Tag: Heating Tips

Heat Pumps or Gas Furnaces: Which Are Better for Winter Heating?

Posted on | by North Point Air Conditioning & Heating | Leave a Comment on Heat Pumps or Gas Furnaces: Which Are Better for Winter Heating?
Lennox heating and cooling systems displayed on a gravel and wooden platform, emphasizing energy-efficient furnace options for homeowners in Spring, TX.

Homeowners all over the Spring, TX, area know that it gets cold enough here in the winter to make heating necessary. However, they don’t always agree on the best way to heat their homes. Some swear by their tried-and-true gas furnaces, while others insist that heat pumps are a better option. The truth is, however, that both options have strengths and weaknesses. Here are the pros and cons of both heating options so you can come to your own conclusion.

Furnace Advantages and Disadvantages

Modern gas furnaces are among the most efficient home heating systems available. At a minimum, a gas furnace sold today must have an AFUE rating of 80, meaning that it converts 80% of the fuel it uses into heat for your home. However, it’s possible to find furnaces that are 98.5% efficient, too.

On top of their efficiency, gas furnaces are a mature technology that’s relatively easy to maintain. They’re also quite reliable, and it’s reasonable to expect between 15 and 20 years of reliable heating from a new gas furnace.

Gas furnaces aren’t perfect, though. Since they burn natural gas or propane to heat your home, there’s always the possibility of a gas leak. Also, a malfunction in a gas furnace could lead to a buildup of carbon monoxide in your home. If you don’t catch it in time, it could be fatal to everyone inside your home. Fortunately, though, such problems are very uncommon, and most gas furnaces operate safely throughout their lifetimes.

Heat Pump Advantages and Disadvantages

Although gas furnaces are quite efficient, they’re nothing compared to heat pumps. An air-source heat pump can be as much as 300% efficient. That means it will produce 3 units of heat for every unit of electricity it consumes. The secret to that efficiency is that heat pumps don’t use fuel or electricity to produce heat, except when it’s extremely cold outside.

Heat pumps capture available heat energy from the outdoor air and carry it indoors to heat your home. The electricity a heat pump uses merely powers that process. As a result, heat pumps have very low operating costs compared to gas furnaces.
Another advantage of a heat pump is that it can cool your home in the summer. That means having a single HVAC system to use in all seasons. That can lower your household HVAC maintenance costs and help you recoup more of your initial costs over time.

One of the main disadvantages of heat pumps is their initial installation costs, which can be higher than that of a gas furnace. Also, if your home doesn’t have enough insulation, a heat pump might struggle to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. This is because heat pumps don’t generate air that’s quite as hot as a furnace might. That makes them less adept at overcoming cold drafts and other heat losses in your home. They work best when you set them at a single temperature and leave it there for the duration of the heating season.

Choosing Between Furnaces and Heat Pumps

In truth, both furnaces and heat pumps are excellent ways to heat your home. So, there’s nothing wrong with choosing either solution, depending on your personal preferences. If your home already has a gas furnace and it needs replacing, it’s often cheaper and simpler to buy a new furnace.

However, if you want a heating solution that offers maximum efficiency, you can’t beat a heat pump. Plus, since we typically don’t have very cold winters here in Spring, TX, heat pumps work especially well here. You’ll just need to have a professional installer make certain that your home’s insulation will support the use of a heat pump. If not, you’ll need to resolve the issue first.

Trust the Home Heating Specialists

The best news about all of this is the fact that no matter which option you choose, North Point Air Conditioning & Heating can help you install it. We’ve served the Spring, TX, area since 1978, and offer complete heating, cooling, and insulation services throughout the area. So, whether you opt for a new furnace or a heat pump, or if you’d like to keep the heating system you have operating at peak efficiency, North Point Air Conditioning & Heating is the place to turn.

For all of your furnace and heat pump installation and service needs, contact North Point Air Conditioning & Heating today!

