Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

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When Should I Schedule Heating System Maintenance in Southern Vermont?

Monday, August 25th, 2014

It’s always tough to say goodbye to summer and turn toward the colder months. But a winter in Vermont can be one of the loveliest in the country, and if you properly prepare your home for the coming cold weather, there’s no reason that you can’t make the winter as joyous a season as the summer.

With summer almost finished, now is the time to start thinking about your home’s heating system. You may not need to turn on your furnace or boiler, or switch the heat pump to heating mode, for a couple of weeks yet, but you should take advantage of this cooler time to schedule your annual heating system maintenance in Southern Vermont.

HB Energy Solutions is one of your best options for heating maintenance. We install and service an enormous variety of home comfort systems, from wood-burning boilers to solar-powered heat pumps. You can rely on our expertise to make sure that your heater is ready for the coming Vermont winter.

Why you should schedule heating maintenance now

Professional maintenance for a heating system is sometimes called preventive maintenance, because one of its principle objectives is to prevent repair problems and breakdowns. You don’t want to wade into the cold season without all the proper preventive measures done for your home’s furnace, boiler, etc. A repair issue or a complete breakdown during one of the coldest days of the year is something you definitely do not want to occur! With your heating maintenance taken care of a few months ahead of the heaviest colds, you will have the best assurance possible that you won’t need to make emergency heating calls.

Another reason to take advantage of the early fall for heating maintenance is that technicians have an easier time scheduling the sessions. Between the summer heat and fall chill, HVAC companies experience a lower amount of emergency calls, and you should have no trouble arranging a convenient time for a skilled technician to come to your home and inspect and tune-up your heater.

Call us to schedule your heating maintenance today

Yearly maintenance for a heater is mandatory: it keeps the system from prematurely aging and wasting energy, and it also protects you from malfunctions. Take care of the job as soon as you can so you can scratch one more “to-do” from your fall list. Contact HB Energy Solutions today to sign up for our maintenance plan, or download the plan from our website.

Let our wide range of expertise in heating and cooling help you receive the best heating system maintenance in Southern Vermont. Call us today!

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Why Install a Wood Stove

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014

Wood stoves are centuries old and continue to provide reliable heating for communities all over the world. Installation isn’t expensive and can provide an excellent auxiliary form of heating as well as a number of other advantages. Why install a wood stove? We have several answers that we think you’ll agree with.

  • Efficient. Wood stoves provide an excellent and inexpensive form of heat. They require nothing more than wood to run, which means you can use them when the power goes out, and because of their nature, they are much more efficient at distributing heat than traditional fireplaces. That makes them a quick, cheap and easy way to keep warm during the winter.
  • Environmentally friendly. Wood stoves produce up to 70% less particle pollution than fireplaces according to the EPA, as well as dropping CO2 and methane emissions to a minimum. All of that comes on top of the fact that they consume no fossil fuels and don’t require electricity. That makes them a very eco-friendly option to warm your home.
  • Safer. Wood stoves cut down on the build-up of creosote in the chimney, making them a safer option for heating than fireplaces.
  • Cozy and romantic. The aesthetic value of a wood stove cannot be underestimated, especially in a snug cabin or home on a cold winter’s night. Wood stoves provide an easy gathering place for the family, as well as a spot for a romantic dinner. All of that helps improve the resale value of your home, providing an easy selling point when the time comes to sell the house.

For more information on why you should install a wood stove, or to schedule installation in Southern Vermont or New Hampshire, contact the experts at HB Energy Solutions. We have years of experience and we’re dedicated to your complete satisfaction throughout every step of your wood stove installation. Pick up the phone and give us a call to set up a consultation today. You’ll be glad you did!

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What Type of Boiler Is Best for New Hampshire?

