Latest News From Team Electric, Heating & Cooling
18 January 2013
On January 2, President Obama signed legislation designed to avoid the “fiscal cliff” and keep tax rates from increasing for every American who pays taxes. In addition to its many other tax provisions, the bill retroactively reinstates the 25C tax credits for highly efficient HVAC and water heating equipment that expired at the end of 2011.
15 January 2013
The Department of Energy has removed a regulation that would require homeowners in northern states including New Jersey to install high efficiency furnaces. This rule would have substantially raised the cost of a furnace replacement for home owners who live in condos or town homes where installing the required flue piping would be difficult.
The rule was set to take effect in May 2013.
29 March 2012
Unless you’re reading this in the shower, your traditional water heater is wasting energy, heating water you aren’t using. And while you’re at work or running errands all day, that heater is still consuming energy you aren’t using. That large tank in your basement or utility space takes a lot of energy to keep all that water hot. In fact, heating water accounts for up to 30% of the average home’s energy budget.
As the name implies, tankless water heaters don’t have a large tank to keep a reservoir of standby water ready when you need it. (They’re also called “Demand” or “Instantaneous” water heaters.) So there’s no more heating water for hours on end, whether you’re using it or not. Instead, when you turn the hot water handle, cold water travels through a pipe heated by a gas burner or an electric element that heats the water right on the spot.
Since the water is heated instantly, you also get a continuous supply of hot water. Think of the luxury – no more mornings when if you’re the last to shower, it’s a cold shower. The typical tankless system provides hot water at two to five gallons per minute and gas-fired units produce higher flow rates than electric models. If your household often has several simultaneous hot water needs, like baths plus the dishwasher plus the washing machine, ask our technician if you need two tankless heaters connected in parallel, or ask about a “whole house” system. You’ll still be saving energy because when the hot water’s not being used, the heaters aren’t active.
Tankless water heaters are 20 to 50% more efficient than storage tank models. Homes using 40 gallons or less of hot water each day can conserve 24 to 34% energy consumption. Those savings increase with the amount of the home’s water consumption, particularly if a tankless unit is installed for each hot water outlet.
There are different models and sizes of tankless water heaters to choose from. Manufacturers and the government often offer generous rebates, so be sure to check their websites for offers. The type of tankless water heater you need depends on your home and family’s hot water needs. We’ll help you take a hot water energy audit to calculate your hot water usage. We’ll factor in the number of hot water faucets, your appliances, your usage patterns, even the types of showerheads you use, so you’ll have the perfect model match-up. We’ll also tell you your approximate energy savings with the new tankless water heater.
Call us and a friendly, uniformed, professional technician will visit at your convenience for a brief, courteous consultation.
http://www.team-heating.com/furnace-new-jersey/water-heaters-new-jersey.html
08 March 2012
Water pressure.
When it’s right, you don’t think about it. When it slows down – and stays slow – you want corrective action, and you want it now!
Let’s say, for example, that you can't wash your dishes at the same time that you water your lawn because the water pressure is too weak. Or, more commonly, two people can’t take a shower at the same time, or someone flushes a toilet while another family member takes a shower…and so on.
Water pressure may be low for a couple of reasons. If the experience is common among your several neighbors, then call your local water company and report the problem…especially if you experience low water pressure throughout your home. Perhaps a supply valve is closed that, when re-opened, can solve the problem immediately.
If, however, the problem is confined to one or even a few fixtures or faucets, then here’s a quick and easy suggestion on how you might just be able to restore adequate water pressure on your own:
- Check for a clogged aerator, which is the round screened screw-on tip of a faucet. It mixes water and air for a smoother flow. You also might have a dislodged or worn washer, which you can determine by unscrewing your faucet head. If dislodged, you can simply put it back in place. If it shows signs of wear and tear, you can pick up a new one at any hardware store and replace it yourself.
If that doesn’t do the trick, and the problem isn’t with your main water supply, then the most likely culprits are your indoor pipes.
- Calcium and other mineral deposits inside your pipes will certainly have an effect on water pressure, and might even require a water treatment solution. This is a job for a professional plumber, and should be looked at sooner or later, as the problem will only grow worse with time.
- Your home might also have been built with undersized pipes. Many homes, in fact, were built with ½” galvanized pipes, when it would have cost very little more to have installed ¾” pipes. Upgrading to ¾” copper pipes can actually double the amount of water pressure flowing from any fixture in your home. Plus, copper pipes last longer and resist calcium and other mineral build-ups.
Pretty amazing, don’t you think? Well, so is our ability at Team Electric Plumbing & Air to help you obtain all the water pressure you’ll ever want or need.
http://www.team-heating.com/furnace-new-jersey/plumber-new-jersey.html
