Posts Tagged ‘Heating’

Miami Heating Tip: How Zone Control Can Benefit Your Heating System

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Are you thinking of upgrading your heating system with a zone control system in your Miami? The heating experts at Air On Demand can help you out with this get more out of your forced air heating system and get better overall home efficiency with zone control. Call us any time to set up a consultation.

How does it work?

Zone control systems can be integrated into your forced air heating system. First, dampers are installed inside your ductwork, and these can be open or closed by a control board. When they are open, that area or “zone” will get more heat, but when they are closed, less heat is sent to that room. This is more effective than simply closing off vents or closing doors because it adjusts the air pressure inside the air ducts. When you simply shut off a room, there isn’t enough airflow, which can cause other problems.

Energy Savings

Depending on how many zones you want, you can save a lot of energy by not heating your entire home at once. If you aren’t sure, call Air On Demand for advice. When you hire one of our qualified technicians, the technician will test efficiency levels and fully assess your current system. Once we make our recommendations and install the zone control, we will make sure you know how to use the zone control system and the various thermostats to get the most energy savings.

Call the Miami heating experts at Air On Demand for Zone Control Installation and Service!

In addition to installation, we can also repair or maintain your zone control for lasting results. Whether you want to retrofit your current forced air heating system, or you need a new heating system for a home you are building, call Air On Demand for all your Miami zone control needs.

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Why Should I Care About My Home’s Ductwork? A Miami Heating and Air Conditioning Guide

Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Forced-air heating systems like furnaces or electric heat strips are extremely popular in Miami. They provide reliable and relatively cheap heating for your home. They also require little maintenance to keep them running well. However, there is one aspect of those systems that are rarely considered: the duct work. At Air On Demand, we do a lot of work on ducts in the Miami area. We thought it would be helpful if we put together some of the reasons why people should pay attention to their ducts.

Why Is Ductwork Important?

Well, the ducts are an essential part of your heating and air conditioning system. They deliver the heated and cooled air to each of your rooms. They have a critical job to do and without proper maintenance, your whole home can suffer.

Duct Leaks, Pinches and Cracks

Without proper maintenance and care, your ducts can start to cause a lot of problems for your home. Here just a few of them:

  • Wasted heat – You pay good money to heat the air in your home. In order to get from your furnace or AC system to your rooms, that air has to travel through your ducts. If your ducts have leaks or cracks in them, that heat could be escaping to the outside. This is obviously wasteful and undesirable.
  • Reduced efficiency – During a proper installation of ductwork, the heating contractor will try to make sure that the ducts take the shortest and straightest route from the air handler to each room. However, with a bad installation job, your ductwork might have unnecessary bends or even pinches in it. This makes it harder for the air handler to push the air and reduces efficiency.
  • Contaminants – While it is a good idea to let fresh air in from outside, you want to be able to control the quality of the air that comes in. If your ducts have cracks or are leaking, you might be letting in air that is filled with contaminants. This can lower the quality of your air and might increase the negative effects of allergens.

If you have any questions about the ducts in your home in Miami, contact the experts at Air On Demand. We have years of experience offering working with ducts throughout the Miami  area. Call us today!

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Special Heating Considerations in Miami

Monday, November 26th, 2012

Miami is not a place where you would expect many people to be concerned about their heating system. With so much hot weather, it’s something that we can easily forget…until we need it. At Air On Demand, we specialize in making our customers comfortable—even on those few nights when we need to turn on our heaters in Miami. We put together some of the unique considerations that go into heating your home here in Miami.

Which Heating System is Best?

This is probably the main consideration for homes in Miami. Because we don’t need heating that often, it’s hard to figure out which heating system would be best suited for that kind of application. Here are some of the common heating systems that we see people using in the Miami area.

  • Electric Heating Strips – Electric heat strips consist of a series of coils that produce heat almost exactly like your toaster does. They can be plugged into the air handler of your air conditioner. When needed, the fan for your AC is turned on and the coils heat up and heat the air as it passes over them. There are two main advantages of this system: first, it doesn’t require any new equipment and second, it is a pretty simple and reliable system.
  • Heat Pumps – Heat pumps are a great option for Miami because they can both cool and heat your home. You don’t need to do anything else. You just switch the system to Heat.
  • Furnaces – Obviously, furnaces are a stand-alone system. They are durable and reliable heating systems that provide consistent heating to your home.

If you have any questions about your heating system in Miami, talk to the heating experts at Air On Demand. We have years of experience working with heating systems in Miami. We can help you work out any kinks that are in your heating system and make sure that you stay comfortable all year long.

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Get the Most Out of Your Panasonic Ductless Split in Miami

Monday, November 19th, 2012

What do you want from the heating and air conditioning system in your Miami home?  You want it to heat and cool your home; you want it to be durable; and you want it to be efficient. These are features that come standard with the Panasonic ductless mini split systems. We want our customers to be comfortable all year long. which is why we recommend Panasonic ductless mini split systems. Below we’ve outlined some of the benefits of ductless split systems and how you can make sure that you’re getting the most out of your system.

