What are Geothermal Systems?

Our Team Can Teach You About Geothermal Systems

The word “Geo” is Greek and means “Earth.” The word “Thermal” is Greek and means “heat.” Geothermal energy helps to reduce emissions that cause harmful climate changes. Emissions endanger children and pose a health risk to everyone. The Earth is packed full of energy that can be harvested quite easily.

Geothermal energy has been in the Earth since the beginning in many forms including decaying minerals and more. Back in the ancient Roman times, people used geothermal energy to heat homes and baths.

Geothermal Heating Doesn't Need To Be Complicated

Customers who choose to use geothermal power can save a lot of money on their energy bill. Geothermal power is not only affordable; it is reliable and environmentally friendly. Emissions produced from geothermal systems are much lower than other products.

Geothermal systems can greatly reduce global warming throughout the community and world if it was used over fossil fuels. The first geothermal generator was running in Italy in 1904. The largest geothermal power plant is located at The Geysers in California.

Geothermal Systems Are Environmentally Friendly

Several countries throughout the world including El Salvador, Kenya, and Iceland use geothermal power for over 15% of their electricity. Because we get the warmth of the sun for free, the use of geothermal power sources is efficient and saves you money. This environmentally friendly source of power helps improve heating in your home, and even a few degrees makes a huge difference.

Sources are waste heat supplied by co-generation from a geothermal electrical plant or from smaller wells or exchangers.

Consider The Benefits Of Installing A Geothermal System

Water produced in hot springs is able to be piped directly into radiators. When the shallow ground is hot but dry, earth tubes can be used without the need for a heat pump. Where the shallow ground is too cold, it is still warmer than the winter air.

Seasonal variations in the ground’s temperature disappear and diminish below 10 meters of depth. The heat can then be extracted through a geothermal heat pump quickly and more efficiently than the heat a furnace creates. Geothermal pumps can be used nearly anywhere.

To Learn More About Geothermal Systems Call 731-689-3651

HVAC Safety Tips

Keeping you and your love ones safe is a main priority in your life. But it is also a main priority within our team. We try to make sure each and every one of our customers and potential customers are safe and know things about safety when it comes to their home. Here are some essential things you should know about HVAC, gas, and plumbing: 

• Clean your air filter – Clogged air filters in your furnace could result in carbon monoxide fumes leaking into your home. Check filters frequently, cleaning or replacing them at least every three months.
• Install and maintain carbon monoxide and smoke detectors – Colorless, odorless carbon monoxide gas is potentially fatal when inhaled, and electrical fires can result from any home appliance including heating and air systems. Install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors throughout your home. Be certain to check batteries monthly, change them at least once a year, and test new batteries for performance.
• Designate family friendly areas – Block children and pets from accessing rooms that contain furnaces and boilers to prevent potentially dangerous burns from pilot lights and pressure release valves.
• Schedule annual professional maintenance – Having your heating and cooling system professionally maintained is important in preventing safety issues. Professional technicians can check your system for safety issues that could result from a faulty system and ensure your heating or air will be there for you when you need it most. Call us or use the app to schedule your heating and cooling system maintenance!

 Some dangers associated with heating and cooling systems—and that you should be aware of—include:

• Loose connections from the expansion and contraction of heat pump units that could potentially lead to electrical fires
• Faulty pilot lights and heat exchanger leaks on your furnace, resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning
• Blocked, poorly located, or faulty boiler pressure release valves

Here’s how to stay safe when the weather changes:

• Prepare – Power failures, storms, and other disasters could occur at any time, so take precautions to familiarize yourself with the way components in your home, such as your heating and air system, function to increase your safety and comfort.
• Practice electrical safety – Educate yourself and older family members on how to operate circuit breaker controls for your heating and air conditioning equipment and other appliances in your home. Turn off circuit breakers to your heating and air during a power outage to prevent harmful spikes in electricity that could occur when power comes back on.
• Install surge protectors – Installing a surge protector on your heating and air conditioning system protects expensive heating and air equipment when you are away. A surge protector will automatically shut down power to your system if an electrical spike occurs.
• Have your system professionally inspected following a major disaster – Floods, tornados, and more can affect your heating and cooling system, resulting in unsafe operation. Following the event of a natural disaster, have your system professionally inspected before turning the power back on.

If you have any questions please email me at kevin@harbinair.com. I hope everyone is having a great Winter season.

Serving North MS, West Tennessee, and North Alabama sense 1989.

Maintenance Tips for Your HVAC

Keep your HVAC system in its best shape to enjoy maximum comfort with a long operating life:

