Airflow 101: What's the Best Way to Ventilate My Attic?

While you should seal up your home to prevent wasteful air leaks, there’s one area in your home that should remain open to airflow -- your attic. During the winter, attic ventilation can help prevent condensation and reduce the formation of ice dams. During the summer, airflow through your attic can remove excess heat, protect roofing shingles and reduce cooling costs.

With these benefits awaiting you, you might be wondering, “What’s the best way to ventilate my attic?” You have two primary options -- natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation.

Natural Ventilation

A combination of soffit vents under the eaves and ridge vents at the peak of your roof lets air naturally flow in at the attic floor and exit through the top of your roof. This is the most common form of natural ventilation found today, although older homes may have louvered vents on gable end walls instead of ridge vents. Cupolas, a vented spire on top of the roof or wind-driven turbines that resemble spiraled mushrooms, are two additional options.

Building codes require your attic to have one square foot of ventilation for every 300 square feet of floor space. Half of your vents should be located at the soffits and the other half on the roof. It’s important to ensure soffit vents remain uncovered by insulation. You can install metal baffles between the rafters to provide an unobstructed path from soffit to ridge vent.

Mechanical Ventilation

If your attic isn't receiving the ventilation it requires, consider installing powered attic fans. Modern attic fans have sophisticated sensors that automatically open louvered vents and power up the ventilator when heat and humidity inside your attic reach a certain level.While this is effective for removing humidity and keeping your attic cooler, you're unlikely to notice significant, if any, energy savings. This is because the cost to run your fan will outweigh the decreased home cooling costs.

Now that you know the answer to the question, “How should I ventilate my attic,” it’s time to put your knowledge to good use. Contact Air Assurance in Broken Arrow for the help you need.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Enrique Ramos/Shutterstock”

Appliance Use Drives Up Energy Costs: Here's a Method for Monitoring

Appliance Use Drives Up Energy Costs: Here's a Method for Monitoring

While the appliances and devices in our homes seem indispensable, appliance use does drive up energy costs. Any appliance that deals with heat, either creating it or removing it, uses more energy than others. The Department of Energy reports that these are the most energy-hungry appliances in your home in the order of the amount they consume:

• Heating and cooling system;

• Water heater;

• Range/oven

• Clothes dryer;

• Swimming pool pump;

• Refrigerator and freezer;

• Desktop computer;

• Television;

• Microwave;

• Dishwasher; and

• Clothes washer.

With the exception of the larger appliances, like your HVAC system, you can estimate appliance use by looking at the tag on the cord, examining the packaging or the appliance itself to find its consumption in watts. For example, a computer monitor may use 150 watts, which means that it will use a kilowatt (kW) in 6.7 hours. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts and likely how your power company notes usage on your bill.A cooling system can use many kWs per hour, since it requires a lot of electricity. Their energy use is measured in amps, but you can multiply the amps by the volts they use (typically 220) to find their kW consumption. For example, a 20 amp air conditioner using 220 volts consumes 4,400 watts, or 4.4 kW.It's difficult to monitor the precise amount of energy your appliances use to estimate costs because electric rates vary, but there are things you can do to reduce consumption, like keeping the HVAC system and water heater clean and professionally serviced at least once a year.Keeping the air filter for the air handler clean lowers the amount of energy your HVAC system uses, as does hosing off the outdoor condenser occasionally. Draining off a quart of water from the water heater every few months takes out the hard water sediments at the bottom, improving efficiency.If you'd like to learn more about how maintenance reduces energy consumption for appliance use, contact Air Assurance. We've provided outstanding HVAC services for the Broken Arrow area for nearly 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Your Water Heater Needs Seasonal Maintenance: Here's How

Your Water Heater Needs Seasonal Maintenance: Here's How

When the seasons shift and it's time to start thinking about preventive maintenance for your HVAC system, expand your attention a little further to appliances such as your water heater. With regular maintenance, your water heater will run more efficiently, at a lower cost, and at a higher level of safety.Flush the tankDuring normal use, sediments and other material will accumulate in the bottom of your water heater's storage tank. Removing these sediments helps prevent damaging rust and corrosion within your water heater. A clean tank also improves system efficiency, which reduces the amount you pay every month for hot-water expenses.A complete tank flush should be performed as part of seasonal preventive maintenance. You can occasionally perform a smaller-scale flush by following these steps:

1. Locate the drain valve near the bottom of the tank. It will likely look like a faucet or similar type of plumbing fixture.

