“Baby it’s Cold Outside” is the title of one of my wife’s favorite songs. If it were up to her, we would start listening to Christmas music around Labor Day. Every time I hear this song it reminds me of cooler weather. Especially now with the holidays being just around the corner. It means the cooler weather is on its way. With the onset of cooler temperatures, it is time to start thinking about how to stay warm.
There are different types of heat available to us in this area. The most utilized heat in our area is resistance heat. A resistance heater in essence is like a large toaster. It has a series of coils that have electricity passing through them, which then produces the heat. Be forewarned, this type of heat is very expensive to run. It cost as much as $1.00 per hour, and on average a resistance heating system can only raise the temperature 20 degrees above the outside temperature. So for example, if it is 40 degrees outside, more than likely you will not achieve a toasty 80 degrees inside. This type of heating requires a little pre-planning to help save on cost, and to save you from an uncomfortable situation.
When this type of heat is turned on for the first time of the season, there is usually a burning smell that will be present. This happens because the electric coils have dust that has built up on them over the summer. The first time the coils heat up, the dust burns off. To avoid that horrible smell, pick a mild day and open all your windows, turn the heat on and let it run for at least 30 minutes. This will burn the dust off and with the windows open that offensive smell will quickly dissipate. Fortunately, you will only need to do this the first time you turn on your heat for the season.
The other type of heating that is used in Florida is a heat pump system. This runs just like your air conditioning system. When the a/c system is set to cool, you are taking heat and humidity from inside your home and dissipating it outside. When the system is set to heat, it is taking heat that is present outside your home and bringing it inside. This type of system is cheaper to run, but more expensive to initially buy.
Hopefully, this article has been helpful and has shed some light on the choices available here in sunny Florida. Thankfully our heating season is a very short one. But, if you have a heating issue this winter, please give us a call at Sanibel Air and Electric, Inc. We are available 24hrs a day.
Thanks as Always,
Bryan Hayes
