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Heat pumps are one of the most energy efficient HVAC systems available on the market today because they don’t burn fuel to provide heat. In addition to their high efficiency, heat pumps can operate as both a heating and cooling system as your home, thus reducing the number of systems that require maintenance, repairs, and replacements.

How a heat pump works is actually fairly simple—it works by transferring heat energy from one source to another. For instance, in the winter when your heat pump is acting as a heating system, it extracts heat energy from the outside air (even in near-freezing temperatures), and transfers it into the air in your home. When summertime rolls around, it’s as easy as flipping a switch to change your heat pump to cool mode.

Many homeowners have a difficult time deciding whether to keep pouring money into their aging air conditioning system for costly repairs or to upgrade to a new, more efficient AC.

Sometimes it’s easy to make the case for an AC replacement—your AC is completely broken, for example. However, if your air conditioner isn’t in immediate danger of failure, there are a few things to consider when thinking about AC replacement:

• Energy costs – air conditioners made 10 years ago are less than half as efficient as current air conditioners. In fact, the minimum SEER for any ACs manufactured now is 13 and many systems exceed that.
• Return on investment – when you’re improving your home’s energy efficiency with an AC replacement, you can help lower your utility payments—it can even start creating a healthy return on investment over time.
• Your current AC is too noisy – you can spring for AC repairs to fix the noise or you can invest in an AC replacement to fix it forever.
• Your AC breaks down at inconvenient times – if your air conditioner seems to break down every time you run it hard (such as when it’s really hot out), this could be a sign that it’s not cut out to work properly whenever you need it.

Once a month is a pretty good rule of thumb for most people. Depending on where you live and how much dirt, pet dander, and other contaminants are present, the answer could be more or less. Check your filter frequently to determine if it’s dirty. If it is dirty or noisy, change it.  Writing the date on the new one will help.

• Comfort control: If areas of your home are more challenging to regulate the temperature, such as the basement or in a loft bedroom, zoned air conditioning and heating could be the perfect solution for you. It would section off the home and make it possible to set a different temperature for these areas so it wouldn’t affect the rest of the house. In addition, if there are areas of your home you don’t use as often, you could use zoned heating or air conditioning to raise or lower the temperature and minimize energy wasting.
• Energy efficiency:  Since you have better control of the temperatures throughout your home with zoned air conditioning and heating, reducing wasting energy is possible because your air conditioner or heating system won’t have to work as hard to regulate the temperature throughout the house. You can also choose which rooms to condition, so if there are rooms that you rarely use, you don’t have to waste energy heating or cooling them.
• Decrease energy bills:  Zoning your air conditioning and heating systems allows you to completely customize your home’s comfort and control your monthly energy bills better.

Furnaces use gas to generate heat, so they can be dangerous just like a stove. Regular furnace maintenance reduces the serious risk of a fire, as well as keeps your warranty valid.

Furnaces can last a decade or more with proper maintenance. Ask our technicians during a furnace maintenance visit to evaluate both the age and maintenance records of your furnace for a specific recommendation.

A ductless mini-split system is a popular cooling solution for homes without central air ducts. With one unit attached outside and one or more small units mounted on a wall inside, the indoor system draws air in, cools it, and ventilates back out without the need for installing ductwork.

A programmable thermostat is a simple, cost-saving device to focus temperature control for the times and days you need it most, reducing energy use while you’re at work, school, or on vacation.

We recommend scheduling regular HVAC maintenance appointments seasonally, in the spring and fall, to prepare for a change in temperature. Our team can clean and inspect the vents and heating or cooling elements to ensure they’re safe for use.