Dust and other pollutants gather in the air ducts and furnace in our homes, especially during the time they aren’t being used. Once the winter months near and you kick your furnace up again, these pollutants are released into the air and circulate throughout your home while your furnace produces even more pollutants as it works hard to keep your home pleasantly warm in the cold months.

Most people believe that adding a plain disposable sir filter to the furnace solves this problem. In reality, these disposable filters do close to nothing, as they only manage to trap some 10% of the pollutants coming out of the air from your furnace and almost none of the pollutants that are already circulating through your home.

Clearview Plumbing and Heating does regular assessments of the air quality in our clients’ homes and we recommend installing highly efficient electronic air cleaners that are up to 95% efficient in cleaning the air coming from your furnace.

Clearview Plumbing and Heating is dedicated to providing only the best energy efficient water heaters to homes in the Calgary area. Our expert staff and representatives will make sure that the water heater of your choice will meet your needs and lifestyle by considering the size of your home, number of members in your family, and other elements that can help assess your need for hot water.

With that information in hand, we can help you choose and install the water heater that will provide the best possible solution for your home and family.

At Clearview we are concerned with offering only the best water heating systems, quick installation and generous warranties while lowering our customers’ energy bills while providing them with the comfort and convenience of abundant amounts of hot water. We simply know our water heating systems and we like to know our customers’ needs.

Proper maintenance, tune-ups and repair of your furnace are of the highest significance in preparation for the long and harsh Calgary winters. Clearview technicians and the several regular maintenance options we offer will save you time, work and lower your heating costs. Poor maintenance and delayed or amateur home furnace repair may make for less efficient heating, higher energy bills, unexpected repairs and, most importantly, an unhealthy environment in your home or office caused by dangerous carbon monoxide that can leak into the air you breathe through the smallest, invisible cracks on your furnace.

Our staff and representatives will make sure that you are provided with the proper furnace repair and annual tune-ups to ensure that your home is comfortable, warm and healthy during the cold Calgary winter months. Our tune-ups and other programs offer regular maintenance and low costs, a minimum of one to two years warranty on all parts and labour, regular check ups and even up to 20% discount on services.

Most homes in Calgary have furnaces that are over 7 years of age and work with an average energy efficiency of 45%. Many Calgarians may not even realize that by using these old furnaces they are spending some 30% more on heating bills than they could be with a new High Efficiency furnace. Some may realize this or are perhaps concerned with the health and environmental issues that could occur with an old furnace, yet might be convinced that they simply can’t afford a new furnace.

Clearview Plumbing and Heating offers several heating and furnace rebate solutions. Our representatives will be with you through the heating and furnace rebate from beginning to end, including paperwork, and installation. Clearview is the service that does it all, leaving you with a brand new furnace, smaller heating costs and a warm, clean home environment to enjoy when all the hassle of paperwork, rebates and installation are over and done with.

Somehow emergency plumbing issues and finding a professional plumber in an emergency are never simple. That’s when Clearview Plumbing and Heating professional plumbers are always ready to step in and handle any emergency plumbing issues you may have with effective and lasting solutions, preventing any future mishaps. Calgary weather has been known to be harsh on both your indoor and outdoor plumbing. Our plumbers are certified, experienced and equipped to handle any emergency, at any time.

All our plumbing experts are not only certified, friendly and experienced but equipped to leave your home so tidy that you’ll never know Clearview was there. Whether your pipes need some repair, replacement or your toilets and drains are clogged, Clearview Plumbing and Heating will react fast and find the best possible solution to your plumbing emergency. Once we have assessed the situation and given you a clear quote upfront, we will take great care in completing the job and doing it well.

While everyday maintenance and regular cleaning of the drains in your home is something you as a homeowner can and should do on your own, annual professional maintenance and any larger repairs should be handled by experienced and professional plumbers.

At Clearview Plumbing and Heating, our clients’ safety and comfort comes first and we simply don’t condone quick fixes that can lead to bigger problems in the future. Whether your drains need in depth cleaning, professional maintenance or repair, our, friendly, expert certified technicians will assess your situation and find the best solution to your immediate drain cleaning needs and recommend future maintenance.

At Clearview we only use the best professional equipment to make sure the job is done well, quickly and safely. Using video technology to view your pipes before and after drain cleaning and NO-DIG Rooter technology to install new pipes if necessary, without tearing into your yard, we guarantee hassle free, professional drain cleaning.

Although there are few hot and dry days in Calgary, locals know that serious heat waves during the summer can sometimes be just as harsh as the long winters. Properly maintained air conditioning systems are essential to providing a cool, clean and healthy environment during those days, whether in your home or in the workplace.

Our plumbers are renowned for their pleasant attitude, expert training and speed and can provide you with top quality service and practical advice on how to make your air conditioning system more efficient to lower both your energy bills and carbon footprint.

Regular maintenance of the air conditioning units in your home or office is crucial to providing a healthy environment, free of the dust and microorganisms that gather in the units and air ducts over the long periods of time when they aren’t being used. Our staff will be glad to provide you with proper maintenance of your existing air conditioner or help you choose a new one for best performance and efficiency.

