Sunset Heating and Cooling have been working with homeowners and their remodeling companies on designing the perfect HVAC system for new home spaces.  An HVAC contractor can evaluate the size of your new addition, and the capacity in your existing heating system, to determine if it is large enough to support the new living space. Much of his analysis involves comparing the amount of BTUs (British Thermal Units) the furnace system can produce with the amount of BTU’s required to heat your home with its additional new living space. An HVAC contractor can also determine how to tie in to existing shafts.

Sometimes, an addition can be best suited to a separate heating zone.  This might be due to it’s location from the furnace, the utility of the space, or simply the capacity of the existing heating system.

In the situation where the existing home heating furnace is inadequate, your HVAC contractor can discuss alternative options including putting in a larger furnace or heating the home addition with a separate standalone heat system. There are a number of choices for standalone heat systems that are ideal for home additions including wall and floor mounted units.

Other Heating Options

Alternatively you can also consider installing vented or ventless heaters in the new home addition. There are some aesthetically appealing gas stoves that can pump out an incredible amount of heat that are ideal for room additions. So if you are building a home addition talk to Sunset Heating and Cooling, your Portland HVAC contractor to answer your questions on how to heat your home addition. You will be surprised by the number of home heating options that are available to you.

Regular maintenance is critical to your HVAC system. You have your oil in your vehicle changed regularly and check the air in your tires, but how often do you think about tuning up your heating system? You can perform some maintenance yourself by vacuuming vents, checking them for obstructions and changing your furnace filters. A dirty filter makes your furnace work harder while blocking the extra heat. Changing your filters every three months will help your furnace function efficiently. Sunset Heating and Cooling carries most sizes of filters.  Call Portland Heating Contractors if you’ve changed your filter and cleaned your vents and still aren’t getting a good flow of heat.

Check your windows for drafts. You may need to replace or repair screens or replace dry-rotted weather stripping around windows and sliding glass doors. Heavy drapes can help keep the cold air out of the room. If the cold is coming in around outside doors, try a draft stopper or door snake. They come in a variety of materials, from vinyl to fabric, and either sit in front of your door or slide underneath it to make your door as air-tight as possible.

Close off unused rooms and close the heating vents in those rooms. There’s no need to heat an empty guest bedroom or the laundry room when it’s not being used.

The kids don’t like to hear it but putting on a sweatshirt and lowering the thermostat a couple of degrees can noticeably lower your heating bills. Call or email Portland Heating for information about programmable thermostats. They’re a great way to keep up with heat fluctuations throughout the day and night and to make sure the heat is turned down when you’re away from home. Set your thermostat to automatically lower the temperature at bedtime and turn up the heat in the morning.

If your furnace fails or it’s time for a new furnace, call Portland Heating Contractors for excellent service during regular hours, weekends and holidays.

Performing preventive heater maintenance is cheaper and much less stressful than trying to repair your unit in the freezing, wet Portland winter.  The downtime alone can make for an uncomfortable, unhappy household!  Take a break from the heat to check a few things on your furnace while it’s most convenient for everyone.

• It may seem obvious, but make sure your heat turns on and off with your thermostat.
• When you’re sure that the thermostat is turning your heat on and off, check the temperature at the air registers (small grates where heat comes out) and air return (larger grate, usually in a hallway) to make sure the thermostat is accurate.
• Keep your thermostat clean.  If you have an older thermostat, make sure it is level as many operate off of liquid mercury switches.
• Your furnace door will have a safety switch that pops out when the door is removed. Make sure this is working and is unobstructed.
• Check the condition of all visible wiring. Watch for loose or scorched wires.
• Carefully check any venting or ducting for rust and gaps.  These components wear out over time.

While most Portland homeowners are capable of keeping heating components clean and checking for blowing heat, some of these tasks are best left up to the pros.  If you discover any of these issues with your furnace, it is time to give Sunset Heating & Cooling a call at 503.234.0611. Just be sure to act sooner than later so that you aren’t caught unprepared when all this heat goes away!

The EPA ranks indoor air pollution among the top 5 environmental risks to public health – and most people have no idea

Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health but may not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant harmful effects.  Yet indoor air pollution is on the rise, both nationally and here in Portland, Oregon.  In fact, a study of the number of patients discharged with asthma from Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon, and Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, reveal a dramatic increase over a 20 year time frame.

