Important Factors for Choosing Central Heating and A/C

Efficiency, size, ease of maintaining, are all important factors for choosing central AC.

Efficiency

This is the amount of electricity that is used to cool your house. Efficiency ratings for air conditioning systems is known as the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER). The higher the SEER, the more cost efficient, approximately 5% less energy per SEER. So a 10 SEER upgraded to a 16 SEER system will use roughly around 30% less energy, which in return will lower your electricity bill. The minimum SEER in our region (DFW) is 14, therefore 14 and above SEER is what you need to be looking for.

Size

Size matters! The rule of thumb for sizing is approximately 1 ton per for every 500 square feet. A manual J Heat Load calculation is the standard for sizing residential systems. different areas have different design temperatures and system needs. For sizing guidance, use the calculator on the Energy Star website. An over-sized AC system will quickly over-cool the air in your home and shut off too soon (known as short cycling). As a consequence, over-sized systems run for too short a time far too often, which uses too much energy and leaving you in a house full of unwanted humidity. It also causes unnecessary wear and tear on your system. Think freeway miles versus city miles on your car.  Having an undersized system, will cause your system to run excessively, because it never reaches the temperature set point being called for at the thermostat.  As a result, it wastes too much energy and never effectively cools your home.

Maintenance

Maintenance will ensure the highest efficiency of your Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system.

Your HVAC will consist of either a furnace and A/C or a heat pump, which both heats and cools. Both types will have an interior unit (evaporator and blower) and an exterior unit (condenser coil and compressor). Maintaining these components will not only save money on energy, but you’ll also extend its lifespan, saving money on costly early replacement!  A service plan that combines regular inspections with repairs and a labor warranty is worth negotiating into the overall price. Prices for such a service vary widely.

A programmable thermostat can be a huge cost savings if you and your family are away from home during set times of the day. Through proper use of pre-programmed settings, a programmable thermostat you can save you up to 20% or about $180 every year in energy costs. Smart thermostats are thermostats that can interface with a homes wifi network and other devices like your phone, tablet, and computer. Some of these thermostats like the Nest, Ecobee, and Honeywell 9000 Series have cost savings features and algorithms built into their software that can reduce your energy bills.

Obviously you know the furnace in your home is responsible for burning a source of fuel to heat your home or business. HVAC questions are more centered around how it does this exactly. Most furnaces are what we call air to air furnaces, where they heats the air it circulates around your home and indoor spaces. Furnaces typically burn natural gas, oil, or propane to accomplish this. Air Handler units are part of a heat pump system which we’ll discuss later. These units use electric strip heat to heat the air it is circulating around your house to warm it. 

When you turn your thermostat to heat mode and set it to the desired temperature, a sequence of operations take place at the furnace. First the draft inducer motor is energized to create a draft in the heat exchanger that draws the combustion gases out and up a flue pipe venting outside the house. Second, a systems intermittent pilot light or electronic ignition is energized to ignite the burner. Once a flame is proven by the flame sensor, a temperature probe signals the blower motor to come on. As air is pulled from the return air ducts in your house across the heat exchanger, it is warmed and distributed throughout your home by ducts to supply registers. The system will remain on until the temperature set point at the thermostat is satisfied. The sequence of operations for the furnace is controlled by the main printed circuit board housed in the blower sections. Its also worth mentioning that the blower used for the heating cycle is the same used in cooling mode too.  Furnace control boards typically have a LED light that will flash error codes that can lead to the source of a problem. Sometimes these can be misleading though, and the best course of action at this point is to call your local HVAC service professional to diagnose the problem. 

Electric Air Handlers can either be stand alone or used in conjunction with a heat pump system. Like furnaces, this is where the blower for air distribution in your home or business is housed. Instead of a fossil fuel being burned though, the air handler uses electric heating elements controlled by the thermostat. In heat pump systems these electric resistance coils are used to “boost” the temperature and output of the heat pump system. When temperatures outside drop below 30 degrees or colder, heat pumps tend to operate less efficiently and so the heat strips will then be activated by the heat pump. Such operations are usually done automatically. Houses that use heat strips solely for a source of heat often have higher electric bills. 

Many homeowners have questions about the air conditioning process and how their A/C unit works. There are typically four basic components that make up the air conditioning system. these are as follows: the compressor, condenser coil, evaporator coil, and metering device. The compressor and condenser coil are housed in a single outdoor unit technicians often refer to as the “condenser.” The evaporator coil and metering device are house inside, attached to the furnace and duct system. The compressor pumps the freon in vapor form to the condenser coil, where it is condensed to liquid form before traveling inside to the evaporator section. At the evaporator section the metering devices only allows a certain amount of refrigerant into the evaporator. Thereby changing the freon from liquid form to vapor/liquid and greatly reducing the pressure. This also causes the temperature of the freon to drop substantially. So when air is pulled across the evaporator coil, the heat from it is transferred to the freon causing it to “boil” back off to a vapor. The vapor moves back to the condenser unit outside where the process starts all over again. This process of air conditioning is the removal of heat from the inside of your house to the outdoors via the medium of the refrigerant. This is a constant loop and the process is repeated until the desired temperature is reached inside the home or business. 

 Finally, we get to talk about heat pumps and how they work. A Heat pump is a different kind of air conditioning condenser that has additional components and controls that create questions on how they operate. Using the compressor heat pumps offer both heating and cooling by moving heat from one ares to another. During the heating season, heat pumps extract heat from the outside (if we get real sciency with the definition of heat, then yes, technically there is still heat outside) and condense it using the medium of freon. Heat pumps are equipped with a reversing valve that pumps the high pressure, high temperature freon inside first to the evaporator coil. As air from the blower moves across it, it heats the air going into your home. Essentially in heating mode, your evaporator becomes your condenser, and your condenser becomes your evaporator, and the flow of freon is “reversed.” Simple right? In cooling mode, the flow of refrigerant is identical to the air conditioning process described in the previous paragraph. 

