installs them. For more information on solar heating, contact us at Air Assurance. We've provided heating and cooling services to Broken Arrow residents since 1985.

Reduce A/C Costs With Solar Shades

As the A/C blasts away at the oppressive heat of summer, your power bills fly through the roof. It seems like you’re left with two choices: turn it down and sweat, or leave it at a comfortable level and break the bank. Solar shades provide one attractive option to stay cool and keep money in your pocket.

What Are Solar Shades?

Solar shades are window coverings that are designed to block UV radiation from entering a home, along with most of the heat from direct sunlight. Though lightweight compared to traditional insulated window covering panels, the solar shade offers a marked reduction in heat transfer throughout the year.

What Do They Look Like?

Unlike solid and often dark blackout curtains or insulated panels, solar shades bring an airy feeling to a room because natural light can still enter. In fact, some solar shade designs allow a perfectly unobstructed view of the outdoors while keeping your home comfort costs down. They are available in a wide range of neutral colors and chic, modern designs.

How Will They Benefit My Home?

For a solution that costs relatively little, solar shades offer a lot of different benefits aside from lower energy bills. These include:

• Reduced damage from UV rays inside the house. From faded upholstery to a higher risk of skin cancer, excessive UV is bad news in your interior spaces.

• Fewer “hot spots” throughout your home. Ever had the thermometer show a perfect indoor temperature, yet you’re still uncomfortably warm? That’s often caused by weak points in your home’s insulation – usually inefficient windows – that allow the outdoor heat to seep in.

• Lower A/C maintenance costs. The less you run your air conditioning unit, the less seasonal maintenance it requires.

• Less glare on interior surfaces. Direct sunlight bounces off of TV screens, mirrors, glass, and other reflective surfaces, causing painfully bright spots. Solar shades reduce eye strain and discomfort by preventing too-bright light from entering your home.

For more information on solar shades and other ways to reduce cooling costs in your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.

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HVAC Terms Every Oklahoma Homeowner Should Know

HVAC technicians go through years of training because there’s so much knowledge to take in. It’s not practical to expect the average Oklahoma homeowner to have all this information. However, Air Assurance has some terms that can give consumers a great advantage in finding the best equipment, service and savings.AFUE stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. It’s a measurement for a furnace’s efficiency. AFUE percentages rate how much heat the furnace produces compared to how much energy it takes to operate. A high efficiency furnace with an AFUE of 95 percent converts 95 percent of the fuel it consumes into usable heat.  So in simple terms, for every dollar you pay the gas company to heat your home, $.95 cents is actually getting into the home while only $.05 cents is wasted.  A unit that is over 20 years old is typically rated around 60 AFUE.  This means that $.40 cents of every dollar is wasted through flu venting, pilot lights, insulation of the furnace cabinet, or thicker heat exchangers that trap the heat longer.SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. SEER measures the efficiency of air conditioners. It is similar to AFUE in that it measures how much cool air the units produce against how much energy they consume. High efficiency air conditioners with SEERs from around 16 to 23 get great “miles per gallon.”  A system that is 20 years old is typically rated around 6 SEER. The minimum manufactured SEER rating today is 13.  This could equal nearly 40% in cooling savings annually!MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. This measurement applies to air filters. A high MERV rating means the filter traps more particles. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using a MERV 13 is ideal, as it can trap many airborne particles and allergens.Higher MERV filters are more restrictive, and can inhibit airflow in your system. This can strain your equipment, so before running right out for a high MERV, be sure to get the advice of a qualified technician who can match a filter to your system.  Note: Interesting point, Merv ratings are not governed, therefore each manufacturer can claim different Merv ratings according to different variables such as slower air flow, particle size, etc. Air Assurance has done the testing on all the filters available which is why they recommend the filters they do.  This is also the reason our technicians carry our own Clean-Climate Filters.  Built to our specs according to the most efficient air flow and particulate cleaning possible without harming your system.NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence. NATE is a third-party, non-profit organization providing testing and certification to HVAC technicians nationwide. The tests cover areas of the HVAC field, such as heat pumps, air distribution and air conditioning. When you work with a certified NATE technician you can be sure the service is up to national standards, and that you’re not taking chances with your contractor.  Air Assurance was the first company in the country to offer their customers 100% NATE certified technicians.Understanding these four terms can help you make an educated decision on equipment and contractors, so you’ll be sure to get the most “bang for your buck.” Call Air Assurance if you have more HVAC questions. We’re happy to help!Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide. Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website or see our current promotions.