So far you’ve learnt about how insulating, minimizing wastage, and improving the efficiency of your heating system can help you save on your heating bills. In this last part of the series, we’ll discuss how tapping into the sun’s heat and using some unconventional methods can help reduce your heating needs.

Allow Sunlight to Come in

One of the best ways of keeping your house warm is to allow sunshine into your house. Maximum sunlight will come from the south facing windows. Keep these windows clean so that they do not obstruct the sun. Trim the evergreens on the south side of your house to remove these natural obstructions to sunlight. However, you should make it a routine to close the curtains at night so that the windows do not let the heat, which was captured during the day, escape in the night.

Staying Fit and Active

An effective way of maintaining your internal body heat even in cold weather is by staying fit and active. It is believed that your body can create its own warmth more efficiently than by any other means. Take to healthy habits like going for a walk or a jog. Go out and participate in winter sports that will not only give you some great moments but will also reduce your need to keep the house warm all the time.

You can start regular workouts at the gym to stay fit. You should also increase your protein intake through food items like fish, meat, nuts etc. as these help you create more body heat.

Heat from the Kitchen

Kitchen itself can be a major source of heat. When you bake or roast food items like rolls, cakes, chicken etc, your cooking appliances generate heat that keeps you warm. So the winter season is a great time to cook all those things that you avoided in the summers at the thought of the heat in the kitchen.

Warmth from Your Family and Friends

Last but not the least, you could use cold winter evenings as family get-togethers and share some warmth with your family, watching movies in a cozy space with coffee and snacks.

It is a scientifically proven fact that humans give out around 500 Btu’s of energy every hour. So by inviting people over and having some fun time with friends, you will also reduce your artificial heating needs.

Follow these tips, and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you would end up saving on your heating costs.

In the last post, we discussed how insulation techniques and regular maintenance of your furnace can help you cut your heating costs. Here are some other measures that you can adopt to save on your heating bills without having to compromise the comfort of a warm and cozy environment inside your home.

Minimize Wastage

By conserving heat and minimizing wastage, you can ensure that you only use as much heat as is necessary. There are a lot of things that you can do in this respect.

Ensure that you adjust the settings of the thermostat according to your need. Always lower the thermostat when you are not at home or when you are sleeping in a blanket or a quilt. Increase the thermostat level only when you are in the house and are awake. When increasing the thermostat level, do it 2 degrees at a time, because if you take the thermostat too high and then reduce it to adjust it to the right level, you are wasting a lot of heat.

It also helps to make minor changes in your habits like opening the doors less often and passing through them quickly so that heat does not escape through them. Similarly, avoid keeping the cupboard doors open, as it unnecessarily increases the area that needs to be heated.

Improve Heating System Efficiency

Another thing that you can do so that the heat spreads in the house efficiently is to avoid any blockages in front of the baseboards. Any piece of furniture, curtains, or rugs, should be removed from the way to increase heating efficiency. Clean the vanes in the baseboards and the heating pipes by using a vacuum cleaner so that they can transfer heat more efficiently. You should also close the damper once the fireplace has cooled down, as this would stop the heat from escaping.

Use Warm Clothes

You should not completely depend on the furnace to keep you warm. Keep yourself warm by wearing a sweater so that you do not have to turn the thermostat too high. Use rugs and carpets on the floor, as this would not only keep your feet warm but also act as insulation for the floors.

Following these tips will significantly reduce the amount of resources that your heating system consumes. In the final part of this series, we’ll discuss a few other measures to cut down on your heating needs.

These winters are one of the coldest in recent times and most people are finding it difficult to deal with the harsh weather. The rising heating costs have worsened the problem, as you now have to balance your heating needs with your budget. Here are some ways of maximizing the efficiency of heating in your home so that you can save on those heating costs.

One of the most effective ways of reducing your heating costs is by conserving energy. A little bit of care and you can save a lot of money when it comes to heating.

The first thing to do is to find a local heating expert, who can carry out an annual maintenance of your furnace. Fine tuning the heating system not only keeps it in good working condition but also ensures that you are able to reduce your costs by almost one fourth. This is because a well-maintained heating system is more efficient and consumes lesser resources.

Improve Insulation to Stop Leaks

A significant amount of heat generated by your new furnace is wasted because of poor insulation. It is very important to stop this heat from escaping in order to reduce your heating costs.

Check your windows for heat loss problems, and if they do not stop heat from escaping then you need to replace them with insulating windows that keep the heat in. The gaps in the window panes can be covered using plastic sheeting, or you can use thick window quilts that create an additional layer of insulation for the windows.

Close all the open areas, like a gap in the floor leading to the basement, with an insulating material like plastic. You can also use techniques like sealing outlets and other opening in walls with foam insulation or making use of foam rubber pipe to seal piping near the outer walls of the house. These foam products will be easily available in you local hardware store.

To keep out cold winds, you can use a weather proof storm door, which also provides excellent insulation. These doors are usually fitted with rubberized or plastic sheets so that not gap remains from which the wind could come in or the heat could escape.

Apart from these insulation techniques, several other measures can be adopted to reduce your heating costs. We’ll discuss these in the next two parts of this series.