Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing Blog: Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

3 Signs it’s Time for Furnace Replacement

Monday, December 18th, 2023

Year after year, you rely on your furnace to kick on during that first frigid day in winter, and like clockwork, it always does. You upkeep it with maintenance, you don’t linger on repairs, but all good things come to an end. If it’s giving you one of these three major troubles, it’s time to consider furnace replacement.

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The Best Reliable Back-Up Heat for Your Home

Monday, October 9th, 2023

Sometimes winter comes banging on the front door with no plans of leaving, and your primary home heating method doesn’t hold up. It happens, which is why it’s not only a good idea to have a back-up heating method–it’s paramount.

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What the Daikin Family of Products Are and Why We Use Them

Monday, September 18th, 2023

If you’ve ever shopped for a new HVAC system or a way to filter the air in your home, you’ve likely seen Daikin’s name before. Daikin is one of the largest HVAC equipment manufacturers in the world, and we’re proud to carry and install their systems.

So what makes Daikin different? There aren’t that many HVAC brand names that you can name off the top of your head, but Daikin’s one of them. Let’s talk about why.

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Classic Signs Your Furnace Needs Maintenance ASAP

Monday, September 4th, 2023

You fire up your furnace, the gentle hum fades into the background, and you sink into the comfort it provides without a second thought. That’s how it’s supposed to be, but your furnace can hit a roadblock: a dire need for maintenance, and if it isn’t met, it can have serious consequences for your system.

Furnace maintenance isn’t just a good idea–it’s crucial to keep the heat on. Your furnace sends out signals like warning shots to let you know that it needs maintenance. Let’s teach you what some of those are.

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Replace Your Full System, Both Heating and Cooling: Skip the Line and Save

Monday, March 13th, 2023
time-to-fix-your-air-conditioner

Let’s face facts: your air conditioner is on its last leg, and your furnace takes forever to heat up your home.

You know that you need an entire HVAC system replacement, but your home improvement budget keeps you from going through with it.

Or you don’t have cooling in your home, you remember how hot and stuffy it got last summer and into the fall! Plus, your furnace is due for an upgrade. 

Whatever the scenario, your current system is likely impacting your day-to-day quality of life, and it’s starting to show. Thankfully, there’s a way that you can save up $4,000 for a full system replacement.

Silver Shield Members can take advantage of qualifying rebates and our preseason AC special to save big and upgrade their current system. 

Do I Really Need a Full System Replacement?

Replacing two entire systems is a lot for anyone, so how do you know if it’s really time to pull the trigger and finally replace your home heating and cooling system?

  • If you have multiple unit repairs each year.
  • If your electric bills are starting to soar.
  • If you notice foul smells coming from either your AC or furnace.
  • If you hear loud, strange sounds on a constant basis.
  • If you don’t have AC and are done with being uncomfortable in the heat!

Let’s be honest: you clicked on this in the first place because deep down, you know that you need to replace your heating and cooling units. If any part of that list jumped out at you, it’s time for a full replacement. 

Begin Your Replacement Today

This offer extends until April 30th, 2023–now is the perfect time to save. 

Plus, with our preseason AC special discounts apply to anything that cools, including air conditioning, ductless, and electric heat pumps, with energy savings you’ll enjoy for years.

Call today, our Home Performance Experts are ready to size the right equipment for your home and budget. And if you aren’t a Silver Shield Member, now is the time to join. Beyond saving up to $4,000 on your full system replacement, you receive comprehensive performance maintenance, WholeHome performance assessments and so much more!

Our team of Home Performance Experts has served the I-5 corridor from Blaine to Marysville, Oak Harbor to Concrete, and the San Juan Islands since 1972 with a mission of Improving Lives™. We look forward to serving you too! Contact Barron Heating & Air Conditioning today for a full system replacement.

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HVAC Installation: Why You Should Consider the Daikin Fit

Monday, February 8th, 2021
daikin-fit-hvac-system

At Barron Heating & Air Conditioning, we focus on three pillars: comfort, health, and energy efficiency. There’s no exception when it comes to our products installed and available services. Our team works with some of the best HVAC systems on the market today, including the Daikin Fit heat pump system.

When choosing a system for installation, it’s often tempting for homeowners to go with the cheapest heater or air conditioner they can find. This can be a costly mistake, however. Going with the lowest price version often sacrifices the performance quality for your home, ultimately binding you to high monthly payments to heat and cool your home due to how much energy your HVAC system will consume.

Performance is key! Whether you’re on the market for a new heater, AC system, or both, the Daikin Fit is an affordable option that makes performance a priority, providing the comfort you want while saving you money.

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The Older Your Current Furnace, the More You’ll Save with This Upgrade

Monday, December 28th, 2020
woman-with-headscarf-and-sunglasses-on-teal-background-with-words-pay-back-program

Of all the home service needs that homeowners wait on addressing, replacing an old furnace makes the top of the list. As long as it’s not completely broken down and provides some heat, it’s fine, right? You’ve been able to rely on that thing since before social media was invented—so no reason to make a switch! Or is there?

Little do most folks know…as much as 40% of that old furnace’s energy could be wasted. That means your furnace is costing you extra money.

We have some great news! Barron Heating is once again offering a Pay Back Program where you can earn up to $1,000 in combined savings with the purchase of a new high efficiency furnace. The older your furnace, the more you’ll save. Today’s high efficiency furnaces are rated 95% or higher, turning almost all the energy they generate into heat for your home. Talk about a true return on investment!

