The dry weather is good news, at least for people who suffer from mold allergies. For people who suffer from pine pollen, hay fever, or other allergens, wet weather helps keep the pollen count down. Here’s what we know:

Mold spores are everywhere, and they can remain dormant for years under the right conditions. When given the proper humidity level and temperature, they’ll spring to life, growing as mildew on carpeting, mold in air conditioning vents, and other fungus in damp basements. Then the spore cycle starts again.

Giving your air conditioning filters and vents a complete cleaning before you start them up for the year will prevent spreading spores and irritating airways. Since more spores require moisture to grow, controlling indoor humidity is the best method of controlling mold. Making sure you have controlled water incursion (leaking roofs, leaking basements) will help keep your moisture levels in check.

But with this recent dry spell, what’s an acceptable humidity level?  The RH (relative humidity) level inside is best at 45-50%, a good target for summer. Relative humidity is based on the water level in the air, and also the air temperature. Warm air can hold more moisture, but when that air hits a cooler surface (like the cellar walls) or cools off and condenses in the evening, it loses moisture, and that moisture is available to germinate spores.

It’s not summer yet, but your air conditioner has another function: filtering the air to remove pollen from trees and other allergen-producing plants. The next month will see lots of spring allergies flare up. Make sure your filters are cleaned! Because of this year’s weather, there’s some confusion about spring allergies: will they start sooner because of the warmth, or later because it’s so dry?

The other maintenance question concerns shutting down your heating plant for the summer. There are several differing opinions about shutting your heating plant, but our opinion is that you can indeed save money by shutting down your system over the summer. It all depends on your type of system. You can’t shut down a tankless coil, because you need it for heating your hot water. But if you have a cold start boiler that’s used for heating only, then consider a seasonal shut down. The boiler should be cleaned, because soot plus moisture in the boiler will lead to a hard deposit that will be very difficult and time-consuming to clean in the fall, when you need the boiler started again.. And since your boiler should be cleaned and inspected each year, by doing it in the spring you can save money over the summer, and be ready to just flip a switch for heat in the fall, avoiding a time of year when service departments are traditionally busy.

The cleaning is really an important part, and if you’re not able to get your boiler cleaned, don’t bother shutting it down. Over the summer, mechanical rooms become a moist environment and things corrode, oil tanks left not full will bring in moisture into them, spider webs block off air adjustments, cold boilers could allow gaskets to leak, and cold boiler surfaces may condense warm summer air and allow rusting.

As always, call us with questions or to request service at 800-649-4197.

System maintenance now will prevent a long list of mechanical issues and health problems over the spring and summer. If you have a maintenance agreement, give a call to your service provider and schedule your spring inspection a little early, especially if it looks like we’ll have a cool, damp spring, since those conditions are perfect for breeding mold.

Here’s some of what your spring system inspection and maintenance should cover:

• A thorough check of the operating condition of all motors: belt tension, oiling, settings, wiring and connections, all circuits
• An inspection of all valves, drains, fluid levels in condenser units, and air temperatures across condensers
• Check/adjust on thermostats
• Cleaning condenser coils and replacing filters

Regular filter replacements and cleaning are the easiest and most reliable methods to insure clean, mold and pollen free air coming in to your buildings. Set the fan of your HVAC system for continuous operation to assure maximum air filtration, and use high efficiency filters (rating MERV 6 or higher).

Outside, make sure your units are debris free, especially of pine needles and leaves that can trap moisture and provide a breeding ground for mold. This is the time to inspect your roof and basement walls to make sure there is no moisture seepage. Moisture is one of the elements required to breed mold. As the season progresses, Thayer can run air quality checks in your building that can help establish and assure the most comfortable working conditions for your staff.

As always, call Thayer if you’d like to discuss the value of a maintenance agreement, or if it’s time to replace your HVAC units with more energy efficient models. 800-649-4197.

A recent New York Times article noted that oil will probably rise another 10 cents a gallon in the next few months. “Analysts do not expect much relief in the longer term, either, because global oil prices are expected to stay high amid political instability in the Middle East and rising demand from developing countries,” the article continued. “Meanwhile, heating oil could grow more scarce in the Northeast this winter, the Energy Department warned last month. Companies have been closing refineries that produce heating oil because of declining profit margins. Sunoco and ConocoPhillips recently announced the idling of two major refineries in Pennsylvania, and a third refinery owned by Sunoco may close next summer.”

Oil is getting both harder to find and more expensive. Natural gas and biomass are clear winners for many commercial (and home) applications that require a heat source that’s not quite as labor-intensive as heating with cord wood.

If conversion is not on your horizon, then do everything you can to make sure your oil-fired furnace or boiler is operating at absolute efficiency. Be a stickler about seasonal maintenance and repairs, and make sure you’re on a regular maintenance schedule to avoid costly breakdowns. Weatherization efforts (caulking, window quilts or drapes, insulation and tightening up) will really pay off. An energy audit will show you your quickest route to energy savings and payback.

