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Q: What is the Energy Star Program and why should I care?

julier — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:00:39 +0000

A : Well, the Energy Star Program was designed to encourage people through, usually tax credits to go and upgrade their systems with more energy efficient systems. When you see the Energy Star logo, you know that you are using a product that uses less energy than some of the more standard or generic products out there. So the result is you are going to have lower utility bills and you are going to have utility savings.

Q: What can I do to improve the air quality in my home?

julier — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 17:00:42 +0000

A: Well, there are a couple of different things that you can do. Actually, indoor air quality is a growing part of our business. In the winter time, a humidifier will help put humidity in the air which will not only help with your sinuses and protect your woodwork, but it will also help you lower your heating bills by having warmer moister air when it gets very cold outside. Also, another factor would be an ultra violet light. Ultra violet lights will help kill germs and help prevent growth in the system. If you remember all the hoopla over the swine flu outbreaks, certain UV lights were shown to actually zap, or kill these flu viruses. Additionally, you could upgrade your air filtering system. The more dirt and things that we can catch to keep them from entering the furnace, the more we can keep it from circulating through the air you breathe. This will obviously be better for you. As a matter of fact, some of the higher end electronic air cleaners will even stop some viruses and kill them. So, with the UV light, the humidifier and a good air filtering system we can give you triple protection for your home.

Q: Do I need a carbon monoxide detector in my home, why and what kind?

julier — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:00:20 +0000

A: Depending on the age and type of your system a carbon monoxide detector can be a very good idea. Carbon monoxide is usually introduced into the home when an older heat exchanger develops a defect. A heat exchanger is a piece of metal where, when the gas burns, it takes the heat out through the flue pipe. When a heat exchanger develops a crack or a hole the carbon monoxide can enter into the air stream into the home. This tends to happen on systems that are older. So if you have something ten to twenty years old, you would definitely want to look at a carbon monoxide detector. Regarding what kind, well, they come in many different makes, models and ranges. Some can detect carbon monoxide at very small quantities and some need the carbon dioxide to be at extremely high levels before it would detect any carbon monoxide. You should look at a reliable product review company to find the best product for your situation. Please note, these are gas furnaces that are burning this, so electric furnaces don’t create carbon monoxide. Gas furnaces do, if your system is over ten years any carbon monoxide detector is better than none.

Q: Why should I participate in a service club?

julier — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:00:14 +0000

A: Well participation in a service club, we call ours our comfort club, can offer many benefits. One benefit may be that the contractor who has your service club membership might be able to catch things before they go wrong, not after they go wrong. It is the same principle of why should you change your oil in your vehicle on a regular basis. You change your oil to keep the system running properly. You have your furnace and air conditioner serviced on a regular basis to keep them running properly. In the event that something is starting to go bad the heating and cooling contractor can address the issue at the beginning of the season, rather than having to deal with it maybe on a zero degree day with your furnace or a 90 degree day with your air conditioner. The HVAC contractor may be able to find a part that was potentially going to be a problem and deal with it in advance. Also, aside from getting your yearly cleanings done on your heating and cooling units, you are also going to receive discounts. Usually a benefit of being a part of that club is a lower service trip charge or diagnostic fee if you do experience a breakdown on your unit. Many club memberships will also include priority service and discounts on parts too. Unfortunately, when your heating and cooling unit breaks, many other peoples are breaking at the same time. You want to make sure you’re not left at the bottom of the pack. You want to be at the front of the line. Being a member of a service club will help you accomplish this.

Q: What question should I ask a heating and cooling contractor before I hire them?

julier — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:00:02 +0000

A: Well, when hiring a heating and cooling contractor, I would ask them questions like how long have they been in the air conditioning or furnace business and what type of installations do they normally do. A company that has been in business for a significant time tends to be a little more stable than a newly established company. They usually are able to offer better warranties and guarantees than a company that has only been in business for a year or two. Do they have pictures of their previous installations, do they have any comments or any recommendations from previous clients that they’ve done work for? This will allow you to actually see the quality of their work and hear from their past clients as to the company’s integrity and work ethic. What is potential heating and cooling contractor’s reputation within the community? Have they been awarded awards from organizations like Angie’s List or Better Business Bureau? Do they have reviews within any online communities, what type of ratings have they been given? Do they use sub contractors or seasonal help or is everyone a full time employee of their company? It’s hard to control quality of work a company provides if the people working for them aren’t actually their employees. These are just some of the questions that you may want to ask a potential contractor.

