Always check with your local Better Business Bureau

The BBB has a chapter in almost every city in the US! After you get to their wbsite, narrow yourself to your own City and simply choose to search by Type of Business. Enter your home zip code, type HVAC into the business category, and tick the box to show only accredited businesses.

By choosing a BBB listed business, you can rest assured they have nothing to hide and respond to all concerns promptly!

Angies List Maintains HVAC Contractor Ratings from Consumers

Widely overlooked for all your home repair needs, Angies List is one of the top choices for most consumers who want to know unbiased reviews of not only HVAC Contractors, but any type of service you may need for your home or self!

The way Angies list works is simple - people like you and I sign up and rate the people who service our needs! You can search by City, type of service contractor, and just about any other criteria you can imagine.

Ask Your Friends and Family

Family and friends provide the most realistic review you will find when it comes to choosing the perfect HVAC Contractor! Keep in mind that like yourself, it may have been several years since they last used a service company for broken air conditioning or heating, so you will still want to follow the other tips in order to learn about them.

Go Directly Through the Manufacturers

Most of the major manufacturers like Trane, Carrier, Bryant, Goodman, Lennox American Standard and others, maintain an approved HVAC Contractors list right on their websites. While this alone won't guarantee you will find a qualified company, it does give you the added backup of the manufacturer itself!

Visit the Manufacturer Recommended Contractor pages:

• Carrier Dealers
• Bryant
• Trane
• American Standard
• Goodman
• Lennox

Add your Own Tips Below for Finding a HVAC Contractor!

Do you know that an air conditioning unit uses the most energy and is usually the main culprit for high electricity bill? It costs you more money and energy when compared to other systems in your home. Usually, 45% of your electricity bills are chalked up by air conditioning.

One thing you must know is that a faulty unit uses more energy and will cost you even more in electricity bill. Therefore, it is extremely important to schedule regular maintenance for it.

In this article, let me share with you some tips to cut down your utility bills:

1. Use house fans to cool your home. You do not need to always use air conditioner to cool your home. By using house fan, you can save a lot of electricity and thus cut down your utility bills. House fan is best use to circulate cool air throughout the house to keep your home comfortable and cool.

2. Do not set your thermostat to a colder temperature than normal. By doing so, you are not cooling your home and could spend more unnecessary cooling expenses.

3. Vary the fan speed. On a humid day, set your fan speed on low. Only set the fan speed on high on non-humid days.

4. Place your air conditioning unit in a shady place. In a shady place, it will use up to 10% less energy. But make sure that you do not block the airflow.

5. Turn off the air conditioning unit when you leave the house or room. You will be surprised that by just doing this simple task, you can reduce your utility bill by up to 20%.

6. Get the right air conditioning unit. A bigger size unit does not mean that you will feel more comfortable during summer. Smaller units are easier to maintain and uses less energy than bigger units. Therefore, always get the right system for your home by checking specifications carefully. You might also want to consider getting a portable air conditioning unit. It will be suitable for you if you are always occupying a certain area in your house.

Hope that you will keep these tips in mind and implement them right away. I am sure that once you have done the above, you can definitely reduce your utility bills and save more money.

Source: EricoolAircon now.

5 Reasons Portable AC Systems are Gaining Popularity!

1 - Easy to Move from Room to Room!

Just about every portable AC on the market today comes on a set of wheels, making it very easy to move from room to room, or even out into the garage! If it doesn't have wheels, you can get a set of casters or a large indoor potting plant roller kit, and instantly, its very portable!

2 - Inexpensive When Compared to a Replacement Central AC!

You can find a 12000 BTU (that's one ton) portable air conditioner relatively inexpensive on the web! I have seen them as cheap as $50 for clearance unit on the portable air conditioner auction page! With just 2 or 3 of these in your home, you could completely eliminate a central AC unit, or at least defer several thousands of dollars in cost, until a better time!

3 - Large Enough to Cool Several Areas of the Home!

Large Portable AC units are in the +12,000 btu range now! That means more than 1 ton of cooling, in a box the size of a small kitchen rubbish can! Most average size homes in the US, (1600 sf) could get by with 2 of these units knocking the edge off the entire house!