Monday, March 3rd, 2014

Boilers come in many different model types that can use a variety of fuel sources. Although the boilers most commonly found in homes today use natural gas power, boilers can also use electricity and oil. Even wood-powered boilers are still around, and they aren’t antiques: technological advances can make wood and wood pellet boilers efficient and attractive options for heating in New Hampshire.

If you want to know which choice of boiler will provide you with optimal heating, we can’t give you a basic answer—at least, not yet. Your home has specific needs when it comes to heating, and your plans for saving money and helping the environment and the local economy will also affect how you should heat your home. We can give you a better answer if you schedule an appointment with us to assess your home. Call HB Energy Solutions today and find out about the types of boilers available.

Here’s a short guide to some of the boilers we install:

Natural gas boilers

If you have a natural gas line into your home, a gas-powered boiler makes for a great heating option. Natural gas burns cleanly and efficiently, is domestically produced, and you’ll always have a ready supply of fuel available. Gas boilers can score extremely high AFUE (efficiency) ratings, which means you’ll receive large energy savings.

Oil-fired boilers

If you don’t have a natural gas line, you can have an oil-fired boiler installed. Older oil-burning boilers had lower efficiency ratings and created higher levels of pollution, but modern advances have made oil-fired boilers much more efficient than ever before, and many earn the U.S. Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR label for their fuel-efficient performance and clean-burning.

Wood boilers

They sound terribly antiquated, but contemporary wood boilers have the advantage of using a renewable and locally available fuel supply, and they are one of the most environmentally friendly ways to heat a home. Wood gasification combustion technology means wood boilers have competitive efficiency ratings as well.

Pellet boilers

These boilers use compressed wood pellets to increase their efficiency and clean burning. Some models allow for bulk fuel storage so you won’t need to spend as much time maintaining the wood supply.

You have many choices when it comes to boilers, but don’t worry about having a daunting time picking a type. If you contact professionals in home heating, they can help you narrow the field to the boilers that will work best with your home and your available fuel. You will need to have professionals size and install the unit as well, so make sure you have them involved from the start.

To find your best choice for heating in New Hampshire, contact HB Energy Solutions and talk to one of our experienced specialists today.

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Why Would I Want a Wood Boiler Installed?

Monday, February 3rd, 2014

In the earliest days of hydronic heating, boilers used wood or coal as their fuel source. Today, the majority of boilers use either natural gas or electricity, although oil remains common as well.

But wood boilers still exist today. And not only as antiques. There are modern boilers designed to burn wood for their fuel. HB Energy Solutions offers wood boiler heating installation in New Hampshire for customers interested in this alternative to standard gas and electric models. We carry Tarm Biomass and Pro Fab Empyre wood boilers.

Of course, this begs the question: “Why would I want a wood boiler?” There are some good reasons to consider wood boiler installation for a modern home.

Here’s what a wood boiler can offer you

  • Locally available, renewable fuel: Wood boilers support local industries, and in small towns this can be extremely important. Unlike natural gas, wood is a renewable energy source, and the planting and harvesting of trees is a key regional industry.
  • More efficient than ever: Burning wood has a lower AFUE rating than natural gas or oil, but with the advances in wood gasification combustion technology, wood boilers burn much more efficiently than ever, using less wood than you would expect—and producing between 100,000 to 330,000 BTUs output of heat energy.
  • Low-cost installation: Many wood boiler models cost less to install than standard large tank boilers.
  • Energy savings: Using wood pellets instead of electricity or natural gas can save homeowners approximately 40% off their annual heating costs. Wood is also rarely affected by global market trends that cause inflation in the prices of gas and oil.

Discover if a wood boiler is right for you

Wood boilers do have disadvantages, of course, and they may not be the best choice for your home. If you are interested in a wood boiler for heating installation in New Hampshire, contact HB Energy Solutions to set up an appointment to investigate the possibilities. Our boiler experts will determine how much you can save with a wood boiler and if it will provide sufficient heat for your home. If a wood boiler is ideal, we’ll help you select the right model and install it so you’ll receive all its wonderful benefits. And if a wood boiler isn’t optimal, we’ll find and install a system that is.