2. Put an empty bucket under the drain.

3. The drain may have a handle or a large slot in a valve designed to be turned by a flat-blade screwdriver. Turn the handle or slotted valve to start a flow of water into the bucket.

4. Drain a few gallons of water from the tank, then shut off the valve and empty the bucket.

Test temperature and pressure (T&P) valveYou should test T&P valve of your water heater regularly to make sure it works properly. The T&P valve is designed to release internal pressure if the water in the heater gets too hot or develops too much pressure. This prevents the water heater from bursting and causing damage or injury.To test the valve, lift up on the handle and release it. The valve should quickly snap back into place, accompanied by a gurgling sound of water moving into the drain. If the valve returns to position slowly or not at all, have your HVAC technician replace it immediately.HVAC customers in Tulsa and Broken Arrow can count on Air Assurance for reliable, expert HVAC sales, maintenance and repair. Contact us today for more information on maintaining your water heater or to schedule a professional maintenance inspection for your hot-water system.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Air Conditioning Season Is Ahead: Don't Skimp on Maintenance

Spring in Broken Arrow means that cooling season is around the corner, and now is the time to schedule preventive maintenance on your air conditioning unit. Annual preventive maintenance by a qualified HVAC technician isn't expensive, and it's an investment that will extend the life of your air conditioner, lower your energy costs and prevent breakdowns and expensive repairs. Your air conditioner tune-up will include these essential tasks:

• Lubricating the motor to prevent friction.

• Testing the controls to ensure your air conditioner cycles on and off properly.

• Adjusting the refrigerant level and testing for leaks.

• Flushing the condensate drain to prevent overflow.

• Checking the blower motor and belts for wear.

• Checking the voltage and amperage for efficiency.

• Cleaning and tightening the electrical connections.

• Cleaning the outdoor condensing unit.

• Recording the operating pressures and temperatures.

• Checking and adjusting the thermostat for accuracy.

• Checking the ductwork for cracks and loose joints.

Air conditioning maintenance doesn't end with your annual tuneup. Throughout the cooling season, there are several things you should do to keep your air conditioner operating efficiently:

• Inspect your air filter each month, and replace it when it's dirty. Your air filter is your first defense against dust buildup in your system, which can inhibit efficiency and cause expensive damage. A clean air filter will also improve your indoor-air quality.

• Keep your outdoor unit clean. Remove debris such as grass and weeds that can restrict airflow, and hose down the unit regularly to remove dirt.

• Keep the area around your indoor unit clean and free of obstructions.

• Make sure your supply and return registers aren't blocked by furniture or drapes, and don't close off more than 20 percent of your registers to save money on energy costs. Blocked registers impede airflow to your system and can cause overheating.

For more expert advice on air conditioning maintenance or to schedule a tune-up with an expert technician, contact Air Assurance. We have proudly served the Broken Arrow area since 1985.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Energy Star's 'Most Efficient' Label: What Does It Mean?

We'll just assume that in the past twenty years, you've purchased an appliance or two adorned with the Energy Star logo. We'll also assume that, unless you've been in the market for a new piece of heating or cooling equipment in the past couple of years, you've never heard of Energy Star's 'Most Efficient' label. Whether you're in the market for new HVAC equipment now or later, it's a good idea to learn about this exciting new program.Redefining energy-efficiency standardsFor two decades, the Energy Star logo has stood for energy efficiency, helping millions of consumers with purchasing equipment that met high standards. As time has passed, however, better technology linked to energy efficiency has allowed more appliances to carry the Energy Star logo than ever before. In fact, this is exactly why the new Most Efficient program began.Lower energy costsEven though the initial cost of a unit backed by Energy Star's 'Most Efficient' label may be higher, you can enjoy years of savings due to the higher efficiency ratings. To illustrate what this means, consider the fact that a furnace's AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating must be a minimum of 97 percent to qualify. Plus, air-source heat pumps must now exceed 65,000 Btu/h (British Thermal Unit per hour) in order to be considered Most Efficient. And when it comes to being awarded the new label, third-party testing must now take place, whereas manufacturers could previously test and certify their own products.Easy to findEnergy Star doesn't want to make it confusing when you shop for new equipment, which is why you can access a list of the 2013 Most Efficient on their website. Not only will you be given a run-down of each unit's capacity, you'll also find details including the estimated annual energy usage, estimated annual cost of operation, and overall capacity of the appliance.For more expert advice about Energy Star's Most Efficient label, or for questions relating to home comfort, please contact the professionals at Air Assurance. We have been serving the HVAC needs of the Greater Tulsa Metropolitan area since 1985.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock