Archive for the ‘Heating’ Category

Free Freon? Is it really free?

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Free service call. Free diagnostic with service call. Free repair with paid service call. Free furnace with air conditioner!! And now FREE FREON. I know you have seen them all before. That ad that screams an offer that is too good to be true. It makes you stop just a second and ask yourself, could this really be free- like that quarter laying on the ground of the parking lot- or is just a come on to get me to buy something else at an inflated price to cover the cost of the “free” offering?
I have always found there is no “free” in life, that free always comes with strings attached and sometimes those strings are not pleasant. The free service call, the free repair, the free furnace and free diagnostic are all priced into what you are charged for and in the end you pay more for usually inferior goods and services than if you had just used an honest contractor offering no free services.

Now comes the most harmful “free promotion” I have seen used as a marketing campaign to date: The offering of “free Freon” if your unit has a leak and needs a recharge of refrigerant. While this is a way to get in the home and pitch a new system to the homeowner with a leaky system which needs to be replaced, the danger of this advertising campaign is there will be people who have systems that leak thousands of pounds of Freon into the atmosphere every summer and they will take advantage of this program to simply put more Freon in their system only to have it leak out two or three times over the season. The problem with this is that Freon, which is just a brand name for R-22 refrigerant is actually difluoromonochloromethane which is a hydrochloroflurocarbon or HCFC, a poisonous toxic gas that when released into the atmosphere causes damage to the environment and the ozone layer. It is not something to be pumped into leaking systems to only leak out into the atmosphere. If you have a leaking air conditioning system, the proper course of action is the stop the leak and stop polluting the world for future generations.

If you call this company, they will gladly come out and pump your system full of difluoromonochloromethane at no charge and keeping coming back and filling it up at no charge as it leaches into the air we breathe. This is just not being socially conscious or “green”. They may think it is a good way to get into your home to try and sell you a new system, but in the real world, a lot of people will just opt to have their systems filled up over and over again, never really knowing what problem they are contributing to. A law was passed called the Clean Air Act and it called for the removal of Freon from our cars first then our homes and businesses. It is now illegal to keep pumping up a leaky air conditioner that has over 50 pounds of Freon in it and it is environmentally irresponsible to keep pumping up a home air conditioning system that will just contribute to a problem that will have long reaching ramifications for future generations.

I seriously doubt the company advertising this “free freon” promotion meant any harm. They are by all accounts an honest company that does good work. The heating & cooling industry is extremely competitive in the Atlanta area and we’re all looking for new and inventive ways to grow our businesses, but we have to make sure that we do it in an ethical and environmentally responsible manner.

The bottom line is this: Do not be fooled into thinking you are getting something for nothing. Repair or Replace your leaky air conditioner instead of just pumping it up. I still believe what my parents taught me years ago: Nothing free is worth having.

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Care and Maintenance, Going Green, Heating, Saving Money, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Change is in the (Heating &) Air

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

change is in the air

There are some real exciting changes in the heating and cooling industry and these changes are of great benefit to you personally and the country as a whole. As some of may remember, last month, I informed you about the 2009 Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency program that will pay 1/3 of the cost of a new qualifying heating & cooling system for your primary residence. There are no income limits on this program and is simply to understand. Just replace your old worn out system with a new super high efficiency gas furnace or electric heat pump and you will get $1500 from the federal government. This $1500 for the most part has paid for the bulk of the increased cost of getting the top of the line system for the cost of an entry level system. Well, no more. There are a new line of units that will earn the tax credit money that will actually be cheaper than the base models.

In the past, the units that qualified for the credit were a considerable bit more expensive as they were loaded up with all the bells and whistles and these features interested some buyers while others were not enthralled with them. The great change that is so exciting and is sweeping through the heating and cooling industry is new units that qualify for the stimulus money, but that are more basic models that are not that much more expensive or cheaper than the entry level units when the credit is applied, giving even more people the option to get the credit.

In the world of air conditioners, to qualify for the $1500, the unit has to be 16 seer and above. That used to mean a special air conditioner that was two speed in it’s operation which enhanced it’s dehumidification ability and increased it’s efficiency even greater when it was in “low speed”. Well now a flood of 16 seer single speed air conditioners have come on the market and they are much more affordable than the 2 speeds. They are the same efficiency, but much less complex and will be a great addition to the line up of all companies product line. The mind set of the different manufacturing facilities in the past is that anybody that would upgrade to a 16 seer air conditioner would want a unit loaded up with all the components that make a unit expensive and complex. This new line of normal super high efficiency air conditioners will make them affordable to the normal income purchaser, not just the top 10 percent of consumers.

Furnaces have to be 95% efficient or greater to earn the tax credit and up until now, that meant a furnace with a variable speed blower and a modulating gas valve or at least a two or three stage gas valve that would allow the furnace to regulate its output of heat by demand. Well now there are new models coming on the market that do not have all these features, but still achieve the 95% annualized fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). These furnaces are much less expensive and give up some very nice comfort features, but will in the end, will make these tax credits available to a whole new group of consumers that have never been able to afford this type of super high efficiency furnace. The stimulus money now makes this type of furnace less expensive than a base model of far less afue or efficiency. Until this furnace is actually in the warehouse, one major heating company has actually dropped the price of the 95% variable speed furnace with built in dehumidification to stimulate sales until the new models arrive. Now is the time to jump on one of these super high efficient models being sold at base model prices! My assumption is when the new stripped down 95% model is available in a few months, these deluxe models will return to their normal price.

There is another product in this new law that is clearly included in the language of the law, but is not being acknowledged by the IRS and it deals with furnaces and air handlers that are super efficient in their consumption of electricity and not gas. If you go to the Department of Energy ’s web site dealing with the new law ( www.energystar.gov ) and read the section concerning the main air circulating fan or the blower of these units, it clearly states that such product is included in the stimulus package and should be included in the $1500 credit. At this time, the IRS does not understand the difference of a high efficient gas furnace and one that is super efficient in it’s consumption of electricity. I have spoken to the IRS to try and help them understand the meaning of the new law as have many others in the industry, but they mistakenly believe the only furnace that is included is one that is gas efficient and not electrically efficient. Hopefully someone form the DOE can clarify the intent of the law to the IRS and get a ruling so this law can be enforced as written. When this happens, furnaces of any gas efficiency can be included regardless of it’s AFUE rating. What this means to you is a furnace that will save you $230 to $250 a year in electricity, remove 15% to 20% more moisture, increase the overall efficiency of your air conditioner and be cheaper than a builder grade model. This is a win win situation for all. Lets hope for a quick resolution for this one.

Posted in Air Conditioning, Heating, Saving Money | 1 Comment »

What kind of furnace should I have installed?

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

The rising cost of gas has put many people in the market for a more efficient furnace before the cold winter weather arrives. Even though most homeowners in Atlanta have always considered their cooling bills as the place to conserve the most energy dollars, a furnace upgrade gives the best and the quickest return on investment.

There are two different furnace efficiency categories available today and there are three basic types of gas furnaces regardless of the manufacturer. The two different efficiencies are 80% AFUE and 90% AFUE and the three types are single stage, two-stage and variable speed two-stage furnaces. AFUE stands for annual fuel utilization efficiency with the higher the number denoting the most efficiency. A 80% AFUE efficient furnace is the most popular type installed in Atlanta and it uses 80 cents of a dollar’s worth of gas to heat your home and it sends 20 cents of waste up the chimney. The 80% AFUE furnace has no standing pilot light and it uses a metal exhaust pipe to vent the unburned gas and carbon monoxide fumes away from your home. It has a blower/fan called the draft inducer that injects air into the burner chamber to help the combustion process. This type of furnace will normally save 25% to 40% of the gas consumed by an old standing pilot type.A 90% AFUE furnace is so efficient that it no longer uses a metal flue pipe to take the waste products away but rather is vented right out the sidewall of your home using PVC piping and it takes fresh air for the combustion process from the outside instead of depleting the air in your home. This type of furnace is called a condensing furnace and like the 80% AFUE furnace, the 90% AFUE furnace also has no pilot and it has a draft inducer fan for a good clean burn. It has two heat exchangers to help the furnace use all but a very small amount of the gas burned to heat your home. The most efficient furnaces today are 96.7% AFUE and only waste 3.3 cents on the dollar of gas consumed. The 90% AFUE furnace is so efficient that water is condensed from the flue products and has to be disposed of in a sanitary drain or a freeze proof French drain. Within these two furnace’s categories, the three types are very similar in what it is they have to offer. The single stage furnace is what most people are used to owning and it is a furnace that regardless of what the temperature is outside, it puts the same amount of heat out constantly. When one considers that a furnace has to be large enough to warm your home on the coldest day of the year, but the winters in the southeast can fluctuate from extreme cold to moderate, it would be logical that this type of furnace will heat the home very quickly on anything but the coldest day of the year. This quick heating only heats the air in your home, not the articles, walls, floors and people. The two stage furnace solves this problem by having two stages or levels of heat that the furnace can produce; low and high. The low heat setting will allow the furnace to run longer at a lower heat output which will allow a more evenly heated home and much more comfortable occupants. The variable speed two stage furnace has two stages of heat, but combines the efficient operation of a D/C powered variable speed furnace blower to give you just the right amount of heat needed to achieve the most comfort available from any forced air natural gas furnace today. The D/C powered variable speed blower will save you over $200 a year in electrical costs while speeding up or slowing down to give you just the right amount of heat needed. One can also couple a special thermostat that has input for not only the desired temperature, but also the humidity levels one wants to maintain in their home. The thermostat adjusts the fan speed of the indoor blower and the furnace and air conditioner become what we call a Super Dehumidification System. This product can eliminate the need for a freestanding dehumidification system that I see in so many basements. In addition, any of the variable speed furnaces will earn a tax credit of $50 and the 96.7% Variable Speed Two Stage furnace will earn a tax credit of $150 from the government. Regardless of which furnace you choose, I think you will find a world of comfort and efficiency available today that will be worth every penny spent to upgrade. You simply cannot afford not to take advantage of the savings afforded you by a furnace replacement this year.