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor levels of many pollutants may be four to five times higher than outdoor levels. Such high levels of indoor air pollutants are concerning for healthcare workers and the families they serve, because it is estimated that most people spend as much as 90% of their time indoors – and this is especially true for residents of Portland, Oregon and the rest of the Northwest which has a cooler, damper climate.

Over the past several decades, our exposure to indoor air pollutants is believed to have increased due to a variety of factors, including the construction of more tightly sealed buildings, reduced ventilation rates to save energy, the use of synthetic building materials and furnishings, and the use of chemically formulated personal care products, pesticides and household cleaners.

In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. The EPA, in close cooperation with other Federal agencies and the private sector, has begun a concerted effort to better understand indoor air pollution and to reduce peoples’ exposure to air pollutants in offices, homes, schools and other indoor environments where people live, work and play.

Facts About Indoor Air Quality

• EPA studies indicate that indoor levels of many pollutants may be 2-5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels.
• Asthma is on the rise – with cases rising almost 60%.  Asthma also affect 13% of children and 15 million Americans
• Most American homeowners are unaware that pollution may be far worse inside their homes than outdoors.
• The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 30% of newly constructed and remodeled facilities have indoor air quality problems.
• Because they breathe faster than adults, children inhale 50% more air per pound of body weight than adults and are especially sensitive to air quality problems.
• Over 28 million Americans suffer from hay fever and other allergies.

Maintaining Safe Indoor Air Quality

Thanks to clean air systems like the ones from Lennox, many households and workplaces can dramatically improve their Indoor Air Quality and save money by installing a more efficient Indoor Air Quality system onto their HVAC installation.

Sunset Heating & Cooling can develop and install efficient, clean air HVAC solutions for both commercial and residential properties in Portland,Oregon. Clean air will improve the quality of life for everyone in your household or workplace.

Contact us for a clean air HVAC system today

The mess and expense of retroactively adding duct work to a building for air conditioning is no longer a concern for those suffering from the hot, humid summer weather in Portland, Oregon. Working similarly to conventional central air systems, ductless air conditioning and heating systems consist of an outdoor unit and your choice of several indoor fixtures. The wiring and tiny refrigerant lines enter the home through a small hole, effectively hiding them and providing a clean, efficient installation. The ductless outdoor unit is also much quieter and far smaller than a conventional outdoor unit, typically measuring 32 inches by 11 inches by 7 inches deep and weighing a mere 18 pounds.

The indoor units can be mounted on a wall or in your ceiling, freeing up valuable floor space and eliminating the need for bulky portable air conditioners. Ductless air conditioning also beats unsightly window units by offering quieter operation and adding more value to your home. Window air conditioners must also be inconveniently stored every winter and, most importantly, create a huge security risk for you and your family.

Indoor units are extremely flexible and can be operated via a wired thermostat or for the ultimate in convenience, a wireless remote control. On some units, even the louvers can be adjusted to get cold, refreshing air right where you need it most. As if that weren’t enough, there are units available that provide both air conditioning and heat, allowing a sleek, efficient, and cost-effective way to enhance or even replace your entire heating and cooling system.

Furthermore, since ductless systems do not have to force air through long, large ducting they are far more efficient that conventional air conditioning units, saving not only our environment but your pocketbook as well.

Call Sunset Heating and Cooling today at 503.234.0611 or schedule an appointment online to find out more about how we can assist you in air conditioning your Portland, Oregon home!

You might be asking your self what HVAC is, well, HVAC stands for “heating, ventilation, and air conditioning” and refers to technology of indoor and automotive environmental comfort.

Hiring a good HVAC Portland Contractor is very important not just for your homes but also in the design of medium to large industrial and office buildings such as skyscrapers and in marine environments such as aquariums, where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with respect to temperature and humidity, using fresh air from outdoors.

Climate control and comfort in modern buildings is a major design issue. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems help control the climate, and keep occupants comfortable by regulating the temperature and air flow. HVAC Portland systems are also important to occupants’ health, because a well regulated and maintained system will keep a home free from mold and other harmful organisms. In some environments, such as Portland museums, good HVAC Portland  systems are vitally important for the preservation of historic artifacts.

