Design Comfort Blog: Archive for January, 2013

Water Heater FAQ: Tank vs. Tankless Water Heater

Monday, January 21st, 2013

If you’re a homeowner in Salt Lake City, your water heater is probably one of the most important components of your home. When it comes time to replace it, you’ll probably end up wrestling with the tank vs tankless water heater debate. At Design Comfort, we’ve been providing complete tank water heater and tankless water heater service in Salt Lake City for many years. We thought we would put together a quick list of some of the advantages and disadvantages of each system for our customers. Contact your local Salt Lake City water heater contractor if you have any questions about which system is right for you.

Tank Water Heaters in Salt Lake City

The traditional tank water heater is probably the more common of the two types of water heaters. It offers high capacity hot water for homes all over the country. However, it tends to use more energy than tankless water heaters because it has to constantly heat that large tank of water. It also lends itself to heat loss when the hot water just sits in it. Over time, they also can potentially become vulnerable to rust and corrosion.

Tankless Water Heaters in Salt Lake City

While tankless water heaters do offer homeowners the potential to reduce their energy consumption form heating water, they do have some drawbacks. If you have children and teenagers, your demand for hot water will likely make your tankless system work less efficiently. In homes with higher demand, multiple tankless systems will likely be require to keep up with the demand. Because tankless systems are much more expensive to install, this normally leaves larger families in Salt Lake City with the tank water heater option.

If you have any questions about tank or tankless water heater systems, just call Design Comfort. We provide complete tankless water heater installation and tank water heater installation and repair in Salt Lake City. Call us today!

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What Is an ERV and Do I Need One?

Monday, January 14th, 2013

An Energy Recover Ventilator (ERV) is an HVAC component that is missing from many homes. If you’ve heard about ERVs and would like to learn more then keep reading. Design Comfort is proud to provide complete heating services in Salt Lake City including installation and repair of ERVs. Contact Design Comfort today to learn more.

What is an ERV?

The purpose of an energy recovery ventilator is to provide fresh air to your home. If your home is tightly sealed, as most of our homes are during the winter, then it is likely that the air quality in your home has started to suffer without the introduction of new, fresh air from outside. An ERV accomplishes that without allowing cold air into your home.

How Does an ERV Work?

During heating season, an ERV recovers energy by letting fresh air from the outside soak up some of the heat from the stale indoor air that is getting exhausted outside. The two air streams don’t mix so that the new air isn’t contaminated. In this way, the ERV allows you to take in fresh air without compromising the energy efficiency of your home—like you would if you just opened a window.

Benefits of an ERV

The benefits of an ERV are many. Here are just a few of them.

  • Energy efficiency – About 85% of the heat from the exhausted air can be recovered in some ERVs. This is a great way to reduce the amount of energy that you use by keeping it in your home.
  • Air quality – Adding fresh air from outside allows you to dilute the contaminants that are inside your home. Additionally, by exhausting stale indoor air, you can remove some of the pollutants from your home as well.
  • Humidity control – Many ERVs allows you to recover some of the moisture from the exhaust air as well. During the winter, this is especially important because of the dry air.

An ERV is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. You can improve the quality of your air while reducing the amount of energy that you use to heat your home. If you’re interested in learning more about ERVs and if one is a good option for your home in Salt Lake City, call Design Comfort today!

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Heating Tips: Small Upgrades

Monday, January 7th, 2013

If you are like most homeowners, keeping your home comfortably heated during the winter months is second only to doing so in the most efficient way possible. If you are not totally satisfied with the performance levels or efficiency of your home heating system, consider making some of these small upgrades to the system or your home. For further information about how you can get a better, more comfortable performance out of your heater in Salt Lake City, contact Design Comfort today. We are always happy to share our expertise with you. Let us help make your home a more comfortable place to live. Call to speak to a Salt Lake City heating professional today!

One of the first upgrades to your home heating system that you may want to consider is the installation of a programmable thermostat. A high quality manual thermostat is fine, but it does not give you the same amount of control over the way in which you use the energy and heat you pay for to keep your home comfortable. With a programmable thermostat you set different programs for different situations that will allow you to be comfortable all winter long without paying an arm and a leg for the service. Set your thermostat to raise temperatures shortly before you get home from work or vacation to conserve energy throughout the day while still coming home to a comfortable house.

You may also want to consider the installation of a whole house humidifier in your home. If this is simply not in your budget try running a room humidifier for a while and see if you notice a difference. Air in the winter tends to be pretty dry, and it is dried out further by your heater. Humid air, though, holds heat better than dry air. By instilling more humidity into the air in your home you can actually help it to retain heat better. This means that you will be able to pay less to keep your home just as warm and comfortable.

There are many other ways, big and small, for you to upgrade your home heating system, from zone controls to all new equipment. Make the most out of your heating experience in Salt Lake City. Call Design Comfort today for more information.

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