Heating and cooling systems consume a large percentage of your energy bills. To save money on these costs, it makes sense to find alternatives that deliver no less on the job. If you’re also moving into a new home, getting an efficient system from the start saves you the price of a future replacement.
Thus, this article explores the most efficient heating system for your home in California, showing you a variety of choices and how each works. We also examine tips for improving energy efficiency in your home. Continue reading to learn more.
Most Efficient Heating System for Your Home in California
Below is a selection of heating systems and their features to enable you to pick the best for your California home.
Heat Pumps
A heat pump is an energy-efficient option for heating your home. It serves dual purposes such that in summer, it cools your whole home working in reverse during winter.
The heat pump expels cold from the inside by replacing it with cool air. It circulates warmth using electricity. Heat pumps typically have a lower carbon footprint than other sources and operate consistently all year round.
Ductless Mini-splits
Like the name implies, this system does not rely on ducts to transfer air. Instead, it has indoor and outdoor components that carry air to and from an area. The system enables you to prevent energy loss from leakages along duct lines and gaps left by window units. It also makes it easier to connect to rooms that would otherwise have been difficult with ducts.
Ductless heating is a great fit for new additions to your home, an attic, bedrooms, and any other places that your heating system is unconnected to.
Furnace
Usually located in your garage or attic, the furnace relies on a system of ducts to carry heat to places in your home. There are two types:
Natural Gas Furnace
A gas furnace is a cost-saving option as gas has a lower price than electricity. It is a great choice for homes that tend to be larger and colder. However, it is not as energy-efficient as other heating options.
Electric Furnace
These are more efficient than their natural gas counterparts. But electricity costs also make them an expensive alternative.
Dual Fuel Systems
Dual fuel systems rely on twin energy sources to heat your home. When the weather is mild, the system uses electricity, but in cold outdoor temperatures, it switches to gas. This helps you to save costs and optimize energy use.
Energy Efficiency Tips for Your California Home
In addition to discovering the most efficient heating system for your home in California, below are tips you could use to create energy efficiency.
Radiant Heating
With radiant heating, you can determine what parts of your house you heat, so you’re not expending energy on unused areas. This method saves you a large percentage of your utility bill.
Sealed Combustion Boilers
Sealed boilers enable your furnace to be more energy-efficient as they work with outdoor rather than indoor air. This helps to prevent heat loss.
Geothermal Heat Pumps
Geothermal heat pumps use underground heat to warm your home. The pumps draw heat from water flowing through underground pipes. If your home uses a radiator heating system, you might want to consider this option.
Radiant Floor Heating
Radiant floor heating is a great option when you’re remodeling or building a new home. The system reduces heat loss and adds comfort to your living space. In addition to these, it gives you more room as it discards vents and radiators.
High-efficiency Boilers
By replacing an older boiler with a new one, you can save as much as 30% on your energy bill. Not only this, you can lower your carbon footprint by getting a boiler with a 90+ AFUE rating.
Properly Sized Boilers for Your Home
Energy efficiency can also be determined by whether your boiler is of the appropriate size. To know if your boiler is the right fit, consult an HVAC expert to learn more.
The Thermostat
Additionally, lowering your thermostat reduces the energy your system consumes. Your thermostat should be set to 70 during cold seasons for comfort.
Other Ways to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Heating System
Seal Gaps within Your Home
To maximize energy use by your heating system, it is important to close avenues that create a loss. To this end, locate cracks through which air enters and exits your home. These include spaces between doors and windows, cracks around your foundation, entry points for pipes and utilities.
Apply weatherstripping to seal these points. However, note that different kinds of weatherstripping work for different parts of the home. The exterior parts, such as the garage, may require a specific type than the inside.
Use Your Curtains to Retain Heat
During the day, leaving your curtains and drapes open can allow natural heat to warm your home. The heat reduces the workload on your heater by raising the temperature within the room. When sunlight fades, draw your curtains closed to keep the warmth inside, saving you energy.
Do an Inspection of Your Furnace Before Winter
Ahead of the cold season, it is best to conduct an inspection of your heating system. Inviting an HVAC professional to assess the equipment before time can save high costs in repair and maintenance. Asides from that, you could also run checks to uncover any threats to its functionality.
