Thinking of replacing your home’s heating and air conditioning system?

Here are some of the most common questions we are asked about replacing a home’s heating and air conditioning system with our answers!

• System Size and Capacity
  • What size HVAC system is appropriate for my home?
    • Of course, every home is different, and many factors are taken into consideration when sizing. Age, construction type, windows (size and efficiency), insulation, sun direction, shade, and much more. 
    • Bigger is not better when it comes to sizing an air conditioner. A system that is sized too large will often have issues with short cycling. This could lead to higher humidity in the home as well as shortening the life expectancy of the equipment. 
    • It is important to have the project surveyed correctly so that the properly sized system is designed for your home.

• Energy Efficiency Ratings
  • What are these numbers and what does it mean for me when choosing a HVAC system?
    
    Note:  Think of all these ratings like MPG on a car- the higher the number the less energy is consumed to keep you comfortable. 
    • SEER2 (formerly SEER) stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and measures the cooling efficiency of your air conditioner. This is an average calculated over a typical cooling season.  
    • EER2 is calculated at an exact outdoor temperature of 95° – most utilities in our region like to use this rating as it is more concrete with our cooling usage. 
    • HSPF2 or Heating Seasonal Performance Factor is a rating given to heat pumps for calculating heating efficiency. Like how SEER2 it is based on an entire heating season, not a specific outdoor temperature. 
    • AFUE stand for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency and is how we measure gas furnace heating efficiencies. This is the easiest one to see how it benefits your wallet.  For every $1 you spend on your gas bill, an 80% AFUE furnace means you’ll get 80 cents of that dollar in heat, losing 20 cents out the flue. A 95% AFUE furnace will get you 95 cents in heat, only losing 5 cents out the flue. 
  • All these ratings are federally regulated and there are minimum requirements based on regions.  
  • It is important to know that all equipment is rated for efficiency when running at 100% capacity – systems with multiple staging will actually use even less gas or electricity but have to be rated in a worst-case scenario.

• System Types
  • Depending on the type of system you have currently it is usually the least expensive to keep the same set up. In some instances, it makes sense to go a different direction.
    • If you have a wall or floor furnace with a window or wall air conditioner – the world is your oyster! You have many choices when starting from scratch. Ductless or central HVAC systems are both great options depending on the house and how it is lived in.
    • Combo heat and air package units on the roof or ground have many options from gas to hybrid to all electric heat pumps.
    • Split systems where the blower is somewhere inside the house and the air conditioner sits outside- did you know if your heater is in the closet, we can typically move it to the attic? Can you see another closet in your future? We can! 
  • You may not necessarily need to replace both the heater and the air conditioner, again depending on the age and how it is set up. 
    • If you recently had a furnace replaced it probably won’t be necessary to replace it again now that you want to upgrade your air conditioner. 
    • If you want to replace your air conditioner, at minimum you’ll likely need to replace the indoor cooling coil at the same time.  Since refrigerant (Freon) runs between the two components they will need to match. Older R-22 equipment cannot be intermixed with newer R-410a systems. 

• Fuel Types
  • Should I stick with the same type of system or consider switching fuel sources?
    • When we are discussing your home, how you live in it, and your future plans we are taking an assessment of what options make the most sense for you.
    • Sometimes it makes the most sense to stick with what you have (or you have no other options in some circumstances). Other times it is worth exploring alternatives.
    • We love giving you a few options to then let you decide what feels like the best decision for you and your family.
    • Check out our article here for more information on if a heat pump makes sense for you.

• Equipment Brands 
  • Why do you only quote certain brands?
    • We prefer to work with brands that are reliable and use high quality materials.  Our technicians are trained on many brands, but we prefer to install heating and air conditioning systems that historically have had the least amount of call backs from our customers. 
      • American Standard for central HVAC installations
      • Fujitsu Ductless Mini Split Heat Pumps

• Lifespan
  • How long should my new system last?
    • This is hard to answer. A lot of factors come into play.
      • How often is the system used? Total run hours matter.
      • How well has it been maintained? Keeping up on the filters and tune-ups are critical.
      • Was it properly installed? Of course, if it was installed by us, you can be confident that the system will last as long as possible. And you’ll have the HERS testing documentation for the peace of mind that it was installed correctly.

Check back next week as we dive deeper into questions about options and extras when replacing your residential heating and air conditioning systems!

Have a question in the mean time? Feel free to contact us here at Perfection Home Systems online here or by phone at 916-481-0658.