Category Archives: Heating

Are Home Heat Recovery Systems a Good Investment?

For homeowners, the eventual goal is to pay off their properties completely. Living debt free in general gives people a sense of freedom. At the same time, being a homeowner who owns your property outright doesn’t mean that there are not still regular expenses. There is food and toiletries, entertainment and travel costs. Then there is the cost associated with keeping a home up and running all year long. Your home is always going to use water and it is also going to need to be heated or cooled most times of the year. This is why energy efficient heating and cooling systems are of interest to so many homeowners. Below you will find out if heat recovery systems are efficient and make a good investment.

Is a Heat Recovery System Practical?

Whenever a homeowner starts investing in different energy efficiency tools and upgrades, practicality is among their first thoughts. For example, a homeowner might really like the idea of installing solar panels but if they also need to have their roof replaced then that idea might not be very wise at that moment. At, homeowners are encouraged to compare heat recovery system specifications and options. On this website, they are able to get a better picture of how heat recovery might work to improve their lives. All in all, heat recovery ventilation is practical for the majority of homeowners.

How Heat Recovery Ventilation Saves Homeowners Money

What goes hand in hand with efficient home heating systems? The answer is insulation. A properly insulated home will be less expensive to heat or cool. If you go a step further then you can put plastic over your windows and your home will stay warm even when your heating system stays on a low setting. Heat recovery ventilation makes efficient use of the warmth that already exists in your home. These systems are also built with very good filtration devices, so you don’t need to be overly concerned about excess dust, dirt, or dander being recycled from room to room.

Heat Recovery Vs. Traditional Home Heating Systems

Normally, home heating systems generate warm air which is transported throughout the home so that it can be evenly heated. Once that heated air has completed a full trip around the home, also known as a cycle, it is then sent through vents on the outside of the home. The long story short is that traditional home heating systems constantly make use of fresh air. Since this air comes from outside of the home, a lot of energy is used to get it to the right temperature. Heat recovery ventilation uses less energy because the same air is recycled, and if necessary, reheated. This is a much more efficient way to heat up a home, particularly one that is located in a colder environment.

Older and less efficient home heating systems require the use of fuels such as oil and can even put residents in danger if they are not used safely. These home heating systems are becoming more expensive and difficult to maintain by the day. More new homes are being built with heat recovery systems as they reduce energy bills tremendously. You can do the same by upgrading your home to a heating system that will get you your money’s worth.

Burning Wood to Save on Heating Costs

Every individual wants to have a cozy temperature in the house to enjoy the winter season. The chilling cold atmosphere of the winter season can literally force your teeth to dance. Expensive power bills may not allow you to use the electric heater 24-7. You may not be able to do everything you have planned if you do not find the ways of cutting heating costs. Burning wood is a great idea. Burning wood to heat the house instead of using electric heaters seems a perfect solution to cut down expensive heating costs. All you need to do is read up on reviews to find the best firewood splitter and you can produce a lot of burning wood to heat your house for the winter.

Why burning wood is a cheaper heating solution?

Many research statistics show that electric heaters cost almost double in comparison to burning woods. You may not have realized it before because electric and gas operated heaters are quite common across all the cold climate countries. Wood is a traditional fuel that is being used for heating, cooking, and maintaining fire for many centuries. You can get it almost for free if you can cut down a tree, haul it to your property, and then create its chunks. You will just need a log splitter to create small chunks for burning in the fireplace.

No need to worry about the interior:

The traditional fireplaces are not pretty common nowadays because everybody is worried about the interior. No smoke and ash will destroy the interior of your property if you regularly maintain the chimney and furnace. You just need to hire the expert once for maintenance and the fireplace will work effectively. A little investment before the start of the winter season can help you in saving a lot of money and keeping your house warm 24-7.

Wood burning stove:

If you do not have a fireplace installed in your home, you can get a wood burning stove to heat your house. Many modern stove designs are available now that you can easily install in your house to heat it. A stove can heat from 400 sq. feet to 3,000 sq. feet area. You should ask the retailer about the capacity of the stove before buying it. Thus, you can choose the right equipment to heat your property. Along with the stove, you will also need to buy a tailored or prefab chimney pipe to provide smoke a safe passage. There will be no smoke in your house and the stove will heat quite effectively.

Wood burning is a great solution to expensive gas and electricity bills when it comes to heating a property during the winter season. Most of the people rely on wood burning because of irregular power supply and expensive gas cost. If you are still using electric heating solutions and want to get rid of expensive power bills, you should buy the wood stove before the winter and install it. This would be a onetime investment that can help you in saving a lot of money.

How to remove trapped air from your radiators

When the weather gets chilly, it is good to know that your central heating is up to the job; however, sometimes radiators do not generate the heat they should. The reason for this could be that air has entered the pipes and became stuck there during the warm months when the heating was not being used.

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Simple plan

Trapped air is quite common in homes with traditional plumbing and column radiators. To check whether air is trapped, turn the heating on and make sure the valves of the radiators are open and allowing water to flow through. When the system has heated up, touch the top of the radiators very carefully; if the tops are cold, air is trapped inside.

Safety first

To bleed radiators, make sure the heating is off and the system is cool. Find some rags and a radiator key or screwdriver. The radiator valve is at the top – insert the key or use the screwdriver to turn the valve anti-clockwise. There should be a hissing noise as the air escapes. Have rags handy and listen for the change in noise that means the air is out and water is about to bubble out. As soon as the water starts dripping, turn the valve clockwise to close it and mop up any spills. The radiator should heat up nicely now, although removing air from the heating system could affect the pressure. You may need to check this and adjust it according to your boiler’s specifications.

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Balanced approach

Sometimes radiators do not heat up as they should because they need to be balanced. A report in the Telegraph gives tips on how to balance the radiators in your home. If you want to replace old column radiators or buy some new ones, it is a good idea to speak to an expert in the heating area such as These can give you helpful tips and advice.

It is quite satisfying to bleed radiators and feel them operating at peak performance again. Remember to be careful and never try to bleed hot radiators, as steam or scalding water can cause injuries. Ideally, inspect your heating in the months approaching winter so that any adjustments can be made and the heating is ready to generate heat when the temperature plummets.