Product Feature: Aprilaire Programmable Thermostat Model 8570

For homeowner’s that only want the best. Offering an unprecedented level of control, the Aprilaire Model 8570 Programmable Thermostat gives you state-of-the-art control over your home’s heating and cooling system.

Features & Benefits:
The slim profile, ultra-sleek Aprilaire Model 8570 Thermostat does more than just look great. It offers unsurpassed performance, premium features and benefits and is compatible with virtually all equipment types, from single or multi-stage, to heat pump or hydronic systems.The Aprilaire Model 8570 Thermostat boasts an award-winning design and represents a technological advancement in thermostat convenience and control:

• Simple to operate—the Aprilaire Model 8570 utilizes consumer-proven features such as menu-driven programming and automatic adjustment for daylight savings time. The 8570 uses plain, easy to understand language with no icons to decipher.
• Easy to read—vibrant, soft blue backlighting with a large display allows the 8570 to be viewed at any light level.
• Real energy savings—the 8570 is Energy Star Rated and offers “setback” programming that minimizes energy consumption while you are sleeping or away from home. The Aprilaire Model 8570 Thermostat adjusts your home’s temperature up to four times a day for any combination of days, or every day individually.
• Friendly programming—easily view or change the program schedule on a single screen. You can even program the fan to be “On” or “Automatic” during each event of the program.
• Constant comfort— after setting back your thermostat at night to save energy, your morning temperature setting is assured at the precise time you wish, through the use of special Progressive Recovery technology. This is accomplished while optimizing your heating and cooling system’s start time for total energy efficiency. For example, if you want to reach a specific temperature in your home by 7 AM, the system will begin operating at just the right amount of time before 7 AM to reach the set temperature.
• Holiday feature—allows the 8570 program to be overridden until the date and time you select—whether you’re away for hours, days or weeks.
• Ultimate temperature control—the Aprilaire Model 8570 Thermostat allows you to control up to four separate areas of your home when connected to an Aprilaire Zoned Comfort Control system.
• Enhanced humidifier performance—when connected to an Aprilaire Whole-House Humidifier, the Aprilaire Model 8570 Thermostat extends blower operation as needed to satisfy your home’s humidity requirements. By connecting to an outdoor sensor or Automatic Humidifier Control, the 8570 becomes your personal indoor environment center by displaying outdoor temperature, indoor relative humidity and providing you with the ultimate in humidity control.
• Exceptional convenience—the Aprilaire Model 8570 Thermostat maintains the program and all application settings with its permanent program memory even during power outages of any length. The 8570 will also notify you when you need to change an air filter, service a humidifier, or service your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. The monitor can also conveniently display your HVAC dealer’s name and phone number if you need assistance. 

FAQ: What is the EER? And How Is It Different Than SEER?

Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is a measure of how efficiently a cooling system will operate when the outdoor temperature is at a specific level (95oF). In technical terms, EER is the steady-state rate of heat energy removal (i.e. cooling capacity) by the product measured in Btuh divided by the steady-state rate of energy input to the product measured in watts. This ratio is expressed in Btuh/watt. The higher the EER, the more efficient the air conditioner.

Both SEER and EER are included in the ENERGY STAR specification because each rating indicates the energy efficiency of the product under different operating modes. SEER rating more accurately reflects overall system efficiency on a seasonal basis and EER reflects the system’s energy efficiency at peak day operations. Both ratings are important when choosing a product.

Product Feature: Honeywell TrueDRY™ DH150 Dehumidification System

• Increased Comfort - Remove excess moisture from the air, delivering fresh, filtered air in the home.
• Energy Savings - Less moisture in the home reduces the strain on your air conditioner and also allows you to set your thermostat higher to run your air conditioner less
• Minimal Maintenance - Automatically drains itself and only requires an air filter to be changed once per year
• Integrated Solution - Can remove moisture evenly throughout the entire home or focus specifically on problem areas that can lead to costly renovations
• Out of Sight, Out of Mind - Unlike portable units, Honeywell whole-house dehumidiers provide unobtrusive, quiet and efficient operation
• Perfect for larger homes up to 3,600 square feet
• Model Numbers: DH150A100, DH150A105 

What About Carpet? - A Guide to Indoor Air Quality, Part Twenty

Welcome back to our Guide to Indoor Air Quality series. Last time, we talked about lead. Time for part twenty...

