Whether you are replacing a heat pump, furnace, or central air conditioning system, it’s always a good idea to get three or four proposals from different HVAC contractors before choosing a contractor to handle the job. The only exception is when you have a good relationship with an HVAC contractor and you are comfortable with using that contractor for your HVAC system replacement.
After you have the competing proposals in hand, don’t just automatically go with the lowest bidder. In fact, if any bid is significantly lower than the others, be very careful about choosing that contractor. An unusually low bid can be a sign that something is amiss. The contractor may have specified an undersized unit due to a bad load calculation (or no load calculation at all) or may be proposing to install lower quality equipment.
Alternatively, the low bidding contractor could be cutting corners on the installation which is potentially worse than using substandard equipment. Proper installation of your HVAC system is every bit as important as the quality of the system itself. Poorly installed equipment will not operate as efficiently as it was designed to operate and will fail sooner than it should.
It is well worth the small additional expense of hiring a reputable HVAC contractor with experience in HVAC replacement and installation who will take the time necessary for a top quality, professional installation of your new heating and air conditioning system. You can be confident that you will be getting a system correctly sized for your home that will operate at peak efficiency. You will also be able to depend on that contractor in the unlikely event of a problem down the road.
Selling a home in today’s housing market can be a challenge, to say the least. With so many homes on the market at rock bottom prices, it can take a long time to get an offer on your home and it will probably be thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars less than your asking price even if your home is competitively priced. The problem is that houses have almost become a commodity. If your home is just like half a dozen other homes for sale in your area, buyers have no incentive to make you a better offer. The buyer can just keep making low ball offers on homes like yours until some desperate homeowner takes it.
What you need to do is to make your home stand out from the others so that the buyer wants your home, not a home like yours. One way to make your home stand out is by improving the energy efficiency of your home and the most fertile ground for energy efficiency improvements is your home’s heating and cooling system.
Studies have shown that homes with third party energy efficiency certifications sell significantly faster and for more money than conventional homes. Even if your home doesn’t have a third party energy efficiency certification, buyers are clearly interested in energy efficiency. Use that to your advantage by having an system efficiency analysis done by a good HVAC contractor and have them install the recommended package of energy efficiency improvements.
If your heating and cooling system is more than 10 years old, consider installing a new energy efficient HVAC system. You probably won’t recover the full cost of the system when you sell, but it will make your home more attractive to potential buyers and reduce the amount of time your home sits on the market. Be sure that your real estate agent highlights your home’s energy efficiency and provides potential buyers with information about the improvements to your heating and cooling system.
As your home’s central heating and air conditioning system starts to age, breakdowns and repairs become inevitable. The temptation is to continue repairing your system until your HVAC technician declares that the system is finished. After all, no one is eager to spend the money for a new heating and air conditioning system when the existing system can be repaired for much less.
However, in many cases repairing your old HVAC system is a case of “penny wise, pound foolish”. First, an HVAC system can be expected to last about 15 years. If your system is more than 10 years old, consider the current repair as a sign that the future holds more breakdowns and repairs. Don’t assume that you will get another 10 to 15 years of trouble free service out of the unit.
In addition, modern heating and air conditioning systems are much more energy efficient than those sold 10 to 15 years ago. Increased efficiency means lower heating and cooling costs year after year. These savings alone can offset a significant portion of the cost of a new HVAC system.
Finally, consider the cost of the air conditioner or furnace repair. A relatively inexpensive repair to a system that’s less than 10 years old and has otherwise proven reliable is probably a cost effective solution, but you should give serious consideration to a new HVAC installation before spending money on expensive repairs to a system of any age and especially before paying for anything more than the most minor repairs to an older heating and cooling system.
When in doubt, talk to your HVAC contractor or technician. They can help you decide if your old system is worth fixing or if a new energy efficient HVAC system makes financial sense.
Almost every homeowner would like to reduce their home heating costs. One option that often sounds appealing is heating or supplemental heating with wood. This sounds like a great idea, but the reality is that it’s really only an effective alternative in a few limited circumstances.