Interested in exploring a conversion to something other than oil? Want to run an energy audit or your home or business? Give us at call at 800-649-4197.

But can it save you money? One of our largest biomass projects is the White Mountain National Forest headquarters pellet boiler in Campton, New Hampshire. This wood pellet boiler operates at 90% efficiency and provides over 90% of the required heating for the headquarters building and the equipment barns. The US Forest Service expects to reduce their overall energy usage by 60% including reducing heating costs to one third of what they would be with oil or propane. The boiler utilizes state of the art technology developed over the past 20 years to gasify the wood pellets and then completely burn them for greatest energy utilization and minimum emissions.

Thayer has produced a number of commercial, industrial and institutional biomass projects in the last two years. As a design/build company, we take the project from problem to solution, beginning with design, fabrication and installation and continuing with system maintenance after the heating plant is operational.

One of our latest installations is in Paris, ME, at Oxford Hills High School, where a 950 KW Viessmann/Kob chip boiler saves taxpayers a lot of money in fuel while keeping their scholars comfortable.

In Monmouth, ME, at Tex Tech, Thayer designed and installed a 10MMbtu Chiptec chip gasifier with a Johnston Boiler steam system. Tex Tech is the largest producer of tennis felt in the world, but it also produces textiles for body armor, fire-block materials for aircraft, and many other manipulated fiber products. This is an innovative manufacturer with an innovative, efficient heating system.

Biomass systems used to general thermal energy, replacing oil or propane systems, will give you renewable, sustainable heat at a reliable and consistent price, using fuel that is not subject to the volatility of the fossil fuel market. Especially in biomass fuel-rich New England, biomass encourages energy independence. The latest biomass fuel is different grass species, shortening the renewable resource cycle to a single season and making biomass even more sustainable.

If you’re debating a biomass conversion, give us a call. We can help you get a general idea of cost and payback.

The real question is why we consider humidifying indoor environments. Is it comfort, health or preserving precious furniture and artwork? Well the answer is yes to all these criteria. We are incredible machines, and very effective humidifiers ourselves. Our lungs like saturated air, so as we exhale each breath our soft respiratory tissue absorbs much of the moisture and uses it to add humidity to the next inhaled breath. Ever wonder why your nose “runs” in the winter? The body isn’t great at precisely regulating this moisture infusion and it frequently provides excessive moisture.

Another comfort factor is perceived thermal comfort. Our skin is mostly water. When the air is dry, moisture evaporates from the surface of our skin, chilling it. We like this more in the summer than the winter! Dry air also causes discomfort from dry cracking skin and dry, static-filled hair.

Given these reasons to provide humidity indoors in the colder winter (drier) months, why shouldn’t every space be humidified? Well, there are risks associated with humidification as well.

Molds, fungi and certain bacteria thrive in damp (wet) environments. There are basically three things necessary for a mold explosion: spores, nutrition and water. The most limiting factor to growth is regular wetting, like condensation that amounts to real water.  In cold climates there are many surfaces indoors to cause condensation at some combination of temperature and humidity.

Improperly applied, installed and/or maintained humidifiers can cause condensation. Even good windows have a relatively low thermal resostance (R-value) and will be much cooler than other surfaces, and that’s why windows are typically one of the first places to form condensation. So humidity added inside must be regulated, and all surfaces kept above the dewpoint or it will likely result in stuff growing. This “stuff” is usually more harmful that the benefit received from adding the humidity!

There’s another significant risk associated with humidifiers themselves. Older, less expensive recirculating evaporative humidifiers have a stagnant pool that is used to wet the evaporating pad or media, which becomes a haven for all sorts of growing stuff, which then gets blown around the building. The non-recirculating evaporative and ultrasonic humidifiers are good choices, as well as steam units.

So these risks beg the question: can an indoor space be safely humidified? The answer is a qualified “yes”. Every space is different and must be individually evaluated. If good apparatus is installed, operated and maintained, the benefits can outweigh the risks. Dan Thayer, P.E., CEM, CIAQP

Thayer Corp is an Efficiency Maine partner. Dan believes that energy efficiency and renewable energy will be big drivers in the company’s continued growth in 2012. Expanding the application of Thayer’s core expertise in HVAC and climate control to agricultural greenhouse businesses (outside the regular manufacturing business venue) has added a whole new opportunity. And those companies call because Thayer has the HVAC experience to make biomass systems easy to use, efficient and effective, and knows how to maintain systems for optimal use.

While the last few years has seen Thayer people working on everything from our regular maintenance contracts to keep systems in top shape, to HVAC on oil rigs or biomass boilers in National Forest Service buildings, the common theme is expertise in internal climate control and a knowledge of which systems are best suited to particular applications. Want to be energy efficient, comfortable, green, and cost effective? Call in the Experts!

