Due to business expansion, Campbell Heating & Air has a job opening for a HVAC / Plumbing Service Technician. Please call (978) 486-0904 or (877) 410-3752 for more information about this opportunity.
Campbell Heating and Air has served Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire businesses and residences for over ten years. Locally owned and operated, we have a reputation for providing high quality service at reasonable rates, making us one of the leading New England HVAC & Plumbing companies. Call (978) 486-0904.
Choosing a Furnace System
What do Good Furnaces Have in Common?
The best furnaces are efficient. They keep a home warm and comfortable. They provide steady, dependable performance year after year. And they are quiet, long-lasting and low in service frequency and cost.
Which Furnaces are Energy Efficient?
When a furnace loses or wastes heat, it requires more energy to keep your home warm. Some furnaces lose heat through the walls of the furnace cabinet. Energy-efficient furnaces like Ruud’s full line of state-of-the-art models significantly reduce this loss with a blanket of insulation that lines the inside of the cabinet walls.
When a gas furnace is not in operation, most send a steady, wasteful draft of warm household air traveling up the venting system and out the roof. The Ruud Classic® Series and Classic® Plus Lines – feature an induced-draft blower that works in conjunction with a hot surface ignition system to pull hot gases through the heat exchanger at a constant and controlled rate of flow. As the burner cycles off, the draft blower stops, keeping the heating air in the system.
Pilot lights also can be wasteful. The electric ignition in many of Ruud’s furnaces eliminates the need for a constantly burning pilot. This feature alone gives up to 6% higher efficiency. And in combination with an induced-draft blower, can improve furnace efficiencies by over 20%.
Most gas furnaces vent combustion by-products and gases by allowing the warm air to rise naturally. However, on occasion, proper venting of combustion by-products may be restricted due to blockage, deterioration of venting systems, malfunctions or other causes.
The Ruud induced-draft blower maintains a constant draft through the heat exchanger, which assures proper venting of the furnace combustion chamber. Ruud also features a pressure switch which continuously monitors venting; and in the event it senses a vent flow restriction, it will automatically shut down your heating system for your safety.
The most efficient furnaces tap the energy of the hot vent gases – which can reach temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and more. The Ruud 90 Plus® gas furnace does this by routing the hot gases through a secondary heat exchanger. This step captures the otherwise wasted heat—using it to preheat the household air—and delivers AFUE ratings up to 94.5%.
A high-efficiency furnace generally wears a higher price tag, but it can make up the difference by reducing operating costs over the long run. And with today’s consumer interest in efficiency, such equipment enhances the bottom line of your home.
Are some furnaces better than others?
Definitely. Features to look for include heat exchangers that resist corrosion, direct-drive blower units, induced draft blowers, pressure switches, and an insulated blower compartment, which helps minimize operating noise.
You also should ask your dealer if the manufacturer of the brand you’re considering quality-checks and tests every unit before it leaves the plant.
And be sure to check out the terms of the Limited Warranty. Quality manufacturers put a convincing warranty behind their work. Ruud furnaces, which include all the features described here, offer one of the very best. Even the primary and secondary heat exchangers in the Ruud 90 PLUS are protected by a Limited Lifetime Heat Exchanger Warranty.
What should I look for in a dealer?
One way to be sure you’ll get good service is to contact a neighborhood Massachusetts Ruud dealer.
Your local Ruud dealer is knowledgeable, dependable, and as good as any you’ll find in the home. Give Campbell Heating & Air a call at (877) 410-3752!
Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters - Go Tankless and SAVE!