• Regularly replace the filter - We recommend changing the system filter at least twice a year – once before the heating season and once before the cooling season. Make sure to also Keep components clean, especially the outdoor condenser/compressor unit. Removing dirt & debris and cutting back vegetation to at least two feet on all sides can greatly improve the your AC results. 
• Use a programmable thermostat - When you’re away from home or at night when sleeping, allowing the temperature to change by 10 degrees closer to the air outside for 8 hours or more can save 5%-15% on heating and cooling costs. 
• Have your HVAC system serviced by a trained technician twice a year - HVAC tasks like checking combustion in gas or oil furnaces or ensuring there are no leaks in a refrigerant line are best left to experts. Make sure to schedule regular system checks with Harbin.
• Insulate and air-seal your home properly – HVAC equipment is much more efficient if the home’s shell is efficient. (for a diy guide, check out this one from EnergyStar.gov.) 
• Make sure your system is the correct size - When planning for a new HVAC system, insist that the HVAC contractor perform exhaustive “Manual J” calculations to calculate the system size. Systems that are either too small or too large will not run efficiently, provide poor comfort, not properly address the home’s humidity needs, and will likely fail earlier than necessary.
• Make safety a priority - Install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide alarms for your family’s safety.
• Upgrade to geothermal heating - Geothermal heating doesn't need to be Complicated. If you heat and cool with electricity, consider upgrading to geothermal heating and cooling. Customers who choose to use geothermal power can save a lot of money on their energy bill. Geothermal power is not only affordable; it is reliable and environmentally friendly. Emissions produced from geothermal systems are much lower than other products.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Furnaces Requires Maintenance

The recommendation is to maintain, inspect and clean your furnace. There are many furnaces in the Corinth Mississippi area, and Savannah Tennessee area that homeowners neglect there maintenance on their furnace. At Harbin Heating & Air Conditioning we believe in routine maintenance. It is nothing to save a home owner 40-50% on their gas bill along not to mention the inspection finds carbon monoxide leaks. This will cause you and your love ones to get very sick and is even fatal. You cannot smell Carbon Monoxide so that is one reason that it is extremely dangerous.

Carbon Monoxide detectors are used to test the amount of Carbon Monoxide in the home. They analyze the parts per million and alarm when it exceeds the danger zone. These detectors can be purchased at your local big box store or local hardware store.

If you have questions about this topic or any other subjects email me at kevin@harbinair.com.

This is the Harbin Heating & Air blog. We serve Corinth, MS, North MS, Savanna TN, South West TN, & North West AL.

4 ways to cut your heating bill by $690 a year

Even well-built, newer homes have enough gaps to add up to a 14-square inch hole. But plug these money holes and you can save as much as $690 off your heating bill. Here’s how

Drafty doors

A thin eighth-of-an-inch gap under a 36-inch wide door is akin to a 2.4-inch hole in your wall. Save money by sealing up drafty doors.

Replace attic insulation

To keep heat bills down there should be at least 12 inches of evenly distributed insulation throughout your attic.

Fill the cracks

To stop air leakage, and high heating bills, use caulk to fill the gaps.

Out with the old-school thermostat

For every degree you turn your thermostat down in winter, you save between 3% and 5% on your heating bill.Use a programmable thermostat to make these savings automatic.

If you have any questions please email me at kevin@harbinair.com. I hope everyone has a great Winter season.

Serving North MS, West Tennessee, and North Alabama sense 1989.

Sources: Efficiency Nova Scotia, Washington Post, Energy Saver

Happy Veterans Day

HVAC Provides Home Protection

When people think of HVAC, many focus on the comfort of cool air and overlook the valuable protection that heating and ventilation can offer. HVAC cooling systems do their part to ensure your protection by stabilizing the air conditions within your home. Valuable possessions that can become damaged by poor indoor climate are protected by your HVAC system.

By installing a high quality heating and cooling system, you can ensure that the condition of your home is prioritized. With an Harbin HVAC system, you will be adding your own level of insurance because your possessions will be protected from the horrors of a poor climate. You can pair a HVAC system with a whole house humidifier or any other indoor air quality product to further protect your property including your electronics, upholstery, wood, art, and instruments. 

Electronics - Over time, moisture levels can cause damage to electronics. High humidity can cause moisture to collect in the electronic components which will lead to corrosion. Even low moisture levels can cause problems because static electricity can build up and lead to short circuits. High temperatures can also damage plasma TVs and computers by overheating them. 

Custom Upholstery - Custom upholstery needs to be treated with care. Without proper ventilation, your expensive furniture can be damaged. Also, when extreme temperatures, the material your upholstery is made out of will be damaged. Leather and wood both struggle in warm temperatures. If your HVAC problems aren’t fixed, your upholstery can develop cracks leather spots.

Wood - If you have any wooden furniture, moisture can build up and rot the wood from within. As wood gains and loses moisture over a period of months and years, it goes through a process of contraction and expansion until eventually the damage is beyond repair. Not only will cracks and splits appear, there could also be warping and bowing within the wood. Of course, this becomes a nightmare if you have wooden floorboards because they will start to gap. 

As well as floorboards, this can ruin furniture, cabinets, wooden beams, doors, decking, building materials, and more. What’s even worse, the long-term upshot of this can be mold which will spread quickly and destroy the core structure of a home if left untreated or even unnoticed. 

Art - When you have an HVAC system installed, you will also protect canvases and other pieces of art from fluctuating humidity levels. Additionally, linen, parchment, paper, and others will be affected. When the air is particularly dry, these materials will start to crack and even shrink. When there is excess moisture, the materials will go damp and could grow mold. When you keep artwork, it should be kept in a stable environment.

Instruments - Finally, humidity changes will also have an impact on the tune of a piano and the wood of a guitar. If dry, even woodwind instruments can crack and grow mold. 

As you can see, HVAC systems can be essential for any home and you should look to make the first step today if you want to keep your valuable possessions protected!

If you have any questions about the protection a HVAC system provides please email me at kevin@harbinair.com. I hope everyone has a great Winter season.

Serving North MS, West Tennessee, and North Alabama sense 1989.