Move over, El Nino. Here comes La Nina

You’ve heard a lot of talk about El Nino, the weather phenomenon that was responsible for this year’s downright decent winter. El Nino has dominated the general weather pattern over the United States for about a year, but like all good things, El Nino must also come to an end. The current El Nino has been one of the strongest on record, and if this one is typical, it will collapse quickly and be replaced just as quickly by La Nina. But what is La Nina, and what can we expect this winter?

La Nina in Boston is a toss up<>
It’s tempting to think of La Nina as being the “opposite” of El Nino. If El Nino creates mild winters in the Northeast, then La Nina will create harsh ones, right?

Nope!

But that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook, either. La Nina can mean a variety of different things, and for the Northeast, it will be a mixed bag. The current model shows that El Nino will probably fall apart near the end of the summer, and La Nina will be waiting in the wings – right at the peak of hurricane season. La Nina tends to create more hurricanes. If anything, residents of the Northeast and along the East Coast should be prepared for the potential of more hurricanes and tropical storms this fall.

While La Nina is busy during hurricane season, the weather pattern tends to produce fewer winter storms on the East Coast – a break for us – but it also tends to produce colder than average temperatures. That means you should act this summer if you intend to upgrade, supplement or replace your heating equipment.

If you have a heating oil furnace or boiler and you’re not ready to replace it, consider installing a ductless heating system to supplement your existing system. This hybrid approach will give you three advantages; first, electricity is cheaper than fuel oil, so you can save money during the winter by using your ductless system. Use your oil furnace only during sustained periods of below-zero temperatures.

The second advantage is that a ductless system will also give you air conditioning in the summer. You can have highly efficient year-round comfort!

The third advantage is that you can do your part to reduce your carbon footprint each time you use your ductless system to heat your home, and a ductless cooling system is far more efficient than a central air conditioner or window air conditioning system.

If you’d like more information about ductless heating and cooling and how you can use it to supplement your existing heating system this winter, please give us a call at New England Ductless at (781) 995-2665. We can show you how to save money on the installation of a ductless system in addition to the money you’ll save when you operate it!

Photo Credit: Stig-Espen Soleng, via FreeImages.com