Not convinced you need an upgrade? Keep reading to learn why replacing your furnace may be the most practical and economical solution.  

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6 Tips to Keep Your Wallet Happy This Winter

Wednesday, December 14th, 2016

Don’t let your winter heating costs get you down


Sure, in the short walk from your heated car to your heated office the cold winter air may be refreshing, but I’m sure there are few among us who don’t appreciate the comfort of a well-heated house at the end of the day. I’ll also bet there are few among us whose energy bills don’t see some kind of spike in these winter months either. That part’s not so comforting.

But before you scramble to take up residence someplace more tropical, we’ve put together 6 tips to help keep your house warm and wallet happy this winter.

1. Go smart (with a smart/programmable thermostat)

Automatically control the temperature of your house when you’re working, sleeping, or otherwise occupied with a programmable thermostat, and you can save from 5 to 20% on your heating bill. No need to worry about remembering to turn your heat down when you leave the house–programmable thermostats take the hassle out of heating.

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How important is a “Home Energy Checkup”?

Wednesday, January 20th, 2016

Only if you believe that a “leaky home” can waste money

And you should! Whether you are heating or cooling your home, leaky homes can waste your hard-earned dollars!

The best way to evaluate your home is to have it professionally tested. Home energy assessments, home energy audits and home energy check-ups are all pretty much the same thing. The important element is to choose the right type of professional contractor to perform any one of these evaluations of your home.

As explained in this video from the U.S. Department of Energy, a home energy checkup is a series of tests and inspections to help determine how your home can be more efficient. Finding the source of inefficiencies in the home will help you understand how you could be wasting money. It is common to find problems in most homes like:

  1. insulation
  2. trap doors/access doors to attics
  3. lighting
  4. appliances
  5. dirty filters
  6. leaky duct work
  7. airflow and sources of air leakage in the home

The good news is that all of these problems areas can be fixed! Many times, homeowners are tricked into purchasing new heating or cooling systems that can cost thousands of dollars. But it is quite common that a new system is not what the homeowner needs. What’s worse is that the new system will not operate as efficiently as expected because the true source of inefficiencies in the home have not been addressed. It is common that homeowners can save more money in the long run by doing a little bit of investigative work on the front end.

So why wait until those energy bills start adding up?

You may also be interested in:
Solving Drafts (and Other Common Problems) with Duct Repairs
The Importance of Sealing Attic Penetrations 

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Heating System Replacement Tips

Tuesday, January 7th, 2014


Space heating is the largest energy expense in most homes, accounting for two-thirds of annual energy bills in cold climates.

Why Buy An Energy Efficient Furnace/Boiler?

Heating is the largest energy expense in most homes, accounting for almost two-thirds of annual energy bills in colder areas of the country. Heating systems in the United States emit a billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) and about 12% of the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by the nation. Reducing energy use for heating is the single most effective way to reduce your home’s contribution to global environmental problems.

Conservation efforts and a new high-efficiency heating system can often cut your pollution output and fuel bills in half. Upgrading your furnace or boiler from an AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of 56% to 90% in an average cold-climate house will save 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions if you heat with gas or 2.5 tons if you heat with oil and will cut your heating bill by almost 40%.

If your furnace or boiler is old, worn out, inefficient, or significantly oversized, the simplest solution is to replace it with a modern high-efficiency model. Old coal burners that were switched over to oil or gas are prime candidates for replacement, as well as gas furnaces without electronic (pilotless) ignition.

About Furnace/Boiler Efficiency

A central furnace or boiler’s efficiency is measured by annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). AFUE is a measure of how efficient the appliance is in using fossil fuel (gas or oil) or electricity (for an electric furnace) over a typical year of use.

An all-electric furnace or boiler has no flue loss through a chimney. The AFUE rating for an all-electric furnace or boiler is between 95% and 100%. The lower values are for units installed outdoors because they have greater jacket heat loss.

The efficiency of manufactured furnaces is governed by the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act of 1987 and regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy. The minimum allowed AFUE rating for a non-condensing, fossil-fueled, warm-air furnace is 78%; the rating for a fossil-fueled boiler is 80%; and the rating for a gas-fueled steam boiler is 75%. A condensing furnace or boiler condenses the water vapor produced in the combustion process and captures the heat released from this condensation. The AFUE rating for a condensing unit can be much higher (by more than 10 percentage points) than a non-condensing furnace. Although a condensing unit costs more than a non-condensing unit, the condensing unit can save you money in fuel costs over the 15 to 20-year life of the unit.

Tips for Buying a New Furnace/Boiler

  • If you live in a cold climate, it usually makes sense to invest in the highest efficiency system available. In milder climates with lower annual heating costs, the extra investment required to go from 80% to 90%-95% efficiency may be hard to justify.
  • When shopping for high-efficiency furnaces and boilers, look for dependability. Buy a system with a good warranty and a reputable company to back it up.
  • When buying gas and oil systems, specify sealed combustion. Sealed-combustion appliances bring outside air directly into the burner and exhaust flue gases (combustion products) directly to the outside, without the need for a draft hood or damper. They generally burn more efficiently and pose no risk of introducing dangerous combustion gases into your house. With nonsealed-combustion appliances, back-drafting of combustion gases can be a big problem, especially in tightly-sealed modern homes.

Posted by Wes Diskin

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