Air Conditioner Installation: What To Look For When Shopping For A New HVAC System | Azle, TX
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Summers in Azle, TX can be hot and muggy and the winters cold and windy, with weather experts reporting average temperatures of 96 and 37 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. This may be among the main reasons why homeowners in this area should consider replacing their worn-out HVAC systems or buying a new one altogether to improve the level of comfort in their residence. Other reasons that may lead you to request heating and air conditioner installation services in Azle, TX include the occurrence of unusual smells in your home’s current system as well as odd sounds emanating from the HVAC unit along with significant and recurrent repair costs.
You may also consider picking out a new HVAC system if the one you’re currently relying on is having trouble maintaining constant temperatures. Upon inspection, your air conditioner installation technician may attribute temperature inconsistency issues to serious motor damage, malfunctioning or outdated thermostats, low refrigerant levels, clogged filters, or cracked ductwork. These problems may be quite costly to fix especially if they occur simultaneously, which is why the better option would be to purchase a new unit. If your system is above 10 to 15 years old, it may be time to find a replacement since according to most heating and AC installation experts, after this time, it may lose its efficiency due to wear and tear.
Besides that, it could be time to look for a new HVAC unit if the one your home uses at the moment uses R-22 Freon to heat or cool your home. This type of freon has been rendered harmful to people and the environment, which is why, through the US Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol, its production and distribution are being phased out. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it’s estimated that by doing this, the government can prevent up to 280 million cases of skin cancer, 45 million cataracts diagnosis, and 1.6 million skin cancer deaths among US residents born between 1890 and 2100.
However, regardless of the reason why you may need to hire a heating and air conditioner installation company for an HVAC replacement service, choosing the right system that can adequately serve the heating and cooling needs of your household can be quite difficult. Luckily, you can read on to learn some helpful tips that can guide you along the way.
Which Type of HVAC System Do You Want?
Considering that 48 percent of all energy consumption in US-based homes goes to heating and cooling, it would be wise to choose an energy-efficient heating and air conditioning system to help shave a few dollars off your monthly energy bills.
Some homeowners may recommend going green with all your heating and AC needs. In that case, you may consider working with space heaters or wood-burning fireplaces to generate heat during winter, which may be a great idea, but with minimal to no promise of guaranteed indoor air quality or any form of energy savings. Alternatively, you can choose between gas furnaces, geothermal systems, split heating and air conditioning units, and ductless heating and air conditioning components if you’re keen on watching your home’s heating and cooling energy consumption.
For starters, you can ask your trusted heating and air conditioner installation professional to mount a geothermal HVAC system in your home. Generally, geothermal means drawing heat from the earth, and in that regard, geothermal heating and cooling systems use heat derived from the earth to keep you and your loved ones comfortable. Besides being highly efficient, geothermal units are recommended for you if you’re concerned about clean and eco-friendly energy use.
Additionally, these systems may not be commonplace in typical American homes, which gives your property a unique feature that may improve its overall value if you ever decide to sell it. Once your heating and air conditioner installation technician has set it up, it draws heat from the earth or underground water to keep your indoors warm.
On the other hand, when it comes to cooling, the unit transfers the heat in your household into the earth. Its operational technique guarantees maximum energy efficiency. However, they’re quite expensive to purchase and because of their unique mode of operation, you may need to find a heating and air conditioner installation expert near Azle, TX that specializes in handling these systems.
If you find the cost of buying and installing a geothermal unit to be too high, you can liaise with your preferred heating and air conditioner installation contractor to find a split heating and AC system. These units are often divided into two sections, one for heating and the other for cooling purposes. They use a refrigerant to transfer heat to and from your home, a process that may not be too energy-intensive. During installation, your contractor can mount an inverter that may help improve the unit’s overall energy efficiency and even keep it functional when the temperatures are below freezing point.
While the above-discussed HVAC types may be great options, you can also ask your air conditioner installation expert to help you find a ductless HVAC unit that can serve all your heating and cooling needs. Ductless heating and air conditioning may be a great option if you don’t want complex vents and ductwork running through your home. Otherwise referred to as mini-split systems, ductless HVAC equipment simply draw heat from the air when your house needs cooling and releases that heat into the air when it’s time to heat up. Their simplicity and high level of energy efficiency make them a popular option for most homeowners.
Essentially, they rely on a series of small units to create the ideal indoor conditions you may desire. As aforementioned, the small heating and cooling components absorb heat rather than create it, using an inverter to ensure that your preferred indoor air conditions are achieved. Besides energy efficiency, asking your heating and air conditioner installation technician to install a ductless system can eliminate the need for costly ductwork maintenance. However, since it comprises different components, the cost of installation may be quite high.
HVAC Sizing Requirements
You could be making a grave mistake by requesting your trusted heating and air conditioner installation technician to mount the largest HVAC system hoping that it will cool your residence more easily. When it comes to choosing heating and air conditioning units, size doesn’t matter. Instead, you should understand your specific heating and cooling needs as they may determine the HVAC size your home may need.
