Serving Long Island Since 1934 516.488.1800
Serving Long Island Since 1934
516.488.1800
The long winter is finally over, and that can only mean one thing: it’s allergy season! And here on Long Island the suffering can get pretty bad, pretty quickly. Continue reading “Indoor Air Quality Tips As Spring Allergies Set In” →
Your indoor air quality is one of the most important, and most overlooked, factors in keeping your family safe and comfortable at home. Continue reading “Boost Your Air Quality With UV Light” →
Updating or adding a new heating system is a smart move. After the brutal winter we have had in the New York area, installation of a high efficiency heating system can prepare us for next winter and get us ready to reap the rewards of better energy savings. Continue reading “New Heating Systems Offer The Perfect Opportunity to Add an Air Purifier” →
If your heating and cooling system uses disposable filters, make a point of checking your home’s air filters monthly, and replace them at least every three months, especially during heavy usage periods in the winter and summer. Your furnace, central air conditioner, and/or heat pumps all rely on air filters to keep their systems, and the air in your home, clean. Your system has to work hard when it tries to pull air through filters that are clogged with dirt and dust. Extremely old or dirty filters can lead to costly repair and replacement, so it’s worth a little upfront maintenance to prevent lots of time and trouble later. By replacing your air filters, you will improve your equipment’s efficiency and durability, saving you money both in utility bills and maintenance.
Beyond cost savings, clean air filters are vital for improving indoor air quality, which is often much worse than outdoor air, according to the EPA. Allergens, mold, bacteria, viruses, and dust accumulate and can flourish in your home, but standard air filters help trap particulate and reduce the contaminants in your indoor air. You may also want to consider a high-efficiency air filter, which targets and captures a far broader range of indoor pollutants.
For support checking or replacing your filters, contact T.F. O’Brien. We’re happy to help recommend the best filters for your home’s system, too.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about replacing air filters and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) are among the most energy-efficient ventilation systems available. They pull fresh air inside, filtering it while expelling stale air. They also essentially “recapture” the energy of the outgoing, stale air and “give” it to the incoming air. Typical heat recovery ventilators can recycle about 85 percent of this warm or cool energy, taking strain off your HVAC system. There are a plenty of HRV models that attach to pre-existing ductwork.
Heat recovery ventilators accomplish the heat exchange inside the heat exchanger core, where the currents of incoming fresh air and outgoing stale air both pass. This is where the energy is collected and saved. The two different air flows, however, do not cross.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the American Lung Association recommend HRVs as some of the best ventilation systems on the market to improve indoor air quality and health. If you achieve energy savings with a tightly sealed home, your indoor air is probably not well circulated, leading to indoor pollution.
Heat recovery ventilators reduce indoor pollution from common factors including:
Fresh, filtered air can lead to vast improvements for many individuals plagued by recurring issues such as respiratory problems, headaches, allergies, lethargy and more.
Pre-installed ventilation systems in houses such as bathroom fans and stovetop fans can only go so far. These expel some heat, humidity and fumes, but also pull in pollutants from outside, dust particles from the attic, humidity, and radon, the second cause of lung cancer in the US after cigarettes. Opening windows won’t filter the air or maintain your indoor temperature, but will strain your HVAC system
In the ongoing quest for energy efficiency, heat recovery ventilators are good investments, and can extend the life span of your HVAC system. If you’re thinking about improving your indoor air quality and want expert advice, feel free to call the professionals at T. F. O’Brien. We’re happy to help.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat recovery ventilators and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
We all know that dry air can be uncomfortable. Your skin gets dry and itchy, your lips get chapped, static electricity makes your clothes and hair do funny things; and even breathing doesn’t always feel great. But did you know that low humidity levels can also have several other negative effects?
A whole-house humidifier has many benefits, and they are not just limited to increasing your home comfort:
It is clear that proper humidity levels are important for home comfort, air quality, and energy savings, but why should you consider a whole-house humidifier?
There are several models and types of whole-house humidification systems available. The model that is right for your home will depend on your existing heating and air conditioning system, the size of your home, and other factors. We have a long history of helping our Long Island customers find the best home comfort solutions for their needs, call us today to learn more about what a whole-house humidifier can do for you.
We hope you’ve been following our blog each week, and getting your HVAC questions answered right here. Whether it’s how to change a filter, improve your indoor air quality or size your replacement HVAC equipment, we want to make sure that you get the facts you need to make informed decisions about your home comfort.
Another handy resource for homeowners is our Home Comfort Solutions Guide. This free download is available right here on our blog page, so be sure to check it out. Inside, you’ll find a wealth of information about how to get the most from your heating and cooling equipment.
Here’s a sneak peek at some of the topics covered in our Guide:
Our Home Comfort Solutions Guide also provides some important resources for homeowners, where you can get more information about maximizing the energy efficiency of your HVAC system to save money on your energy bills.
So take advantage of this free download today! And be sure to ask us how we can help you get more from your heating and cooling system, with products and services designed to give you ideal home comfort, clean, healthy indoor air and greater energy savings.
So how do whole house air cleaners improve air quality through out your home?
Have you ever noticed all of the particles that are floating around in the air when you see the sun rays beaming through a window? These are many of the impurities and dust particles that are airborne throughout your home. And, this only represents one percent of the impurities that you and your family are breathing in on a daily basis. The other 99% cannot be seen and have no detectable odor.
Poor indoor air quality can lead many respiratory problems and is very harmful to people with asthmatic conditions. Headaches, nausea, and irritable eyes are also signs of poor air quality in the home.
Whole house air cleaners improve air quality by having the air that circulates through out your home pass through filters that remove the dust mites and allergens from the air. Most of these whole house air cleaners are attached to your home’s central air conditioning / heating system, even though there are some portable devices available as well.
This means that every time that you run your central air or heat, the air will first pass through the latest in state of the art filters that will remove all of the harmful contaminants from every room in your home making your indoor air a lot healthier and safer to breathe.
Whole house air cleaners improve air quality for you and your family. It will definitely improve your quality of life at home by making sure that you are providing the best air within your home that you possibly can. And there is no greater comfort that knowing that you are doing what’s best for your family and helping to clean up the environment as well.
T.F. O’Brien services the Long Island, New York area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about preventive maintenance and other HVAC topics, please download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