What About Carpet?

In recent years, a number of consumers have associated a variety of symptoms with the installation of new carpet. Scientists have not been able to determine whether the chemicals emitted by new carpets are responsible. If you are installing new carpet, you may wish to take the following steps:

• Talk to your carpet retailer. Ask for information on emissions from carpet.
• Ask the retailer to unroll and air out the carpet in a well-ventilated area before installation.
• Ask for low-emitting adhesives if adhesives are needed.
• Consider leaving the premises during and immediately after carpet installation. You may wish to schedule the installation when most family members or office workers are out.
• Be sure the retailer requires the installer to follow the Carpet and Rug Institute's installation guidelines.
• Open doors and windows. Increasing the amount of fresh air in the home will reduce exposure to most chemicals released from carpet. During and after installation, use window fans, room air conditioners, or other mechanical ventilation equipment you may have installed in your house, to exhaust fumes to the outdoors. Keep them running for 48 to 72 hours after the new carpet is installed.
• Contact your carpet retailer if objectionable odors persist.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for proper carpet maintenance. 

Next in this series... When Building a New Home.

*Content provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. CPSC Document #450. This document is public domain.*

Product Feature: Trane CleanEffects™ Clean Air System

The world's most effective whole-house air filtration system
Trane has always been an industry leader in home comfort. Now, we’re setting a new standard for clean indoor air with the revolutionary Trane CleanEffects™ air filtration system.

Trane CleanEffects™ features
The standard air cleaners on the market have filters that are very dense. Meaning they try to stop the dust by trapping it in a slightly porous filter. The fewer the pores the more dust it can trap. However, this not only stops the dust and dirt, but it also stops the air from moving as well. In other words, the amount of air that goes through your system is reduced so you may not be as comfortable. Less air is cleaned efficiently. This is called pressure drop. The revolutionary Trane CleanEffects air filtration system has the lowest pressure drop with the highest efficiency possible. Our unique patented technology is designed to let air flow freely through the most advanced filtration system available. The result, more of your air is cleaned faster and more effectively than anything else on the market.

Trane CleanEffects utilizes patented, breakthrough air cleaning technology to remove up to an astounding 99.98% of airborne allergens from the air that passes through the filter, making it 8 times more effective than even the best HEPA room filters and up to 100 times more effective than a standard 1" filter. What's more, Trane CleanEffects has been performance-tested by LMS Technologies and Environmental Health &Engineering, Inc. (EH&E), with the results verified by professors from the Harvard School of Public Health, so you know you're getting an air filtration system like no other.

LMS Technologies is a technology consulting company that specializes in air flow measurement, filtration testing and particle analysis. Environmental Health & Engineering is an environmental consulting and engineering services company that is dedicated to ensuring safe and productive environments, and is co-founded by John D. Spengler, PhD of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard.

Trane CleanEffects™ specifics

• Removal of up to 99.98% of particles and allergens from your filtered indoor air. It removes particles as small as .1 microns – 1/1,000th the diameter of a human hair – a size that eludes most air cleaners.
• An industry-leading clean air delivery rate of 1,200.
• Low operating costs, with no replacement filters to buy.
• Cleaning indicators easily visible on the outside of the unit.
• Easy to clean filters—just vacuum or rinse once every 3 to 9 months (depending on usage).
• Easy installation.
• Quiet operation
• Trane CleanEffects was designed to fall well below the 50 parts per billion (ppb) FDA voluntary emission limit for medical devices. Trane CleanEffects contributes a negligible amount of ozone – less than .3 ppb to the living space.
• To put this into perspective further, typical ozone levels during the summer outdoors are at about 60 to 90 ppb, and indoor levels can vary greatly but are typically between 12 ppb to more than 80 ppb. Testing of Trane Clean Effects by third parties has shown there’s no more ozone in a home installed with Trane CleanEffects than naturally occurs in the environment already
• Trane CleanEffects is the industry benchmark supported and verified by third parties who make it their business to know about clean air. Experts from LMS Technologies, EH&E, Harvard School of Public Health and other major university research shows Trane CleanEffects to be the best air filtration system on the market.
• Low pressure drop.