Many factors may influence your determination of the HVAC size needed for your home. These include the measurement of your residence in square feet and its physical as well as thermal properties. Determining the HVAC size needed can be quite technical, that’s why you should ask your heating and air conditioner installation expert to help with the load calculations. They may have specialized sizing software that can ensure that you receive informed recommendations on your next course of action.
Past that, HVAC sizing requirements may not necessarily focus on the height or weight of the unit. Instead, it refers to its functional capacity denoted in British Thermal Units, which can be abbreviated as BTUs. In terms of heating, BTUs often describe the amount of heat your home’s HVAC system can produce per hour while BTUs regarding the system’s cooling process refer to the amount of air it can remove from your indoor spaces within a similar period.
The BTU specifications of the system you may want to buy may depend on various factors, which include the size of your home, the number of windows available, and the level of insulation therein. Some heating and air conditioner installation experts may also look at the home’s airtightness when determining the BTU requirements of the HVAC unit you may need.
While you may trust your estimation skills, it’s not advisable to guess your BTU requirements since dire financial consequences may follow. You should always consult with well-trained heating and air conditioner installation specialists for knowledgeable and accurate BTU measurements. If you fail to do so, you may end up with an HVAC unit that’s too small for your home.
Such a unit may not be able to produce enough conditioned air during the summer or winter. Moreover, its elements will always be working too hard to regulate indoor temperatures, resulting in an accelerated rate of wear and tear. On the other hand, choosing a system that’s too large for your home may not mean that it will maintain indoor air conditions more easily. Instead, it will generate huge amounts of conditioned air, wasting a lot of energy in the process, which consequently increases your home’s heating and cooling expenditure.
Heating and AC Energy Efficiency Ratings
Hiring seasoned technicians from a reputable heating and air conditioner installation company may go a long way in ensuring that you get the right type of HVAC unit depending on your household and individual needs. However, you should be knowledgeable on the industry-standard energy efficiency rating system for HVAC systems to help you discern exactly how much energy it may use to keep you and your loved ones comfortable. These rating systems include the SEER, AFUE, and HSPF ratings, and they’re described as follows.
SEER stands for the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and it offers a ratio-based comparison of the heating and AC effect produced by the HVAC system divided by the total amount of energy it may have consumed in due process. With that in mind, stay advised that the higher rating a unit has, the more efficient it is at conserving energy while maintaining your preferred indoor temperature conditions. Also, when shopping for a new HVAC system, always remember that the US Department of Energy requires all heating and AC units to have a minimum efficiency rating of 13. However, some of the most efficient HVAC systems have a SEER rating of between 20 and 24.
Past that, heating and air conditioner installation professionals often recommend checking the aforementioned AFUE rating when looking for a new HVAC system. The AFUE rating mainly applies to electric and gas furnaces. It typically denotes the amount of fuel required, used, or wasted by the heating infrastructure to keep your indoors warm and cozy. Often given in percentage form, HVAC systems with a higher AFUE percentage are considered more efficient and vice versa. While most heating and AC experts recommend an HVAC system with a rating of between 85 to 90 percent, all heating and cooling units manufactured and distributed in the US should have a minimum rating of 80 percent.
HSPF ratings, otherwise known as the heating seasonal performance factor, is usually used to determine a heat pump’s efficiency level while it’s producing heat. Just like the above-discussed rating standards, the higher the HSPF rating an HVAC system has, the more efficient it’s considered to be, which can translate into more energy savings. Federal regulations in the US require that all systems used in the country have a minimum HSPF rating of 7.7.
Price Comparisons Vis-a Vis Quality
As it is with buying almost anything, you should try researching the typical HVAC system prices from different heating and air conditioner installation companies and contractors near Azle, TX. While you’re at it, you should also try finding out the range of the installation service costs as well as the amount of cash you may need to foot bills arising from other related activities.
Specifically, focus on discovering which company’s offering the best prices and what benefits are associated with you choosing them as your preferred heating and air conditioner installation contractor.
To unravel this information, you should try reading as many of their online reviews as possible as well as checking for customer ratings and the quality of their HVAC products. While you may be tempted to choose the cheapest unit, installing it will only cost you more in the long run. Air conditioner installation specialists strongly recommend always going for quality over price when selecting new HVAC systems.
Reliable Heating and Air Conditioner Installation in Azle, TX; We Can Help.
Now that you’ve decided to upgrade your outdated HVAC system or fit a brand new one into your new Azle, TX home, it’s only right that you choose the right contractor to avoid problems in the future. You can trust the heating and air conditioner installation experts at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Fort Worth with all your heating and AC service needs. Our NATE-Certified artisans can help install different types of HVAC systems. We also offer emergency heating and AC solutions along with comprehensive maintenance services.