4 - ANYONE Can Install a Portable AC!

As anyone who has tried to install their own central ac system knows, Contractors have the market cornered and can charge you whatever they want... Twice as much when its 95 degrees outside! With a Portable AC Unit, you simply open the box and plug it in! Done and cooling within 15 minutes of getting it!

5 - Anyone Can Buy a Portable Air Conditioner!

You don't have to have a license to buy a portable AC system! OK, truth be known, you don't need a license to buy a central system either, but the portable systems are much easier to get locally as well as on the web. Try walking into your local HVAC supply store and buying a central ac system!

Portable AC Deals Online

Check out these 4 bargains from eBay, or head over to the full page of Last Minute Portable AC Auctions.

US $.99 Bids: 1 Bid Ends: 19h 47m SHARP 10000BTU CV P10NC PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER INBOX	US $.99 Bids: 3 Bids Ends: 1d 5h 1m RAMSOND 12000 BTU PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER BRAND NEW	US $.99 Bids: 1 Bid Ends: 1d 21h 26m 12000 BTU ROOM PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER DEHUMIDIFIER	US $.99 Bids: 1 Bid Ends: 2d 1h 12m EVERSTAR PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER 8000BTU 8K MPM08CRBB4

The number one thing you need to do regardless, is stay hydrated! Force yourself to drink 2 glasses of water with all your meals, so you get a fair amount of water in your system and avoid becoming dehydrated!

7 Ways to Cool Off When the Air Conditioner Breaks!

Get Out of Your House During the Hottest Part of the Day!

The easiest way to stay cool when the AC breaks, is to simply get out of the home! You can visit friends or family, go to a mid afternoon movie, or even go ice skating in your area!If all else fails, just head to a local mall and browse for the afternoon.

Plan your outing for the mid afternoon, when the house gets its hottest, likely between 12-6pm.

Do Your Chores in the Morning or Night!

I know you cant run away from the daily chores, but doing them at a more convenient time will not only keep you cooler, it will keep you from spreading that body heat in your home!

Take a Cool Bath!

When the afternoon heat is just too much to take, run yourself a cool (not cold) bath, grab a book or magazine and go soak for an hour!

Keep the Home as Dark as You Can!

Lights, windows and any other light source equals heat! Turn and keep your lights turned off as much as possible and close all your window blinds and curtains to block out the sunlight.

Sleep in the Buff!

If you can, sleep or hang around the home in as little as possible! You may just be surprised to find that when you are scantily clad, you will be cooler than you think! Make sure you keep a robe handy in case a visitor drops in!

Soak Your Shirt in Cool Water!

One of the easiest ways to deal with a hot house, is to soak a shirt in cold water and wear it! It will help regulate your body temp, and keep you cooled off for an hour or longer! Once it starts getting warm, a quick splash in the sink gets you another hour of cooling! If you really want to stay cool, get a table fan and blow it across you while wearing the wet shirt!

Keep a Small Window AC Unit on Hand!

Not something everyone wants to do, but you can get a cheap window air conditioner online and keep it in a storage shed, garage, or even in a window itself! The last time ours failed, we bought two small window units just in case... they have come in handy more than once!

CoolNSave is a revolutionary product that cuts your air conditioning energy costs by up to 30%

What is a Cool N Save?

To put it into easy to understand terms, CoolNSave is a small and easy to install part that works on just about every type of residential air conditioner on the market! The product is made up of a small metering valve attached to a fan-blade like paddle, that opens the valve when the AC unit turns on.

Here is how it works...

1. Air Conditioner turns on and the fan starts blowing air out of the top of the unit.
2. The paddle on the CoolNSave is pushed up with the airflow, opening the small water valve.
3. Water (approx 1.2 gals/hour) travels through the valve to the included plastic hoses and misting tips, spraying an fine mist of water into the sides of the ac condenser.
4. Flash evaporation occurs - lowering the ambient temp by approximately 30 degrees and making your air conditioner work much more efficiently, instantly!

