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Faqs
How do I clean my air
conditioner?
Air
Conditioning Maintenance
What is SEER?
Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio
A
measurement of an air conditioner or heat pump’s
cooling energy efficiency, developed by the U.S.
Department of Energy. It’s a simple formula: the
higher the SEER of your unit, the greater its
efficiency –and the lower your operating costs.
How do I maintain my
furnace?
Furnace
Maintenance
Which is better
Hydronic or Forced Air Heating and Cooling?
Hydronic
VS Forced Air
How do I hire a heating
and cooling contractor?
10
Steps for hiring a good contractor
Why should I purchase a new
heating or air conditioning system?
At Yours By Design Htg & Clg and Goodman Manufacturing Company,
L.P., we realize that purchasing a heating or air conditioning system is
no small matter. However, if your existing system is old, in need of
repair or simply inefficient, purchasing a new unit, one which can be as
much as 60% more efficient than a system purchased just 10 years ago,
can turn into a long term benefit. Rather than continuing to pay for
ongoing maintenance and costly monthly bills, invest in a new system
today that will save you money for years to come.
How can I find the system
that’s right for me?
There are many heating and air conditioning systems to choose from
today. By contacting a Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. dealer such
as YBDHC, you have access to a vast degree of heating and air
conditioning knowledge and experience to help you decide on the system
that best fits your specific needs. The size and age of your home, as
well as the number of rooms, climate, local and regional utility costs,
degree days and utility incentive rebate programs are all factors that
will affect the functionality and, therefore, selection of your system.
Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. dealers, utilizing the latest
technology, consider all these factors and, most importantly, your input
while assisting you in choosing the best system for your home.
Consumers seeking to replace an
existing system often choose a new unit with equal or higher efficiency
ratings as compared to their previous system. Replacing a unit that is
greater than 10 to 15 years old may reduce natural gas or electricity
costs from 30 to 50%.
Contacting Yours By Design Heating and
Cooling can help you to define your initial cost, warranty protection,
service options, maintenance options and operating cost. Once you have
chosen a system it is important to remember that proper installation is
a major factor in maximizing its operating efficiency and your comfort
level.
How do I determine the size, or
capacity, of my HVAC system?
Factors affecting the size of your new system include the climate in
your region, humidity levels, the number of windows in your dwelling,
total square footage of your home, the direction your home faces, the
number of heat producing appliances in your home, the type of insulation
you have and the number of people that live in your residence. Yours By
Design Heating and Cooling can perform the proper calculations to
determine the right size heating or cooling unit for your home and
lifestyle.
What goes into installing a new
system?
If you install a new system, most of the items from the “What happens
when I replace my old system?” will need to be installed as well.
Beyond equipment, the most important component installed with a new
system is the ductwork.
Ductwork is composed of two parts,
supply and return. Supply duct is attached to the outflow of the new
system, delivering air to each zone in a home. The amount of air
reaching each zone is determined by the size of supply ductwork
connecting it to your system. Yours By Design Heating will help you
determine the size of all the supply ductwork in your home. The second
part of the ductwork, the return duct, attaches to the inlet of the new
system and draws air out of the spaces to be heated or cooled. Attached
to the return duct is the filter. The filter should be placed as near to
the furnace or air handler as possible. Ductwork can be either
fiberglass or metal and must be properly sized in order to evenly
distribute the proper amount of air to each room.
Is there anyway to control and bring
comfort to my many level home and save money?
Call 763-546-7377 and ask us about
controlling your warm air home with a zone system to lower the cost of
heating or cooling your home. Arzel zone systems will reduce your bills
by up to 40% and bring comfort to your home. If you have a milti level
home, having control will save you money if you spend most of the time
in 1 level such as your basement. Just remember that lowering the
thermostat 1 degree will save you 1% on your heating bill. The bigger
the home the bigger the bill. Reduce the size of the living area,
control it and make that space comfortable, and save money at the same
time. Don't spend your money to the utilities, invest in your home.
What happens when I replace my
old system?
To install the most efficient HVAC system in your household, a detailed
inspection should first be performed by your installation contractor.
The inspection by your contractor should include, as a minimum, the
inspection of your home’s ductwork, insulation, refrigerant piping,
electrical service, wiring, thermostat, condensate piping, flue piping,
flue terminations, chimney liner, slabs, filter, driers, registers,
grills, drain pans and evaporator coil.