Holiday Heating Tips to Help Make Your Home Merry and Bright

Posted on | by North Point Air Conditioning & Heating | Leave a Comment on Holiday Heating Tips to Help Make Your Home Merry and Bright

With the holiday season in full swing, now is a great time to start thinking about all of the fun traditions that take place during this time of year. In the midst of all of these traditions, though, it’s important to keep in mind your Spring home’s comfort.

Otherwise, in the midst of the busyness, you could easily overlook this important responsibility, leading either to an uncomfortable home or unusually high utility bills. With a few strategic holiday heating tips from North Point Air Conditioning & Heating, though, you’ll be able to balance comfort with efficiency all season long.

Use Your Oven

Running your oven uses quite a bit of electricity. With holiday cooking in full swing, though, you’ll likely be using your oven quite frequently. To help add a little heat to your home, you can open your oven after the cooking is done and allow it to vent into your kitchen. This ensures that the heat isn’t wasted and could reduce the amount that your furnace operates for a period of time.

Check Your Air Filter

Many traditional holiday activities, including decorating, cooking, and having get-togethers, can release extra dust into your home. To ensure that your HVAC system’s air filter can keep up with this increased demand, it’s a good idea to check your air filter before the season gets into full swing. If the filter is showing signs that it’s starting to become saturated with dust, the pros at North Point Air Conditioning & Heating recommend that you go ahead and replace it so that you don’t forget about it during all the hustle and bustle.

Take Advantage of Your Fireplace

Nothing rounds out your home’s holiday decor like a crackling fireplace. There’s something special about gathering your family around the fireplace during the holidays and spending time roasting marshmallows or reminiscing about holiday seasons of the past. Take advantage of these special moments and utilize your fireplace to provide the bulk of the warmth in your home instead of depending on your furnace. The best part is that at the end of the evening, everyone can head to bed and snuggle under their covers to stay warm in the cool house.

Find Good Routings for Cords

If you put up holiday lights on your home’s exterior, you’ll need a way to provide power to those lights. If you have an outdoor outlet, this is the best way to do the job. However, if you don’t have an outdoor outlet, you may need to run an extension cord through a door or window opening so that you can run power from inside your home. Doing this, though, could allow a lot of hot air to escape from your home. Therefore, do what the pros at North Point Air Conditioning & Heating do and install some extra insulation to fill in any large gaps created by the extension cord so that your home can stay comfortable.

Have Your Furnace Maintained

The last thing you want to do is to wake up on Christmas or another holiday and discover that your furnace has failed. To prevent this from happening, it’s a good idea to have your furnace maintained by North Point Air Conditioning & Heating before the holiday rush begins. With a thorough top-to-bottom inspection and basic maintenance of essential parts, you can have confidence that your furnace will run smoothly during the holiday season and throughout the rest of the winter.

Account for Your Unusual Schedule

During the holidays, many people find themselves operating on unusual schedules. If that’s true of you, it’s important to reprogram your thermostat to account for the different times you’ll be at home. This will ensure that you’re able to stay comfortable and don’t come home to a cold house when you arrive unexpectedly early. For increased control over your home’s temperature, we at North Point Air Conditioning & Heating recommend a smart thermostat that allows you to control your home’s temperature when you’re away from home.

Add a Humidifier

As the weather turns colder, you’ll likely notice your skin drying out due to a lack of moisture in the air. To help overcome this problem in your home, you can add a humidifier. In addition to keeping you comfortable, a humidifier can help keep you healthy so that you’re feeling well for all of the special holiday events. Plus, if you opt for a real tree in your home, a humidifier will help the tree stay fresh for longer.

Your Holiday Home Experts

At North Point Air Conditioning & Heating, we understand that HVAC needs don’t take the holidays off. That’s why we remain committed to responding quickly to any home comfort need that you might have during the holidays, whether you need furnace maintenance, air conditioner installation, or insulation installation. You can count on our 40-plus years of experience to guide us to get the job done correctly the first time, which is one reason why we consistently receive five-star customer reviews. For more holiday heating tips, contact us at North Point Air Conditioning & Heating today.