Q: Why should I have my duct work cleaned and how often?

julier — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:00:38 +0000

A: Well the biggest reason you should get your duct work cleaned is because we are talking about the air you’re breathing. Especially newer homes need to have their air ducts cleaned. A lot of today’s homes are what we call very tight. This is because the windows have been caulked, the seams where the drywall is done have been caulked, and just about any other seam has been caulked tight. As a result, not a lot of fresh air is introduced into the homes. When a lot of these homes are built, the sanding is done, the drywall is done, all of this is done after the windows, doors, etc have been caulked. As a result, all of that dust and those particles are left inside and they start circulating through the ductwork. So we have found homes that are two years old can have as dirty if not dirtier duct work than a home that is twenty years old. So, if you have your air ducts cleaned early in your home ownership, it will keep your air duct system cleaner longer. If you don’t have your air ducts cleaned the dirt can travel through the furnace and can cause higher breakdown rate. This also affects your repair bills, which in turn will cost you more money. As far as how often you want to have your air ducts cleaned, you want to usually have them cleaned every two to five years. Most houses would probably benefit from that. I’m not saying every house must have the air ducts cleaned that often but the air quality in most houses would probably improve if they did. As far as dryer vents, you probably want have them cleaned at least every two years. Now, with dryer vents you need to take into consideration how long the vent run is and how many elbows are in the run. The longer the run and the more elbows it has in it, the more opportunity there is for the dirt, lint and dust to settle in the vent. These vents need to be check and cleaned more often not only for air quality issues but also for safety reasons. It is a good idea to have your dryer vents cleaned every couple of years because clogged dryer vents can be a huge fire hazard and they will cut down on air flow to the clothes dryer. A decrease of air flow will cause your dryer to work harder which can cause it to burn out and then you have to replace the dryer.

Q: How does the insulation in my house affect my energy costs?

julier — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:00:12 +0000

A: Insulation is a tremendous factor affecting your heating and cooling costs. If you have poor insulation, outside air is more readily able to infiltrate your home. Much like an insulated bag that is used to carry home ice cream from the store, insulation in the home, both in the outside walls and the attic helps to keep the cool air in the home, therefore reducing the need for the air conditioner to work harder to keep the air cool. Additionally, in the winter months, insulation aids in keeping the warm air inside your home. Just like your mom always told you to wear a hat when you go outside because that’s where the heat escapes, well, that’s what happens in your attic. So unless you have a good layer of insulation, or a good cap, you will see energy loss. If it’s too cold or too hot and you have poor insulation it is going to cause your heating or air conditioning bills to go higher.

Q: How do you determine if I need a new ac unit or if the one I already have should just be repaired?

julier — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:43 +0000

A : Well, what we do to help you make the best decision about repairing the existing unit or replacing it is we look at a lot of different factors. We look at age of the heating and cooling system. We figure out what the cost of the current needed repair is. We estimate what could be the cost of future repairs based on the age of the system. We also take into consideration how long you plan on staying in the home. All of these factors can help to determine which is going to be the better choice for your situation, to repair the system, or to replace the system. We have a chart that helps us figure all this information out. We sit down with you and go over that chart. We provide you with all the information that we can so that you can be comfortable with your decision.

Q: Tim, tell me step by step how your installers install an air conditioning unit.

julier — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:00:12 +0000

Well, the first thing our installers do once we get to the home is approach the homeowner and introduce themselves. We will review and confirm with the client which air conditioning system we will be installing today. At that time, we would put down floor savers and runners to make sure that we protect the property from any damage and from any dirt. One of our promises is called our Client Property Protection Guarantee. We will make sure that we respect your property and leave it as clean, or in some cases cleaner than when we got there. Once we go through that, we will at that point start reclaiming the refrigerant so that it can be disposed of by EPA standards, and not release it into the atmosphere. Once the units have been reclaimed we will take out the air conditioner. We send all the old unit(s) to the shop for recycling. We try to recycle everything that we take out, so that nothing is thrown away in the garbage heap. We view this as part of our contribution to conservation. Once the old units have been removed, the new air conditioning system would be set outside. Inside we would set the new evaporator coil, that would go with the condensing coil outside. Once these have been hooked up we would pull vacuum to make sure that all connections are solid, After we determine that all connections are solid, we reintroduce the new environmentally friendly refrigerant. Then we’ll test the system. This is when we do what’s called a temperature drop on the air conditioner, and that’s where we want to make sure there’s a proper difference between the air coming out of the vents to the air going back into through the system. By doing this we get a very well balanced cooling system that will maintain a comfortable temperature, and most importantly, getting and keep the humidity out of the air.

Q: Tim, how do I know what size, kind and brand of air conditioning unit I should purchase?

julier — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:00:15 +0000

A: What kind, size and brand. Well, what kind will depend on what you want to achieve. Air conditioning systems are rated by what’s called a SEER Number. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Furnaces are rated by what’s called an AFUE Rating, Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. Depending on how efficient a system you want to put in your home, well, that will determine what you go with. As far as size, that’s something that you don’t have control over. The home will tell us what size system you need to have. Every home has what’s called a heat load. A heat load is based on windows, square footage, elevation, etc. About two dozen different factors go into telling us how much heat your home gains in the summer and how much heat it loses in the winter. Once we have determined that, then we know what size system you must have in your house. As far as brand goes, there is no one clear cut brand that’s better than another. There are only a handful of manufactures that make most of the systems on the market today. As a result, a lot of the components that are in one brand are the same components that are in another brand. There may be a few warranties or guarantees that are different, but the main difference in the installation of a new heating and cooling unit is going to be the contractor that installs it. You could have the greatest most expensive system in the world but if the person who installs it doesn’t know what they are doing, if they don’t have a check list that they are going to go down through to make sure everything’s done properly you won’t get the benefits of having that system.