Forced Air Heaters: Some Myths Debunked!

Feb 14
09:39

2015

Todd Dawson

Todd Dawson

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The ever-increasing utility bill has created a situation where homeowners are willing to do everything possible to minimize their energy consumption. The market responded to this demand with highly effective heating appliances like forced air heating systems. But, this desire to save energy has also given rise to numerous misconceptions. Here is a review of a few such myths and the related truths.

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Some myths about forced air heaters

Forced air heating systems are designed to help you reduce your energy bill. But,Forced Air Heaters: Some Myths Debunked! Articles Lack of information on how to do things right often creates the opposite effect. Given below are some of the misconceptions spreading around in this regard.

  1. The temperature should remain constant

There are some homeowners who believe that turning on and off the thermostat will consume more energy. For this reason, you should not lower the temperature setting at night. This in fact is similar to staying awake all night so that you don’t have to get out from bed in the morning. It does not require more energy to warm up a cold room in the morning. All you need to do is to program your thermostat to lower the temperature up to 5º and to increase it in the same manner in the morning. This will help you save up to 20% in your energy bill.

  1. Close the vents to save money

This too is one among the widespread myths in heating. The forced air heating units of today are designed in such a way as to balance the pressure to distribute heat evenly. When you close a vent, this balance gets disturbed forcing the unit to work harder. Don’t close vents; the intensity of heat reduces as it travels around. It is through the vents that those rooms located away from the unit maintain a uniform temperature. Blocking its paths will make some rooms colder and some warmer.

  1. A room warms up faster in high temperature

Some homeowners believe that if you set the thermostat to high, a room will heat up faster. But, know that a forced heater works only as fast as it can. Thermostats do not increase temperature. They just ask the heater to get switched off when the heat reaches a particular point. Set it to the highest temperature possible. Within no time, you will open a window to reduce it; cold air will gush into the room.

  1. Increase size to save huge

Increasing the size of the forced air heating system will warm up a home faster, some people say. They fail to understand that the size of your home matters a lot when installing a central heating system. Oversize models would not only increase the energy consumption, but also would not distribute heat evenly. If you are just replacing your existing unit, take its measurements and buy a new one of the same size. First-time buyers may have to consult a professional to be able to make the right choice.

Forced air heaters are energy-efficient, durable and reliable. You just have to learn how to get the most from them.