Who Can use CoolNSave?

ANYONE with an air conditioning unit that has a fan on top of the outdoor unit! While I cannot test it on a side discharge since I don't have one, I have to assume it would work on one of those as well!

How Hard is It to Install?

Literally - less than 10 minutes to install (2) systems on my air conditioners! Of course, I had to buy two of them, but the process was the same. I would estimate 10 minutes for anyone, regardless of how handy you are.

Everything you need to install is included:

1 x Cool-n-Save Control valve,
3 x 2 ft Misting arms
3 x Professional misting nozzles
1 x Cool-n-Save Water Treatment Filter,
1 x 20' of flexible water feed line
1 x Garden Hose adapter

After you attach the control valve to the top of your AC unit, you simply run the flexible hose to a garden hose and attach the end with the provided adapter.

When the AC kicks on - the mister starts working!

How Much Can it Cut off the Power Bill?

We have had these installed for about 2.5 months now. On the only full months bill (we installed mid monthly billing cycle) we have got, our electric bill was $224 LESS, 24%, than the same period last year!

Get Your CoolNSave Today!

Cool N Save Review Conclusion

Without doubt - the CoolNSave is one of the coolest products on the market, that actually WORKS to save money on cooling costs!

What is SEER? Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio

SEER is a measurement of cooling efficiency by the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institue. In a nutshell, it is the rating of efficiency a unit delivers, by determining the amount of energy needed to produce overall btus of cooling capacity over the course of a cooling season. For consumers like you and I, the only thing you need to be aware of in regard to SEER Ratings, is that the higher the SEER Rating, the more efficiency the unit, which results in lower operating cost for you!

• The HIGHER The SEER - The MORE Efficient the Air Conditioner
• The Lower the SEER - Means HIGHER Cost to Operate
  

How Much is Each SEER Rating Point Worth?

There are several factors that need to be taken into consideration in order to determine how much money you may save on a higher efficiency, higher SEER unit. The biggest variables are:

1. The amount of time the unit will be running in the cooling season
2. The cost of your electricity in your area

For instance, if you live in an area with fewer cooling hours per season, it is going to take longer to realize a return on your investment, than if you live in a place like Texas or Florida, where you cool your home almost year round.In other words, if you live in a place where you only cool your home for 2-3 months... but you heat the3 home for 7-8 months, your money is much better spent on a higher efficiency furnace, versus higher seer cooling.

Calculating Initial Cost Versus Lifetime Savings

Determining a good estimate of savings per seer rating point can be done at HVACOpCost.com (opens in new window) Use the example below to determine your cost savings, and see if its worth the initial cost of higher efficiency (SEER) cooling system.

**Note - Since I am ONLY comparing the savings for a higher efficiency COOLING SYSTEM, I am not changing any values on the heating side of this estimate tool.

Step 1 - Choose Your Location

Look on the map and find the zone that you live in. If you are on the borderline of two zones, I would recommend choosing the hotter zone. The zone map is based off of cooling hours in the specific areas and will automatically populate some of the form tables to perform the calculation.

I am on the borderline of 3 & 4, so I used area 4 for my own homes calculation.

Step 2 - Size of Your Home

In order to get a rough estimate of the equipment size for your home, you need to input the square feet of conditioned space in your home. If your entire home is cooled when the air conditioner is running, then enter the square footage of the entire house.

My home is 3760 square feet, so I simply entered 3800 in the home size box.

Step 3 - Review the Information and Set your Desired SEER rating

As you can see in the image to the left, most of this table is already completed for you! The top box contains the estimated equipment size, electric rate and cooling hours for my home, in my area. The fields ARE editable, so if one of the values is way off from your data, you can make adjustments before getting a final saving estimate.

For my own SEER Savings estimate, I left all of the fields the way the system delivered them, with one exception. Since I am calculating the savings from a 13 SEER unit to a 15 SEER unit, I changed the Cooling Standard and Cooling High Efficiency information to reflect my quotes.

I have 2 estimates from the same contractor.