Parts such as filters and vents should be the focus here. Ensure that your filters are free of dirt and other blocking matter. If needed, replace your filters.
Free Airflow for Your Vents
Another way to maximize airflow is to ensure that your vents can circulate air freely. It would help if you moved any furniture or drapes blocking the pathway to accommodate the heat. Where this is impossible, you can install vent extenders to allow airflow from beneath your furniture.
Check Your Home’s Insulation
While it may seem unnecessary to retrofit an installation you already have, it is important to note that insulation depletes over time. As technology evolves, manufacturers are making new improvements every day. It will therefore be worth the expense if you invest in new insulation for your home.
Expend Less Energy on Heating Water
You may also want to regulate the energy you expend on heating water in the fall. Usually, between 110 and 120 degrees is adequate for washing uses. Check your water heater, therefore, to ensure a minimal setting.
You could also imbibe wrapping a blanket around your heater to conserve energy. You can find insulation of this type in department stores.
Your Ceiling Fan
Another important tip for improving energy efficiency is maximizing your ceiling fan. To ensure better circulation of heat, run your fan in a clockwise rotation such that cold air is drawn up and heat rebounds into your living space.
The Fireplace
While keeping your interior warm, fireplaces can also be a major path for heat loss. Loose dampers or damaged chimneys can cause heat to be sucked from your living area. To prevent that, it is important to keep your chimney in top working condition.
You can also explore the option of installing a glass door over the fireplace opening to retain heat. In addition, closing the opening when the fireplace is not in use will prevent drafts.
More on Heat Pumps for Your California Home
Heat pumps are easily one of the most efficient heating systems for your home in California. This is because of their multipurpose nature and the affordable costs they attract. Heat pump technology also develops by the day with equivalent increases in energy efficiency.
Below are some of the benefits of using a heat pump in your California home.
Safer to Use
Heat Pumps rely on electricity to operate. This is in contrast with other combustion-based systems like furnaces and oil or gas boilers. In effect, you have fewer safety issues to worry about.
Lesser Environmental Consequences
Heat pumps have a lower carbon footprint than other systems. There is an efficient conversion of energy to heat, ensuring that you emit less carbon into the atmosphere. Water source heat pumps, for instance, can reach an efficiency of as high as 600 per cent.
Longer Lifespan
Heat pumps have an extended lifespan. They are expected to last for around 50 years though the average is close to 15 years. Regardless, heat pumps are highly reliable and can be trusted to supply heat consistently.
Running Costs
Heat pumps can be expensive to install. However, in the long term, buying one is a great investment as the energy-efficient nature saves you money on your utility bill. It also incurs lesser operating costs than fuel-reliant systems.
Availability of Incentives
As pumps are a better alternative for climate sustainability, manufacturers and governments attach benefits to purchasing one. For instance, California offers incentives for choosing greener heating options.
Cooling Needs
Despite the expectation of pumps as a heat-only source, they can also be used during warm seasons to provide cooling. Heat pumps are heaters during the cold and cooling systems in the opposite. This makes the system a much better investment.
Disadvantages of Heat Pumps
To enable you to weigh your options on the most efficient heating system for your home in California, here are some disadvantages of getting a heat pump.
Incurs High Costs
A factor that might discourage you from using a heat pump is the cost of the equipment and installation. However, getting a unit would amount to long-term investment as expenses are recovered in the form of lesser utility bills.
Requires Substantial Work to Install
This is especially applicable to ground-source heat pumps. Research has to be conducted to determine the movement of heat in your environment and the specific needs of your home.
The Installation Procedure
Installing a heat pump can also require structural interference with your house. There may be penetration of your building and disruption of your garden.
Schedule a Call Today With Bear Valley Plumbing in Big Bear, CA!!
So far, we have examined varieties of heating systems in this article. We have also looked at tips for achieving energy efficiency on your heating systems, highlighting the benefits of heat pumps in the following section. But while these may be sufficient to help you determine the most efficient heating system for your California home, we must also mention that your unit will be based on the particular needs of your home.
Thus, size and building layout will play a central role in installing equipment. Unsure of your heating needs? Contact us at Big Bear for a free evaluation of your home.
If you are looking for a Big Bear plumbing, heating & air conditioning contractor, please call (909) 584-4376 or complete our online request form.
Category: Heating
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