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Authorized Dealer
Contact us - Phone: 770-817-8177 or on-line
Here are tips consumers can follow during the
winter months to stay warm and save on energy bills at little or
no cost:
General Conservation Tips:
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Close draperies
at night and on cloudy
days and open them on sunny days.*
-
Trim or remove evergreens
and shrubs that block out the sun, but only if they
are not needed more for summer shade or as a windscreen. ^
-
Use a sunny room
as living space to read the paper
or eat a meal on sunny, cold days. Upholstered furniture
will soak up the heat when placed in a sunny spot.
-
Install
your storm doors and windows.^
-
Purchase plastic window
covering kits or interior
storm window kits.
Carefully follow instructions.
-
Seal
doors with draft-reducing weather-stripping and door
sweeps.^^
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Lower
your thermostat to 65 degrees while you're away during
the day.
-
Use
more blankets in bed at night to keep your body warm
enough without warming your whole home. ^
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Replace
furnace filters regularly.^^
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Dress warm.
Wear layers of clothing, such as a sweater over a shirt over
an undershirt.
This insulates the air trapped between the layers.^
-
Lower
the water heater thermostats to the lowest level that
meets your hot water needs (midway between the "low"
and "medium" settings on many units). Each decrease
of 10 degrees saves five percent on water heating costs.^^
Zone Heating Tips:
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Use
zone heating in areas of the home where you spend most of your
time
(such as the downstairs), by using an approved and properly
installed space heater. Close the unoccupied rooms that
are isolated from the warm zone and turn down the house's central
heating system to 55 degrees. However,
do not close off rooms so tightly that you prevent air from
reaching gas-fueled water heaters, furnaces, ranges or other
gas-fueled appliances. This could create an unsafe build-up
of carbon monoxide that can be fatal. You need to ensure
those appliances are exposed to adequate air circulation.
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Make
sure the unused space gets enough heat in winter to prevent
plaster from cracking or pipes from freezing.^
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Most
of the air supply registers on a heat pump system should remain
at least partially open to avoid damage to the system.
FOR
YOUR SAFETY: Remember to keep all heat sources at least three feet
from walls, drapes, furniture, or other flammable objects, and avoid
using an extension cord with heat sources. Follow all safety
tips provided with your heater.
*
Source: US Dept. of Energy
^ Source: Advantage Publications, Boston, MA
^^ Source: American Council for an Energy Efficient
Economy
Service Your Air Conditioner for Summer Comfort
An air conditioner is a very tough piece of equipment. It is engineered to withstand all sorts of abuse and keep on running. This is great in most respects, but it can lead to complacency about maintenance. Like a car, air conditioners need regular tune-ups to run properly. Without regular maintenance an air conditioner looses about 5% of it's original efficiency for each year of operation. This means that the 12 SEER unit that you bought just a few years ago may be functioning like a 9 SEER unit today! The good news is that you can recover most of that lost efficiency through regular maintenance. Studies show that with regular tune-ups a unit will maintain up to 95% of it's original efficiency...
Read More...
Diagnose Thermostat Problems
Problems with a furnace or A/C may not be problems with the appliances themselves. Instead the controls may be at the root of the problem. Review the diagnostic table for some clues to possible causes.
| Symptom |
Check |
| Heater or A/C won't turn on |
Check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker
Make sure thermostat is actually set to "heat" or "cool"
Replace the battery in the thermostat
If one will turn on but not the other, it may be an equipment or wiring problem, but the thermostat is not ruled out
|
| Thermostat doesn't come on at the right temperature |
Mechanical thermostats need to be level to operate correctly, make sure it is level
Double check that it is programmed correctly
Replace the battery
|
| Thermostat won't retain programmed settings |
Replace the battery |
| Heater or A/C won't turn off automatically |
Sensor may be blocked, clear away dust and anything blocking air flow into the thermostat
Thermostat may be located in a draft or is too isolated from the rooms being heated
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ADVICE ON BUYING HEATING & COOLING EQUIPMENT
- HOW TO CHOOSE A DEALER: Your best source of a good company is one that has done good work for someone you know. So ask friends & neighbors what firm they use. If they had good results with this dealer, you have a much better chance yourself. There are way too many careless dealers and good dealers with lousy help - you have to be careful. There are many shortcuts that can be taken with the installation of new equipment that homeowners don't understand. Their are issues like sizing, brand, efficiency, how it installed - that play an important part to the operation and comfort the system produces. I'll cover those issues next.
- WHAT BRAND: That's confusing. Most brands are similar but some are decidedly high end and some are low end. You can't always tell by the price quoted or the warranty. Best bet is ask the dealer why they chose the brands they did, how long they've had them, who wholesales them locally. We chose our brands by quality & local support. Neither brand is well known but both are above average in quality from what we see of the industry. Both brands are distributed by locally owned wholesalers who maintain service & support we can count on. We feel that is more important than name recognition. In the 30+ years my boss has been in business, he has sold 4 brands. Some go through that many in a year! They change for many reasons - usually price & incentives (like trips) but sometimes due to credit being cut off by that supplier. It helps to stay with the same brand so your techs get to know it. Changing brands frequently is confusing to the technicians & installers and often dealers don't keep parts on hand.
