Posts Tagged ‘AC’

Air Conditioner Anxiety

Friday, September 21st, 2012

All of the air conditioners we’re going to cover in this article work great at cooling and have trendy and convenient features like digital display, built in timer, remote control, or even touchpad controls. Some models are noisier than others and some are strained to keep your home cool during brownouts. We’re going to help you find out which one fits your needs best.

Ductless Mini Split System

Sometimes single room units, which some you can find for less than $150, are better than central AC.  If you just have one or two rooms, this may be a better choice for you. We’re going to explore lots of options. All of the following units meet the 9.7 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) required for models under 8,000 Btu’s, 9.8 requirements for units over 8,000-13,999 Btu’s, and meet or exceed 10.7 EER needed to qualify for Energy Star. All of them also have electrical plugs that are designed to shut down if the power cord is damaged to help prevent fires.

You should know first if you need to repair your air conditioner or if it makes more sense to replace it. You can use a savings or room sizing calculator to find some information on that to help decide. Keep in mind that if the air conditioner is too small for the room it will not properly cool the space. On average, it takes about 5,000-6,500 Btu’s for every 100-300 square feet. Also if the unit is too big it will cool the room too fast and leave moisture in the air causing you to feel cold and clammy. Another thing to remember the noise level of the unit; some models are so quiet you can only hear the fan running whereas others might disrupt light sleepers on low and can be distracting on high. The single room units work better to uniformly cool the area when centered on the wall.

You should check the warranty on whatever unit you buy. Some models have a one year warranty and others have five or even ten year coverage. Being able to easily access the filter so you can clean or change it, since that needs to be done frequently to maintain high quality performance (and save money on energy costs), is very important. Small window units tend to be the smallest, lightest and least expensive, but may not properly cool a room over 300 square feet. Medium window units have a capacity ranging from 7,000-8,200 Btu’s and cool approximately 250-400 square feet. The medium size units generally handle rooms up to 400 square feet but are usually more expensive and can be harder to install because of their size and weight. Large window units range from 9,800-12,500 Btu’s and cool 350-650 square feet. The good thing is the cool much larger spaces but the bad thing is, they can be hard to install because they are bulky and heavy. Also, they can be too much for smaller spaces causing the compressor to switch on and off frequently and it won’t lower the humidity of the room enough making it cold and damp.

In general air conditioners have louvers that you can adjust to direct the direction of the airflow. Most are better at directing air one direction than another, so consider your room layout when choosing a model to get airflow where you need it. Don’t forget how you’re going to control it either. For those that have a hard time seeing or just like large print, large LED touch pads  with uncrowded buttons and clear labeling, and digital readout can make things much easier. Controls that are not well designed can be very frustrating. Even something as small as raised or different shaped buttons helps identify the function you’re looking for. Digital temperature readouts also give you a more accurate reading than older “warmer” and “cooler” settings. Timers are great too. You can set them to turn off while you’re away, and turn on before you get home so you can come in to a nice cool or warm home. This feature also helps you save money on your electric bill.

Dehumidifiers are great during those cool but humid days; they can take the moisture out of your air to keep you comfortable. Fresh air intake or exhaust is also important in providing ventilation without cooling. There are many brands to choose from too. It is good to compare brands and models before purchasing. Here are a few profiles to help choose which brand is a better fit for you.

  • Friedrich
    • Smaller
    • More expensive
    • Range from $500-$1200.
    • Makes units from 5,000-24,000 Btu’s
    • Energy Star Certified
  • Frigidaire
    • Available in independent regional appliance retailers like Lowes or Sears
    • Priced from $100-500
    • Btu’s from 5,000-25,000
    • Energy Star Certified
  • GE
    • Market shared leader in window units
    • Available at a wide variety of independent and regional appliance retailers like Sam’s Club or Wal-mart
    • Range from $150-300
    • Btu’s from 5,000-25,000
    • Energy Star Certified
  • Haier
    • Available at a wide variety of independent appliance retailers like Wal-mart or BJ’s
    • Also markets window units under the Amana name
    • Energy Star Units
    • Range from $100-500
    • Btu’s range from 5,000-24,000
  • KenmoreMade by LG
    • Sold at Sears and Kmart
    • $100-500
    • Btu’s from 5,000-24,000
    • Energy Star certified
  • Kenmore(Sears)
    • Made by LG
    • Sold at Sears and Kmart
    • $100-500
    • Btu’s from 5,000-24,000
    • Energy Star certified
  • LG
    • Available at a wide variety of independent and regional appliance retailers like Home Depot or PC Richards
    • Also markets lower-priced window air conditioners under the Goldstar name
    • Range from $150-500
    • Btu’s range from 5,000-25,000
    • Energy Star Certified
  • Sharp
    • Available at a wide variety of independent and regional appliance retailers like Costco or BJ’s
    • Price ranges from $200-500
    • Btu’s range from 5,000-12,000
    • Energy Star Certified

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Is Your Air Conditioner Robbing You?