First, heating with an open fireplace is very inefficient. Most of the heat generated in a fireplace is lost up the chimney. In addition, in order to burn properly and to exhaust smoke, carbon monoxide and other combustion gasses up and out the chimney, a fireplace has to draw air in from the room. That air is replaced by cold outside air that makes your way into your home. A fireplace can actually make the rest of the rooms in your house colder.
A modern woodstove is much more energy efficient than a fireplace and in some cases can supplement your home heating system, but there are a few caveats. First, energy efficient woodstoves are expensive and for safe operation, they need to be installed by a professional adding further to the cost.
Next, take into consideration the cost of the wood or pellets you will be burning. If you plan to cut, split, and stack the wood yourself, consider the amount of time and the cost of the tools such as a chain saw, axe, and wood splitter. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of a back injury or worse, an accident involving a chainsaw or axe. It could take a very long time to make up the cost of a wood stove in energy savings.
The reality is that for the vast majority of homeowners, a fireplace or woodstove can add ambiance and charm to your home, but they are not very practical for home heating. More effective alternatives include having a system efficiency analysis done by a reputable HVAC contractor or replacing an old furnace with a new energy efficient furnace.
If you heat with fossil fuels such as heating oil, natural gas, or propane and the furnace in your home is more than 15 years old, it may make sense to replace it with a new energy efficient furnace even if your old furnace is still in good working order. As an initial matter, most older systems were only designed to have a 15 to 20 year service life so even if your system is working today, it is likely to start needing expensive furnace repairs soon.
More importantly, older furnaces are far less energy efficient than modern furnaces. Just like a fuel efficient car can save you money on gasoline, an energy efficient furnace can save you money on energy costs for heating oil, natural gas or propane while keeping your home warm and comfortable. In addition, by burning fewer fossil fuels you will be reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental harms.
Older gas and oil fired furnaces are typically only 50 percent to 65 percent efficient. That means that they convert about 50 percent to 65 percent of the fuel to home heating. The rest goes out the exhaust. Modern furnaces are at least 78 percent efficient. Conventional furnaces are typically 80 percent to 85 percent efficient and high efficiency furnaces can range from 90 to 97 percent efficient.
Higher efficiency means that furnace uses less energy to create the same amount of heat. Over the life of the furnace, these energy savings can add up to thousands of dollars which offsets the cost of the new furnace.
Your local HVAC contractor can help you choose and install a new energy efficient furnace in your home.
If your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, you have two options: you can either replace the heat exchanger or install a new furnace. Doing nothing and continuing to use your existing furnace is not a safe option.
A cracked heat exchanger is dangerous. It can leak deadly carbon monoxide into your home and cause you and your family to suffer from carbon monoxide poison. Every year, thousands of Americans are hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning and about 400 people are killed every year by this deadly gas.
Replacing the heat exchanger is a relatively expensive furnace repair, but it is less expensive than installing a new furnace. While this might seem like the obvious choice, there is more to consider than just the cost of the repair. Installing a new furnace might cost more up front, but it could save you money in the long run.
Most cracked heat exchangers are found in older furnaces. Furnaces that are more than 15 years old are much less efficient than modern furnaces. Older gas furnaces are often only 55 percent to 65 percent efficient. The minimum efficiency rating for a new gas furnace is 78 percent and can be as high as 97 percent.
Higher efficiency means lower heating costs and these savings can add up. You could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the life of your new furnace. These savings would more than cover the cost difference between replacing the heat exchanger and installing a new furnace.
Your HVAC contractor can help you decide whether replacing the heat exchanger or installing a new energy efficient furnace is the right choice for you.
One of the most frustrating repairs to your gas furnace is a cracked heat exchanger. In many cases, the furnace seems to be working properly, and the cracked heat exchanger is found during routine service by your HVAC technician. Other times, the cracked heat exchanger is found when the gas company turns on service to the residence.
Homeowners often understandably question whether a repair is really necessary since often the furnace otherwise works normally. Unfortunately, it is dangerous to use a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger because it can result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
A gas furnace heats your home by burning natural gas or propane. In addition to creating heat, the combustion process produces various gasses including deadly carbon monoxide. The heat exchanger extracts the heat from the combustion process while allowing the combustion gasses to be safely exhausted out of your home.
