Home Design Articles

The vast majority of homes in the US heat their homes with natural gas, which is a fossil fuel and contributes to global warming. In fact, the combined usage of electricity, natural gas and fuel oil accounts for around 7% of all emissions of greenhouse gases in the US. As you can imagine, this is a huge problem and one that isn’t likely to go away soon. What can you do to make your home more efficient though? Are there better ways of heating a home.

Many people have to heat their house up over winter – even when they are not at home – simply because to not heat the home would risk a pipe becoming frozen. A simple answer is to use trace heating and a temperature controller. The controller will only turn on when the temperature falls below a certain level, making it very efficient and prevents wasted energy. Of course, there will be a small upfront cost to buy and install the trace heating, but overall it is bound to save you money in the long run.

Another thing you should think about is insulating your attic. Hot air naturally moves towards cooler regions in order to heat them up, so if you have a cold attic a lot of energy is going to be wasted heating it. This is pointless and a waste of energy unless you have an attic conversion. A simple installation of attic insulation is usually all that’s required to cut down on wasted energy and reduce emissions. This is one of the easiest ways of increasing the energy efficiency of your home, but it is also one of the most effective. Aside from the attic, you should also ensure that the basement is as insulated as possible, as this has a similar effect on the temperature of the house.

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Heating ductwork, the fiberglass or sheet metal tubing above the ceiling or in the floor, is easily one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated things in the home. Although it is right overhead or under your feet, most never gives it a moment’s thought until there is a problem with it. Leaks within your system waste money and energy, as the air is supposed to be directly balanced; flowing evenly into all the rooms in your home. A cost- efficient system distributes air throughout the home, keeping every room at an even pressure flow and temperature. Even the newest ductwork will leak if not properly maintained, but such things such as hiding the ducts in the lower ceiling and in the corners, aid with the cost.

Making sure all the ductwork is properly insulated makes good money sense. When buying a new system make sure it is already insulated. If it is an older system, have a professional come in to perform a maintenance check, especially at the beginning of the winter and summer months. Always change out filters in the fall and spring. If there is air escaping, the system will have to work harder to heat or cool the home, wasting hundreds of dollars. Unless you are a professional, attempting to do the job yourself is probably not a wise decision. However, here are some simple things you can do yourself.

A thorough check includes examining the complete system for air leaks and holes. Look for joints that have become separated. If any are found, use high quality duct tape to seal them; you do not want the tape disintegrating or cracking from age. Make sure to have a barrier on the outer insulation so as not to have moisture vapor accumulate.

Upgrading to a newer system or maintaining your existing system, is vital in keeping the heating and cooling costs down, ultimately preventing pollution and giving you a quieter system. For more great tips on heating and cooling in your home, check out the Heating and Air Guide.

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You would imagine that in today’s world there should probably be minimal call for a heating solution that dates back two and a half centuries and is in fact less convenient when compared with current options. Yet constantly increasing numbers of consumers are actively seeking out wood burners in their assorted guises (wood fired stoves and boilers along with cooking ranges) notwithstanding the extra running and upkeep overheads.

One clear explanation for this trend is definitely financial. The wood burner might be quite a costly product to purchase as well as fit (though not massively in excess of any regular gas boiler system) however the running costs can represent really considerable savings, generally speaking. Non-urban areas specifically, where using the mains utilities can be problematic but timber is usually easily available locally, can provide impressive illustrations of exactly how low-priced wood burning can be.

Yet another happens to be, perhaps paradoxically, the environmental advantages. Burning wood unquestionably emits carbon dioxide into the environment (wood is essentially made of carbon) however this is just the very same carbon that the tree itself earlier soaked up from the atmosphere to begin with. And if, as happens in managed forests and woodlands, another tree is planted to take the place of the one cut for firewood, then it too will soak up an identical quantity of carbon dioxide to that produced by burning.

Quite simply, burning wood could be described as a part of an endlessly renewable cycle. Completely contrary to burning fossil fuels similar to coal and gas, wood burning maintains an important symmetry between the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere and the carbon dioxide getting incessantly locked up again from the growth of new trees.

Following on from the ecological arguments in favour of wood burners, there is the usual issue of official polices plus incentives. Considering the present day attention to carbon emissions as well as the push towards zero-carbon dwellings and workplaces, not only will putting in a wood burning stove help out the process of acheiving any necessary compliance, it can be in lots of situations also actively encouraged and rewarded with financial incentives.

After that of course there is the wide range plus versatility of modern day wood burners. They come in many designs and dimensions (though the conventional black metallic version which looks like the original Franklin stove has proved enduringly popular) and is able to perform quite quite a lot of distinct tasks.

It is possible to own for example, a simple space heating wood stove, one that has a back-boiler which heats your hot water and/or home radiators, one that has an oven along with hobs intended for cooking food, a semi-automatic one fed by means of a wood pellet hopper so you don’t have to continue transporting logs, ones that have electronic timers along with remote controls. And lastly you can actually incorporate most of these varied features within just a single product – the well known Rayburn for instance is styled as a typical kitchen range with oven and hobs, but can in addition warm the room as well as provide hot water and operate your domestic radiators.

Last of all, the primary reason most people would like a wood burner is that there is absolutely nothing to rival the appearance and feel of a real fire. Everyone is naturally attracted to the warmth as well as the flicker from the flames – it is a base instinct that in all likelihood dates back to the dawn of time. As well as the traditional wood burning stove, nowadays there are also a variety of stunning up to date types designed to complement almost any present day home.

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