Equipment
Heat pumps, furnaces, air conditioners, boilers and water heaters: how they work, what they cost, how long they last and which efficiency standards apply.
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Propane Heating System Explained: Tanks, Leases, Delivery and Safety
Propane heat is a system, not just a fuel price: the appliance, a tank you lease or own, a delivery plan and leak safety. What EIA, OSHA, CPSC…
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Electric Furnace Explained: Staging, kW Sizing, Circuits and Running Cost
An electric furnace stages resistance elements behind a blower. It is 100% efficient at the unit, yet at 18.19 cents per kWh its heat costs $53.31 per million…
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Heating Oil Tank: Sizes, Gauge Readings, Tank Life, Leaks and the State Rules
The 275 gallon tank in the basement, read properly: what the gauge really means, why steel tanks rust from the inside, and why federal rules exclude home heating…
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Furnace Cleaning: What an Owner Can Do and What Needs a Technician
Furnace cleaning splits in two: the air side an owner can vacuum with the power and gas off, and the fire side a technician takes apart and tests.…
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Heat Pump Replacement: Repair or Replace, Worked Out With Federal Numbers
The repair or replace call for an existing heat pump, worked through EIA’s life curve, the 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2 floor, EPA’s 2026 R-410A rule, matched coils…
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Central Air Installation: Adding AC to a House With Ducts or Without
Adding central air is two jobs: a coil, line set and outdoor unit on an existing furnace, or new ducts and an air handler in a boiler home.…
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Water Heater Installation: The Ten Items an Inspector Checks on a Tank Heater
A code-correct tank water heater installation is ten checkable items, from the relief valve line to the vent slope and the permit. Here is what inspectors look for,…
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Heat Pumps and Furnaces Are Now Tied in New US Homes: 53 Years of Census Data
53 years of Census construction data: heat pumps now heat 48% of new US homes against 49% for furnaces, a statistical tie. Electric heat leads at 56%, 98%…
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Do Heat Pumps Work in the Cold? The Median Keeps 77% of Its Capacity at 5°F
We analysed the rated cold-weather performance of 8,857 ENERGY STAR certified heat pumps. The median keeps 77% of capacity at 5°F and is still twice as efficient as…
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AC Not Turning On? The Six Owner Checks, Then the Licensed Work
A dead air conditioner worked in the order a technician would: six safe homeowner checks outside the electrical compartment, the blower split that narrows it fastest, and the…