As we look on to the threats posed by the growing dangers of global warming, it has become imperative for us to protect our environment and slow down this perilous situation. Unless we reduce the excessive burning of fossil fuels, it will become impossible for us to control this menace. We can help save our ecology by beginning right from our homes and what could be a better way of doing it, than using fuel-efficient stoves for heating your rooms instead of stoves using fossil fuels. Wood burning and pellet fuelled stoves are a good alternative for room heating and are being widely considered by most homemakers today. There are many retailers who sell stoves over the internet so its new even easier to get your hands on one.

Wood or wood pellets that generally comprise of sawdust or wood shavings are a more eco-friendly fuel as compared to other forms of fuels such as natural gas, coal or oil. Hence wood burning and pellet burning stoves are becoming popular, as money-saving and environment friendly heating systems for our homes. If you have a fireplace, you can use a wood burning or a pellet stove as an insert connected right into the chimney, but if you do not have a fireplace a standalone stove would serve the purpose. However, you will need to have a chimney installed if you buy a stand alone stove.

Although both wood burning stoves and pellet stoves are similar in fuel efficiency, they have their varying features. Wood burning stoves require regular attention and everything is manually supervised to get the fire going. You need to stack the wood and ignite the fuel apart from which you have to stoke the firewood from time to time. A pellet burning stove on the other hand is more convenient, as it can be electrically operated, but you will have to load the pellets. However, whichever of the two stoves you install, you will have to take care of its maintenance and have it inspected from time to time.

There are various models of wood burning stoves and pellet burning stoves available in the market and since they form a part of your room décor, you can find some attractive designs and shapes that will integrate well with the other things in the room. They are designed like showpieces that present an attraction of their own and there is a wide variety of choice available to choose from. Wood stoves and pellet burning stoves are cost effective and enable you to save on your electricity bills apart from which they help reduce carbon emissions that are the main cause of global warming.

Andrew Foster is a search engine consultant in the burning stoves industry. covering many areas including how to buy wood burning stoves online

If you use your garage as more than just a place to park your car or as storage for household nick knacks you’re in there at all times during the year. You experience the heat of summer, the protection from the rain, and awful cold during the winter months. If you use your garage for much more than storage and you have a workshop or use it as an office, you’ll definitely want to stay warm during the winter months. Most garages don’t have adequate insulation in the walls and garage doors to keep your garage as warm as it could be, but there is a way to beat the cold. A simple and affordable garage heater is a great way to keep warm during the winter months.

The big advantages of garage heaters are that they are effective, affordable, and portable. No matter where you’re working in the garage, you’ll be able to pick up your heater and have it near you while you work. But, most heaters are powerful enough to heat the entire garage from one spot. Plus, it’s very simple to use. The majority of these heaters use a simple thermostat to control the temperature. Plus, many also have a temperature cut-out to regulate any type of over heating.

So how exactly do the heaters work? They work by constantly dissipating clean heat to the entire garage, and not just one spot. So you don’t have to go out there and get multiple heaters to warm your entire garage. Two heaters at the most are sufficient to heat most garages.

These are the various types of heaters:

Electric Garage Heaters: The beauty of an electric garage heater is it’s ease of use. In the words of Ron Popeil, all you have to is “set and forget it”. Just plug it into an electrical outlet in your garage and you are ready to go. Plus, there isn’t any heavy maintenance for you to perform like with propane or natural gas heaters.

Most standard electric garage heaters come with a built-in thermostats for very precise temperature control with automatic shut-offs to prevent overheating. There are also additional metal protections to give the heater more rigidity. Your standard heater is capable of warming a 500 square foot garage. This more than enough for most garages.

Propane Garage Heaters: Propane heaters are consistently among the most popular garage heaters because of its affordability and efficiency. It’s clean, odorless, and is controlled with a thermostat like any other garage heater.

On top of those benefits, it can heat up to 850 square feet of your garage; more than enough for most homeowners. Additionally, they also have insulation to increase its heating efficiency.

Natural Gas Heaters: If you’re already using natural gas to heat your home, a natural gas heater is a great option for your garage. I’ll be honest, it does cost more than the propane or electric heaters up-front, but it costs a lot less to operate on a month-to-month basis. Make sure to locate them near and exterior wall or some type of vent to let the exhaust from the heater escape the room.

