Quick Guide to HVAC Efficiency Ratings

When purchasing a furnace, heat pump or air conditioner, ALWAYS ask about its Efficiency Ratings. They will tell you will tell you how efficiently your heating and cooling equipment uses fuel (gas, oil or electricity). These ratings and standards are determined by the Environmental Protection Agency and other government and industry authorities, and all new heating and cooling sold today must meet certain efficiency rating minimums.

The most-frequently used efficiency ratings are:

• SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio): This ratio tells you the amount of cooling your system will deliver per dollar spent on electricity The SEER rating of any unit can range anywhere from 13 to 17. The higher the SEER the more efficient the system will be and the less it will cost in the long run to own and operate.
  
• HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor): Similar to SEER,it is a measurement of efficiency of the heating portion of a heat pump. HSPF ratings range from 6.8 to 10; high-efficiency units have efficiencies of 7.5 HSPF or above.
  
• AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratio): A measurement of the percent of heat produced by a furnace for every dollar of fuel consumed. The higher the AFUE rating, the lower the fuel costs. All furnaces manufactured today must meet at least 78%. Older furnaces (10 – 15 years or older) may fall below this minimum. Furnaces with AFUE ratings from 78% to 80% are considered mid-efficiency; ones with AFUE ratings above 90% are considered high-efficiency.
  
• MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value): Not a former talk show host. MERV is a filter rating system relating to the size of the holes in the filter that allow air to pass through. The higher the MERV rating, the smaller the holes and the higher the efficiency in capturing contaminants. MERV rating range from a low of 1 to a high of 16.
  
• ENERGY STAR: An Environmental Protection Agency designation attached to HVAC products that meet or exceed guidelines for high-efficiency performance above the standard government minimums.

If you have a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump that's 15 years or older, there's a good chance that it falls below the recommended ratings. If so, the chances are even higher that you're using too much energy and paying too much on your utility bills. You may want to consider upgrading to a more modern heating and cooling system that meets or exceeds today's recommended energy efficiency ratings and standards.



Look For The Label

When shopping for new HVAC equipment or any electrical appliance, look for the EnergyGuide label, which should come with the equipment's paperwork or be posted on the appliance at retail stores. The EnergyGuide will help you compare the energy use and efficiency of a particular model relative to other available models with the appropriate ratings listed above.

The federal government requires manufacturers to affix the label to the following products:

• Furnaces
• Boilers
• Central air conditioners
• Room air conditioners
• Heat pumps
• Water heaters
• Pool heaters
• Refrigerators and Freezers
• Dishwashers
• Clothes Washers and Dryers

ENERGY STAR-qualified models will have the ENERGY STAR mark on the label or somewhere on the appliance.

More About Efficiency Ratings...

• SEER, AFUE and HSPF Ratings Explained

Oats-Fiber Adai

Hey ya!!!! Long time No Blogging!!!! It was a Hectic Month, Busy Sight-cing, Cooking, showing off my Culinary Skills to In-laws. :)  My In-laws Left for india last week. So Back to Blogging. 

Oats Aadai, healthy, low-cal snack, u can have it as a breakfast or as an evening snack. You can Prepare the dough early and refrigerate it. Tastes good with Simple Tomato Sauce.

Ingredients

Oats - 1 cup

Fried Gram Dal - 1/4 cup

Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Raw Rice -1/2 cup

Red Chillies - 4 nos

Medium Sized Onion - 1, Finely Chopped

Green Chillie - 2 nos, finely Chopped

Ginger - 1 small piece, Shredded

Hing - a pinch

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Salt to taste

Method

Grind Oats, Fried Gram Dal, Peanuts, Rice and Red Chillies to Rava Consistency in a Mixie. In A  Big Bowl Mix Onions, Green Chillies, Cury leaves, Hing and the Grinded Ingredients, Add Enough Water and salt, make a Dough. The Dough shouldnt  be soft or too tight. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Divide the dough into small lemon-size balls.

