How Do UV Light Indoor Air Quality Products Work?

April 19, 2021

UV lamps emit UVC radiation to disinfect nonporous surfaces, air, and water. For many years, UVC radiation has been used to reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria such as tuberculosis. Thanks to their ability to kill microorganisms, these lamps are referred to as germicidal lamps. What Determines the Effectiveness of UV Lamps? The ability of a lamp to destroy microorganisms has a few limitations. For starters, for a lamp to damage the coating of viruses and the DNA of other microorganisms, the organism has to be directly exposed to the light. The lamp needs to shine on the organisms to damage their coat or their DNA. Most of these units install in the HVAC system of your home where they clean air that flows over the coils or through the ducts. The duration of exposure also determines how effectively the lamp kills microorganisms. Most of the lamps used in homes are of low dose, and they may take longer to inactivate microorganisms. As such, the air needs to circulate through the HVAC system severally for the lamp to inactivate all the microbes. The wavelength of the UV light emitted also determines the effectiveness of the lamp. Short-wavelength light (UVC)...

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Are Modern Air Conditioners More Energy Efficient?

April 14, 2021

Your air conditioner is a crucial piece of equipment in your home. It regulates temperatures in your residence and keeps you cool and comfortable. However, an air conditioning system can consume a considerable amount of energy, especially if the unit is old and inefficient. In recent years, manufacturers have been working to optimize the efficiency of AC units. Here are some of the ways modern air conditioners are more efficient than their traditional counterparts. Modern Air Conditioners and Energy Efficiency Ratings SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. It quantifies the amount of energy your AC unit uses to cool your house. The higher the rating, the less energy your air conditioner is likely to consume. Even though they are often more expensive than older models, you can save by reducing your energy bills. The EPA minimum standard for a cooling system in Missouri is a 13 SEER rating. However, the number can go up to 25. The most energy-efficient systems today can attain ratings of 20 or more. Most homes still have cooling systems with a SEER rating of 10 or less. As the system ages, its efficiency goes down considerably. If your AC unit is older than a...

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What Are Ways I Can Conserve Energy?

March 17, 2021

For many people, their gas and electric bills are some of the highest bills they pay. This can leave less money for other more enjoyable pursuits. Plus, excess energy use leads to excess carbon emissions, which can reduce the quality of the air in O’Fallon. If you want to take control of your energy usage, the good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to lower your energy usage and your utility bills. Here are a few tips from to help provide some inspiration. Turn Lights Off When You Can Turning unused lights off is one of the simplest ways to save energy in your home. Some people worry that the initial start-up energy required to illuminate a light will undo any benefits of turning lights off when you leave a room. However, this theory has been proven to be false. Therefore, get in the habit of flipping the switch when you leave the room. For exterior lights, make sure they are on timers or utilize light sensors so that the lights aren’t on when they aren’t needed. Switch to LED Bulbs If you haven’t already, recommends switching to LED bulbs. Compared to incandescent and fluorescent...

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How Efficient is Geothermal Heating?

March 10, 2021

Heating your home during the cold O’Fallon winters can often come at a pretty steep price in terms of your utility bill. On especially cold days, it can seem like your furnace never stops running, using lots of electricity or natural gas in the process. While it’s important to keep your home warm during the winter for the comfort of your family and the safety of your plumbing pipes, doing so doesn’t have to be expensive or inefficient. In fact, one option, geothermal heating, provides exceptional efficiencies to the point that you’ll wonder why you ever heated your home any other way. At , we’re proud to be able to install these exceptional systems, and we want to tell you more about them to see if one could be right for you. What Is a Geothermal Heating System? A geothermal heating system is a high-efficiency heating and cooling system. The system uses a series of pipes buried under the ground that is filled with refrigerant to transfer energy from under the ground to the interior of your home. Inside your home, a geothermal system has a unit that changes the temperature of the refrigerant to thereby change its pressure to...

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What Size Furnace Do I Need?

February 18, 2021

When it’s time to replace the furnace in your O’Fallon, MO, home, it’s important to choose one that’s the right size. A furnace with insufficient capacity will run all the time and quickly wear itself out. On the other hand, a furnace with too much capacity will waste energy and could lead to parts of your home that are too warm or too cold. At , we’re the trusted installation team for new furnaces, and our skilled technicians will ensure that you get a new furnace that’s the right size for your home. Here are some of the factors that we use when determining the size or capacity of a furnace you need. Determine Your Home’s Heating Factor Your home’s heating factor is a measure of how much heat energy is required to maintain a consistent indoor temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Climate is the primary consideration in a home’s heating factor, but there are a few other aspects of this measure that are important to keep in mind. If your home was built in 1950 with 2-by-4 lumber and still has the original single-pane window with aluminum storm windows, your home will need a furnace with a higher capacity...