You might be taking your chances, but your oil company probably isn’t. Make sure you look closely at all the figures. For example, at Downeast, where cash oil prices are $3.60 today (September 12, 2011), it will cost you $3.749/gallon to pay cash upfront for your entire estimated oil use.  If you want to add a guarantee in case the price drops, get out your calculator, because Downeast will charge you 30 cents a gallon additional for that option. So the price will have to drop to $3.45 per gallon just to break even on the $3.75 you’re paying now. And if you want to pay monthly on a 10 month budget plan, the plan price is $4.20/gallon, although you’ll get the daily cash price if it’s lower on delivery day.

We’re not picking on Downeast. Other oil delivery companies are also protecting themselves with elaborate fee structures that essentially make the general cash delivery price look more palatable.

With fuel oil ranging from $3.32 a gallon to $3.80 today, the obvious solution is to use less oil. You can accomplish that pretty simply by adding a sweater and turning down the heat, but will that be enough? And will it be something you and your family can tolerate for the seven month Maine heating season?

You should be combining conservation with increased efficiency, and that’s where a home energy audit can give you valuable information. Thayer has partnered with GreenHomes America to provide comprehensive energy audits, including a home or business efficiency modification plan that can save 25%-50% in fuel costs for many homes or businesses. These energy assessment programs uncover opportunities for energy savings, and then propose solutions that tighten and weatherize your home or business. Your home or business will use less fuel, have a smaller carbon footprint, and save you money.

The Thayer energy audit gives you all information you need to prioritize your energy dollars and become more energy efficient. Call us today at 800-649-4197.

Thayer Corp is excited to report that the first northern New England example of an innovative new heat pump will be installed here in Auburn. Dan Legere, our Home Energy Specialist, is working with an Auburn family on a home energy audit and energy modifications to complement their new Carrier Infinity heat pump with Greenspeed Intelligence

Heat pumps work by using small amounts of energy to move heat from one place to another. Typically, they pull heat out of the air or ground to heat a home. Heat pumps transfer heat, rather than burning fuel to create it, but they work best in moderate climates, and have been most effective when temps are above freezing. The innovative communication module and variable speed compressor allows this system to be used in climates with much greater temperature variations, like Maine. The increased efficiency of this unit allows it to operate effectively at a much lower outside temperature.

The Infinity heat pump with Greenspeed Intelligence is the highest heating efficiency residential air source heat pump available. At a 3 ton size (common for a house) and in an outdoor temperature of 17° F, the system can achieve 17 to 86 percent greater heating capacity than standard heat pump products on the market today. This breakthrough product will significantly extend the geographic range for heat pumps to serve as a home’s primary heat source.

The heat produced by a heat pump tends to be very consistent. The system has sensors so sophisticated that connecting refrigeration gauges may be unnecessary, and the performance can be monitored through the thermostat control. The outside compressor actually has the ability to vary speeds to match the amount of cooling and heating needed in your home at all times of the day.  What this means for our customers is lower cooling and heating bills and more consistent comfort. 

In Maine, most homes require a back-up heat source, but using the Infinity heat pump with Greenspeed Intelligence will allow the family to use their fuel burning appliance for many fewer hours, resulting in a much lower oil bill in the winter. The new system, of course, will also provide a vastly improved summertime electric bill.

With the lock-in price of oil well over $4 a gallon for this winter, the solution presented by Thayer Corporation will quickly become an intelligent investment for this Auburn family.

There are several differing opinions about shutting your heating plant, but our opinion is that you can indeed save money by shutting down your system over the summer. With a residential boiler, you might save $150 by not keeping the boiler warm over the next three months.

It all depends on your type of system. You can’t shut down a tankless coil, because you need it for heating your domestic hot water. But if you have a cold start boiler that’s used for heating only, then go ahead and have it shut down. The boiler should be cleaned, because soot plus moisture in the boiler will lead to a hard deposit that will be very difficult and time-consuming to clean in the fall, when you want to start the boiler up again. And since your boiler should be cleaned and inspected each year, by doing it in the spring you can save money over the summer, and be ready to just flip a switch for heat in the fall, avoiding a time of year when it can take days for a service call because maintenance techs are so busy.

The cleaning is really an important part, and if you’re not able to get your boiler cleaned, don’t bother shutting it down. Over the summer, mechanical rooms become a moist environment and things corrode, oil tanks left not full will bring in moisture into them, spider webs block off air adjustments, cold boilers could allow gaskets to leak, and cold boiler surfaces may condense warm summer air and allow rusting.

Turning your thermostat down, leaving the heating system operational, and scheduling maintenance for the fall is our suggestion if you can’t schedule a spring cleaning/shut down. If you’re using your heating system to generate your domestic hot water, then regular conservation measures (lowering the water temperature, installing low flow shower heads, and limiting shower times) will save money.

In general, shutting down a heating plant means draining, cleaning, and drying. It isn’t the shutting down that is important, it is starting them up again. If you don’t have the boiler properly cleaned in the spring, it will require a service call to get your heating plant operational again, often made at the time when many heating systems are undergoing maintenance and technicians are in high demand.

As always, call us with questions or to request service at 800-649-4197.