Most systems have a lifetime of 10 to 20 years. As your equipment gets older, its efficiency can decrease dramatically. You may notice that it gets noisier and needs repairs more often. When a unit begins to show its age, you have two choices. You can overhaul the system or replace it. Because heating and cooling technologies improve over time, a new system designed with newer, more energy-efficient equipment makes sense, especially if your system is ten or more years old. We can estimate the cost of a new system and a payback schedule showing you how newer technology will pay you back in lower energy usage.

No, you don't want your air conditioner to be too big. Air conditioners control the comfort level in your home by cooling the air and removing humidity. An oversized air conditioner will cool your home faster, but it will use more energy and will not adequately remove humidity.

A unit that is too big for your home will have short-run cycles. Cooling the air may take a short time, but the unit shuts off before enough air blows across the indoor coil, where moisture condenses into water and drains from your system. Too much humidity in the air can lead to mold and mildew problems.

These short-run cycles also mean your system starts and stops more often, which uses more energy and causes a lot of wear and tear. An air conditioner operates more efficiently during long-run cycles.

The same holds true for heating systems. An oversized furnace will warm the house quicker, but it uses more fuel and causes greater temperature swings.

At the risk of telling you something you're tired of hearing, replace the air filter in your furnace regularly. Dirty air filters reduce the amount of air flowing through a system and make the furnace work harder to maintain the temperature. How often you change the filter depends on the type of filter you use, if you have pets, and the size of your equipment. Please call us, and we can provide you with proper guidance.

Proper air filtration is just as crucial to the health of your heating and cooling system as it is to your family's health. Without proper filtration, dust and dirt can build up on your system, which impacts operation and efficiency. A high-efficiency filter will remove more dust, dirt, pollen, mold, and other particles from the air. Consider a high-efficiency filter if you suffer from allergies or other respiratory problems. No matter what type of filter you have, make sure you change it regularly.

Without warranty coverage, a breakdown can mean significant parts, labor, or both expenses. However, you avoid that unexpected significant expense with one of our service agreements. While no warranty can guard against every possible problem, we can explain the range of protection our service agreements afford.

With a high-efficiency air cleaner, you can remove up to 99% of the pollen and spores that find their way into the home. There is also a significant reduction in household dust, dirt, smoke, and other air pollutants. Your indoor air will become cleaner and fresher while reducing the allergens and dust circulating throughout the house. A whole-house humidifier can relieve the irritating discomfort of dry indoor air. The humidifier reduces itchy skin, scratchy throats, static electricity, and damage to your furnishings and woodwork. Since humid air feels warmer than dry air, you do not have to set the thermostat as high to feel the comfort you want. A lower thermostat setting will reduce the costs of your energy bill.

Duct cleaning refers to the cleaning of the various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing.

Cooling

Upgrade to a high-efficiency air conditioner - Swapping your old, inefficient air conditioning system for a highly efficient one can cut electricity bills by one-third. Please consult one of our professional technicians to ensure your system is the right size for your home, and you aren't over- or under-cooling for your space needs.

Turn up the temperature — To save electricity during the summer, set the temperature above 75° as every degree below this will add an extra three to five percent to your energy bill.

Install ceiling fans—Change the direction of airflow on your ceiling fans. In the summer, the blades should operate counter-clockwise to create a nice, gentle wind.

Have annual maintenance performed—Having your air conditioner's annual maintenance performed by a licensed technician will help ensure it operates at its peak efficiency and catch any potential breakdowns before they occur.

Don't block vents in well-used rooms — Keep your supply and return air vents free of objects like blinds, carpets, or furniture so your air conditioner can operate efficiently, and there is even excellent air distribution.

Heating

Upgrade to a high-efficiency furnace — New high-efficiency furnaces use up to 50% less fuel than an older system. It can save up to 25 percent of your home heating costs in one year, and within a few years, you'll have recovered the initial cost of replacing/upgrading your furnace. Choosing a model with an energy-efficient motor can save 20 to 50 percent of the energy needed to operate a fan motor continuously. Let us show you the advantages of replacing your old furnace today.

Have annual maintenance performed—Having your furnace maintained annually by a licensed technician will help ensure it operates at its peak efficiency and catch any potential breakdowns before they occur.

A programmable thermostat lets you control your home's temperature when you're away or asleep. For every 1° you lower your thermostat for seven hours daily, you save one percent on your heating bill.

Don't block vents in well-used rooms — Keep your supply and return air vents free of objects like blinds, carpets, or furniture so your furnace can operate efficiently, and there is even heat distribution.

Install ceiling fans—Change the direction of airflow on your ceiling fans. In the winter, the blades should operate clockwise, helping to push the warm air from the ceiling down into the room.

With a traditional heating and cooling system, you had to use less if you wanted to save more. However, a hybrid heat system combines the benefits of intelligent control for gas and electric heating to create an intuitive system that can react to changing conditions.

No matter the temperature outside, a hybrid heat system will automatically select your home's most efficient fuel source. This means you'll stay warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and save money all year long.

To design a hybrid heat system for your home, we professionally match one of our heat pump units with a natural gas furnace. Contact us to see how much energy you can save over your existing system.

Variable-speed fans operate on a simple principle: they can spin at different speeds depending on your home's heating and cooling needs. Usually, they operate at lower speeds, delivering a steady, reliable stream of warm or cool air to your home. This helps control humidity levels, utility costs, and system noise. When conditions become more extreme, the fan speed increases so that the system can meet increased demand, guaranteeing that your comfort needs will be met on even the hottest days or coldest nights.

2-stage cooling is a method that can better manage your home's cooling while outdoor temperatures change. It can also better maximize indoor comfort and energy efficiency. 2-stage cooling systems are typically the most energy-efficient systems.

You can achieve 2-stage cooling by having one unit with two compressors, one small and one large. The small one is typically capable of putting out about 50% of the capacity of the larger one. The second way to have 2-stage cooling is to have a single scroll unloading compressor. This compressor can unload its capacity to about 66% of maximum capacity. Both these methods of getting 2-stage cooling allow the unit to run at a lower stage when the high stage is not needed. By doing this, you save energy.

2-stage heating has the same principle as 2-stage cooling. It allows the unit to adjust itself based on the amount of heating necessary, which is a good way to save on heating costs.

A heat pump system would have two compressors of different sizes, small and large. The compressor used at a given time would depend upon the need. If only a tiny amount of heating is necessary, the smaller compressor would be used to save energy. The large compressor would only be used when a large amount of heating was needed.

A gas furnace that is 2-stage has a modulating gas valve that regulates gas flow depending upon the need.