With the cost of energy skyrocketing, heating our homes is more expensive than ever. Consumers are told they need to get their equipment checked every Fall before the heating season to make sure it is operating safely. Unfortunately that $79.95 Clean & Check that many heating contractors offer, barely guarantees that the equipment is running safely and rarely verifies it is running efficiently. As far as any homeowner can see it’s running and it looks cleaner. No matter how much safety is emphasized, at the end of the month when you look at your utility bill, safety isn’t normally the first thing you think about.
Compare your heating equipment to today’s automobile engine. Without a computerized tune-up using electronic instruments your car will not get the miles per gallon that the engine is supposed to provide. Your furnace needs the same high tech tune up. And, unlike an automobile installed in factory conditions, every furnace installation is different and no furnace can be preset at the factory for its new home. Furthermore, the amount of energy or BTUs (or using our auto analogy –octane) contained in the fuel supply varies in every part of the country.
Another component that affects heating efficiency is the exhaust venting system. These chimneys are all different and need to be accounted for as should the duct system or piping system that delivers the heated air or water. This means that each furnace or hot water heater fuel flow must be specifically set for each job. If an HVAC Professional relies on the factory setting for your equipment he or she has been misinformed or has never actually tested one to understand how inefficiently they could be operating.
Home comfort has become an even larger issue in new homes or existing homes with new systems that are slower to heat up as they work to be more efficient. If comfort is a priority you may even discover your fuel bills rising. This is unacceptable and yet very common today. NCI trained professionals have been taught how to adjust these new energy efficient systems to deliver efficiency AND still make you comfortable.
NCI Certified Professionals are some of the few trained at how to check actual system efficiency and how to maximum performance. This means when they are done you can expect lower fuel bills and a more comfortable home. The brand of equipment you own or purchase is not as important as the HVAC professional you choose to install it or service it. NCI Certified professionals are fully trained to make any brand run at its best.