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Why Furnaces Are Great Heating Options

Monday, January 6th, 2014

Chances are good that you’ve spent the greater part of your life inside homes that were heated using a furnace. Furnaces have always been popular choices for home heating, and they’ve been around for a long time. Over the years, they have become more effective and efficient than ever before. The basic concept of how furnaces operate has stayed the same, but many components have undergone modifications over the years to produce the models that now warm our homes, schools, and businesses. Here are a few more reasons why we think furnaces are good option for your New Hampshire heating.

Contact HB Energy Solutions for more information about the benefits of a furnace and to learn what sort of heating system will work best for you this winter.

The Benefits of Furnaces

  • Flexibility: Furnaces come in an astonishing variety of models and types. They can be sized to fit almost any home, and they can use many different fuel sources (with natural gas, electricity, propane, and oil). It’s rare that an installer can’t find a furnace type that will supply a home with just what it needs to keep warm through to spring.
  • Efficiency: Once upon a time, furnaces were energy-drainers, wasting a lot of their fuel as they converted it to heat. But those days are far in the past—most current furnaces earn the U.S. Energy Star label for their high AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) ratings and are competitive with other heating systems. Gas furnaces are especially efficient at converting most of their fuel into heat.
  • Effectiveness: Unlike the popular heat pump, which can suffer a drop in heating effectiveness during extreme cold temperatures, furnaces can provide powerful heating no matter the temperature outside.

Should You Install a Furnace?

That was our pitch for furnaces. But now we have to temper it: a furnace might not be the best choice for your home. There are many individual factors to consider when you start looking for a heating system to install. If a furnace is a good choice, you still have to decide the kind and size to have installed.

This is where professionals come in. HB Energy Solutions can help you make the right choice for the heater that will provide you with maximum comfort at a price that fits your budget. We feature quality brands and take pride in our installation speed and skill. When you want the best heating in New Hampshire you can get, contact us.

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New Hampshire Heating Tip: How to Choose the Right Heating System for Your Home

Monday, December 9th, 2013

If you are currently looking for a new heating system in your New Hampshire home, the amount of choices you face can feel burdensome. It seems like having many choices should be a positive, but when you consider the consequences of choosing the wrong system to provide you with the heating for a long winter, having so many options will turn stressful.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We’ll show you how to make the right choice for heating your home. HB Energy Solutions has helped heat homes for 21 years, and over that time we’ve developed a strong reputation for reliable and professional work.

How to pick the right heating system

  • First, hire a professional HVAC contractor. Don’t wait until it’s time to install the heater; you want professional opinions from the beginning.
  • Second, have the professionals perform a heat load calculation in your home. This special calculation takes into account multiple factors about your home’s heating requirements, from its size to the number of windows. After the calculation, the installers will have a good sense of what sort of heater will work best for your home, and how large it should be.
  • Third, consider your available power source. If you have access to a natural gas line, that will play an important part in what kind of heater you get: natural gas heaters tend to cost less to run than electrical heaters. If you only have electric power, you will need to focus more on efficiency among the available models, or consider using a propane or oil-powered heater as an alternative.
  • Fourth, consider your budget plans, both short- and long-term. Some heaters cost less to purchase up front and install, but incur higher heating bills and possibly more repairs in the future. Other heaters have high initial prices, but will pay for themselves with their energy savings within a number of years. Talk over the options with the professionals to find what fits best with your budget.

If you follow these steps, you should end up with the optimal heater for your house and your needs. Make sure the professionals who helped you make the choice of heating system also take care of the work installing it, so that your new heater works to the best of its ability for many years to come.

We hope you’ll make HB Energy Solutions your choice for guidance in finding a new home heater. We can take care of all your needs for heating in New Hampshire. We do it all: one call, one company!