Nothing beats outdoor grilling and partying with friends and family. But when the winter months come we are forced to cover the barbecue grill, clean off the deck and patio, and retreat indoors as Mother Nature covers us with a blanket of cold weather. Now there is an option that allows us to comfortably spend time outdoors in cooler weather and shake off the winter blues at the same time.

A propane outdoor heater is a device that looks like a tall skinny mushroom. The heater uses bottled propane gas with an umbrella shaped heating unit at the top of its stand and is approximately 80 to 90 inches high. The shape of the unit forces the heat down and it pleasantly warms the area around it. Typical heaters warm a 15 to 25 foot circle and provide an oasis of warmth in cool or cold weather. They are portable and easy to move. Many break down and allow you to transport them safely in your vehicle.

We have all heard the talk about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the depression some people feel in the short and dark days of winter. And while most of us don’t succumb to this stage of discomfort, we all know how that the ‘winter blues’ is something that we do notice as the days drag by and we look forward to being outside again.

These propane outdoor heaters give us the option to throw a great outdoor get together anytime. Start a new tradition with a Christmas, New Years or Groundhogs Day barbecue or other outdoor event. Or if you have family members whose birthdays or other anniversaries occur during the colder autumn or winter months, surprise them with a one of a kind observance of the event. Grill their favorite food and open gifts outdoors with warm drinks and the unique remembrance of being out of doors.

We all look for ways to spend unique, fun and quality time with our family and friends. Now we have a way to expand what we can do at our homes and beat back winter at the same time. Plus create a memorable experience that is truly out of the ordinary.

For those of us who hate to shut down the patio or deck in the Fall, a propane patio heater can give us many extra outdoor evenings as the cool weather sets in. And when Spring starts to hint of coming, these outdoor patio heaters give us a jump on the weather and have us outdoors much sooner than normal.

Make an outside the box leap and plan an outdoor party or event for the months when most people are trapped inside their homes. It’s excellent fun and makes for an adventure that will not be soon forgotten. Add a little extra heat to your patio or deck or garden and beat the winter blues away.

Stop by our site and get more information about the fun and convenient outdoor uses for a propane outdoor heater and where to find outdoor patio heaters for your next outdoor party or gathering.

A travel air purifier can range from the very strange and seemingly useless to the very practical and useful. A travel air purifier is like anything else that you buy for convenience, you get what you pay for and a good travel air purifier can be a little on the expensive side. As with anything else that involves your health you should always shop around to find the best travel air purifier for you and maybe even ask your doctor what they suggest in a travel air purifier. It may seem like a strange thing to ask your doctor but when it comes to your health then what better expert to ask than your personal physician?

Right off the bat let me just say that those little travel air purifiers that you wear around your neck are probably not going to help you a whole lot when you travel. I can certainly understand the desire to have a travel air purifier with you especially if you are confined on an airplane where you cannot open the windows. But a tiny air purifier around your neck is going to have its challenges in keeping the air around you purified before you breathe it. Ask your doctor what is the best way to protect yourself from airborne bacteria when flying on a plane and maybe invest your money in a better way to protect yourself.

Why A Travel Air Purifier?

Some people describe travel air purifiers as paranoia but I look at it as a way to use technology to protect yourself from the harmful things in the air when you travel. A travel air purifier is no different to me than the people that bring their own bedding to hotels because of all of the stories about hotel linens. I think it is a very practical thing to do and a good investment to make if you travel a lot and are forced to stay in hotels that do not offer air purifiers for their rooms.

There are many different types of air purifiers you can take on the road with you that do offer you a decent level of protection at a reasonable cost and can protect you from the things that can be airborne in your average hotel room. Even the best maintained hotel rooms can have secrets due to the amount of people that stay in a hotel room in a given year so it is always best to protect yourself and bring with you anything you can think of that will help you avoid disease and any other airborne hazards.

Until recently, any house without ductwork (“ductless”) could not have central air conditioning. If you had forced hot water heating or electric heat, for example, your only options were to use noisy, highly inefficient, and expensive window air conditioners in each and every room you wanted to cool. This was as expensive as it was unsightly.