How long will my system last?
Maintenance and service play a key role in the lifecycle of a heating or
air conditioning system. If all recommended maintenance and service
actions are taken, it is believed that an air conditioner should last
12-15 years and a gas furnace should last from 20 to 25 years. Without
proper maintenance, the equipment will not last as long, about 40% less
than proper maintained equipment, and you as the homeowner will pay 30
to 40% more in higher fuel and electricity costs each year until your
air conditioner on a hot day in July decides not to function because of
neglect or your furnace stops running on the most coldest day in
January. Ask for YBD's safety and efficiency programs designed to extend
the life of your equipment and increase the efficiency of your equipment
and keep your warranties in force.
Do I need to change my indoor
coil?
It is generally a good idea to replace the indoor coil if you are also
replacing your air conditioner or heat pump. There is a correlation
between the efficiency of your heating or cooling system and the
performance of the indoor coil. So when you change the outdoor side of
the system, you should also change the interior side of the system as
well in order to maximize the efficiency and savings potential of the
total system.
Where can I locate my air
handler or furnace system?
The system can actually be located in several different places. A system
with up-flow application might be located in the basement, while a
system with a horizontal application may be found in your attic. A
self-contained, or single package unit, could be located outside on a
slab or on the roof. Your garage could house an up-flow, down-flow or
horizontal application system.
What is a heat pump?
A heat pump is a device used for either the heating or cooling of a
space by transferring hot and cold between two reservoirs. A heat pump
can act like an air conditioner, transferring heat from inside to out,
or like a heater as it transfers exterior heat to the interior. A winter
day with a temperature of 32º Fahrenheit still produces enough heat to
warm a space when the air is transferred by heat pump.
What can I do to control the
humidity levels in my home?
Humidity levels can be reduced by operating a variable speed air
handling system in your home. Variable speed units run longer, at lower
speeds, allowing air to constantly circulate against the cooling coil
and remove more moisture. Variable speed motors also use less
electricity than regular motors, reducing your energy costs.
What can I do before calling
someone to service my system?
Professional service calls can be costly, but there are some things you
can do before hiring a professional to inspect your system:
- Disconnect your indoor and outdoor switches.
- Make sure your circuit breakers are in the ON position.
- Make sure your filters are clean.
- Open supply and return vents and make sure they are unobstructed.
- Double check both indoor and outdoor disconnect switches.
- Check the settings on your thermostat.
- Make sure the system switch is on the appropriate COOL or HEAT
setting.
- Have the FAN switch on for a continuous vent.
What is AFUE?
AFUE is the abbreviation for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratio.
AFUE is used to rate furnace efficiencies by dividing the ratio of heat
output by heat input. This measurement describes how well fuel, gas or
oil is consumed to produce heat by a furnace. As the AFUE rate
increases, the efficiency of your furnace also increases, lowering your
fuel costs. Furnaces manufactured in the United States are required to
have at least an 80% AFUE.
What is HSPF?
HSPF is the abbreviation for the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor.
This factor rates the efficient operation of the heating portion of the
heat pump. As the HSPF increases, the unit functions at a more efficient
level. New units in the United States have HSPF ratings from 7.0 to 9.4.
What is Freon R-22?
R-22 is the common name for hydro-chlorofluorocarbon (HCFC). R-22 has
been used as a refrigerant by HVAC manufacturers for over 40 years, but
studies in the past decade have shown that HCFCs contain chlorine, an
ozone-depleting agent. For this reason, the United States Clean Air Act
has set a target date for January 1, 2010, on which HVAC manufacturers
must cease the production of products that use R-22.
What is R-410A?
R-410A is the common name for an emerging hydro-fluorocarbon (HFC) that
is being used as a refrigerant in the HVAC industry. R-410A is more
environmentally friendly than R-22 and is being seen as the most likely
replacement for R-22 by HVAC manufacturers. At the beginning of 2010,
the use of alternate refrigerant will be required in HVAC manufacturing.
What is
ENERGY STAR?
ENERGY STAR is a program that was created by the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to help businesses and individuals make energy
efficient purchases.
This program places the ENERGY STAR label, a small blue and white logo,
on items that meet superior energy efficiency standards. This label
provides an easy way for consumers to identify quality, high efficiency
products.
For more
infomation about the Energy Star program, please view their website at www.energystar.gov
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