Posted in Heating, Saving Money | 6 Comments »

Variable speed furnaces-the answer to high gas prices!

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

If the furnace in your home is over 10 or eleven years old, you should explore the option of replacing it with one of today’s 2- stage variable speed models with a humidity sensing thermostat. The Variable Speed Two Stage Furnace with uses a multi-stage gas valve to give two levels of heat output depending on how cold it is in your home. The colder it gets the more heat and airflow the Variable Speed furnace puts out very much like the gas pedal on your car. In Georgia, you do not usually need the full amount of your furnaces heat output as we do not normally have extremely cold winters. The Variable Speed furnace will run on low heat output most of the time and it will run for a longer amount of time, which will more evenly heat the people and the objects in the home, not just the air. This slow gradual heating process will make you more comfortable than you have ever felt before.

Most people are concerned about the gas their furnace consumes, but never consider the electrical consumption of the blower, which distributes air through your home summer and winter. The Variable Speed furnace utilizes a special blower motor that is powered by DC current like you battery in your car. It uses about $35.00 a year in electricity versus $300 for a regular furnace blower and uses technology to measure airflow and increase or decrease it’s output depending on the complexities of your duct work. It is the only way to be sure you are receiving the correct amount of airflow over the life of the system. A normal furnace starts to deliver less airflow as it gets dirty and old. The Variable Speed furnace speeds up it’s blower to always keep you comfortable and warm.

A special touchscreen thermostat controls the Variable Speed furnace and you can actually program in a desired humidity level that the furnaces will slow down to maintain, wringing out 10% or 20% more moisture than a regular furnace. In Georgia, it is the extreme humidity that makes you feel uncomfortable and having lower humidity allows to set the thermostat at a higher temperature and still be cool. This feature is something most homeowners have never experienced and it is one of the best improvements/upgrades for the money spent.

The Variable Speed Two Stage furnace is available from a number of different furnace companies and the technology behind is tried and true. It will save you money on gas and electric bills and also make you feel more comfortable than ever before. I think you will truly enjoy the enhanced comfort and efficiency of this furnace and thermostat controller.