Now, the invention of ductless air conditioning systems provides everyone, regardless of how old your house is or how it is currently heated, the opportunity to get a central air conditioning. These systems are quiet, simple to use, energy efficient, and quick and easy to install. They can even be “zoned” to cool only parts of your house at a time.

The system consists of just three parts:

1. Quiet indoor air-distribution units

2. Hidden refrigeration lines that link this/these units to…

3. …an outdoor compressor/condenser.

The only visible parts to the ductless system inside the house are small 1-3 inch in diameter holes where the distribution units are mounted. Ductless systems are actually much less visible that almost any other kind of heating or cooling system.

You do not have to change any existing ductwork, or anything about how you currently heat your house to get a ductless air conditioning system.

Advantages of ductless air conditioning systems:

1. Central air increases the resale value of your house, and in some areas is close to required to get any buyer interest

2. They are very small; in fact they are practically invisible.

3. Ductless air conditioning systems are easy to install, and the technology has made it so that the systems can be installed with little or no disruption to existing walls and facades.

4. These systems have flexible types of installation – you can choose floor, ceiling, and/or wall-mounted units depending on what will be least visible and disruptive to your existing decor

5. They can be “zoned” to individually cool specific rooms or groups of rooms, further reducing the cost and wastefulness, especially as compared to window units.

Even in some homes that are heated with forced air, the ductless air conditioning system may be optimal because it will save the energy that is currently lost as air travels through the ductwork (think of cooled air passing through a duct in a super-hot attic, or hot air through a cold basement).

More and more you will see window units disappearing from homes like yours…look into the opportunity to use ductless central air conditioning yourself!

Purchasing a new heating, cooling or air quality system for your home is one of the most important buying decisions you and your family will make. Before committing to such a large investment, it’s important to do your research and ask some serious questions so you can avoid making the following mistakes:

1. Choosing an Unqualified or Unlicensed Contractor

Picking the right contractor could be the most important part of the furnace or air conditioner buying process – yet most people don’t ask enough questions to make sure the contractor is properly qualified and experienced for the installation. Always ask if they are members of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI).

Membership in HRAI, which represents over 1,000 contractors nationwide, shows that the contractor is qualified and reputable, as they must have the following credentials:

* All required trade licenses and provincial certifications

* Liability insurance up to $5,000,000

* Technical Safety and Standards (TSSA) registration

* Compliance with Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

* Compliance with Dispute Resolution Process

* Compliance with Ontario Environmental Regulations

BBB members are part of a nationwide organization dedicated to upholding the highest level of integrity and ethics in customer service, communications, advertising and dispute resolution.

2. Getting Only One Estimate

When you’re shopping for a new gas furnace or central air conditioner, you should always get more than one estimate. Ensure that each estimate is written on a proper form and always take the time to review and compare the quality of the equipment and warranties offered. Does the estimate include the removal of old equipment and materials? Are permits included in the estimate?

Be sure to pay attention to the Sales Consultant to see how knowledgeable and professional they are. How long have they been in the business? Did they explain all of the rebates that are available for your system? Your experience with the Sales Consultant could be a good indicator as to what type of service to expect from that contractor later on.

3. Always Going for the Lowest Price

You should always select a contractor that promotes the quality of their installation service and equipment at reasonable rates, rather than just picking the one that offers the lowest price. The lowest price does not necessarily mean the best value. For example, the less expensive contractor might not offer valuable services such as 24-hour emergency response or maintenance and service agreements after the installation.

4. Thinking Price is the Only Factor

The purchase price should not be the only important factor in your decision. The noise level of your new system is something you will have to live with everyday, while the energy efficiency of the system will determine how much your heating or cooling costs will be (energy efficiency is determined by the SEER ratings – be sure the Sales Consultant fully explains what these numbers mean). Choosing the right product for your lifestyle will allow you to live comfortably and save money.

5. Ignoring the Fine Print in the Warranty

It is important to fully understand the warranty that is being provided by each contractor. You should always inquire if the warranty covers parts only or both parts and labour. Also ask if there any extra charges above and beyond the warranty coverage, such as an after-hours service labour charge. Always ensure that the contractor provides you with a written warranty form for your records.