Some homeowners may attempt to fix their air conditioning system on their own without having a good understanding of how to deal with bigger issues. If you are attempting to work on your own furnace, air conditioning system or heat pump, look for these noticeable signs that may indicate a bigger problem that would be best handled by a professional.

• If your furnace is older, 15 years or more, it may need to be replaced. normally the first 4 digits of the serial number will give you the year and week of manufacturing. 
• If it is making strange, abnormal noises. 
• If cold air is coming out. 
• If a carbon monoxide detector alarm is going off in your house. It is recommended that homeowners with natural gas appliances have several of these in bedrooms and other locations around the house. 

• If your air conditioning system is 15 years or older, it may be more cost effective to replaced it versus repair
• If your system uses R22. The EPA has mandated that all manufacturing of R22 be stopped, driving up the cost and price per pound in your area. 
• Continued breakdowns year after year may indicate a bigger problem that a contractor is better equipped to handle. 

• If either unit, indoor, or outdoor is not performing well
• If temperatures are staying even throughout the house. 

In this internet driven age, most homeowners will pull out their smart phone and research local contractors in their area. Many search engines like Google will provide all the information in a concise format, providing reviews, website info,  and contact information. Yelp is also a great resource for homeowners to peruse reviews and read feedback provided by the owner, or management of the company. Even companies with several bad reviews help homeowners see how the company handles conflict resolution, and helps you know what to expect. The number of reviews is not always the best representation of that companies customer service. Look at the quality of each review that describes the experience of the consumer. 

A quick search at https://www.tdlr.texas.gov will also provide you with information about a potential contractor. This is the governing and licensing agency for all contractors in Texas. All advertising material and websites should list the contractor’s license number. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation will provide information about the licensee and their current status. The following guidelines below will also help you find a qualified, trustworthy contractor. 

Most Homeowners want to find someone trustworthy, who is reliable and who they’re able to call in the future should the need arise. Here are a few tips to ensure you get quality workmanship from a contractor. Make sure they are qualified! A contractor that is licensed and insured will have no problems producing proof of such to a prospective customer. Don’t be afraid to ask if they are licensed and insured. Insurance is required by the state to protect both the contractor and the consumer. Knowing this information prior works out for both parties involved. If you can’t find this information readily available on their website (usually in the footer or bottom of the homepage near their contact info) don’t hesitate to ask. 

If a air conditioning contractor has additional certifications, that information will usually be present on their website. NATE technicians are the industry’s gold standard in technical proficiency. NATE stands for North American Technician Excellence. Testing and certification for NATE is rigorous and comprehensive, ensuring you’re dealing with someone who is able to proficient in troubleshooting and air conditioning system knowledge. 

The price of the contractor is important!

One of the greatest determinants for most homeowners when it comes to repairs, or replacement options for central heating and air conditioning is price. Neither the highest price or the lowest is an indication of quality, or value. Most contractors work very hard to minimize the cost or find a cost effective solutions that works for their customers needs. Smaller companies or family owned and operated outfits will typically provide high quality work, and be more competitive than larger companies that rely on a certain sales volume to cover the cost of their high overhead. 

Equally as important as price though is the warranty. You want the assurance of knowing your air conditioning repair is backed by the company that performed the work. This also shows that the contractor has faith in their own work as well.  A good contractor will also have a contingency built into most repair estimates, or may choose to offer you good, better, best options for repairs or replacement. Not every customer wants the same thing, or level of service on every call. A good contractor also will not typically discuss pricing over the phone until they have had a chance to survey the situation, or diagnose the issue

If system replacement is what you are looking for a contractor should provide a size assessment of your home. Ensuring your home’s air conditioning system is sized correctly is important for your comfort when it comes to single stage systems and base line models of air conditioning systems. Higher SEER rated equipment or multistage or variable speed equipment will provide superior comfort than most of the base line models, and also result in savings on your utility bill. A good contractor will provide several options and be able to explain the difference and benefits of each system. Ask about what methods the contractor used to determine the size requirement of the air conditioning system for your home. Manual J software, blower door tests, HERs raters(for new construction, required in certain areas)  and other technologies are used by quality contractors to determine this.

After you have found a contractor you can work with you may wonder what to expect next while they are working at your house. A contractor will typically carry out these tasks during installation, repairs or maintenance. 

 Inspect unit for proper refrigerant level and adjust if necessary
 Clean dirt, leaves and debris from inside cabinet
 Inspect base pan for restricted drain openings—remove obstructions as necessary
 Inspect coil and cabinet—clean as needed
 Inspect fan motor and fan blades for wear and damage
Inspect control box, associated controls/accessories, wiring and connections. Controls may include contactors, relays, circuit boards, capacitors, crankcase heat and other accessories. All control box and electrical parts should be checked for wear or damage.
Inspect compressor and associated tubing for damage

     Although the above list will usually be covered in the basic maintenance agreement offered by most companies which can range from $50-$150 dollars depending on whats offered with it. There are still services that will incur an additional charge like cleaning the evaporator coils, outside condenser coils, or replacing components of the electrical control system. Consult with your local Fort Worth service provider about the condition of your system and what issues may need to be addressed.

If you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area feel free to reach out to us by visiting www.topgunairtx.com or call us at (682) 214-0431. We are a local family owned and operated business that stakes our reputation on providing quality repair, installation, and service. 100% customer satisfaction is our highest priority. Given the opportunity to serve your family we guarantee not to disappoint. We take care of our people, by providing fast, reliable repair, at a fair price.