- Up to 40% Energy Savings
- Typical Life Span of 20 Years
- Units are about the Size of a Carry-on Suitcase
- Can be Installed on Virtually any Wall Inside or Outside of Your Home
- You’ll Never Run Out of Hot Water
- Easy to Set Water Temperatures Precisely for Multiple Locations in Your Home to Ensure Comfort and Prevent Scalding Accidents
- There’s NO Tank to Leak or Break, thus Reducing the Risk of Flooding
- Eligible for Rebate from the Gas Networks Program
- Energy Factor >.82%
- Minimum of 2.5 Gallons per Minute
- Minimum Warranty of 10 years on heat exchanger and 5 years on parts
- The Primary Components Including the Copper Heat Exchanger and Stainless Steel Burners – are Recyclable
Get Your AC Ready for the Heat NOW and SAVE!
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We proudly service Massachusets and Southern New Hampshire including:
Littleton, Westford, Acton, Sudbury, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, Carlisle, Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, Weston, Needham, Dover, Sherborn, Wayland, and surrounding areas.
Curious About The Cost Of Converting From Oil To Natural Gas
“The price of oil has been steadily rising. Is it cheaper to heat with oil or natural gas or anything else?”
At Patricia O’Mahony’s home in Quincy, it’s out with the old and in with the new. She’s converting from oil to natural gas. “It’ll save me a lot of money in the long run,” she says.
Making that kind of switch is definitely a long term proposition.
Here are some ballpark numbers.
If you’re switching a forced hot air system, expect to pay between $4,500 and $7,000.
For radiators, the cost is upwards of $7,500. Converting a forced hot water system is the most expensive, between $7,500 and $11,000. You may also have to pay to run a gas line to your house and to get rid of your old oil tank.
Despite the costs, a lot of people are taking the plunge.
“This year we project 14,000 conversions,” says National Grid’s Dennis McCaffery. He says there’s a simple reason for that. “They can expect to save a range of 15-to-34-percent. That’s because natural gas is a lot cheaper than oil right now.” And that’s keeping Hub Plumbing busy doing about 10 conversions each month. “They want to save money, they want their equipment to be reliable, they want a reliable source of fuel coming in,” says John Clary of Hub Plumbing. It’s not just switching to gas. Some homeowners are thinking very long term and going geothermal, where your heating and cooling come from below ground. But that’s hugely expensive. You could pay from $15,000 to $40,000 for a geothermal system mostly due to drilling and construction costs. However, you could also save as much as 70-percent on your heating, cooling and hot water bills.
For a much smaller investment, some people are buying pellet stoves to supplement their heating systems. A bag of wood pellets costs about $5 and lasts all day. “You can cut your oil bill down by about a third,” says Rob Buchanan who owns Buchanan Fireplace in Medford. At his shop, pellet stoves cost between $4,000 and $5,000. “You should be able to pay that off, with oil rising, within a couple of years,” says Buchanan. By far, switching to gas is the most popular choice. But with the high changeover costs, timing is important.
“My boiler was old and I knew I needed a new one,” says Patricia O’Mahony. And that’s the best time to consider making a move
By far, switching to gas is the most popular choice.
Oil to Gas Conversion for your Home Heating
At today's rates, it typically costs about a dollar less to produce one therm (the commercial heating unit, equal to 100,000 Btus) with gas than with heating oil. That may not sound like much, but it really adds up over the course of the winter and fall. Converting from oil to gas can help you save hundreds in just one year, let alone over the long term.
Natural gas also burns cleaner than fuel oil, making your gas-burning furnace lower maintenance and more eco-friendly. The cleanest burning of the fossil fuels, natural gas emits mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor when burned. It does emit some carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, but not nearly as much as oil or coal, and creates virtually no soot or ash. When you let Campbell Heating & Air convert your furnace from oil to gas, you'll greatly reduce your pollution emissions for a lower impact on the environment as well as practically eliminate the need for regular furnace cleanings!
When it comes to actually converting your heating system from oil to gas you have two options: burner replacement and gas furnace installation.