Trane 10-year limited warranty details

• Trane CleanEffects has a ten-year limited warranty on the system’s electronics, and a five-year parts limited warranty on the system filters.
• Extended warranties are available for Trane CleanEffects and also the rest of your Trane system. Ask your installing dealer for details.

Legal: Potential energy savings may vary depending on your personal lifestyle, system settings, equipment maintenance, local climate, actual construction and installation of equipment, and duct system. As part of our continuous product improvement, Trane reserves the right to change specifications and design without notice. Read important energy cost and efficiency information available from your dealer.

All About Air Ducts: How to Pick a Duct Cleaning Service Provider

Suggestions for Choosing a Duct Cleaning Service Provider

Do not assume that all duct cleaning service providers are equally knowledgeable and responsible. Talk to at least three different service providers and get written estimates before deciding whether to have your ducts cleaned. When the service providers come to your home, ask them to show you the contamination that would justify having your ducts cleaned.

Do not hire duct cleaners who make sweeping claims about the health benefits of duct cleaning as such claims are unsubstantiated. Do not hire duct cleaners who recommend duct cleaning as a routine part of your heating and cooling system maintenance. You should also be wary of duct cleaners who claim to be certified by EPA. EPA neither establishes duct cleaning standards nor certifies, endorses, or approves duct cleaning companies.

Do not allow the use of chemical biocides or sealants unless you fully understand the pros and the cons (See "Unresolved Issues of Duct Cleaning" - coming soon!).

Check references to be sure other customers were satisfied and did not experience any problems with their heating and cooling system after cleaning.

Contact your county or city office of consumer affairs or local Better Business Bureau to determine if complaints have been lodged against any of the companies you are considering.

Interview potential service providers to ensure:

• they are experienced in duct cleaning and have worked on systems like yours;
• they will use procedures to protect you, your pets, and your home from contamination; and
• they comply with NADCA's air duct cleaning standards and, if your ducts are constructed of fiber glass duct board or insulated internally with fiber glass duct liner, with the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association's (NAIMA) recommendations.

If the service provider charges by the hour, request an estimate of the number of hours or days the job will take, and find out whether there will be interruptions in the work. Make sure the duct cleaner you choose will provide a written agreement outlining the total cost and scope of the job before work begins.

Product Feature: York Air Handlers

A traditional home comfort system has two parts: an outdoor unit, such as an air conditioner or heat pump, and an indoor unit.

The air handler is the indoor unit that circulates cool air through your home in the summer and warm air in the winter. The indoor and outdoor units are designed to work together.

Air handlers supply conditioned air evenly throughout your home, when used in place of a furnace, with either an air conditioning or heat pump system.

A Look At Source-Specific Controls: Lead - A Guide to Indoor Air Quality, Part Nineteen

Welcome back to our Guide to Indoor Air Quality series. Last time, we talked about asbestos. Time for part nineteen...

Lead

Lead has long been recognized as a harmful environmental pollutant. In late 1991, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services called lead the "number one environmental threat to the health of children in the United States." There are many ways in which humans are exposed to lead: through air, drinking water, food, contaminated soil, deteriorating paint, and dust. Airborne lead enters the body when an individual breathes or swallows lead particles or dust once it has settled. Before it was known how harmful lead could be, it was used in paint, gasoline, water pipes, and many other products.

