Category: Heating & Cooling

Winter Guide to Heating

If you’re starting to feel like the doona is the best place to be when you really should be getting up to face the day, then it could be time to look for a heating solution for both those cold mornings, and the wintry nights.

There’s actually a lot of choice when it comes to heating, so here are a few tips:

Split system air conditioning: If you’ve decided to invest in a split system cooling air conditioner and are waiting for the summer to roll around, now might be the time. Reverse Cycle Air conditioners are slightly more in price than cooling only, but they do have the added benefit of heating large areas with the same kind of air reach that they do when pushing cool air around the room. This keeps hot and heated objects away from the floor if you’re worried about accidental collisions with temporary heaters.

Fans: If you have a smaller area and you do want to heat it up quickly, the Dyson Hot And Cool is kind of in a category all its own. It contains no external blades, so children and pets can literally stick their head into the fan with no issues. It also contains a shutoff if the unit ends up on its side. Definitely one to consider for dressing in the cold early morning!

Gas Heaters: If you have Gas connected to your house, investing in a gas heaters will convert your cold open area into a warm sanctuary. Gas heaters can quickly, effectively and efficiently heat large and open-plan areas. This is because Gas heaters are more energy efficient because they provide high heat output in relation to the energy used to generate that heat.

Oil Heaters: If you don’t have gas in your house, then an oil heater for single room heating may be your next best option. Although oil heater do take a while to heat the room, it does keep the room toasty once you get to a selected level. A lot of them have timers so you can have them turn on and off at regular times of the day, and water containers to keep the air from drying out – especially important in sleeping quarters.

Radiant heaters: These heaters are most effective at warming up a person than a room, so you do have to be in fairly close proximity to the radiant heater for it to deliver warmth. The air itself does not heat up, just the area directly in the radiant heaters’ perimeter.

Electric Blankets: We just had to mention these, because (speaking from experience) there is nothing like climbing into a prewarmed bed on an icy night. Electric blankets have expanded from the tie-down models to heated throws, that you can snuggle into while still on the lounge watching TV – or even deliver symptomatic relief for a sick member of the family. Hey, they even look nice with a variety of patterns so you’ll be cosy and trendy at the same time!

There are plenty of heating options available – just come in to see one of our staff at our store locations, have a chat to our online staff or simply browse our website catalogue for our full range.

Have a great weekend! 

Guide to Staying Cool This Summer

We’re hearing from a lot experts that it’s going to be a long, hot summer. With the oncoming heatwave, we thought we’d share our thoughts on how to keep you and your family cool over the next few months. The first, and most flexible option is a fan. Although it sounds pretty obvious, fans are great at moving air around a room, and that circulation is what helps keep you and your cohabitants cool during hot days. Dyson fans are a great choice for families, as they have features that take into account kids’ safety and product safety. After taking the world by storm, the now-familiar circular and rounded tower style of the fans is almost iconic in recognition, but importantly for parents, represents one of the biggest changes to the fan since its invention – the removal of visible blades. This means children can be close to, or even in, the fan blower itself. In fact, if you have an air conditioner running and you have an odd shaped living area, placing a fan in a strategic location can help move cold air from the air conditioner into other areas like corridors or L-shaped spaces, helping the cooler air move around corners and lowering the temperature in more areas of the house. If you’re in an apartment or are renting and can’t do a full installation of a split or window wall air conditioning unit, there is the next best thing – a portable air conditioner. The beauty of a portable air conditioner like one from Delonghi is that it works just like a window wall unit but doesn’t require any installation – you just need to be close to a window that you can use as your vent to expel the hot air in your room and replace with the cool air from the portable air con unit. If you do have the facilities to install a split system air conditioner, then there are a few factors that you will need to take into account. Firstly, although you may be tempted to calculate your own unit, visit your local Bing Lee store with your room’s dimensions, existing windows and orientation of your room and we will be able to help with the calculation of the correct size of the air conditioner to suit your space. We have some great brands in Air Conditioning systems, and each have their great unique features. For example, Mitsubishi is one of the quietest units in the market, as low as 19dB for some units, meaning you can stay cool and not be distracted by the noise of the indoor unit. Samsung air conditioners are right up there with online integration. Using a compatible Android or iPhone, you can download an app that lets you connect to selected air conditioners and control it remotely, no matter where you are. Fujistsu air conditioners incorporate a human sensor, which detects human activity in the room and adjusts the power use depending on what people are doing in the room. Fujitsu also have one button cooling and award winning indoor unit designs to match the modern decor of your living area. Lastly, Panasonic air conditioners have a feature called ECONAVI, which senses people in the room and sends cool air to that actual area of the room. If there is less movement, or no movement at all, the cooling mode is adjusted down to a lower power mode. As you can see, there are many options to stay cool this summer. Make sure you speak to one of our staff for the best advice on the most effective way to keep your family and friends comfortable in your home this coming warm season.