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

     This record high temperature summer is even worse for some people. On top of just dealing with the heat, it is also much more expensive. The most commonly used coolant for homes, R-22, is being phased out and supplies are dwindling. The phase out is part of an international agreement to try and reduce HCFC’s, but has caused a huge price hike on the refrigerant. This may cause millions of people quite a shock if their air conditioners quit on them.

     The United States began this phase out process for R-22 in 2004. Production was then cut back annually until the new R-410A, which is a cleaner gas, replaces the R-22 completely as planned by the year 2020. The EPA submitted a proposal that R-22 production is to be reduced by 11 percent in 2013 and 2014. This means that the price of the R-22 has been increasing and will most likely continue to do so. The price has actually tripled in the last year alone thanks to the EPA taking it off of the market.

     Most units on houses take 6-12 pounds, and a 30 pound cylinder is going for around $400 online. Luckily most homes only need a few pounds. R-22 has been used for almost forty years but is being phased out as part of the Montreal Protocol which is an international agreement to target substances that are harmful to the ozone layer.  There is really no way to tell how high these prices can actually get, especially since it is now illegal to import the refrigerant.

     “Considering the rapid spike in prices, there’s no way of predicting what prices are going to be down the road,” Barry Andrews, president of Air National of Houston, said in a company release about the problem. Andrews said the price spike likely means more people may have to opt for new units or fixing leaks instead of simply replacing the refrigerant.

     Many homeowners are having to face the hard decision of if they should spend hundreds of dollars for a band aid fix to replace a leaky coil or add some coolant, or the more expensive option of just replacing the whole unit or system. This is going to cause some of those people to take longer to decide or be able to do something and that waiting can lead to more or bigger problems and costs. Even though the increase in price has been sudden and drastic, the dwindling supply is no shocker to many in that industry.

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AC on the Defensive

Friday, August 10th, 2012

As if there aren’t enough scams going around, this summer brings one that takes advantage of the high temperatures. Scammers are calling or texting offers promising federal assistance with skyrocketing electric bills. They ask for your social and other personal information in exchange for up to $1,000 toward the cost of your air conditioner. The worst part of these phishing schemes is that these home subsidies offered are not even set up yet.

The government sets aside billions of dollars annually for low income assistance on heating and cooling bills for the last 30 years. However, certain elements are not equally covered since about 90% of this budget is spent during the winter. So if you’re freezing, you don’t need that extra blanket, but if you’re having a heat stroke, you’re out of luck. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. homes have AC but still are viewed with prejudice that so many and so much use of air conditioners may result in aiding a possible climate crisis.

One former head of UN ozone program actually compared AC consumption to that of fatty foods, calling it a dangerous luxury making us soft in spirit and flesh. Others blame air conditioning for rising obesity rates as well but without any evidence. Some people just jump on the idea that maybe overcooling could be just another American addiction like overeating or overspending.  Some Americans view air conditioning as a stand-in for everything wrong in the world. Why is it ok to get extra heat, but shameful to need more cooling?

We have endured some record high temperatures already this summer & it’s nowhere near over, especially in the Houston area. It seems that our avoiding the heat may be adding to the problem. Research has shown that all over our air conditioning of buildings and cars emits about 500 millions tons of carbon-dioxide annually.

These huge numerical statistics are hard to ignore when air conditioners have become so much more popular. One should know that they are no worse than heaters though, possibly even less harmful. It has been proven that we use more energy to heat our homes than to cool them, by about 5 times the BTU’s and about 2 and a half times the cost. Even after so many people have moved toward the southern and coastal areas, there is actually a decline in energy use for climate control. The extra demand has been made for icy shopping centers but that is offset by less use of oil and gas based heating.

Statistics from a few years ago show that northerners are emitting 20-25 percent more carbon dioxide from their heaters than we Southerners are with our AC. Older refrigerants used in household appliances do emit HFC’s which are a contributor to global warming, but these are being phased out.  These still only make up about a quarter of the green house emissions associated with air conditioning.

