This year’s cool spring gives New Mexicans extra time to get their swamp coolers going This spring may have gotten off to a slow start, but it won’t be long before we’re feeling the heat! That’s why now is the time to get your swamp cooler start up scheduled with Polar HVAC and beat the rush. The swamp cooler experts Swamp coolers, known more formally as evaporative cooling systems, have an exceptionally long history of keeping humans cool. The ancient […]
Read more ›This post is the last in a four part series on high efficiency gas furnaces. If you haven’t read parts 1, 2, and 3 yet, I recommend you do before continuing. Advantages of a high efficiency gas furnace Save money – obviously, you’ll need less gas to heat your home with a high efficiency gas furnace. Eventually, your new high efficiency gas furnace will pay for itself in the money you save on your utility bills! Less emissions – not […]
Read more ›This post is the third in a four part series on high efficiency gas furnaces. If you haven’t read parts 1 and 2 yet, I recommend you do before continuing. Energy Star Energy Star is a program run by the US Government through the EPA. The mission of the Energy Star program is to ensure consumers have access to unbiased efficiency information that they can easily compare from one appliance to another. The aim of the program is twofold, as […]
Read more ›This post is the second in a four part series on high efficiency gas furnaces. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, I recommend you do before continuing. History of the furnace (continued) Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, hot air circulating and steam systems competed for prominence in the global interior heating market. In fact, we can still see evidence of the rivalry between these two types of systems today. Both systems with boilers and radiators and radiant floor […]
Read more ›In the winter time, few things are more essential to comfort in your home than your furnace. When it comes time to buy a new furnace, the options can be dizzying. Let’s learn a bit more about furnaces, and then we’ll take a look at high efficiency gas furnaces, their benefits, how to choose one, and when they are the best option. History of the furnace For most of human history, homes were heated by a fireplace or stove. It […]
Read more ›This post is the third in a 3 part series about high efficiency and solar water heaters. If you haven’t already read parts 1 and 2, I recommend you do before continuing. What is a thermosyphon? In a thermosyphon system, the forces of convection are employed to move the water back and forth from the tank to the collector. Convection is the natural principle by which warm things rise, and cool things sink. The advantage of a passive solar system […]
Read more ›This post is the second in a 3 part series about high efficiency and solar water heaters. If you haven’t already read part 1, I recommend you do before continuing. New water heater technology (continued) What if we could heat our water with free energy that’s falling from the sky all around us? Well, we can! Solar hot water heaters As early as the 19th century, Americans were using the sun to heat our water. The earliest solar water heater […]
Read more ›Technological advances bring improvement in water heaters When most people think of hot water heaters, they think of big, grey tanks sitting in garages. For decades this type of water heater, known as a storage water heater, has dominated residential water heating in North America. Storage water heaters have three basic parts – a tank, a heat source, and a switch. The tank holds a given amount of water while the heat source brings it up to a given temperature. […]
Read more ›This post is the second in a two part series on water heaters. If you haven’t already read part 1, I recommend you do before continuing. Within the two types, tank-style and tankless, water heaters can be further characterized by their proximity to the user – either centralized or point of use (POU). Centralized water heaters In some densely populated areas or buildings, hot water is piped into individual homes from an outside source. This type of system is more […]
Read more ›Hot water is a staple of civilization. We use it to cook, clean, bathe, and more. When we turn that left tap, we expect hot water to be there for us. If it isn’t, that’s a big problem. So, what’s this magic appliance making our lives so pleasant? Let’s learn a little more about water heaters. Storage water heaters or “tank-type” heaters This is the type of water heater most people are familiar with. A tank type heater uses either […]
Read more ›