• 13 SEER Standard efficiency replacement unit - $3460.00 installed. (Includes AC and Coil)
• 15 SEER higher Efficiency replacement - $4900 installed (includes AC and Coil)

Now that the figures represent my own cost comparison, I will click the "Calculate button" at the bottom center of the page to see my approximate cost savings with a higher efficiency air conditioner.

Higher SEER Air Conditioner Savings Estimate and ROI

The image below are the results of my higher efficiency air conditioner savings estimate.

Looking at the results table, I can clearly see that going from the standard 13 SEER unit to a higher efficiency 15 SEER unit, will save us approximately $345 per year! That's quite a bit of difference!

Overall Savings from Higher SEER

Once I factor in the HVAC Energy Credit Plan, and the $300 (dollar for dollar tax savings) tax credit, the true cost of going with a higher efficiency unit is remarkable!

• $1440 Initial cost difference
• $645 First Year payback ($300 Energy tax credit, plus $345 in energy savings)
• = $795 Total cost increase in year 1 for a high efficiency cooling system!

The higher efficiency air conditioner will cost me a bit more out of pocket at the time of purchase, but within 3 years, I will have paid myself back for the purchase and realize an immediate payback on my investment!

Conclusion - Higher Efficiency helps not only the environment, but it helps save money!

What Does HVAC Duct Do?

In homes with a central heating or cooling system, the duct can be viewed as the highway the fresh air, or conditioned air takes, as it makes it way into each of the areas of your home, and back to your central HVAC unit.

All Central HVAC Systems use two main duct runs to move that air:

• Supply Duct - which supplies the conditioned air throughout your home. You can identify with the supply line easiest by going to one of the vents in your floor, wall or ceiling. The air got there through one of the supply ducts. If your unit is in the attic or crawl space of your home, you can immediately recognize the supply duct as it will (should) all be wrapped in insulation.
• Return Duct - which takes air from your home, and returns it to the central unit to be conditioned. To understand the business end of the return duct, just go to the filter grill where you change your HVAC filters every month. The air entering through the filter is the return air. In your attic or crawl space, the return duct may be insulated as well, but in most cases, it is just sheet metal or flex duct.

Types of HVAC Duct in Residential Use

In most homes you will only find a few types of duct.

Sheet Metal Duct - which is a smooth wall galvanized sheet metal, either squared or rounded. Sheet metal duct work moves the air most efficiently through your home, since the inside of the duct is smooth and has no ridges or obstructions to disrupt the flow of air. in addition tot he duct itself, sheet metal duct must be wrapped with insulation before or after it is installed, in order to provide a thermal barrier between the unconditioned space and the air moving through the duct.

Insulated Flexible Duct - Likely the most common over the last 20 years or more, flex duct does exactly what it sounds like, it flexes, making it the quickest to install and easiest to use in most installations. Flex duct generally comes in compressed rolls of 25 feet, in many various sizes and varying r-values, or Insulating values.

Insulated Duct Board - This type of duct has become more popular in the past few years. The easiest way to understand duct board, it to think of a 4x8 sheet of insulated board, 1/2 - 1 inch thick. The board is then cut and squared, to form a box through which the air flows. Many new construction homes have gone to this type of duct due to the ease of installation and high performance insulating value.

In a future post, I am going to get into the duct sizing methodology, and help you understand how different sized ducts can effect your home HVAC system.

Additional Reading Resources

• Wikipedia

Funny... Carrier must have no control over its dealers and distribution network, since there is an eBay seller liquidating equipment, and in the auction, it clearly states: "You MUST pick up this equipment from the Pompano Beach Florida Carrier Warehouse!" What is that all about?

Carrier Aquazone Systems for Sale on eBay - Pickup Direct at Carrier Warehouse!

US $750.00 Bids: Ends: 26d 19h 38m Carrier Water Source Heat Pump Aquazone 3 1 2 Ton	US $1,000.00 Bids: Ends: 28d 16h 43m CARRIER AQUAZONE GROUND WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMP 15 TON	US $1,300.00 Bids: Ends: 22d 18h 25m CARRIER AQUAZONE GROUND WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMP 25 TON	US $1,500.00 Bids: Ends: 29d 18h 19m CARRIER AQUAZONE GROUND WATER SOURCE HEAT PUMP 3 TON

Where Does the Water Come From?