When people argue that it is more important to have heat than air conditioning, that you can just open a window or turn on a fan, what about the hundreds of people that day each year from heat stroke? Personally I believe it is easier to throw on an extra blanket and get warm than it is to get cool. Even if you open a window or turn on a fan, you’re letting in and blowing around more hot air. You can put on enough to get warm but you cannot take off enough to get cool.

Maybe it’s just that being hot doesn’t “hurt’ as much as being cold. Pain researcher Jeff Mogil of McGill Universitysays that warm temperatures applied to skin goes from just unpleasant to outright painful within just 2.5 degrees but for cold it happens over a 10 degree span. This looks like heat is actually worse. Mogil thinks that cold is worse though since it starts to get unpleasant sooner and has a greater range of unpleasant temperatures.

Even if cold is more unpleasant than hot on a per degree basis, it still does not make it more reasonable to crank the heat and forgo AC. Many places have such weather extremes that they can be deadly, so one should not judge the other so harshly. If you want to save one, both should be saved. Or if you want to sacrifice one, both should be sacrificed equally. Personally, I prefer cuddling up with an extra blanket in the winter, but I most assuredly will indulge in my air conditioning during these brutal Houston summer months.

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Posted in Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Business News, Air Conditioning Repair, Energy Savings, Heat Pump Systems, Heat Pumps, Heating, Maintenance Plan/Comfort Club, Winterizing | Comments Off

Greener & ‘Techier’ HVAC World

Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

On January 25th of this year (2012), about 50,000 visitors flooded through the doors of the HVAC&R Expo in Chicago. There were representatives from two thousand companies spanning 30 countries to share their products, services and information.

HVAC&R Expo in Chicago

HVAC&R Expo in Chicago

This is globally regarded as the largest and most comprehensive HVAC&R event out there. Attendants include contractors, engineers, management, OEM’s, and many others involved in the HVAC&R industry. At this expo, there are education classes, workshops, seminars, and everyone’s favorite, new product demonstrations! For HVAC people, this is like Comic-Con is for Stan Lee fans. This year’s theme was pretty clear, it’s all about energy efficiency and technology.

Some of the highlights this year include:

LG’s Green HVAC Market
These guys revealed their new energy efficient products geared towards growing their HVAC business here in the U.S. Part of these innovative technologies encompass upgraded VRF and Duct Free Systems (DFS), and new higher SEER models for homes and light commercial sales.

Reveal of “Smart Si” WiFi Thermostats by Ecobee High tech WiFi thermostat
Ecobee presented its new Smart Si thermostat at this year’s expo as well. This thermostat is designed and marketed for sales in homes and offer remote connectivity through your WiFi so you can access your home thermostat through any internet connected device.  This new tech toy also has a high resolution color display, an intuitive user interface, stealthy button design, and you can even get live weather reports.

Tecogen Is Lowering Emissions Across The Board Entirely
This company, based out of Massachusetts, is a power generation technology company. Tecogen announced at this years HVAC&R Expo that they have a newly developed, ultra low emissions technology that will now be available across its full line of products for natural gas engine driven heating and cooling systems. This company also says that its natural gas powered products’ emissions are keeping right up with those of fuel cells. This technology with lower emissions was created with the funding from the California Energy Commission and Southern California Gas Company.

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To Fix Or Not to Fix – That is the Question

Friday, August 3rd, 2012
man fixing AC

Sometimes it's hard to know whether to ditch it or fix it.

As the price of one type of freon soars through the roof, many are wondering whether it’s better to repair or replace their faulty air conditioning system. An EPA mandate is slowly phasing out the R-22 coolant that we have been using for years because scientists argue it’s harmful to the earth’s ozone layer.

As more people crank up the AC, that type of freon has become a hot commodity with a hefty price tag. The cost of this type of freon, has tripled since January 2012. The refrigerant is measured in pounds. What would normally cost $20 to $25 per pound, now can run consumers in excess of $80 per pound. If your system is leaking freon, just the cost of the refrigerant can top $1,000, not to mention, consistent leaks could mean you need a compressor replacement. And if you have an old air conditioning unit that consistently leaks, you should speak with your technician about a replacement.

“R-22 has been the primary refrigerant in a lot of residential homes and commercial businesses,” says Gary Ward. “A small residential unit may have anywhere from 4 to 5 pounds. “However, some residential systems can get up as high as 13 to 15 pounds.”