Old lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure in the U.S. today. Harmful exposures to lead can be created when lead-based paint is improperly removed from surfaces by dry scraping, sanding, or open-flame burning. High concentrations of airborne lead particles in homes can also result from lead dust from outdoor sources, including contaminated soil tracked inside, and use of lead in certain indoor activities such as soldering and stained-glass making.

Health Effects of Exposure to Lead

Lead affects practically all systems within the body. At high levels it can cause convulsions, coma, and even death. Lower levels of lead can adversely affect the brain, central nervous system, blood cells, and kidneys.

The effects of lead exposure on fetuses and young children can be severe. They include delays in physical and mental development, lower IQ levels, shortened attention spans, and increased behavioral problems. Fetuses , infants, and children are more vulnerable to lead exposure than adults since lead is more easily absorbed into growing bodies, and the tissues of small children are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Children may have higher exposures since they are more likely to get lead dust on their hands and then put their fingers or other lead-contaminated objects into their mouths.

Get your child tested for lead exposure. To find out where to do this, call your doctor or local health clinic. For more information on health effects, get a copy of the Centers for Disease Control's, Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children (October 1991).

Ways to Reduce Exposure to Lead

Keep areas where children play as dust-free and clean as possible. Mop floors and wipe window ledges and chewable surfaces such as cribs with a solution of powdered automatic dishwasher detergent in warm water. (Dishwasher detergents are recommended because of their high content of phosphate.) Most multi-purpose cleaners will not remove lead in ordinary dust. Wash toys and stuffed animals regularly. Make sure that children wash their hands before meals, nap time, and bedtime.

Reduce the risk from lead-based paint. Most homes built before 1960 contain heavily leaded paint. Some homes built as recently as 1978 may also contain lead paint. This paint could be on window frames, walls, the outside of homes, or other surfaces. Do not burn painted wood since it may contain lead.

Leave lead-based paint undisturbed if it is in good condition - do not sand or burn off paint that may contain lead. Lead paint in good condition is usually not a problem except in places where painted surfaces rub against each other and create dust (for example, opening a window).

Do not remove lead paint yourself. Individuals have been poisoned by scraping or sanding lead paint because these activities generate large amounts of lead dust. Consult your state health or housing department for suggestions on which private laboratories or public agencies may be able to help test your home for lead in paint. Home test kits cannot detect small amounts of lead under some conditions. Hire a person with special training for correcting lead paint problems to remove lead-based paint. Occupants, especially children and pregnant women, should leave the building until all work is finished and clean-up is done.

Do not bring lead dust into the home. If you work in construction, demolition, painting, with batteries, in a radiator repair shop or lead factory, or your hobby involves lead, you may unknowingly bring lead into your home on your hands or clothes. You may also be tracking in lead from soil around your home. Soil very close to homes may be contaminated from lead paint on the outside of the building. Soil by roads and highways may be contaminated from years of exhaust fumes from cars and trucks that used leaded gas. Use door mats to wipe your feet before entering the home. If you work with lead in your job or a hobby, change your clothes before you go home and wash these clothes separately. Encourage your children to play in sand and grassy areas instead of dirt which sticks to fingers and toys. Try to keep your children from eating dirt, and make sure they wash their hands when they come inside.

Find out about lead in drinking water. Most well and city water does not usually contain lead. Water usually picks up lead inside the home from household plumbing that is made with lead materials. The only way to know if there is lead in drinking water is to have it tested. Contact the local health department or the water supplier to find out how to get the water tested. Send for the EPA pamphlet, Lead and Your Drinking Water, for more information about what you can do if you have lead in your drinking water. Call EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) for more information.

Eat right. A child who gets enough iron and calcium will absorb less lead. Foods rich in iron include eggs, red meats, and beans. Dairy products are high in calcium. Do not store food or liquid in lead crystal glassware or imported or old pottery. If you reuse old plastic bags to store or carry food, keep the printing on the outside of the bag. You can get a brochure, Lead Poisoning and Your Children, and more information by calling the National Lead Information Center, 800-LEAD-FYI.

Next in this series... What About Carpet?

*Content provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. CPSC Document #450. This document is public domain.*