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Clinton News-Record, 1984-10-24, Page 35Conserve Energy—Page 2 Reduce the cost of oil heating: check your furnace If you plan to continue heating with oil the first thing you should do is consult a knowledgeable heating professional. There are many opportunities to reduce the cost of oil heating, but a complete assessment of the condition of your furnace is necessary to allow you to make sound decisions. This professional should already be visiting you at least once a year. Every oil furnace requires an annual cleaning and servicing to ensure safety, reliability and combusion efficiency. For many of the ques- tions posed below, the serviceman is your most reliable source of information. Has your oil furnace had a tune up lately! A thorough cleaning and tuning operation will take one to two hours and involve the partial disassembly of your furnace and oil burner. Internal heat exchanger, flue pipe and lower chimney surfaces should be brushed and vacuumed to remove ,soot and debris. Moving parts such as dampers need to be lubricated, belts should be tightened. Clean and test safety controls. The entire system, from the fuel tank oil filter to the nozzle that mixes fuel with air for combus- tion should be inspected, cleaned, adjusted and, where necessary, parts should be replaced. Properly done, this cleaning and tuning can increase furnace efficiency by 10 to 20 per cent, depending on the condition of the furnace beforehand. Did the service mechanic do an efficiency test? With modern instruments, an oil furnace efficiency rating can be produced in minutes. In fact, testing for efficiency both before and after tuning can give you a precise measure of improvement. Beware of any "expert" who scorns the use of test equipment or tries to convince you that high efficiency can be achieved or measured by looking at the colour of the flame in the com- bustion chamber. If you wish to alter or retrofit your oil furnace for greater efficien- cy a reasonable measure of your fuel savings is very important. Does inspection and testing indicate that any of the following tuning or retrofit measure make sense? • Downsizing the oil spray nozzle may allow a closer, match of your furnace's heat pro- duction with your home's heat needs. Most furnaces are oversized and home reinsula- tion and lowered thermostat settings can make this worse. A smaller nozzle allows less oil into the combustion chamber, reduc- ing the heat output of the furnace. If your potential furnace clicks on for short periods of time , even in cold weather, downsizing should be possible and will save fuel. • The circulating fan in your furnace delivers heated air into your house. Sometimes this fan can be reset to run longer on each heating cycle, extracting more heat from the furnace and circulating it into the living space. A continuous or two - speed fan is sometimes effective in distributing heat more evenly from a wood - fired space heater or south -facing windows. • A delayed action solenoid valve fitted Comfort. Lower Heating Bills. Reduced Prices. And Free Fuel! North America's Finest Family of Kerosene Heaters... Your "Best Buy" KEROSUK �,M ULC Portable Heaters Sound Incredible?...it is! Kero-Sun heaters' save you money while they keep you warm! Because they are portable, they provide a warm and cozy surrounding in any place, at any time. This allows you to turn your thermostat down low! Best of all, Kero-Sun heaters are 99.9% fuel-efficient, safe, smokeless and odorless. Built to the highest quality standards they will run for only pennies per hour, and run for up to 39 hours on one tank. Several models are available,all of which have a battery -powered ignition system and automatic shut off device. NELOWER PRICES: Now, the best name in portable heaters COSTS LESS! You can have clean, safe, efficient, portable heat for your family for as low as $149.95. Consider also our "Free Fuel" offer and you're talking "Best Value"! Model 'K' Cookstoves now only 589.95. SPECIAL `LIMITED TIME' OFFER: RECEIVE '50.00 OF KEROSENE FREE. Fora limited time, when you purchase any Kero- Sun Portable Heater from Edward Fuels we will give you a Kerosene Discount Club Card. This card entitles you to 1/2 off each purchase of kerosene up to a total of 550.00. Now that's a good deal! Come get the full story. Don't miss our KERO'SUN DISPLAY AN M► E � . ;STRAT' ON ATSUNCOAST MALL This Wed. to Sat. Oct. 24, 25, 26 & 27. Western Ontario's Largest Kero-Sun Dealer between the oil supply pump and burner nozzle delays oil flow to the nozzle until the pump reaches full operating pressure and the combustion air fan reaches full speed. On both startup and shutdown the solenoid valve reduces the release of unburned oil in- to the combustion chamber. This reduces soot buildup and keeps the nozzle clean, both of which help to maintain the furnace's effi- ciency. Retention head burners produce a tur- bulent flow of combustion air, mixing the oil and air more completely for better combus- tion. This is a more expensive option than the other measures listed but provides significant fuel savings. An older or unreliable burner should be replaced by the highest efficiency burner available. This will often be a retention heat unit or some similar variation. • Ductwork can be a hidden culprit when ef- ficiency is considered. For example, heated air needs a clear path for its return to -the furnace and reheating. The duct system should allow for adequate circulation, and registers should never be constructed. An open or loose panel on the furnace casing will draw cool basement air into the system, making the furnace work harder. Warm air ducts can be profitably insulated, especially when they pass through unheated spaces or into exterior walls. Have you considered your dual -fuel options? It is possible to save heating dollars by combining another heat source with oil. Electric plenum heaters are one good exam- " ple. Plenum heaters are electric resistance elements and a control system, which are installed in the hot air plenum above the fur- nace's combustion chamber. Electricity can be used when heating loads are light, while oil provides the bulk of heat during the col- dest weather. This maximizes the advan- tages of both. Wood is an economical option in many parts of Canada. A two -speed fan can help distribute •heat from a wood -fired space heater. A more ambitious approach is the installation .of a CSA -certified add-on wood furnace, or the replacement of the entire furnace with a new. combination wood -oil unit. Householders displacing 50 per cent or more of their oil consumption in these ways are eligible for grant assistance from the Canada Oil Substitution Program (COSP), funded. by Energy, Mines and Resources Canada (EMR ). Consult your EMR regional office or local utility for more information. We Sell Only CLEAR "K-1" KEROSENE! Available in any quantity including Bulk. 202 ANGLESEA ST., GODERICH 524-8386 Air vapour barrier provides . unbroken seal Aside from thicker-than-norrhal insula- tion, the most distinctive feature of new super energy-efficient: homes is a complete air -vapour barrier, which consists of a moisture -resistant material properly sealed at the edges and joints. It provides an un- broken seal that prevents moisture from escaping from living spaces and ac- cumulating in insulation or cavities in the building's structure. The air -vapour barrier also reduces uncontrolled air change between the house andoutdoors. This is an essential .ingredient in any strategy that aims for high energy efficiency. Polyethylene plastic sheet is the most common material used for air -vapour bar- riers, though aluminum foil is effective also. It is not easy to install an air -vapour bar- rier in an existing house. Unless major renovations are in progress the job is expen- sive and impractical. There are vapour resistant paints on the market that will im- prove the resistance of walls to moisture flow by diffusion; and a thorough caulking and sealing job around baseboards, window trim and electrical outlets will cut air flow. In some cases an air -vapour barrier can be installed on an attic floor prior to adding in- sulation, but this job should be done careful- ly and with professional guidance. Air -vapour barriers should always be in- stalled on the inside or warm side of insula- tion.' The ideal situation is a complete air - and water-resistant barrier on the inside of a building shell accompanied by a breathable air barrier on the outside of the insulation to allow any penetrating indoor moisture to escape.