Posted in Heating, Saving Money | No Comments »

Extolling the virtues of Variable Speed furnaces

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

In the next few months, a lot of you will be faced with the need to select a new gas furnace and will find the decision making process confusing between the different models. There are many different manufacturers of gas furnaces today, but there are really just a few different models available from all of them and with a little understanding of the marketplace, the choices should be easy.
There are two different efficiency categories of furnaces, and three distinct types of furnaces regardless of brand. The two different efficiencies of furnaces are 80% afue and 90%+ afue. AFUE is an abbreviation for annual fuel utilization efficiency and it is simply a measurement of how much gas consumed by you furnace actually heats your house and how much goes up the chimney as waste. An 80% afue furnace uses 80 cents of a dollar of gas to heat and a 90%+ uses 90 cents to heat , wasting only 10 cents on the dollar. There are some furnaces that use all the way up to 96.7 cents of a dollar to heat and only waste 2.3 cents of gas consumed.
The three types of furnaces are single stage, two stage and two stage variable speed and these are available in both efficiency categories.
The single stage furnace puts out the same amount of heat when it is on regardless of how cold it is outside. It is either on or off and since the furnace in your home has to be large enough to heat you on the coldest day of the year, it is over sized on all the other moderate days we have here in the Atlanta area.
The two stage furnaces take care of this on or off problem by slowing down on a moderate day to give you just the right amount of heat and speeding up on a real cold day to keep you warm and comfortable. The variable speed furnaces takes this comfort feature further by using a D/C powered variable speed fan motor to provide different settings of heat and airflow to keep your temperature even and consistent all season long.
The variable speed furnaces also save $230 to $240 a year in electrical consumption from the fan motor over and above a single stage or two stage model which use A/C powered fan motors. A variable speed furnace also has the ability to remove 15 to 20 percent more moisture from the air in the summer when coupled with a special thermostat that measures humidity levels and adjust the fan speed of the furnace to make it drier in your home than you have ever experienced before.
All today’s furnaces have no pilot light, are induced draft and are all much more efficient in gas consumption than any old model you have in you home and with the ever raising cost of gas, you should consider replacing your furnace with a new high efficiency model today to start saving. Old furnaces waste up to 50 to 60 percent of all gas consumed and with gas soon approaching $2.00 a therm, you can’t afford not to upgrade.

Posted in Heating, Saving Money | No Comments »

Hybrids are NOT just cars!

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

When people think of hybrid technology, they generally think of cars that run on both electricity and gas. This is the most efficient way to achieve maximum miles per gallon and utilize the best of both worlds in energy usage. This same technology can be applied to the heating and cooling system in your home and you can use the least expensive energy to heat your home at any given time.

The hybrid system uses an electric heating system to heat your home in the temperature range that is most cost effective for electricity rates, which is down to 32 degrees. Below this temperature, it becomes less expensive to heat with natural gas. A high efficiency induced-draft furnace takes over to provide heat in the colder weather and this hybrid system switches back and forth from gas to electric heat, utilizing an outdoor temperature sensor that registers the information to a device called a dual fuel interface thermostat. This thermostat determines which energy source to use and it switches back and forth automatically using preprogrammed information about the cost of gas and electric in your service area. This information can be updated as the cost of both gas and electricity fluctuate to make sure you are using the most efficient, least expensive energy source available at the time. Another name for the hybrid system is dual fuel and some utility companies pay an upfront rebate on the unit.

Most people are unaware that electricity rates are much lower in the winter than in the summer. This is due to the simple economic concept of supply and demand. In the summer, there is high demand for electricity to run all the air conditioners needed to cool homes and businesses. The utility companies have to expand their electricity generating capabilities to meet peak demand in the summer, but that leaves them with extra capacity during the winter. To get rid of the extra electricity in the winter, they charge less for it and that means a lower cost source of heat for you. The gas company also charges different amounts for gas due to demand, but demand is always highest in the cold of winter. A lot of people prefer the cooler discharge temperature of a hybrid as it does not dry you out as bad as a gas furnace and the need for a humidifier is lessened. In the summer, a hybrid system cools exactly the same as a regular air conditioner, but in the winter it can save hundreds of dollars in expense in gas consumption.

Hybrid technology has been used in the automotive industry for years and it has been incorporated in the home heating and cooling systems for over twenty five years. The extreme cost of energy has now renewed an interest in the savings afforded to those who “hedge” against the unstable rising cost of utilities. Think about replacing your old worn out system with a new hybrid system this season before the hot summer months arrive.

Posted in Going Green, Heating, Saving Money | No Comments »

Why variable speed?

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

If the furnace in your home is over 10 or eleven years old, you should explore the option of replacing it with one of today’s 2- stage variable speed models with a humidity sensing thermostat. The Variable Speed Two Stage Furnace with uses a multi-stage gas valve to give two levels of heat output depending on how cold it is in your home. The colder it gets the more heat and airflow the Variable Speed furnace puts out very much like the gas pedal on your car. In Georgia, you do not need the full amount of your furnaces heat output as we do not normally have extremely cold winters. The Variable Speed furnace will run on low heat output most of the time and it will run for a longer amount of time, which will more evenly heat the people and the objects in the home, not just the air. This slow gradual heating process will make you more comfortable than you have ever felt before.