Which Heater Type is the Most Energy Efficient?

Amidst a growing culture of environmental consciousness and rising power costs, energy efficiency is now just as important as price to anyone looking at purchasing new household appliances. This is especially true for those thinking about buying a new heater. So which type of heater is the cheapest to run and most energy efficient? If you want to know how much power and appliance uses, all you have to do is look at the product’s compliance plate. Every electrical appliance sold in Australia has one. It is a metallic sticker or plate attached to the body of the appliance that details information about the item, including how much power it uses. The compliance plate will state the number of watts (W) or amps (A) the appliance uses. The higher the power rating number, the more power the heater will use regardless of whether it is a convection, column or radiator heater. Just as important as the running cost of a heater is how energy efficient it is. Many people confuse these issues as being one in the same when they are in fact two separate (albeit interrelated) matters. Energy efficiency refers to how the output of an appliance relates to the energy it consumes to achieve the task. Energy efficient products are those that use less energy to do the same or better job than a comparable product. When it comes to heaters, gas heaters are far more energy efficient and cheaper to run than their electric counterparts. The running cost of gas heaters is lower because gas is cheaper than electricity. Gas heaters are more energy efficient because they provide high heat output in relation to the energy used to generate that heat. Gas heaters can quickly, effectively and efficiently heat large and open-plan areas. In contrast, electrical heaters are only really effective at warming small to medium enclosed spaces. However, not every home has a gas connection so using an electric heater is the only option for many people. Even though electrical heaters are not as energy efficient as gas models, they can be used efficiently to make the most of the heat they provide and minimise running costs. You can do this by choosing the heater best suited to how and where you will be using it. • Radiant heaters contain glowing elements and reflectors that radiate heat to quickly heat objects immediately in front of them. However since they don’t warm the air, they are more effective at helping you warm up than heating entire rooms. • Convection heaters contain an element that warms and circulates air to heat a room. Since they take some time to heat a room, they are most effective when run over long periods within a contained area. • Oil-filled column heaters take time and energy to warm up, but once heated they will maintain their warmth for quite a while. This type of heater poses a low fire risk, making them ideal for operating in enclosed areas, unattended over long periods, such as in a bedroom overnight.

Choosing Your Heater: Oil, Electric or Gas?

It’s a good idea to start thinking about how you will heat the inside of your home before the winter chill sets in outside. There is a fantastic selection of heaters now available, each with their own benefits. Electric Heaters Electric heaters work by converting electrical energy into heat and are best suited to heating small to medium sized enclosed areas. The are several different types of electric heaters: • Radiant heaters consist of glowing elements and reflectors that radiate heat, providing quick heat to the nearby area. Unfortunately they are not very energy efficient and can ignite nearby objects. • Convection heaters warm a room by circulating air that has been heated by an element within the heater. They are safe to run, posing a low risk of causing a fire or contact burns. • Fan heaters are fan-forced convection heaters. They are great for quickly heating small areas but tend to be noisy and use a lot of power to run. • Column heaters – see section on oil heaters below. Oil Heaters Oil heaters are a type of electric heater. They are comprised of oil-filled steel columns with an electric heating element at the base that heats the oil. The heat transfers through the metal, circulating through the surrounding air. The oil takes a fair amount of time and energy to heat, but once heated it will stay warm for some time. Although unable to provide the amount of spatial heating a gas heater is capable of, oil heaters are a popular choice for bedrooms and smaller enclosed spaces. This is because they are safe to leave unattended and ideal for heating areas long periods, such as a bedroom overnight. Oil heaters are considered to be safer than electric fan heaters because they tend to have lower surface temperatures, reducing the risk of scalding. Most oil heaters also have a sensor that will cut power to the unit in the event it is knocked over or placed on an uneven surface. Gas Heaters Gas heaters are the most energy efficient type of space heater and are capable of quickly and effectively heating large areas. Portable, ducted and wall-mounted gas heaters are available. Although these types of heaters are ideally run from mains gas supply, those without a connection can still operate a unit using a gas cylinder. Anyone considering this option should ensure they have the correct fittings to connect their appliance to the cylinder. You will probably need to pay more for a gas heater than an electric one but it is cheaper to operate which will help you to save on energy costs in the long run. As with all appliances, when you are shopping for a gas heater, ensure you check the energy efficiency star ratings.

Tips to Keep Your Home Cool

Even though the calendar says summer is over, we all know the warm days aren’t entirely behind us just yet. In Australia, we’re well aware of how hot things can get and how much home cooling can cost. There are some simple things you can do, however, that will make the summers to come that much more bearable.