In choosing any type of HVAC Portland system, finding one that is size-appropriate to the building is important in terms of achieving the best efficiency and comfort level. Beyond understanding the maintenance and installation of the systems themselves, sizing the systems appropriately is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks of an HVAC Portland contractor. If your HVAC Portland contractor recommends a heating system that is too big or too little for your home or business, the result will be an inefficient system that will cost more money in the long run. An oversized air conditioner will not efficiently dehumidify the air; and an oversized furnace is likely to cause a large temperature swing and create an uncomfortable climate inside the target area.

Determining the size of HVAC systems only by square footage is largely inaccurate, since it does not take into account the energy-efficiency or design of the building. Another common mistake made by many contractors is simply replacing an HVAC Portland unit with a newer unit of the same capacity. This is not always the best strategy. Older homes, for example, often had larger-than-necessary furnaces. An older home that has undergone significant renovation with new windows, weatherstripping, insulation and caulking, will be more energy-efficient, and may be better served by replacing the older, larger heating unit with a smaller one.

Gas and electric utility companies sometimes offer to perform a sizing calculation either for free or for a minimal charge. A good HVAC contractor will follow procedures set forth by trade organizations such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) in regards to appropriate sizing, and may use software programs to assist in the calculation.

In addition to help you stay cool, a well maintained system operating in an efficient way can help you save money on electric utility bills. Here we note the most basic service and maintenance procedures that you can do yourself.

REFRIGERATED AIR CONDITIONING

Refrigerated Air Conditioning is most common in areas that are humid such as Portland Oregon. Although control of indoor temperature is more precise and introduction of outside air with associated pollen is minimized, evaporative cooling can produce the same amount of cooling for one-seventh the cost of electricity than refrigerated air-conditioning.

You will be able to minimize your energy usage by proper maintenance and servicing of your Portland air conditioning system. The following actions are recommended:

1. Examine the fan belts that drive fans on the condenser and house air mover. If they are frayed or worn, replace them. Adjust the tension to allow 1/2″ to 3/4″ depression with moderate force. Do not over tighten, as that would injure the shaft bearings. If your installation has an adjustable pulley on the air mover, be sure the belt is on the smallest diameter to mover the maximum amount of air.
2. Clean or replace the house fan filter at least monthly. A plugged filter will retard the flow of cold air.
3. Clean the coils with a commercial coil cleaner. This product is available at refrigeration supply houses and can be applied with a garden insecticide sprayer. Follow the suppliers instructions.
4. Straighten all of the evaporator and condenser coil fins with a small pointed stick or a special plastic fin comb. Bent fins do not allow proper air distribution.
5. Oil all motor and shaft bearings with 5 to 10 drops of lightweight machine oil applied in the oil holes near the shaft supports. Rotate the shaft to assure that the oil is distributed over the shaft. Be sure the rotation is smooth. If hard rough spots exist, the bearings need replacement.
6. If the condenser is at ground level, be sure no vegetation or foreign material is restricting the air flow path. If possible, shade the condenser with trees or bushes, which will improve the cooling efficiency by elimination of direct sunshine.
7.  Be sure the suction or cool line from the condenser to the compressor is insulated with snap-on urethane or other high R-value insulation.
8. Measure the temperature difference between the warm return air entering the evaporator coil and the coil discharge air into the house with two thermometers. The temperature difference should be a minimum of 12 F to 16 F for satisfactory efficiency, with even higher temperatures preferred. If this test shows a low temperature difference, have a serviceman check the refrigerant. The system may need recharging, or perhaps the compressor is malfunctioning.

If you have performed all of these procedures, there is little more than you can do but to call Sunset Heating and Cooling for professional Portland Air Conditioning Tune Up. Your only hope now to reduce your energy bills is try to reduce the heat load on the building and raise the thermostat as high as comfort allows. Keep your windows closed. This is the reverse of the evaporative cooler requirement. Open the windows at night to let the cool night air do the job.

Lastly, never cool the house when no one is home. If your schedule is predictable, a timer can be the best solution so it activates your air conditioning unit just before you arrive. Turn up the thermostat if you are planning to be home.