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How Prompt Heating Repair in Southern Vermont Protects Your Comfort and Your System

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

If you start to experience issues with your heater—a rumbling boiler, a gas furnace with a flickering pilot light, a general loss in heating power—your first instinct might be just to ignore it. Maybe it’s nothing and it will go away soon. However, this rarely occurs. When your heater shows signs of a malfunction, you need to have prompt repairs performed on it. Call a professional HVAC contractor (try to find one with 24-hour emergency service) and summon their assistance. Leaving small repairs until later usually means big trouble sooner—both for your comfort and for your heating system.

For the necessary heating repair in Southern Vermont, look to HB Energy Solutions. We have over two decades of experience. And yes, we offer 24/7 emergency service.

Why prompt heating repair is so important

The reason that getting timely repairs done on your heating system is crucial is that malfunctions tend to increase and cause a chain reaction of other malfunctions. This will lead to your heating system requiring a serious and expensive repair to keep it operating. As your heater continues to decline, your comfort will suffer as the system begins to struggle to maintain the warmth you expect. Something that seems simple, like cracks in a blower motor fan belt, can quickly turn into a major problem when the belt breaks loose and begins to strike other components in the cabinet. Problems with wiring that sound minor won’t seem so when they start tripping circuit breakers and continually cutting off the power.

Eventually, unattended repair needs will lead to your heater shutting down entirely until emergency repairs restore it. You know when this will happen, right? Correct, it will happen on the coldest day of the year. This isn’t some invisible hand of fate at work; it’s because the heater will be pushed to the limits of its ability on that day, leading to those malfunctions that will finally cause it to break down.

However, you can avoid the need for emergency calls to get your heater back in operation with regular preventive maintenance and care. If you enroll your heater in a maintenance program that provides an annual check-up and tune-up so that it runs its best, you will encounter far fewer repair issues and enjoy better comfort throughout the year.

Whether you need immediate heating repairs or you want to start with regular maintenance, contact HB Energy Solutions. One call to us will have your problems taken care of. We have served Southern Vermont with heating repair and maintenance for 21 years. Join our family of satisfied clients today.

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Pros and Cons of Different Heating Fuels

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013

When it comes to picking out a heating system from among the various options—furnaces, boilers, heat pumps—one of the main considerations to keep in mind is the variety of heating fuels available. Most types of heaters run from different fuels depending on the model. For example, furnaces can use natural gas, electricity, propane, or oil.

If your home is already hooked up to a particular fuel source, then you will probably want to match your heating system to it. However, you will still have some flexibility, so to help you out with your choice, we’ll list the pros and cons of the most common kinds of heating fuels.

Contact HB Energy Solutions when you need further help making the important choices for heating in your New Hampshire home. We have more than 20 years of experience with installing heaters of all types.

Electricity

  • Pros: Electricity offers the cleanest option of the fuels, since it creates no emissions. Electrical systems are usually the easiest and least costly to install. Since electricity is already a basic part of your home, electrical heating systems are always a choice.
  • Cons: Electricity usually costs more than other fuels, and therefore electrical heaters can cost much more to keep your home comfortable during the coldest months.

Natural gas

  • Pros: Gas offers some of the highest efficiency of any of the fuels, with many heaters returning more than 90% of their gas source as heating power. You can expect lowered heating bills with natural gas at work for you.
  • Cons: There is some (albeit minor) risk of carbon monoxide leaks and explosions.

Oil and Propane

  • Pros: Neither fuel poses the same explosive combustion risk of natural gas, or toxic leaking. Because you store and use oil and propane from independent suppliers, there are no monthly fees involved.
  • Cons: You have to plan ahead to purchase the fuel, and you store it on the premises (unlike natural gas, which is piped in). Oil and propane tend to be less efficient than natural gas, although they still tend to be less expensive to heat with than electric systems.

Of course, there are also other fuel types beyond these most common ones, including bio diesel and wood pellets.

