Posts Tagged ‘Furnace and duct cleaning’

Heating Fort McMurray

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

Here in Fort McMurray, which is located in Northern Alberta Canada heating your home is a major concern as temperatures can drip below -50 in the dead of winter.

Fort McMurray is lucky to have many heating and air conditioning companies that service the local residents as well as our booming oil industry. Here are a few of the local companies and contact numbers:

Fort mcmurray Plumbing & Heating Ltd
www.fmplumbing.ca (780) 743-2181

Adams Heating
(780) 714-5110

Professional Mechanical Ltd
(780) 743-4877

H & H Plumbing & Heating Ltd
(780) 743-8817

AAA Plumbing Heating Gas Fitting Air Conditioning Refrigeration Ltd
(780) 714-9001

B & K Refrigeration Air Conditioning & Heating Ltd
(780) 790-1474

Alberta Industrial Sheet Metal
(780) 743-2819

Action Imperial Plumbing & Heating
(780) 799-7201

JCS Plumbing & Heating Ltd (FMY)
(780) 598-7261

Alcor Management Inc
www.alcorfacilities.com (780) 743-1343

Here at A-1 Ductworks we are cleaning professionals that have proper knowledge for maintaining your heating and air conditioning systems but if you need repairs or replacements please contact one of the reputable companies from above. If you have excessive dust contact us we are a Fort Mcmurray local company and would be very happy to serve you.

I get asked very often, When is it time to replace my heating system?

My answer comes in the form of questions such as:

1. Is your furnace system more than 10 years old?

If your furnace is more than 10 years old you might want to consider a newer unit for the energy savings alone. Installed correctly, high-efficiency units can save up to 20 percent on heating and cooling costs.

2. Some rooms in your home are too hot or too cold.

Improper equipment operation, duct problems or inadequate insulation could be the cause.

3. Your home has humidity problems.

Poor equipment operation, inadequate equipment, and leaky ductwork can cause the air to be too dry in the winter or too humid in the summer.

4. Your home has excessive dust.

Leaky ducts can pull particles and air from attics, crawl spaces and basements and distribute them throughout your house. Sealing your ducts and having the system professionally duct cleaned may be a solution.

5. Your score on the Home Energy Yardstick is below five.

I hope that these tips help you make your decision to replace or just properly maintain your fort mcmurray heating system this year and keep warm during the upcoming heating season.

That means your energy use at home is above average and you’re probably paying more than you need to on energy bills.

What is a SEER Rating?

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Air conditioning is a great home feature to have during the hot Summer months, sleeping through the night is made much easier and it seems every friend that you have shows up when the mercury hit 28 degrees or more.

Well how do you keep the cool air flowing well not spending a fortune? Well it all starts with SEER. The efficiency of a air conditioning system is measured by it’s SEER rating “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio”. This rating is set by Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute.The higher the SEER rating the more efficient the air conditioning system.

A SEER rating is the Btu rating cooling output during a typical cooling season divided by the total electric energy input in watt hours during the same period.

For example, consider a 5000 BTU/h air-conditioning unit, with a SEER of 10, operating for a total of 1000 hours during an annual cooling season (e.g., 8 hours per day for 125 days).

The annual total cooling output would be:

5000 BTU/h * 8 h/day * 125 days = 5,000,000 BTU

With a SEER of 10, the annual electrical energy usage would be about:

5,000,000 BTU / 10 BTU/W·h = 500,000 W·h

The average power usage may also be calculated more simply by:

Average power = (BTU/h) / (SEER, BTU/W·h) = 5000 / 10 = 500 W

If your electricity cost is 20¢/kW·h, then your operating cost is:

0.5 kW * 20¢/kW·h = 10¢/h

Hope this helps clear up SEER ratings for everyone interested. So now that you know you can stay cool for less money with some informed shopping before installing your air conditioning system.

A-1 Ductworks is a Furnace and Duct Cleaning Company that specializes in Indoor Air Quality for the Fort McMurray Alberta Area. Contact us at 780-598-5966 for free estimates on Indoor Air Quality products and services