- WHAT SIZE: That's confusing. Most dealers GUESS. That doesn't do you any good. Most existing equipment is too large. In the "old" days, the thought was bigger is better. But big furnaces cycling constantly are not efficient nor do they deliver even comfort. Big air conditioners cycling constantly aren't efficient, they don't remove moisture well nor do they cool evenly. The newer high SEER units are particularly bad at moisture removal in the first 7-8 minutes of operation. The only way to know is survey the house. Not just square feet of floor but walls, windows, doors, take into account insulation, shade - anything that affects heat entering & leaving your house. Then use a spreadsheet to determine exactly what size you need. Don't let someone GUESS at your comfort for the next 20some years. If you want to calculate for yourself, you can buy the homeowner's version of a very easy-to-use load calculation package. Go to HVAC-Calc and check it out.
- WHAT EFFICIENCY: That's confusing. It depends upon local fuel rates and how long you are going to be in the house. In many climates, standard (much higher than you have now) efficiency furnace & air conditioners are all you need. The extra for a super efficient A/C or 90% efficient furnace won't pay you back in utility savings in the near future. BUT - in extreme climates or with high fuel rates, the payback can be much quicker. In some areas, utilities offer rebates if you do buy higher efficiency unit which really helps on the extra price. This is something you need to talk over with your dealer and your utility can help you decide as well. Or e-mail me with your location and rates and I can help. Don't let a salesman pressure you into high SEER or AFUE equipment. That's when to get leery! But adding to the confusion is the 2006 requirement that units be at least 13 SEER. Those in mild climates and/or with low electric rates will be paying hundreds more for efficiency that will never pay them back. There may be issues with the new high SEER indoor coils fitting where they should be. Some may be wise to replace now with a 10 SEER while they can however supplies are very limited.
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WHICH REFRIGERANT: Another issue to confuse the homeowner! For 50 years, home air conditioners have used R22 and it works great. But it is a HCFC, a hydrochloroflurocarbon which does have some ozone layer depletion potential. As of the year 2010, new units may not use a HCFC as a coolant. R22 will be manufactured until 2010 and be available in recycled form after that. New refrigerants are coming out to replace HCFCs and the one most commonly used is R410a, which has been given many tradenames, like Puron, Prozone, Ultron among others. R410a works well in residential equipment but does have some drawbacks, mostly evident in a poor installation. Which to buy? R22 is long proven to work well, will be manufactured for 16 more years, and there are "drop in" HFC refrigerants that will work in place of R22. R410a is gaining acceptance and appears to be the refrigerant of the future. It is considerably more expensive than R22 (though that will change in the future) and requires more careful installation & handling. So far it has proven to work very efficiently in high SEER equipment.
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CHANGE THE COIL: The cooling coil that sits above, in or below your furnace is a matched part of your air conditioning system. If you are replacing your cooling system, make sure any bid includes a new, matched cooling coil. Too many dealers are happy just to sell you the machine outside. That's doing 1/2 the job and a mistake. Reusing an old coil reduces capacity, reduces humidity removal, reduces system life and costs more to run. Resist the temptation to save a buck. Get the old coil out of there. I recommend new connecting tubing if at all possible. This eliminates everything old that can cause you grief in the future. I also suggest that the coil not be changed with a furnace only unless there is a good reason. The coil is part of the cooling system and should be matched to the outdoor unit. One problem with buying a new coil but keeping the old outdoor unit is you may be limiting what you can install outdoors later either for size, efficiency or refrigerant reasons.
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ASK YOUR SALESMAN'S CREDENTIALS: Here's why- many of the larger firms are hiring salesman - guys (and ladies) trained to sell, not trained about heating & cooling equipment. They know how to make a sale (aka: high pressure) to an undecided prospect, not how to help you choose the right system for your home. So ask the representatives you meet what their background is: do they service, do they install, do they have any education in the field, are they certified by the EPA, RSES or NATE? I think you'll find yourself more likely to believe what you are told when you know a bit more about the person who is doing the telling!
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EXTENDED WARRANTY? Most dealers are offering extended warranties on top of the manufacturer's warranty and their own labor warranty. Periods of 5 and 10 years are common. Should you buy? If priced competitively and from the manufacturer, it would make sense to, especially on furnaces. As furnaces are becoming very complex and many of the components are made in developing nations to keep the price down, repairs are becoming more common and more expensive. In 10 years if you plan to stay in your home, you most often will recoup the investment. Do read the fine print, however, as these warranties only cover breakdown of the equipment. Maintenance and problems not related to an equipment failure are not covered. Also avoid warranties done by the dealer as they are only as good as long as the dealer will honor them.
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DUAL FUEL? With fossil fuel prices getting high and in many areas of the country, electric rates are still affordable, the newest trend is going dual-fuel. There's even a new buzzword for it, "hybrid system". This is when you use a gas or oil furnace with a heat pump outside. Heat pumps can be very cheap heat though need help heating the home when the temps outside drop below freezing. Usually they are installed with electric furnaces and resistance elements help out. But more and more heat pumps are being put with fuel furnaces. A special thermostat or a dual fuel kit provides the interface between the heat pump and furnace. The installer picks the temp at which the furnace takes over and automatically when the outdoor temp reaches that point, the fuel furnace provides the heat. Since the heat pump is off in cold weather, comfort inside is maintained as you are used to but your heating bills can drop considerably. Certainly something to ask your dealer as you are choosing a new system.
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