Burner Replacement: In many cases, the burner in your old oil furnace can be replaced with a gas-burning burner, saving you the cost of an entirely new furnace. Keep in mind that while you will gain the benefits of a cleaner, more affordable fuel source, if your converted furnace is old, it will not be nearly as efficient as if you had a new gas-burning furnace installed. Burner replacement can be an affordable way to get the benefits of natural gas, so be sure to ask your heating contractor if this is an option for your home!
Gas Furnace Installation: The other option is to switch out your old oil furnace for a new gas furnace. A more costly option, this also ensures you get the latest furnace technology and the most energy-efficient furnace. Our team can help you select the ideal gas furnace for your home, taking into account questions of size, efficiency, manufacturer, and more.
Converting your home heating system from oil to gas also requires that your house have natural gas service. Even if you already have a natural gas line (for the kitchen stove, etc.), you may need to have it upgraded: many homes are fitted with gas lines that are appropriately sized for a kitchen appliance but not to adequately heat your entire house! If your home does not already have a gas line, installing one is generally straightforward and cost-effective.
Finally, be sure that your chimney is safe for use with a gas furnace. In most cases, we recommend installing a steel liner to ensure that no carbon monoxide can leak into your house. Even if your furnace chimney is safe for your current oil-burning furnace, it may not be safe for the new gas furnace. Our professionals can assess your existing chimney to ensure it's safe for your gas furnace and to recommend solutions if it's not.
So if you're ready to start saving money and reduce your environmental impact, converting your furnace from oil to gas is a great choice. Call today to get started on your oil to gas furnace conversion!
2012: The Year to Make your Home Highly Efficient!
Updated Tax Incentives for Homeowners
Part of the tax extender bill passed by Congress in December 2010 made significant changes to tax incentives for federal taxpayers who install qualified energy efficient retrofits in their home, including higher efficiency heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment in their primary residences. An eligible taxpayer may claim up to $500 in tax credits, subject to caps based on the type of equipment installed. You may now qualify for tax credits equal to 10% of the costs (up to a $300 limit) for installing a high efficiency central air conditioner, heat pump, or hot water heater. You may also qualify for tax credits equal to 10% of the costs (up to $150 limit) for installing a qualified furnace or hot water boiler. A smaller tax credit of 10% of the installed costs (up to $50 limit) is available for installing a system with an advanced main air circulating fan.
What Is Considered a High Efficiency Unit?
A split system central air conditioner must meet or exceed 16 SEER and 13 EER; package system central air conditioners must meet or exceed 14 SEER and 12 EER. An air source heat pump must meet or exceed 15 SEER and 12.5 EER and 8.5 HSPF, in order to qualify for the tax credit. Package heat pump systems must meet or exceed 14 SEER and 12 SEER and 8 HSPF. Natural gas furnaces, propane furnaces, natural gas hot water boilers, propane hot water boilers, oil furnaces, and oil hot water boilers all must meet or exceed 95% AFUE.
For the advanced main air circulating fan credit, the fan must use no more than 2% of the furnace’s total energy. If the fan is qualified, but the furnace is not, you will not be able to take 10% off the cost of the entire furnace. Ask your HVAC contractor to break out the cost of the fan in your bill. You can get a 10% tax credit on the cost of the fan alone. If the furnace is qualified, but the fan is not, you can still take the 10% tax credit on the full cost of the furnace.
Why You Should Consider an Upgrade
Advances in technology over the last ten years mean that today’s higher efficiency HVAC equipment uses less energy, runs more quietly, and provides improved indoor air quality and comfort. And by using less energy and improved refrigerants, your new HVAC equipment is better for the environment.
Most homeowners would like to reduce their energy bills with higher efficiency HVAC equipment, and these tax credit help make the initial investment more affordable. Talk to us about finding the right qualified equipment that meets your budget. We can show you how much energy (and money) you could save over the long term.
Note: Every taxpayer’s situation is different. We can’t guarantee eligibility for the tax credits. But Campbell Heating & Air can help you figure out what equipment qualifies and how it can work for your comfort, health, and pocketbook.