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General HVAC FAQ's Frequently Asked Questions HVAC

Find more FAQ's in the menu on the left and at the bottom of this page

How often should I change my air filters?

Will a programmable thermostat really save me money?

How does a maintenance service save me money?

Will fixing leaks and insulating my duct work save me money?

How do I really know if I should fix it or replace it?

How much money will a high efficiency furnace save me?

How much money will a high efficiency air conditioner save me?


How often should I change my air filters?
For best performance of your system your air filters should be changed every three months but this can depend on the conditions in your home. If you typically have to dust your furniture once a week then you should stick to the quarterly filter changes. You can tell when to change an air filter by inspecting the back side of the filter, any discoloration on the back side (dirt) indicates the filter is fully loaded and is releasing dirt into the air stream.

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Will a programmable thermostat really save me money?
Generally, as with anything, this depends on how it is used. A rule of thumb is the more you set the thermostat to adjust the temperature above or below your standard setting the more you save. Adjusting the temperature just a couple of degrees while your sleeping will save you money alone but if your home is unoccupied during the day then the savings can be substantial. You can expect a basic programmable thermostat to pay for itself within the first year under the best circumstances and easily within two to three years in circumstances where the adjustments are minimal.   

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How does a maintenance service save me money?
Many times during a regular maintenance service an inexpensive part such as a motor capacitor is found to be faulty, when this type of failure is unknown it will lead to failure of much more expensive parts such as the motor itself. This alone will save you hundreds of dollars in repairs. Many compressor failures on air conditioners could also have been prevented by catching simple inexpensive items such as the capacitor for the condenser fan, again just liked mentioned above except in this case the failure of the condenser fan motor leads to the failure of the compressor. Keeping the system clean and operating at peak efficiency will not only obviously save you energy but will also prevent failure of expensive parts like the blower motor and compressor mentioned above.

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Will fixing leaks and insulating my duct work save me money?
Leaks in ducts alone can easily cost you up to 30% or more in energy costs, combined with metal ducts that have no insulation your savings can be as high as 40% or more. Leaking ducts are very common in many homes and account for a huge amount of lost dollars every year. Most older homes have no insulation at all on any of the metal duct work and this cost much more than many people realize. So, Yes fixing your leaking duct work and insulation will save you money very quickly.

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How do I really know if I should fix it or replace it?
Typically if your system is ten years or older and you have some sort of major failure it is time to consider replacing your system, as with cars the components reach a point where they are going to start to fail and investing large amounts for repairs on a system that will be prone to even more failures just does not make good sense. Read more... when to replace your air conditioner or when to replace your heating system

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How much money will a high efficiency furnace save me?
This depends on what you have now, efficiencies have increased dramatically over the years, furnaces ten to fifteen years old or older typically have an efficiency rating of 75% to 80% measured in AFUE, while today you can purchase furnaces that are rated as high as 97%. The savings also depend greatly on how you use your system and the temperatures you enjoy. See actual examples of what to expect... Energy Cost Comparison for Heating Systems 

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How much money will a high efficiency air conditioner save me?
This also depends on what you have now, again efficiencies have increased dramatically over the years. Air Conditioners ten to fifteen years old or older typically have an efficiency rating of 7 to 10 measured in SEER. While today you can purchase air conditioning equipment with ratings as high as 18 or 19 SEER. Again the savings greatly depend on how you use your system and the temperatures you set on your thermostat. See examples of what to expect... Energy Cost Comparison for Cooling Systems  

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