There are many way to reduce your energy bills through more efficient heating. You can install a new thermostat with better control features, maintain lower temperatures and add an extra layer of clothing, have improved insulation placed in the attic, and schedule regular maintenance for your heating system to keep it running effectively.

In this post, we’ll look at some of the larger ways to save energy with heating system installation. Call Clean Air Act today to talk about all of these and more options for superior energy-saving heating in Portland, OR.

3 heating system options that can save energy

1. High efficiency small ductwork systems: This upgrade in your ductwork goes a long way toward cutting down on the amount of heat lost through a standard ventilation system. The small ducts take up a third less space than standard ductwork (which means they’ll work for many homes that couldn’t fit ducts at all), and with 65% less surface area for the heated air to pass, there is far less heat loss on the way to the vents. They also have custom gasket connectors that reduce air leaking common in standard ductwork.
2. High velocity heating systems: One of the problems of standard forced-air heaters like furnaces and heat pumps is that the heated air they send into rooms rises and gathers at the ceiling, taking longer to fill up the room with warmth and often leaving cold pockets. High efficiency systems send out the air at speeds around 2000 feet per second, which generates currents inside a room that eliminate cold pockets of air and distribute heat quickly. You will need to run your heating system far less with this sort of delivery system. (As a bonus, high velocity heating creates far less noise than standard forced-air systems.)
3. Geothermal systems: If you want to take a big step toward energy savings and benefiting the environment, look into have a geothermal heat pump installed in your home and property. Geothermal heating is stable and reliable thanks to the consistent temperature of the earth where the coils run. They have very little energy loss, and even with the higher expense of installation, the savings from a geothermal system are so high that it will pay for itself in 5–10 years… and last another 30–40 years after that.

Find the right way to save money with your heating

Not all of the above options will work with every home. You will need HVAC specialists to assist you with finding the best way to bring energy-saving heating to you. Talk to our skilled technicians at Clean Air Act today to start on the road toward better heating in Portland, OR that will cut down on your energy bills.

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How clean is the air in your home? Before you answer, think about how much dust develops around the rooms in your home and how often you need to clean it. Whenever you wipe off a thick accumulation of dust from a shelf or countertop, consider that this debris was floating around in your home’s air, cycling through your ventilation system. Unless you can have your windows and doors open during the greater part of each day—impossible in Oregon—you’ll have an issue with the quality of your indoor air, and it can lead to health problems along with a dusty home.

However, even though these contaminants gather in the vents attached to your heater, you can use your heater as a tool to clean the air. It only takes a few basic additions that top Portland, OR heating services can install for you. At Clean Air Act, we take our name seriously: we’re ready to help you make your heater a helper in keeping your air clean.

Here are ways to make your heater part of the solution:

• Air cleaners: An easy addition to your heater that will take care of the problem of larger particles of dust and dirt circulating in your indoor air. Your heater already has a basic filter installed; this is not for air quality, but to protect the interior of the heater’s cabinet. Installing HEPA filters will provide protection from particles down to 0.3 microns, which will trap most of the dirt that can get into your air. You can also install more advanced electronic filters, which ionize that air to capture even smaller particles and help remove gaseous pollutants like smoke and exhaust.
• Dehumidifiers: One of the major threats to your indoor air quality that can develop inside your home’s ductwork is the growth of microbacteria: mold, mildew, viruses, and fungus. Excess humidity entering the ductwork promotes the growth of these hazardous pollutants. However, installing a special dehumidifier to your heating system will lower the humidity inside the ducts to keep these problems from developing. A dehumidifier runs the air that circulates through your ventilation system through evaporator coils that remove the moisture from the air. Dehumidifiers are easy to install for professionals.
• Humidifiers: Air that is too dry is also of poor quality. When the air in your home becomes too arid, it can create skin problems, eye and nose irritation, sleeping difficulty, and an increase in cold symptoms. If dry air becomes an issue because your heater is removing too much moisture from the air, professionals can install a whole-house humidifier to your heating system.

