Sizing of systems are measured and calculated based on size and design of your home. A calculation is done to measure the heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. This is called a heat load calculation.
The size of your system is based on the heat load calculation, not just square footage alone. Every home is different, for example one home that is 1500 square foot may have higher ceilings or more windows than another home of the same size.
Efficiency is measured in SEER rating. This stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. It’s similar to miles per gallon on your car. It has nothing to do with the amount of air or how cold it is or even the size of system, simply the amount of electricity the system uses to operate.
Proper maintenance and regular filter changes can dramatically increase the lifespan of a heating and cooling system. We recommend changing the filter monthly and getting annual maintenance done on the system. Both of these things can prevent problems and keep the system running in like new condition for much longer.
Proper sizing is very important. A system that is too small will run much longer while an oversized system will not run long enough to properly remove humidity from the home. Both of these can shorten the life of a system and leave you feeling uncomfortable in your home.
The amount of run time in a cycle depends on your home and the settings on your thermostat. Also if your system is sized and designed properly or if you have dehumidification capabilities controlled by your thermostat. New ultra high efficient systems run for many more hours per day than older systems, but at lower speeds which allows. For much more even temperatures in the home and better temperature control.
Systems should run long enough to cycle properly and to remove humidity in the summer. The amount of run time is different for every home and system based on design and settings. The keys to comfort are proper maintenance, sizing and longer run time at lower speeds.
The temperature coming out of the vents should be somewhere between 15-20 degrees lower than the temperature going in at the return. Again depending on the design of the system.
Most energy companies recommend setting the thermostat at 78 degrees in summer and 68 in winter for lower utility costs.
Today’s programmable thermostats are capable of much more that settings temperatures. Some of them are communicating and WIF compatible, allowing control from your cell phone. They are also capable of controlling humidity in cooling mode and connecting to home automation and security equipment.
We recommend monthly filter changes if you have the standard 1” filters.
Annual maintenance is recommended to check the system in the pre season to make sure the system is ready. Maintenance should be done to catch small issues before they become BIG problems.
Annually.
You should check the filter first. Dirty filters can cause an array of problems like freezing and low air flow. If the system is frozen over you should turn it off before calling for service. It will need to that before proper diagnostics can be done.
The cost to replace a system varies widely based on your home design, and the type and efficiency of the system being installed. You should always have an in home estimate done to ensure that all costs are calculated into the price before work starts.
Modern systems are all quite safe for the environment. New refrigerants don’t hurt the ozone like the old systems did. “Freon” has been phased out and replaced with new types of refrigerant for this purpose.
Electronic air cleaners are capable of cleaning the air entering your system up to 100 times better than a standard 1” filter. This can keep your system running clean and clean the air in your home to help with allergies and asthma as well as removing odors in some cases.
We don’t recommend closing the registers or vents in your home. This can cause other problems like uneven temperatures or undue stress on the system if you close too many.
Humidifiers are use with heating because the heating system can dry the air in your home quickly and in some cases so much so that it can cause discomfort and even health issues for some people.
A load calculation should be done to make sure a system is sized and properly designed for a home. Give us a call and we can help to address your concerns.