“It may be cost efficient to just purchase a brand new unit because changing out a compressor to allow for the new type of freon would be four to five times the amount of a new window AC unit,” Brad Guidry with Home Depot said. Window units aren’t for everyone, especially homes with large square footage and multiple rooms. However, Guidry says they can be a bit more efficient, freon wise.

“These units have less than 3 pounds of freon in them,” he said. Window AC units can run anywhere from $149 on up. All units manufactured today, including regular AC cooling systems, now take 410-A refrigerant, the new EPA standard. “410-A will ultimately be the only refrigerant that’s used on residential and commercial refrigerants,” Ward said. In 1987 the Montreal Protocol established requirements that began the worldwide phaseout of ozone-depleting CFCs. These requirements were later modified, leading to the phaseout in 1996 of CFC production in all developed nations. In 1992 it was amended to establish a schedule for the phaseout of HCFCs which are less damaging to the ozone layer than CFCs, but still contain ozone-destroying chlorine.

One important thing a homeowner can do for the environment, regardless of the refrigerant used, is to select a reputable dealer that employs service technicians who are EPA-certified to handle refrigerants. Technicians often call this certification “Section 608 certification,” referring to the part of the Clean Air Act that requires minimizing releases of ozone-depleting chemicals from HVAC equipment.

HCFC-22 (or R-22) has been the refrigerant of choice for residential heat pump and air-conditioning systems for more than four decades. Unfortunately for the environment, releases of R-22, such as those from leaks, contribute to ozone depletion. In addition, R-22 is a greenhouse gas and the manufacture of R-22 results in a by-product (HFC-23) that contributes significantly to global warming. As the manufacture of R-22 is phased out over the coming years as part of the agreement to end production of HCFCs, manufacturers of residential air conditioning systems are offering equipment that uses ozone-friendly refrigerants. Many homeowners may be misinformed about how much longer R-22 will be available to for their systems. This fact sheet provides information about the transition away from R-22, the future availability of R-22, and the new refrigerants that are replacing R-22.

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Put Money Back in Your Pocket

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Man fixing ac unit

      Having a home AC in Houston,Texas is essential. It protects everyone from those dangerously high temperatures we see here during our long hot summers. It also helps to rid our houses of much of the humidity in the air that can make it hard for asthma or allergy sufferers to breath or sleep.

     There are many ways you can help maintain the life and efficiency of your air conditioner.  The easiest and most obvious thing is that you should keep the condenser free from debris, like leaves piling up on top of it or something being set on it. Having things on top of or covering the condenser can means it has to overwork itself, and causes it to not cool your home as efficiently or could even burn it up, which can be inconvenient and pricey.

     Also just a simple regular cleaning can really help. You should follow the procedures that are laid out in the service guide for the particular unit or system that you have. Try to be as thorough as possible and get off as much moisture as you can. Moisture in the unit can cause corrosion which means having to replace it sooner than you should normally have to.

     Another important thing to do for your air conditioner and you health, is to change your filters regularly, and we don’t mean when you remember once a year, but when it is due, at least every three or four months depending on your are. Some places have a much higher dust, pollen, or mold (allergen) content in the air than others and will require more frequent filter changes. Plus, if the filters are very dirty, they are clogged to the air flow and make you AC work overtime therefore increasing your electric bill.

     Along with the tips we just talked about, a good safe bet is always to have a professional  HVAC company or certified technician come do a maintenance check at least once a year. This will let you know if you have any leaks in your system and let you know if you “missed a spot”.

     Regular maintenance of your air conditioner is part of keeping up your home as well as keeping the family happy, and healthy. If you are consistent with a good maintenance plan, you will extend the life of you air conditioner and help save yourself a lot of money in you electric costs.

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Don’t Get Left Out In The Heat

Monday, July 16th, 2012

Man sitting in front of fanThere are definitely a lot of choices when it comes to Houston air conditioning companies these days. Most people go straight to the web to find an affordable, quality, and local company. It’s far easier to pull up several different pages on the computer to compare prices than searching through the phone book and making dozens of calls.

Searching for these services can lead to many different questions or create several different kinds of problems. Because there are so many different issues that could crop up with your air conditioning system, you may have a lot of questions. Like, “Do I need to understand what’s wrong with this thing?”, “What am I looking at?”, “What type of system do I have?”, “How big of a unit do I need?”. The office or technician may have some questions for you as well.

Most of us never even think about that metal box sitting outside until it starts to warm up and we have to turn it on. The again, some people have a check list of things to go over each season before turning the air conditioning or heating systems on. Still there can be a variety of things to go wrong.