Tankless Water Heaters do not use a storage tank, they heat water directly instead. For this reason, they avoid the standby heat losses associated with water heaters that do use a storage tank. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. In an electric Tankless Water Heater an electric element heats the water. In a gas-fired Tankless Water Heater a gas burner heats the water. Therefore, Tankless Water Heaters provide a never ending supply of hot water. Tankless water heater are very convenient because you don’t need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water. Usually, Tankless Water Heaters produce hot water at a rate of 2 – 5 gallons (7.6 – 15.2 liters) per minute. Most of the time, gas-fired Tankless Water Heaters will produce higher flow rates than electric Tankless Water Heaters. A few smaller Tankless Water Heaters, however, cannot provide enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in larger homes. For example, having the dishwasher running and taking a bath at the same time can make a Tankless Water Heater work to its limit. To solve this problem, you can install a “whole house” type Tankless Water Heater or install more than one Tankless Water Heaters, parallel connected for demands of hot water happening at the same time. You may also install separate Tankless Water Heaters for certain household appliances—such as a clothes washer or dishwater—that use vast amount of hot water in your home.
Other popular uses for Tankless Water Heaters include the following:

• Outdoor sink
• Hot tubs
• To serve as a booster, eliminating long pipe runs, for solar water heating systems, dishwashers and sanitation.

For households that use less than 41 gallons of hot water, Tankless Water Heaters can be 24% – 34% more energy efficient than conventional water heaters that use a storage tank. They can be 8% – 14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water, roughly around 86 gallons of hot water per day. You can achieve an even bigger energy savings of 27% – 50% if you install a Tankless Water Heater to each hot water outlet.

Correct installation and regular check up and  maintenance of your Tankless Water Heater can optimize its energy efficiency.

Correct installation depends on many factors. Some major factors  are climate and local building code requirements. You should hire a qualified, licensed heating contractor install your Tankless Water Heater.

Make sure you do the following when looking for a good Portland Heating and Cooling Contractor:

• Ask for  cost estimates in writing
• Get references
• Check the company with your local Better Business Bureau
• Make sure the company will obtain a local permit, if necessary, and understands local building codes

Be sure you contractor first takes a look at  the manufacturer’s installation and instruction materials. Manufacturers most of the time provide the necessary installation and instruction manuals with the product. Your heating and cooling contractor should also contact your city for information about acquiring a permit, if necessary, and about local water heater installation codes.

Many Tankless Water Heaters have a common life span of more than 20 years. They also have easily replaceable parts that allow the tankless water heater to have a longer life span. In the other hand, storage water heaters only last about 10 – 15 years.

It is always a good idea to check your water heater manufacturer’s website or manual, for detailed warranty information.

Regular water heater maintenance can considerably prolong your Portland Tankless Water heater’s life and reduce loss of efficiency.

If you are in need of a Portland Tankless Water Heater please call Sunset Heating and Cooling at 503.234.0611.

Why is this Nest thermostat different than the rest in the market?

The Nest is really unlike any other thermostat in the market today. You just set it at whatever temperature is most comfortable for you via a very simple dial and color-screen interface and the device adapts to your schedule, just like that. Within a week, it starts tuning your home’s temperature on its own. The Nest also has several sensors that determine if you are in the house and active; if you’re not, then it will automatically switch to Auto-Away or the nighttime mode.

The Nest  has a proximity sensor, so its screen lights up only when you are near by—a clever energy saver. And when you do interact with the Nest thermometer, it gives you very useful and helpful feedback. For example, when you decide to adjust the system, it will estimate the required time to reach the specified temperature. The Nest can also be connected to your Wi-Fi router and can be accessed via a Web portal or on iOS and Android devices, so you can keep an eye on the temperature or change the temperature in your home from afar.

If you would like to read some reviews about this thermostat please click here

The Portland Nest thermostat specialist can help you install your brand new thermostat

Sunset Heating and Cooling specializes in Nest thermostats, so you can be confident that your new and beautiful thermostat will be installed only by qualified Portland Nest thermostat specialists, and your installation will be done with the highest quality available in town.

Simply give us a call at 503.234.0611 and a Portland Nest thermostat specialist will be on the way to install your brand new thermostat.