How Ductless Mini Split Systems Work

With a ductless mini split system, each room has its own evaporator coil, there is no need for ducts. This unit circulates air inside the room and either heats or cools the air. This unit is connected to a condensing unit that is located outside your home.

Zone Control

One of the main advantages of the Panasonic ductless mini split system is that it offers complete zone control in your home. Because each room has its own unit, you can turn on the units that you need to use. For example, if you know that you’re only going to use the living room and kitchen for the whole day, you can turn off the units in the other rooms. This saves you the energy of having to heat or cool the rooms that you aren’t using.

Efficiency

Ductless mini split systems also offer a high degree of efficiency for your home. A furnace uses a fuel source, like natural gas, to generate heat. But with Panasonic’s ductless mini split system, it simply moves heat from one place to another. In cooling mode, the ductless mini split system moves heat from inside your home to the outside. In heating mode, it does just the opposite: it takes heat from the outside air and moves it into your home.

If you have any questions about Panasonic ductless mini split system in Miami, call the experts at Air On Demand. If you’re interested in capitalizing on the benefits of a ductless system for your home, we would love to talk with you about it.

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Common Heating Mistakes People Make in Miami

Monday, November 12th, 2012

With a proper installation and regular, professional maintenance service you can keep the heating system in your Miami home operating as effectively and efficiently as it was designed to. Of course, if you are not using your heating system in an efficient way then that performance will suffer. Simply purchasing and maintaining a high quality heater is not enough to guarantee the level of performance that you deserve from it. You must heat your home in a thoughtful way, considering your individual heating habits and needs to get the most out of your heater. Air on Demand has some tips to help you avoid some of the most common heating mistakes that people make, reducing the efficiency of their heating system and driving up their heating costs.

One of the most consistent misconceptions that people have is that they should set their thermostat for a comfortable temperature and just leave it that way. Sure, back when thermostats gave you no options or features to work with that may have made sense. Changing the temperature in your home frequently from the one control point may be inefficient. Modern thermostats, though, are more accurate than ever before and give you great programmable options to heat your home more efficiently. Be sure to familiarize yourself with your thermostat, create a heating program that fits your lifestyle, and enjoy affordable, efficient comfort this winter.

Many people will close off the heating vents in unused rooms, but this can actually affect the pressure of the heating system throughout your home and disrupt airflow efficiency. You may have a room that you never heat and always keep the vents closed. If this is going to be the case it is actually more efficient to have a professional service provider seal off that section of the ductwork to maintain proper pressure in the system.

Some homeowners keep heavy drapes drawn over their windows to prevent cold air drafts from coming in. If draftiness is a problem with your windows, fix the drafts; don’t pull the drapes. Allowing sunlight to come through your windows also allows the heat from the sun to radiate in, adding warmth to the room. Keep the cold air out, not the natural warmth of the sun.

Probably the biggest mistake that is most commonly made when heating a home is yielding to the temptation to jack the heat up when you come home to a cold house. The fact is that your heater is going to provide heat at the same rate no matter where you set the temperature. Turning the thermostat up to 80 will not heat your home faster, it will just keep your heater running longer. If you want to come home to a warm, cozy house, upgrade to a programmable thermostat and use it.

Avoid these common heating mistakes and enjoy the savings on heating bills this winter. If you have more questions about heating your Miami home efficiently, call Air on Demand for more advice.

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Why Choose Electric Heat Strips in Miami

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

When you live in Miami, Florida, the heating system in your home is not really a priority. You’re probably more concerned about how you’re going to keep yourself cool during the heat. Because we rarely need heat in Florida, having a large heating system, like a furnace, is not strictly necessary or cost effective. One popular alternative is a heat strip system. Here we explore some of the reasons why a heat strip might be a good idea for your home.

What is a Heat Strip

For those who are unfamiliar with heat strips, they operate in a similar fashion to portable electric space heaters that you plug into your wall. Heat strips have coils of wires that heat up the air around them. They are typically installed in your central AC unit. When needed, they heat up and your air conditioning system’s fan blows air over them. The heated air is carried through your normal air conditioning ducting and delivered to the rooms in your house.

Benefits of a Heat Strip

  • Few moving parts – The heat strip pretty much just sits in your air conditioning system waiting to be used. All it needs is a power source and a connection to your thermostat so there really aren’t any moving parts. This makes them durable and low maintenance.
  • Heat up quickly – The heat strip using electric resistance to create heat. This is a very fast process. If you’ve used a portable electric heater, or a toaster, the coils get red and generate heat quickly.
  • Easy to maintain – Heat strips, because they are comprised of few parts, are very easy to clean and maintain.
  • Easy to Install – With compatible units, the heat strip is almost a plug-and-play component. Professional installation is usually quick and less expensive than some traditional systems.

If you have any questions about your heat strip or if you’d like to know if a heat strip is a good option for your home in Miami, call Air On Demand today. 

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Check Out Our Blog for the Latest in HVAC Technology

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

Be sure to bookmark the Air On Demand blog for updates on the latest advances in HVAC technology.

We’ll feature money saving promotions here as well.

Call Air On Demand for all your air conditioning, heating, indoor air quality, ductwork, pool heater, and commercial HVAC needs.

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