When there is a crack or hole in the heat exchanger, there is a danger that carbon monoxide will leak into your home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless gas that is toxic to humans. Every year, hundreds of Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by having the cracked heat exchanger replaced or by replacing the furnace. If you have concerns about whether your heat exchanger is cracked, have it inspected by a reputable local HVAC contractor with experience in furnace repair and replacement. Your HVAC technician will be able to identify a cracked heat exchanger and review your options with you. Replacing a cracked heat exchanger can be expensive, but it is necessary for the safety of you and your family.
Like any electrical appliance, your air conditioner or heat pump can be damaged by a power surge caused by a lightning strike. Most homeowners protect sensitive electronics like computers and audio visual equipment from surge damage by using a surge protector strip, but relatively few homes have surge protection for their air conditioner.
A power surge can cause damage to your air conditioner ranging from moderate to severe. It can fry wiring and knock out the compressor, fan, or condenser. The lightning does not have to strike your home to cause this kind of damage. A lightning strike anywhere in your neighborhood could cause a harmful power surge.
If you suspect that your air conditioner may have suffered lightning damage, have the system inspected by a reputable HVAC contractor with experience in residential HVAC repairs. In some cases the damage can be repaired but in others an HVAC system replacement will be in order.
Air conditioning repairs for damage due to lightning strikes are usually covered by your homeowners insurance, but proving the cause of the damage can be a problem. It’s up to you to convince the insurance adjuster that the damage was caused by lightning and not some other source.
Ask your HVAC technician to show you the damage and take photographs or video of the damaged components. Damage to other household electronics is another good indication of a lightning strike. Contact your homeowner’s insurance carrier promptly and show the adjuster your documentation.
You can protect your air conditioner or heat pump from most power surges by having a surge protector installed. Talk to your HVAC technician about surge protection for your air conditioner or heat pump.
When it comes to HVAC system replacements, today’s homeowner has many different types of heating and cooling systems to choose from. Those choices are almost unlimited for new home construction, but for most existing homes a homeowner will be choosing between a heat pump and a traditional furnace combined with a central air conditioning system.
The location of the home plays a very important role in the choice of HVAC system. One of the best things a homeowner can do is to talk to an experienced local HVAC contractor. They will have a good handle on the types of systems that make the most sense for your area.
For example, in the Pacific Northwest and in other mountainous regions, many homes are not equipped with an air conditioning system because temperatures rarely exceed comfortable levels. In these areas, a high efficiency furnace may be a good choice. A heat pump might be a more efficient user of energy, but unless you have a need for at least occasional cooling, you would be wasting money on a system that heats and cools, no matter how efficient.
On the other hand, in warmer climates a heat pump is an excellent alternative. Heat pumps offer energy efficient heating and cooling in a single system and are a great choice where air conditioning is needed and winter temperatures do not routinely stay below freezing for extended periods of time.
In northern climates that get cold in the winter and hot in the summer, a heat pump can be an excellent energy efficient heating and cooling system for most of the year, but they lose some efficiency in extremely cold temperatures. One alternative is to use a heat pump with a traditional fossil fuel burning furnace installed as a secondary heat source for the coldest winter temperatures.
If you have been shopping for a new HVAC system for your home, you probably know that there are many confusing options and features on most new HVAC systems. The good news is that most of these features help increase the efficiency of your HVAC system and reduce operating costs. One feature commonly found on many of today’s energy efficient heat pumps, furnaces and air conditioning systems is a variable speed fan.
A variable speed fan is sometimes referred to as a variable speed blower. Not matter what nomenclature the manufacturer gives it, the purpose of the fan or blower is to circulate the heated or cooled air through your home.
Variable speed fans are primarily designed to increase the energy efficiency of the system. Unlike a traditional fan that operates at the same speed under all conditions, a variable speed fan runs faster or slower depending the demand for warm or cool air. When the demand is low, the fan will run at a slower speed and reduce energy consumption.
A variable speed fan has other advantages as well. Some homeowners prefer to set the fun to run all the time, continuously circulating the air in the home. The home is more evenly heated and cooled and the furnace filter can do a better job of removing airborne contaminants.
If you are one of these homeowners, an HVAC system equipped with a variable speed fan is an excellent choice. When running in continuous mode, the fan will run quietly and use far less energy than a traditional fan.