Heat a Non-Stick Pan, take a ball, u can press it directly on the tava or else flatten it on a plastic paper and transfer it to the tava. Cook both the sides in a low flame.

Need some patience, as it takes some time to cook. :) Serve Hot with Tomato Ketchup.

Sending this post to MLLA-20 hosted by Rachel of The CRISPY COOK, Event Started Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Vella Dosai (Jaggery Pancake) and Austrian Pancakes in Australia!

Vella Dosai (Jaggery Pancake) and Austrian Pancakes in Australia!

Nearly two thousand kilometers, over 3 days in a mega trip to the highest point in Aussie, as well as the beaches south of Sydney! On Day 2 morning, enroute to Snowy Mountains from Cooma, we were still excitedly chatting about the herd of kangaroos, that we had encountered the previous evening, when we passed a very interesting looking signboard "Heidi's Tea House" on an old horse carriage pointing towards the wilderness.

We decided to check the place and turned around back into the narrow curvy trail that led to the top of the tiny hill - Mt Gladstone. What greeted us was a look out where we were surrounded by the snowy mountains ranges. Closeby we found a quaint and cozy log cabin. The neat, pretty wooden interiors, old paintings, the cuckoo clock, and the fire place transported us into a fairy tale world. We were warmly greeted by none other than Ms Heidi herself.

Ms Heidi told us that while there were a number of dishes available, her pancakes were pretty famous, and had appeared on The Getaway Show on Channel 9. She suggested we try her fresh berry pancakes. Heidi busied herself in the kicthen, while Linda another gracious lady chatted with us, and told us all about how the tea house was set up nearly 40 years ago, when Ms Heidi, her husband and few others migrated to Australia from Germany.

The pancakes and apple strudel we had asked for were straight out of a fairy tale book too! The mouthwatering luscious hot pancakes were filled with fresh berries compote, liberally sprinkled with dusting sugar, and served with a scoop of icecream and blob of fresh cream. Same with the delicious serving of apple strudel. A fulfilled smile lit up Linda’s face as we ooh-ed and aah-ed the dishes, and gorged the exotic creations, relishing every bit of it. She then told us, to tell everybody back at home that we had just had "Real AUSTRIAN pancakes in Australia", and everybody would be surprised! She then enquired whether we prepared pancakes in India. My mind raced back to the long forgotten hot sweet VELLA DOSAIS topped with fresh home made butter which we had often relished in our childhood days.

Upon our return, I decided to try out the Vella Dosai, even as my daugther was proclaiming that no long forgotten Indian sweet pancake can beat the 'real pancake' we had had at Heidis. I watched, quite amused, when she later emptied the pile to a finger-licking finish!!

INGREDIENTS:
Whole wheat flour - 1 glass
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Powdered jaggery - 3/4 glass
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
Ghee - for cooking

optional - a pinch of ginger powder, and a pinch of salt can be added for additional flavour

METHOD:
1. Dissolve jaggery in one glass of warm water and filter.
2. Mix in the wheat flour and rice flour little by little in the cooled jaggery water.
3. Add more water little at a time as you blend the dough till it reaches a pouring dosa batter consistancy.
4. Mix in the cardamom powder and optionally the ginger powder and salt.

5. Grease a tava with ghee and heat it.
6. Pour a ladle of dough and swirl it holding the handle,so that the dough spreads evenly on the tava.
7. Dribble ghee all around and cook till it is done.
8. Since the dosai contains jaggery, it will be a little sticky. Use a non-stick tava and an appropriate ladel, and carefully flip over, else the dosai can tear.
9. Cook the other side for a few seconds and remove the Vella Dosai from the tava.
10. Allow the dosai to cool a few seconds before serving. This will let the caramelized jaggery to cool and the dosai will 'set'. Its best taken warm, while the sides of the dosai are still crispy.

Relish the vella dosais by topping with a big blob of white unsalted butter.