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Why is Energy Efficiency Important?

February 10, 2021

The phrase “energy efficiency” gets tossed around so often these days that it almost sounds like just another buzz phrase or cliché. The importance of energy efficiency, however, is very real. It offers several benefits, and it has far-reaching effects. If you do not believe that your household and you are maximizing your energy-efficiency potential in O’Fallon, MO, remember that professionals like Hoff Heating & AC can help. Here are some reasons why energy efficiency is important: Save Money Efficiency is defined as the ability to maximize output without wasting resources. If you earn a dollar but it took you two dollars to do so, the process probably was not efficient. On top of that, you are going to go out of business eventually. In terms of an HVAC system, it is efficient when it operates as close to 100% as possible and it simultaneously produces 100% output. You may have already been in a situation where you kept lowering the thermostat but the air did not feel as cool as you hoped. That issue could have been a result of several factors. More importantly, it shows that it was not running efficiently. By lowering the thermostat to achieve the...

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5 Steps to Better Indoor Air Quality

January 22, 2021

Poor indoor air quality is often to blame for a runny nose, itchy eyes, or asthma attacks. Indoor air pollutants come from many sources. Dust, pet dander and fur, pollen, mold spores, volatile organic compounds, and excess humidity are common types of indoor pollutants. Most homes don’t have all of these pollutants at once, but one or more of them could bother you or even threaten your health. No one is helpless in the face of these irritants. You can take steps to identify and correct your problems. A little vigilance and the right equipment can substantially improve your indoor air quality. Change Furnace Filters Regularly People with forced-air heat have filters between a furnace and its intake for circulating air. A furnace filter is an easy thing to forget because it’s out of sight and out of mind. The furnace filter grabs dust, pollen, and other debris circulating through your ducts. This helps to eliminate the dust that constantly infiltrates any home. The filter also serves to protect your heating system by preventing a troublesome buildup of dirt that will interfere with heating equipment operation. When filters go unchanged, air ceases to move easily through the system. Your furnace...

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How Often Should I Replace My Furnace?

January 10, 2021

The service life of your furnace is an important factor in budgeting for your home. After all, you can plan for the inevitable so you are not faced with a crisis. However, there is a big difference in planning for a replacement in 10 years versus 20 years. Learn how to determine the expected service life of your furnace, the variables affecting its life and how you can extend it. Manufacturer’s Goal Service Life All manufacturers have a goal in mind for how long their furnaces will last given good operating conditions and proper maintenance. These time frames are dependent on many variables and expressed as an average among all installed units. In addition to external variables, you have to consider the unit itself and the parts used within it. These parts make the saying true that you get what you pay for, even with furnaces. That does not mean that the most expensive units will last twice as long as the cheapest. However, it may be the difference between a system lasting 10 years versus 15 years. When properly maintained, forced air and high-efficiency condensing gas furnaces have an average service life of 15 to 20 years. Kerosene furnaces...

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HVAC Tips for the Holidays

December 10, 2020

The festive season is finally here. This means that soon you’ll be hosting guests in your house for fun activities such as football games and movie nights. It’s common for most homeowners to start decorating their homes with twinkle lights and other festive decorations. However, most people rarely think of their HVAC systems during such times. While you’re taking your time making your living space look festive, you should also keep in mind that your HVAC system is an essential home appliance that also deserves attention. Here are 14 HVAC tips that can help you and your guests stay safe and comfortable throughout the holiday season. 1. Check and Replace the Air Filter Improve your indoor air quality for your friends and family, especially those who are allergic or have asthma. A dirty air filter can’t effectively remove the pollutants from your home, so contaminants such as mold, mites, pet dander and viruses can linger in the air in your living space. What’s more, a dirty filter restricts the airflow into and out of your home and makes your entire system strain to maintain desired temperatures in your home. This makes it hard for you to benefit the most from...

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What is an Air Scrubber and Why Do I Need One?

December 1, 2020

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside our houses is up to five times as polluted as the outdoor air. Therefore, if you think your indoor air is clean, you may be very mistaken. It’s important to be concerned about your indoor air quality, particularly if anyone in your family has been suffering from asthma, allergies or respiratory issues. It is difficult to be comfortable, healthy and happy if your home contains allergens, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold and other pollutants. Luckily, you can improve your indoor air quality easily with a device known as the air scrubber. This appliance will remove dust, odors, pet dander, VOCs, surface contaminants and other pollutants that have been afflicting your family and make life incredibly easier for you. Keep reading to find out exactly what this device is, what it does and why you need it. What an Air Scrubber Is An air scrubber is a specialized machine that is used to purify air without any ductwork. This device can also be used inside existing ductwork as a permanent fixture. Besides cleaning your indoor air, this machine can clean your home surfaces, including countertops, doorknobs and bathrooms. How the Air Scrubber...

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