Close your curtains and blinds

This is a classic that everyone should be doing. Keeping your curtains and blinds closed during the day can make a huge difference to the temperature inside your house. By reflecting the sun back out, your house will heat up much more slowly and make coming back home after a hard day’s work a much more pleasant experience. This works even better if you have awnings or trees to block the sun before it even reaches the window.

Watch the humidity

Humidity plays a big part in how we perceive the temperature, as it affects how effectively sweat cools us down. Limiting the activities that introduce moisture into the air is an essential part of maintaining a pleasant atmosphere in your home. Although things such as using a washing machine or dryer, cooking, or ironing won’t usually raise the temperature in your house by much, the steam they create will certainly make it feel several degrees warmer. If you do a lot of these activities, using a dehumidifier can help to keep the air moisture levels in check.

Only use what you need

Even appliances that don’t generate steam still generate heat. Everything from game consoles, televisions and computers to lights will make a difference to the temperature and this is a particular problem in many living rooms with a large number of entertainment devices. That’s why it’s a good idea to turn these all off when you’re not using them.

Check your thermostat

If you have a home cooling system that keeps the house at a constant temperature, try to remove any influences around your thermostat that may give it a false reading. If there are objects near it that generate an unusual amount of heat or cooling in comparison to the rest of the room, the temperature can read as hotter or colder than the room really is. The result is that the system works too hard or not hard enough to maintain ideal conditions.

Should I Buy a Dehumidifier?

The purpose behind a dehumidifier is relatively simple to understand. It lowers the air humidity by condensing and removing moisture from the air. While this might seem to be a rather unusual function to some, the effect this can have on our homes is great, especially during the warmer months. It’s quite common for people to get a dehumidifier purely for comfort reasons because humidity plays an important part in how we perceive the temperature. Since we are cooled by sweat evaporation, if the amount of moisture in the air is high, then that process slows down considerably or could stop entirely. Removing that moisture, then, gets our natural cooling systems working more effectively, reduces that “muggy” feeling, and makes a sweltering day far more bearable. There are some cases, however, where your home might need a dehumidifier. Too much humidity can cause all kinds of effects on just about anything in your home. Wood products (including the house itself) can warp, paints can peel and some metals can accumulate rust. If you see any of these things happening in your home, a dehumidifier may be a good investment simply for the upkeep of your belongings. Regulating the humidity level can also be necessary for health and hygiene reasons. Moulds and fungi generally thrive in high moisture environments and may prove a serious health concern if you or someone in your household is prone to allergies. Many pests prefer an environment with higher humidity – in particular, cockroaches, mosquitoes and spiders are all turned off by low moisture environments. With a dehumidifier you can prevent mould and fungi growing and unwanted visitors showing up in the first place. It’s worth saying, however, that having too little moisture in the air can also be problematic. As well as causing some materials to become brittle, low humidity can irritate the throat or cause dry skin. You should check for humidity-related problems before deciding whether you should purchase a dehumidifier, but being in control of the environment in your home will always be a substantial advantage.

Tips for Choosing the Right Air Conditioner

To relax in comfort during the intense Australian summer, an air conditioner is a must have appliance for every home. With so many brands and styles of air conditioners available, how can you be sure that the unit you are considering is the right one to suit your needs?  Whether you are thinking about upgrading your current appliance or choosing your first air conditioner, here are a few important points to factor into your decision. Area size Consider the size of the area you want to cool and match it to the most appropriate type of air conditioner.  The bigger the room, the more powerful an air conditioner will need to be in order to cool it. Failing to properly match the air conditioner’s capacity with the size of the area to be cooled will cost you money: if the unit is too small it will have to work harder and use more energy but if it is too big you will be wasting money on capacity you do not need. However, it’s often the case that you want to cool your entire home at some times and only sections of it at other times. This makes portable or split system air conditioners excellent options. Both offer the ability and versatility to control which areas of your home you want to cool, saving you on running costs. Energy Efficiency Inverter air conditioners use 30% less electricity than older conventional models, making the cost of upgrading your system well worth it.  Inverters operate by gently increasing or decreasing power as required to maintain a steady temperature without fluctuations, which means that they cool quickly and evenly, while being quiet and energy efficient. As wall-mounted units tend to be more powerful than portable units, they can cool larger areas more efficiently. Noise Wall mounted units are one part of a split-system air conditioner. As the name implies, this type of air conditioner is split into two separate parts.  The cooling part of the system is installed in the home’s interior, while the compressor unit and motor fan are kept on the building’s exterior.  The objective behind split systems is to remove the noise and heat generated by the unit from the users inside the house. Since a portable unit’s compressor and fan is located inside the room, these kinds of air conditioners are louder than split systems, which is definitely something to keep in mind if white noise gets on your nerves. By doing a bit of research beforehand, you’ll be much more likely to find the air conditioner to suit your particular needs.