Finding Houston Air Conditioning Repair Company that offers quality service is very important. Check to see if the company you are considering is art of the Better Business Bureau. Then you can look at any reviews or ratings to see who has what to say about them. Obviously if there are a lot of complaints, you may not want to use them. Usually it is worth spending a little bit extra for quality and reliability.

If you know the model or type of air conditioning system or unit you have, that could be very handy if you end up having to have work done on it. Today, there are literally hundreds on the market. First, you should check to see if the company you are considering services the kind you have. Then see if they have any testimonials or anything to back up their history.

If you’re like me, you probably just ask friends and family if they can recommend anyone. Usually this is the best way to get an honest answer and even a ball park on what they had done and how much it cost so you can have a general starting point of what you may be looking at, or maybe what to ask the technician about.

AC repair in Texasis a genuine necessity. Luckily, consumers have plenty of resources close at hand to help out in the stressful times of when something does go wrong. Quality of parts, equipment, and services is crucial. But then again so is dependability and punctuality. It’s a good thing to keep the number for a good  Houston AC company on hand to for those times when things wait until after business hours to fall apart.

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New York Businesses Penalized for Wasting Air Conditioning

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

children playing in a new york fountain

Many New York businesses have been deemed by authorities to be too wasteful, leaving their doors open to let the cool air spill out onto the sidewalks in waves of wastefulness. Just in time for us to enjoy lunch, temperatures were soaring well in to the 90′s while these local businesses frivolously consumed massive amounts of extra energy spanning Broadway for four blocks, from Houston to Grand Streets in SoHo. West 34th had a similar situation in an area synonymous with tourists & chain stores. Between Fifth Avenue and Avenues of the Americas, nearly 2 dozen shops had doors wide open and chilly breezes blowing out of them.  The cold air rushing into the streets from one store in particular, could be felt 15 feet away from their door.

This is par for most New Yorkers but now it is not only wasteful, but illegal. Four years ago, New York City Council voted against this overuse and in 2010 began to enforce it. The new law applies to stores with 4,000 square feet or less and which are part of chains with at least 5 outlets city wide.

Many citizens are in an uproar, wondering what right the city has to decide for business owners in situations like this, to which the Council said simply, public policy since 2008 is to “conserve energy, reduce peak power demands during hot weather periods and limit environmental pollution and local contributions to global warming.”

There is more at risk than instilling a little bit of environmentally sound character. In less than 50 years, this hub of civilization, the great New York City, has endured not one, not two, but three disastrous blackouts. And every summer some neighborhoods lose power, which has affected, Queens especially.

On unusually hot days, power grids can be pushed to the maximum limits. Officials are not very willing to spend city dollars advertising the benefits of energy conservation by limiting the overuse of commercial air conditioning. Store owners claim it brings in customers, but this could be the straw to break the proverbial camels back.

The mayor, not so enthusiastically, signed the law but it is not being stringently enforced. Last summer, more than 500 inspections were conducted by the Department of Consumer Affairs where warnings or violations were issued for nearly 200.

Barry Andrews, owner of Air National of Houston, a regional air conditioning and heating service provider stated, “Leaving the doors open really causes the air conditioning units to have to work overtime. Whenever a rush of cold air leaves a building, then by default, that air must be replaced with humid, warm air from the outside, really making the ac system struggle.”

It’s not only the electric bill that can be expensive, the fines that incur due to the flagrant violations. There is only a warning for a first offense, but it costs after that. A second violations incurs a fine of $200, subsequent violations within an 18 month period can cost $400 in fines. Fines are simply dismissed as a business cost for many stores, however.

Councilwoman Gale A. Brewer believes the municipalities to be falling short in these endeavors. She gathered statistics from Consumer Affairs that show from 2010 through last month, that 348 warnings were issued while only 25 violation citations were issued.  Three weeks ago she wrote the commissioner, inquiring of his enforcement strategy for this summer, but Mr. Mintz has failed to respond.

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Do You Have A Noisy AC?

Friday, May 11th, 2012

Is your air conditioner making a lot of noise? Does it have trouble turning on? When an aging or damaged air compressor is no longer able to compress the refrigerant gas it can no longer effectively cool. You should call a professional technician to examine the system. At Air National Houston we are able to test your system and examine the compressor in order to diagnose the problem. Call us today for an AC repair in the Houston area!AC Maintenance | Houston | Air National Houston

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