When deciding on a heating installation company, consider Bay Area Heating and Cooling, Inc. can offer the most advanced and most energy efficient systems available. As a Trane Comfort Specialist, Bay Area has been provided the training and education on the latest Trane heating equipment.

There are many different types of heating systems. These systems use various methods to produce warm air. Heating installations typically are comprised of an outdoor condenser and an indoor air handler or furnace and cased evaporator coil.

Heat pump installations are the most common and most energy efficient heating method for this portion of the country. Heat pumps operate using a reversing shuttle valve in the outdoor condenser. When “heat” is selected at the thermostat, the reversing valve will reverse the flow of refrigerant. When the refrigerant flow is reversed the function of the outdoor and indoor coils are reversed causing the air handler to produce warm air rather than cool air.

Heat pumps, when operating in the heating mode for long periods, will develop ice on the outdoor coil and reduce the amount of air which can freely flow through the coil. This is normal operating procedure for heat pumps. When this happens the machine will cycle to the defrost mode. The defrost mode will temporarily switch the system to the cooling mode in order to build heat in the outdoor coil to melt the ice. After the ice is melted, the reversing valve is activated and once again heat is produced. Most air handlers will have an electric heating element installed in order to offer heat while the machine is in the defrost mode and to provide supplemental heat when outdoor temperatures drop very low.

Some areas of the Tampa Bay area have access to natural gas and have installed gas furnaces. The availability of natural gas is limited to segmented areas of Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties. Propane and oil have increased in cost making them too expensive to be a viable heating fuel.

Furnaces installations offer the hottest heat of all types of heating systems. When these fossil burning furnaces are engaged, heat is immediately produced. Many people complain that natural gas, propane and oil burning furnaces dry out the air and create an uncomfortable environment requiring humidity to be added to the air. This has led to the development of humidifiers installed with the heating system which add moisture to the air.

Further south, where heating demands are much less than west central Florida, straight cool air conditioners with electric resistance heat strips are popular. Straight cool air conditioners offer the most costly method to heat a home. The electric resistance heating elements draw an abundance of electricity and produce the least amount of heat. A typical home will require 10,000 watts of heat to maintain a comfortable temperature. The average toaster consumes 800 watts. It would take over twelve toasters running simultaneously to use the same amount of electricity. You can imagine how fast that will inflate an electric bill.

Even rarer still are systems which produce heat through a hydronic heating coil. Hydronic coils use a water heater or boiler to furnish hot water to a coil installed above the blower motor. When the air passes the hydronic coil it is heated to produce warm air.

These systems are more popular in multifamily dwellings or hotels and office buildings where many hydronic coils can be supplied from one central boiler. This type of system can be very energy efficient when used on a large scale.

When choosing a contractor to perform a heating installation, make sure they have been properly trained on the various types of systems and that they have the expertise to install the system to operate safely and efficiently.

For more information on heating installation services in Clearwater, Largo, St Pete and the surrounding areas, please call (727) 565-4555.