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"The primary purpose of register deflectors is to redirect the path of the air if it is discharging in a direction that causes discomfort or is not beneficial," said Doug Walter, extension specialist in residential energy at Kansas State University.
If a supply register discharges air in such a way that it causes a draft when you're sitting in your favorite chair, a deflector may help to redirect the air away from you.
Deflectors also can be helpful if registers are obstructed by furniture or drapes.
"People often use deflectors unnecessarily in the belief that they will eliminate heat stratification by redirecting heat from floor and wall registers to the floor," Walter said. This is based on the erroneous assumption that any heat discharged toward or near the ceiling will remain on the ceiling."
Stratification is easily overcome by almost any amount of moving air and, therefore, is seldom a problem with residential forced-air systems, regardless of the location of the supply-air registers
"Frequent failure of the lower element may indicate a buildup of sediment in the water heater," said Dennis Matteson, extension mechanical engineer at Kansas State University.
Sediment is a good insulator and can cause the element to overheat because it reduces the heat transfer to the water, resulting in higher element temperatures.
"Whenever you have the element replaced, you should have the sediment in the bottom of the heater removed," Matteson said.
If you find sediment at element level, it is probably the cause of your problem. Removing the sediment is done when the element is being replaced. You can reduce sediment buildup by discharging water through the drain valve on the heater tank. You must do this regularly, depending on how quickly sediment collects. If this valve is stuck, call a service technician to replace it to avoid damaging the tank.
Water softeners can also reduce buildup. This method has other advantages, such as the ability to use less soap for cleaning cloths and dishes and may allow cleaning at lower temperatures.
"The disadvantage is the additional cost of operating the softener," Matteson said.
Spring weather often is characterized by warm, sometimes sultry days and cool nights. This is ideal weather for operating a whole-house fan during the evening and night to rid the house of its stuffiness and store cool air for the following day.
"But most people still have their furnace activated in case a cool spell should return," said Doug Walter, extension specialist in residential energy at Kansas State University. "Therein lies the danger."
An activated furnace with the thermostat set at 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit easily can turn on during the night hours while the whole-house fan is pulling in cool outdoor air.
"The suction created by the whole-house fan can overpower the relatively weak draft of the furnace flue," Walter said. "The result is that the combustion by-products are back-drafted into the house."
Because a whole-house fan induces a large quantity of air flow, the consequences might only be a smelly house and a headache in the morning.
"If windows are closed during the night because of discomfort, however, carbon monoxide could easily accumulate to a dangerous level," Walter said.
When operating a whole-house fan before the furnace has been shut down for the summer, make sure your thermostat is turned as low as possible, or that it has been turned completely off.
Keep plenty of windows open throughout the house.
"This reduces the velocity of air through the bedroom windows and helps cool the entire house," Walter said.
Install a timer switch so the whole-house fan will turn off automatically after a few hours of operation.
"If your home gets too cool during the night, get up and shut off the fan rather than simply closing the bedroom windows," Walter said.
"Instantaneous water heaters heat water on demand rather than heating water in a storage tank for later use," said Richard B. Hayter, director of Engineering Extension at Kansas State University.
Electric, gas, and propane models are available. Some models use a small storage tank in conjunction with the instantaneous heater.
Various choices are available. A single, central instantaneous heater can be installed in place of the more common storage water heater, or individual heaters can be installed for each point of use.
"This last choice requires only a cold water line be installed to each fixture and then typically an electric heater is installed to provide the needed hot water," Hayter said.
A third option uses both a central heater, set at a low temperature, and boosters at each fixture requiring hot water.
"Although the installed cost of instantaneous heaters may be greater than storage types, energy will be saved because of reduced heat loss," Hayter said.
An instantaneous water heater is sized for the anticipated maximum demand for hot water. If hot water demands exceed the capacity of the unit, the unit may not be capable of meeting the load.
"When purchasing an instantaneous heater, pay careful attention to your anticipated hot water demands," Hayter said "Your equipment supplier should be able to help you select the appropriate size."
Your energy cost savings will vary, depending on the amount of hot water you use and the type of energy used to heat it.
"For residential boilers, the storage procedure is simple," said Gene Meyer, extension mechanical engineer at Kansas State University.
"It is important that, if you chemically treat the water in your boiler, you make sure treatment is at the proper concentration in your boiler prior to summer storage."
In addition, you should fill your steam boiler completely to prevent corrosion.
"If you do not fill the boiler completely, a line of corrosion will form at the boiler water line," Meyer said. "It is a good idea to tag your steam boiler to remind you to lower the water level to the proper operating level prior to startup in the fall."
"With the wide mix of climate conditions encountered in Kansas, there is no particular design or energy strategy that is best for house design," said Bruce Snead, extension specialist in residential energy at Kansas State University.
"Evaluation and research have shown that successful buildings use both good solar design and energy-conserving practices."
A Department of Energy study of 70 passive solar homes from a variety of climates showed that these homes used 70 percent less auxiliary heat than conventional homes. Homes designed with direct gain, mass walls, sunspaces and combinations thereof have all been built here in Kansas.
"If the key ingredients — orientation of the building, availability of sunshine and good solar access — are favorable, then passive solar techniques can be used flexibly to create an energy efficient design that is comfortable and enhances the quality of the home," Snead said.
On a site where passive solar techniques have limited feasibility, you can use insulation and other energy-conserving products to create a design which is equally economical and comfortable.
"The mix of features that constitutes the best design will emanate from the owner’s functional and aesthetic requirements being blended into the site and climate, with consideration of current construction costs and present and future fuel costs," Snead said.
The Cooperative Extension Service has information that can help you achieve a home design that is economical to heat and cool. For details, contact your county extension office or Engineering Extension at Kansas State University.
"A programmable thermostat saves energy by automatically controlling your furnace to provide heat only when you need it," said Doug Walter, extension specialist in residential energy at Kansas State University.
How much energy you save will depend on how often your furnace can be set back and the amount of the setback. An automatic thermostat also can control your air conditioner in the summer.
"In general, you can expect to save about 10 percent with a nighttime setback of 10 degrees, and an additional five percent savings if you also set back during the day," Walter said.
If you want both a night and a day setback, you will need a thermostat that can change the temperature at least four times each day because four changes are required for two setback periods.
"Some models simply set the thermostat back by a certain number of degrees (selectable by the operator) from the normal set point temperature," Walter said.
Other models allow the operator to select the actual temperature desired during different periods of the day. These models give more flexibility, allowing, for example, a deeper setback during the day when no one is home than at night.
"If you need a daytime setback but don't want this setback to occur on weekends when you are home, you will want a model that allows for a separate weekend schedule," Walter said.
Some models allow a different schedule each day of the week.
If you have a heat pump, you will need a special setback thermostat designed for heat pumps that prevents unnecessary operation of the electric heating elements during the recovery period. Some studies have shown that there may be little or no savings with winter heat pump setback, but automatic operation may be desirable during the cooling season.
"Other features are available that may add convenience but not necessarily energy savings," Walter said.
Some will remind you when to change your furnace filter or tell you how many hours your furnace has operated during a particular period. Battery backup is a helpful feature that prevents your programmed schedule from being lost during a power outage.
"Above all, select a model that is simple and easy to program and use," Walter said.
Condensed instructions should be printed somewhere on the thermostat, or the operation should be easily understood from the controls themselves. Thermostats that require consulting an operator's manual to change the temperature or override the schedule can cause a great deal of frustration, and often end up not being used.