Regardless of the different advantages and disadvantages of these fuels sources, the one that will work best for you depends on your home. This is why you should have experts involved in the installation process from the beginning; they can help you select a heating system and fuel source that will match your home’s needs as well as your long-term energy budget. When you need quality installation for your heating in New Hampshire, look to the experience of HB Energy Solutions.

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Benefits of Heating with Wood Pellets in Southern Vermont

Monday, November 4th, 2013

In Southern Vermont, wood pellets make an excellent alternative form of heating, whether you use them in furnaces, boilers, inserts or old-fashioned stoves. Pellet heating goes hand-in-hand with a cozy home on a cold winter’s day, providing a romantic atmosphere in addition to reliable heat. But that’s only one of the advantages the fuel source provides. Here are some of the other benefits of heating with wood pellets in Southern Vermont.

  • Ease of use. Wood pellet stoves usually have a fuel hopper to store the pellets until you need to burn them, and they have a feeder device which drops the pellets into the combustion chamber. This allows a slow and steady burn all day without you needing to manually add pellets. Pellet stoves usually only need to be refueled once a day.
  • Clean burning. Wood pellets are dry and tightly compressed, which means they burn cleaner than normal wood. They also don’t create as much smoke and they give off less creosote (which can coat your chimney and eventually create a fire hazard), making them much friendlier to the environment than wood-burning fireplaces.
  • Less expensive. Wood pellet stoves use very little energy, which means they cost you a little more than the price of the pellets themselves to operate. That’s an immense savings here in Southern Vermont, where the winters get cold and the snows piles on thick.

The best part is that wood pellet burners can be readily installed by qualified service technicians, leaving them ready for use by the time autumn turns to winter. To help reap the benefit of heating with wood pellets in Southern Vermont, contact the experts at HB Energy Solutions. We can match a pellet stove, furnace or boiler to suit your house, and then install it with your complete satisfaction in mind. Maintenance and repair programs are available as well, so don’t hesitate to give us a call and set up an appointment.

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Heating in New Hampshire: How Pellet Stoves Work

Monday, October 21st, 2013

Although we no longer use fireplaces and wood-burning stoves as the only way of heating a New Hampshire home, they can still help out during the cold months if you want to gather around a roaring flame and take in the loveliness of an old-fashioned hearth.

But just because the fireplace is an old-fashioned idea doesn’t mean that a fireplace has to be old-fashioned—or even inefficient. The wood pellet stove is a great alternative to a fireplace for people who don’t want to worry about woodpiles. And a pellet stove is also an effective method of providing heat for your home, much better than a standard fireplace. If you want to know more, contact HB Energy Solutions, where we install top-of-the-line pellet stoves.

A wood pellet stove burns pellets made of recycled wood and sawdust leftover from the lumber industry. The pellets have low-levels of pollution and are inexpensive to purchase. They are very dense, so they burn slowly, and with their low moisture, they produce hotter flames.

The pellets go in a hopper on the top or bottom of the stove. An auger (resembling a long screw) delivers the pellets into a burn pot, which electricity then ignites and begins burning the compressed pellets. Ashes fall into an ash pot, which you will need to clean out regularly.

To get your home heated, a pellet stove uses convection. A convection blower draws in air from the room and passes it over the pellets, which helps them burn stronger and also raises the temperature of the air. The heated air passes through a heat exchanger, and a room blower sends warm air into the room, very much like a furnace does. The exhaust goes out a pipe in the back to the outside—which means you don’t need a chimney installed to get the benefits of a pellet stove. However, insert pellet stoves can fit into your existing fireplace if you want to upgrade.

With the control offered by a thermostat, you can get the right amount of heat you want. That’s something you’d have a much harder time doing with a traditional fireplace.

HB Energy Solutions installs and maintains pellet stoves that can give you a cozy home with the benefits of a fireplace and few of the drawbacks. We’ve been heating New Hampshire homes for 21 years, and so call us today to learn more!

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