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Portland, Ore. — January 19, 2010 — Homeowners now have another tool at their disposal to fight off the flu viruses often associated with cold winter weather. Specialty Heating and Cooling today announced an indoor air purification system that has shown to reduce odors, air pollutants, VOCs (chemical odors), smoke, mold, bacteria, viruses and a 99+% inactivation rate for H1N1 Swine Flu.

“Since the cold season is upon us, it usually means more chance of passing around germs and bacteria in your home or business, “ said Mike Morgan, vice president of Specialty Heating and Cooling. “While most indoor heating and cooling systems focus on keeping you comfortable, they don’t provide adequate air filtration and purification. This special ultraviolet air purification kills the bacteria and virus on contact.”

The Guardian Air™ filtration system has shown in multiple studies the ability to kill flu viruses, including Norwalk, Strep, MRSA, Avian and H1N1 Swine Flu with a 99+ percent kill rate. More information is available here: www.guardianair.com.

According to the company, the purification system is a low energy, non-chemical, environmentally friendly product that is designed to be installed in the HVAC system and create Friendly Oxidizers that destroy microbes and gases on contact.

These friendly oxidizers are blown out through the HVAC system into the conditioned space where they destroy the microbes at the source, without the air needing to go past the unit for purification.

Among the test results found at independent labs are the following:

• H1N1 Swine Flu kill rate of 99+ percent
• 78 percent of microbe in human sneezes killed at 3 feet
• 97 percent airborne bacterial reduction
• 99 percent reduction of Ecoli, Listeria, Strep and Bird Flu
• 85 percent odor reduction
• 20 percent reduction in U.S. city school absenteeism
• Approved by the USDA, FSIS and FDA for use in food processing plants
• Tested and approved by the Chinese Government for protection against the SARS virus
• U.S. Military approved for mold protection in field hospitals

By offering this product, Specialty Heating provides another layer of protection for their customers and the indoor air they breathe.

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PROVEN RESULTS OF KILLING 99+% OF THE H1N1 SWINE FLU VIRUS. Protect your family and employees with the Guardian Air HVAC-PHI cell. View the brochure here through the "specification sheet": http://www.rgf.com/product_detail.cfm?ProductID=GA-HVAC

This RGF PHI technology has achieved the following results:

• Lab verified 99+% activation rate on the H1N1 Virus.
• Over 85% ODOR reduction.
• 97% airborne bacterial reduction.
• 100% reduction of Bird Flu.
• Hospital approvals Infectous Diseases - U.S. and International 99% reduction of Staph (MRSA).
• Major U.S. city school reports 20% reduction in absenteeism.
• Tested and approved by the Chinese Government for protection against SARS Virus.
• Adapted by major cruise lines for control of Norwalk Virus.

The HVAC-PHI cell is easily mounted into the heating system air ducts. When the system is in operation the cell creates Advanced Oxidation Ions that are distributed throughout the home or office, killing airborne and surface bacteria and viruses. For more details go to: http://www.rgf.com/press_release_detail.cfm?ArticleID=50

FEEL SAFE AND BREATHE HEALTHIER with the Guardian Air installed in your home or business. We can help. Call today for details; 503-620-5643.

Recently, some long-time clients of Specialty Heating and Cooling (we’ll call them the ‘Jones’ family) recently responded to a promotional letter offering a special discount on our geothermal heat pump Precision Tune-Up.  During the course of events, we found that upgrading their current geothermal heat pump system offered some tremendous benefits that were simply too good to pass up.  Here’s their scenario. If yours is similar, it’s possible you too can take advantage of all the tax credits, rebates, enhanced energy savings and increased comfort that an updated geothermal heat pump system can offer!

Now wait a minute, something must be wrong here!  It looks like the Jones are going to be able to completely update their geothermal heating & cooling system with a more efficient way of heating domestic hot water, enhanced air filtration, a whole home humidifier (don’t underestimate these!) and the most comprehensive warranty in the industry for the same investment amount as what they paid in 1992!!!!

Like I said, this is a success story worth sharing.  Please give me a call if you’d like to schedule a complimentary visit to review your geothermal system and see how you too can enjoy the enhanced comfort benefits and energy savings of an updated geothermal heat pump system.

Sincerely,

Mark P.

Geothermal Specialist & Comfort Consultant

Specialty Heating & Cooling, Inc.

Direct: 503-953-6864

Email: mark@specialtyheating.com

Geothermal (or Water Source) Heat Pumps have been long recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the “most energy efficient and environmentally friendly” systems available.  This is a worthy commendation yet the first question for a savvy home owner is often, “what does this mean to me in a practical sense?”

Geothermal heat pump systems have two energy ratings, the Coefficient of Performance (COP) and an Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER). Standard air-source heat pumps also have EER ratings making this an easily comparable factor.  A good EER for an air-source heat pump would be 12.5 EER (that which qualifies the system for federal and state energy efficiency tax credits).  Geothermal heat pumps require a 14.1 EER for a tax credit but often greatly exceed this requirement with ratings up to 27.0!  This means the geothermal heat pump would be twice as efficient as the air source heat pump in cooling mode.
The COP is the most straight-forward standard of measurement in that it measures the amount of energy used compared to the amount of energy delivered to your home in heating & cooling.  Minimum COP for geothermal heat pump tax credits is 3.4 yet many two-stage geothermal heat pumps achieve ratings up to 4.8 COP when properly designed.  This means that for every $1 of energy used by the heat pump, you are effectively receiving $4.80 of heating/cooling energy into your home.  Another way to look at it is that the geothermal heat pump is 480% efficient!
Compare this to a standard gas furnace that measures energy efficiency by an Annual Fuel Utilization Ratio (AFUE) and can only achieve up to 98% efficiency in burning fossil fuels.  That’s a significant difference!  Air-source heat pumps will, as a rule of thumb, achieve 200 – 300% efficiencies, still approximately 30% less than a geothermal heat pump.