6. Forgetting to Ask About Insurance and WSIB Coverage

The contractor you deal with should always have public liability and property damage insurance. If sub-contractors are utilized, the contractor should also have the proper liability insurance. If the contractor isn’t insured, you could be held fully responsible for any damages to the equipment or your home during the installation process as well as any medical costs if an installer is hurt on the job.

Always make sure the contractor is in good standing with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. For large jobs, you may want to request a copy of their latest WSIB certificate.

7. Making Too Big of a Deposit

Holmes Heating Inc. does not request a deposit, unless the equipment is unique and subject to re-stocking charges in the event of an order cancellation. If a deposit is required, it should never be more than 20% of the total job and all payments should be made directly to the company named in the contract.

8. Not Asking for References

Reputable contractors will be more than willing to provide you with the names and addresses of customers they have done work for. Ask neighbours, family, friends and co-workers their opinion of any contractor they’ve used in the past.

9. Believing Your System Will Never Break Down

In case something goes wrong with your system, it’s always a good idea to make sure that the company you choose has after-sales service capability. Inquire if they have a full service department and ask how many service vehicles they have on the road. Do they respond to calls after 11 p.m. or on weekends? How quickly can they be there if you have no heat? Holmes Heating Inc. guarantees a 4-hour emergency no-heat response time to keep you warm in case your furnace quits in the middle of winter.

10. Lack of Proper Training or Instruction

Most contractors have a habit of installing the furnace or air conditioner and then leaving without explaining how to properly operate or maintain the system. This leaves you, the homeowner, with the task of trying to figure out exactly how to reset electronic thermostats and replace furnace filters (which can become quite costly if not done properly). Holmes Heating Inc. provides all of its customers with a free training DVD, which outlines these procedures, step-by-step, in a friendly and courteous manner.

Selection of the correct climate control device plays a critical role in determining a system’s efficiency, an important purchasing factor for many homeowners.

The most advanced climate control systems available today, because they enable hydronic (water-based) heating systems to provide great comfort at lower water temperatures, can reduce home’s fuel consumption by up to 20 percent.

How they work:

The process of heating a home starts when the thermostat measures a room’s temperature. When a conventional thermostat switches the boiler on, the boiler will fire at full-blast for as long as it takes to heat the entire room to the desired temperature.

As a consequence of firing the boiler for so long, the water gets heated to a higher temperature than what is necessary to maintain a room at comfortable levels.
This ultimately results in wasted fuel consumption and higher heating bills.

While a conventional system will heat the water to temperatures as high as 200-degrees, an efficient system will allow that to occur only when the outside temperature drops to below-zero.

Unfortunately, a conventional system only knows what the temperature is inside the house, firing the boiler just as hard, regardless of the outdoor temperature.

Considering that below-zero temperatures occur in our area only about 2 percent of the year, while temperatures above 30-degrees occur more than 80 percent of the time, it makes better sense to fire the boiler accordingly. By installing a sensor on the north side of the building, the temperature of a home’s hydronic system can be regulated according to the outdoor temperature.
On the rare times when the temperature drops to 10-below, the boiler will raise water temperature to whatever (generally about 200-degrees) levels are needed to offset the increased heat-loss caused by extreme weather conditions.

On the other hand, when it is 30-degrees outside, and the rate of heat-loss is substantially lower, water temperatures can be maintained at levels as low as 135-degrees.

As a general rule, for every three degrees a building’s heating supply water temperature is reduced, fuel consumption is reduced by one percent.

A byproduct of these controls is increased comfort.

Because these systems do not follow the on/off principle, there is always just enough heat flowing through the distribution system, eliminating temperature swings.

Make climate control systems work for you:

While the technology of advanced climate control systems have been in use for many years, the larger part of the contracting community has been slow in adopting their use.

Because their wiring is more complex than standard thermostats, and require careful integration in a heating system, most contractors feel that they aren’t worth the extra time and effort to install.

As a result, few homeowners are offered the chance to upgrade the quality and efficiency of their home comfort system.

Some boiler manufacturers integrate these controls with their boilers.

Find a progressive heating contractor and you’ll enjoy the energy saving benefits.