Most people are concerned about the gas their furnace consumes, but never consider the electrical consumption of the blower, which distributes air through your home summer and winter. The Variable Speed furnace utilizes a special blower motor that is powered by DC current like you battery in your car. It uses about $35.00 a year in electricity versus $300 for a regular furnace blower and uses technology to measure airflow and increase or decrease it’s output depending on the complexities of your duct work. It is the only way to be sure you are receiving the correct amount of airflow over the life of the system. A normal furnace starts to deliver less airflow as it gets dirty and old. The Variable Speed furnace speeds up it’s blower to always keep you comfortable and warm.

A special touchscreen thermostat controls the Variable Speed furnace and you can actually program in a desired humidity level that the furnaces will slow down to maintain, wringing out 10% or 20% more moisture than a regular furnace. In Georgia, it is the extreme humidity that makes you feel uncomfortable and having lower humidity allows to set the thermostat at a higher temperature and still be cool. This feature is something most homeowners have never experienced and it is one of the best improvements/upgrades for the money spent.

The Variable Speed Two Stage furnace is available from a number of different furnace companies and the technology behind is tried and true. It will save you money on gas and electric bills and also makeyou feel more comfortable than ever before. I think you will truly enjoy the enhanced comfort and efficiency of this furnace and thermostat controller.

Posted in Heating | No Comments »

Stimulus Money to Stimulate your personal economy

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Stimulus Money

I have always felt there are very few occasions in life when one receives something for nothing. I have always been skeptical of rebate offers that claim “up to”,  thinking I will never be able to qualify for anything close to the “up to” number advertised.

Well, there is now an opportunity to truly receive the full “up to” amount of a $1500 tax credit to help pay for a new high efficiency furnace or air conditioner and there is nothing special you have to do to qualify.

The 2009 Economic Stimulus package signed into law in late February, 2009 has many provisions aimed at helping the economy get back on its feet and to help the American people get back to work. It is supposed to help restore the confidence of the American consumer and it has many far reaching aspects that seem hard to understand. But the bill has a little talked about provision that I think will help stimulate the country, the average homeowner and the heating & air business.

If you purchase a new air conditioner or furnace in the tax years 2009 and 2010 and you buy a unit that qualifies, the stimulus package calls for the government to reimburse 30% of the cost of your system up to $1500. That seems hard to believe but its true. It does not matter how much you earn or where you live or what brand of system you buy, you can easily earn the whole amount of $1500! All you have to do buy at least a 16 seer air conditioner or a 15 seer heat pump on the cooling side and on the heating side you have to buy a furnace of at least 95% efficiency or greater. You simply agree to buy the best and the most efficient products and the government will pay the difference is cost which will allow you to have lower utility cost, longer warranties, and in some cases, a lower up front cost that the med grade systems. It seems hard to believe, but its true! No strings attached money to help you replace your old inefficient heating and cooling system.

You don’t have to buy both the furnace and the air conditioner, you can buy one or the other and get the $1500. You can buy either the furnace or air conditioner that qualifies and a lower level unit and still get the full amount. The tax credit also pays for installation cost and remedial work needed to upgrade your home’s system. You do have to pay for the new system now and wait for the stimulus rebate at the beginning of the next tax year, but the whole amount of the cost of the system can be easily be put on a 12 months same as cash payment plan that requires no payment for a year and accrues no interest if paid in full in a year. That way you do not to come out of pocket with the upgrade money. It is a deal that can’t be beat!

People have made this stimulus package a discussion of politics and of their like or dislike of the current administration. I feel that is missing the point. This assistance is there to help you install a new heating & cooling system that will save you much more money than a standard unit and you will waste less natural resources. If millions of American’s take advantage of this program, there will be a great positive impact on the economy. This same bill also has provisions for many other energy improvements that you can apply for and you can find the details at www.energystar.gov. I suggest you look at all the different ways you can help yourself reduce your energy consumption and help the overall big picture of our economy.

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Posted in Heating, Saving Money | 1 Comment »