Before you start reading this, go and get yourself a big glass of Ice Water, and set it onto your desk. By the time you are done, you will have effectively done the same thing that your vents are doing... Condensing!

As the cold air coming from your central air conditioning passes through your ducts, it gradually warms up. There is a point where the colder and warmer air actually product water, known as the dew point. The higher the humidity, the higher the dew point, or point at which air condenses and forms water.

What Causes It To Condensate?

There are several things that can cause the cold air to condense into water, but the most common in household HVAC systems, is poor insulation of the ductwork. In my case, I had a bathroom window open, which allowed the outside heat and humidity to enter the room. The minute the cool air left the vent into the bathroom, it condensed and formed water drops on the supply vent.

If you don't have a window open, the only other thing happening to you, is that the air is warming to the dew point, before it leaves your vents. Meaning, you have poor vent insulation or if the vents run through your attic, its too hot in there!

How to Prevent Condensation on Vents

The first and most common way, is to climb into your attic or crawl space and check the insulation on your vent. Just a few inches of missing insulation near the vent boot (Where it meets the wall or ceiling) can allow condensation to form and if not fixed, lead to much worse problems like rotted wood, drywall, or even mold!

Replace your old insulated duct with new R6 Flex Duct!

Replacing a run or two of flex duct is a quick and easy job that almost every homeowner can do in an afternoon! The benefits of pulling out 15 year old, wet and rotted ductwork can be amazing!

US $15.99 Bids: Ends: 9d 22h 4m NEW 6 x 25 JPL FLEX AIR DUCT INSULATION R6 HVAC N R	US $16.29 Bids: Ends: 27d 16h 43m NEW 7 x 25 JPL FLEX AIR DUCT INSULATION R6 HVAC N R	US $29.95 Bids: Ends: 10d 23h 10m Thermaflex 9 X 25 KM R6 Insulated Flex Duct NEW	US $29.95 Bids: Ends: 12d 21h 43m Thermaflex 7 X 25 KM R6 Insulated Flex Duct NEW

Another great way to reduce heat around your ducting is to install an Attic Vent Fan, or even a crawl space ventilator.

To read the full phaseout schedule for R22, head over to the EPA page that is linked at the bottom of this post. I have highlighted the key points below.

Key Dates for R22 Phaseout

• Jan 1, 2010 - Manufacturers can no longer make new equipment with R22!
• Jan 1, 2010 - The only R22 manufactured, can be done so for replacement or use in existing equipment.
• Jan 1, 2020 - No new R22 can be manufactured, and only existing stockpiles or recycled R22 can be used.

What Does this Mean in 2009?

Truly, you won't feel the real impact of R22 being phased for a few years. There is a readily available supply in today's marketplace, which continues to keep the cost in somewhat of a check. The current rate for R22 is approximately $130 / 20 pound bottle, or about $6-$7 per pound. (Not including a service call and diagnosis)

Just 3 years ago, R22 was $60/bottle, if that gives you an idea of the future cost increases!

What Happens in 2010?

The first thing you can EXPECT to happen when Jan 1, 2010 passes... is that your HVAC Contractor is going to double the cost he charges you for each pound of freon put into your system! Expect it! Many of you will ask why and the simple answer... is because they can, and now they have a reason to justify it!

When 2015 comes about, you can expect to pay 5-10 times the 2009 price for R22! The reason this time however is that the manufacturers will no longer have stockpiles of the R22 and they will be charging the Contractors an equal amount!

Should You Buy R410 instead?

If you are faced with replacement today, I would suggest asking your installer for R410 options, and simply weigh the factor into your budget. R410 is not much more expensive than R22 right now, but that trend will quickly level out and by mid 2010, R410 will be cheaper.

Assuming you get a life of 15 years out of a properly maintained central ac unit installed this year, you will be fine for several years. However, if you need 3 pounds of R22 in 7 years... you can expect to pay very well for it!

EPA R22 Information