For some, the fireplace is the focal point of the home – a place where the family gathers for quiet time, and where visitors congregate for conversation and cocktails. But when it comes to wood burning fireplaces, much of the heat that the fireplace is supposed to create, is actually lost through the venting system. Gas log fireplaces, however, offer a clean, alternative method of heating.

Gas log fireplaces resemble wood burning fireplaces but the method of burning relies on gas rather than wood. Gas is delivered through a line that runs straight to the fireplace. When the owner wishes to start a fire they simply turn on a switch that ignites the gas. Flames ignite around simulated logs to create the ambiance of a natural wood burning fireplace. Using this type of fireplace means you don’t have to chop firewood or keep wood on hand in order to start a fire. You are also spared the mess that often comes along with burning wood.

When choosing from among gas log fireplaces, you will be required to decide between ones that vent to the outside of the home – just as wood burning fireplaces – and those that have no venting system whatsoever. The difference between the two lies in the intensity of the flame that it produces. When you burn wood or gas the result is the same – the production of carbon monoxide. With the use of vented fireplace, the carbon monoxide is vented to the outside of the home. In the case of fireplaces that are not vented, the carbon monoxide and other materials produced by the fire are combustible in the flame of the fire – the heat of which is at such an intensity that it can accomplish this task.

No matter which of the two you choose, it makes sense to install a multitude of carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home. Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can spread throughout the home without your knowledge. If it should reach dangerous levels it can result in severe injury and even fatality to the people within the home. Detectors can alert you to any unseen gas taking up residence in the home. It is also a good idea to crack a window during the burning of gas log fireplaces so as to allow fresh air into the home. And, of course, never allow a fire to burn while you sleep.

Gas log fireplaces should always be installed by a professional who can safely install gas lines and instruct owners on its safe operation. Check to make sure that the fireplace you are installing – especially unvented fireplaces – is allowable in your particular location.

There can be no arguing that a fireplace can add another whole dimension to a room – including ambiance, style, and warmth. Whether you choose wood burning fireplaces or gas log fireplaces, you will likely get years of enjoyment from your fireplace – not to mention added value to your home.

Just like any other cooling machine, window air conditioners are designed to give comfort and ease to the users. Its ability to transform hot, humid air into a cooling sensation gives the very comfort that people need once they install one of these units. Also considered as through-the-wall units, this type of conditioning system is actually the smallest of these self-contained machines.

Although its ratings for its efficiency are not as good as central systems as well as the property of reduced versatility because it can only service the room where it is stationed, it nevertheless compromises its ability to function as designed.

These devices are built with filters to capture dirt and unwanted particles such as pollutants; window air conditioners also require regular routine check-ups and cleaning.  Not only does the filter need washing, but the condenser coil located at the back of the unit can also be a source of lots of debris therefore a thorough and perhaps more efficient cleaning using certain chemical cleaning agents will be helpful.

Checking on these parts is important as this may interfere with the flow of air and thereby reducing the efficiency and the quality of the output of the unit. Routine check-ups will also sue away insects such as wasps and hornets from building their nests inside your cooling unit.

Other animals such as house rats can also be prevented from making your machine their comfort room or their safe haven. Aside from ensuring that the circulating air is fresh and good as expected, you are also assured of having your unit for a longer period for presence of those mentioned animals will surely cause serious damage to your unit.

Owners of window air conditioners often encounter other problems. Sometimes they are just plugged and long forgotten unless a problem is detected. With this, owners should be reminded of some troubles you might encounter with your unit and how important it is to take care of them for you not to encounter any of these:

• Dirty and even rusting coils and filters – cleaning the filters and vacuuming those coils when the unit is turned off will do the trick. Since these parts constantly encountered dirt and are the collectors of these materials, you must ensure that filters are replaced at least once a month.  Ensuring that these parts are cleaned as regularly as possible will also ensure that your unit will function well and that your electric bill will not be a pain in your head.
• Leaking unit – this only suggest that perhaps your unit was not positioned properly. For proper drainage, make sure that the unit is tilted outwards.
• Fan has stopped blowing – this connotes that your fan may need replacement. Put some oil first on the blades while the unit is unplugged. When this still does not work then the unit may need a new motor.

Window air conditioners are becoming a common appliance in many homes. Before purchasing one, do some research in order to make a wise purchase.