It’s easy to schedule installation: contact Clean Air Act today! Our professional heating services in Portland, OR are an important part of our dedication to better indoor air quality.

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In the long history of home heating, the system that has stayed the most popular is the furnace. You probably have spent most of your life with a furnace keeping you warm. Furnaces have many advantages, but they aren’t the only heating system available now. Just because furnaces are the most common heater doesn’t mean you necessarily should select one for your next installation—especially if you have moved to a new house or are planning to construct one.

Let’s go over 3 alternate options to the standard furnace that you should consider among the many heating systems in Portland, OR. Each of these offers attractive benefits, and one may be the ideal choice for your home. For help selecting, sizing, and installing a new heater, contact our heating specialists at Clean Air Act today.

Heat pumps

Heat pumps operate similar to air conditioners: using the exchange of heat from one location to another to raise the temperature of a home. In fact, heat pumps are air conditioners… except they can switch the direction they move heat. This means that a heat pump gives you both heating and air conditioning in one package. They also run at superior heating efficiency compared to a furnace and will reduce your annual heating bill. Heat pumps have the drawback of losing heating efficiency during extremely cold weather, but the winter climate in Oregon should not pose any serious problems for them.

Geothermal heat pumps

Geothermal systems are heat pumps that use the earth instead of the air as the medium for heat exchange. Refrigerant cycles through underground coils to move heat from the earth to inside your home. (During warm weather, the process reverses.) Geothermal systems are incredibly energy efficient, quiet, safe, and environmentally friendly. However, they won’t work for every property and require extensive work to install.

High velocity heating systems

This is one of the newer advances in heating technology, and it represents an exciting advance over standard forced-air systems that use ductwork. These systems operate like heat pumps, but instead of channeling the heated/cooled air through large ducts, they use small, flexible tubes that fit easily into walls and ceilings. The air enters rooms at high speeds, creating convection currents that more evenly and effectively spread heat without creating pockets of cold air. They operate much quieter than standard heat pumps.

So what sort of heating system should you have installed? It depends on your home and your budget goals. Matching you to the right heater requires professional input and installation, so don’t try to make the choice on your own. For excellent installation of heating systems in Portland, OR, call Clean Air Act today.

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The technology of home heating is a constantly advancing field. Although many older heating systems still remain popular because of their flexibility and reliability—such as furnaces—new technology continues to become available to homeowners that gives them methods to find better comfort than ever before. One of these new systems now gaining popularity is the high velocity heating system.

We’ll explain briefly how high velocity heating systems work and how they can benefit your heating. For information about having a high velocity system installed, contact the Portland, OR heating system technicians at Clean Air Act today.

The high velocity system and how it can benefit you

A high velocity system, also called a small duct high velocity system (SDHV), uses high pressure forced air delivery through a network of mini-ducts that are much smaller than the standard ducts used for furnaces and heat pumps. By creating areas of high pressure, a SDHV is able to send out conditioned air from its ducts at extremely high velocity levels (2000 ft/sec) while using only half the airflow of a regular system.

What are the main advantages?

• Less dust build-up: Because air is continually circulated from a constant fan, dust and other debris in the air will not build up inside the mini-ducts and can be easily filtered out. This means higher quality indoor air in your home.
• Even temperatures: Standard forced-air systems blow hot air into a room, where it rises first to the ceiling. A high velocity system moves air from a high pressure area to a low pressure area at such a speed that it creates currents that distribute the air evenly from floor to ceiling. No more hot or cold spots.
• Easier installation: Mini-ducts are small enough to install within your existing walls without major construction. You don’t have to redesign your home in order to fit larger ducts.
• Quiet operation: Although you might think that something that’s “high velocity” would make a great deal of noise, these systems run much quieter than other air handlers. With noise dampeners, the sound can be reduced to nothing.

Look into high velocity installation

A high velocity system may sound too good to be true, but they’re real and they work. But before you rush out to have one installed, contact experts to look over your house and see if a high velocity heating system is the best choice for you and your budget. Contact Clean Air Act and let our trained staff help you with your heating in Portland, OR.

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