A guide to Energy Efficiency Ratings

Written By:
Mark P.
Geothermal System Advisor
Specialty Heating & Cooling
mark@specialtyheating.com
503-953-6864 direct

Let’s dissect the end of this definition and see why the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy have both recognized geothermal heat pump systems as the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly heating and cooling systems available.

Economy – The efficiency of a geothermal heat pump is rated by COP (Co-efficient of Performance) and EER (Energy Efficiency Ration).  In our Northwest climate, we’re primarily concerned with the COP which relates to heating efficiency.  The COP may be simply defined as the amount of energy used in relation to the amount of energy produced in equivalent terms.  Most geothermal heat pumps achieve COP’s up to and between 4.0 – 5.0.  This means they are producing 4-5 units of energy for every 1 unit consumed to operate.  Too put it plainly, geothermal heat pumps are 400-500% efficient in heating modes!

Utility & Durability – Safe, secure & solid.  Geothermal heat pumps do not use fossil fuels, they create no rust, rot or corrosion (excluding direct exchange systems which we do not install).  The minimal amount of refrigerant used is within a small circuit in the heat pump equipment.  The ground loop fluid is primarily water with a small amount of added alcohol to lower the freezing temperature.  Life expectancy for geothermal heat pumps is up to 25 years according to most manufacturers.  Compare this to a standard life expectancy of 12 years for air source heat pumps, 15 years for air conditioners and 18 years for fuel furnaces (ASHRAE).

Comfort – Geothermal heat pumps deliver consistent temperatures to your home whether in forced air or hydronic systems.  Modern fans efficiently mix air from all corners of your home with efficiently maintained air temperatures from the heat pump.  This creates a more even temperature throughout your home and requires less energy to balance previously hot and cold areas.

Peace of Mind – I’m adding this one on because of the extremely high satisfaction ratings from geothermal heat pump consumers.  Specialty Heating & Cooling has been installing geothermal heat pump systems in the Portland, OR area for over 20 years.  We take great pleasure staying in contact with our customer base and have taken not of the minimal amount of service & maintenance required by our geothermal customers.  Please feel free to call today if you’d like to speak to someone who has a geothermal heat pump system in their home.  A generous amount of our customers have voluntarily asked to be used as references so we’re happy to connect you!

Mark P., Geothermal System Advisor

Specialty Heating & Cooling

^ab U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (October 28, 2009). Green Building Basic Information. http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/about.htm

Now that you have your new state-of-the art Air Conditioning unit, here are a few tips to help your unit run stronger and more efficiently for longer, without having to pay a service technician (We find that our clients enjoy it when we can save them money).

Keep Filter Clean

A clogged or improperly installed air filter on your indoor air conditioning unit will increase operating costs and shorten the life of the unit. For detailed filter cleaning information refer to indoor unit literature.

Do Not Block Floor,Wall or Ceiling Vents

When drapes, furniture, toys or other common household items block vents, the restricted airflow lessens the Air Conditioning system’s efficiency and life span.

Do Not Cover or Block Outdoor Unit

The outdoor Air Conditioning unit needs unrestricted airflow. Do not cover it or place items on or next to it. Do not allow grass clippings, leaves, or other debris to accumulate on the sides or top of the unit.And, maintain a 12” (304.8 mm) minimum clearance between the outdoor unit and tall grass, vines, shrubs, etc.

Check Condensate Drain

Your air conditioning unit removes humidity from your home during the cooling season. After a few minutes of operation, water should trickle from the condensate drain of the indoor coil. Check this occasionally to be sure the drain system is not clogged. Drainage will be limited if you live in a very dry environment.

Do Not Operate Below 55°F/12.78°C

Your outdoor air conditioning unit is not designed to operate when outdoor temperatures are lower than 55_F/12.78_C without modification. If operation below this temperature is required, consult your Carrier dealer.

Coil Cleaning

Your indoor coil is located in a sealed cabinet on your indoor air conditioning unit and will require minimal cleaning with routine filter maintenance. Longer operating cycles and reduced energy efficiency mandate the need for a coil cleaning by your Carrier dealer.

Base Pan Drainage

Periodically check for and remove debris that has settled around the base of your outdoor air conditioning unit. This will ensure proper drainage of the base pan and eliminate standing water inside the outdoor air conditioning unit.

Level Installation

Your Carrier dealer will install the outdoor air conditioning unit in a level position. If the support base settles or shifts and the unit is no longer level, be sure to re--level it promptly to assure proper drainage. If you notice water or ice collecting beneath the ac unit, arrange for it to be drained away from the air conditioning unit.

As always, remember the following safety precautions whenever your are maintaining your air conditioning unit:

Disconnect all electrical power to the indoor air handler or furnace before removing access panels to perform any maintenance. Disconnect power to both the indoor and outdoor air conditioning units.

and

Although special care has been taken to minimize sharp edges in the construction of your unit, be extremely careful when handling parts or reaching into the unit.