GLOSSARY
- AFUE
AFUE is the most widely used measure of a furnace's
heating efficiency. It measures the amount of heat
actually delivered to your house compared to the amount
of fuel that you must supply to the furnace. Thus, a
furnace that has an 80% AFUE rating converts 80% of the
fuel that you supply to heat -- the other 20% is lost
out of the flue pipe. Furnace’s range in efficiency
from 80% to 98%.
Air Handler
This device contains an
evaporative coil and blower wheel powered by a fan motor.
It is commonly found on a “Heat Pump” system. Its purpose
is to blow air across the evaporative coil to supply both
heat and cooling to the home.
Condenser
A vital part of any
type of air conditioning system. This device houses the
compressor which compresses hot Freon gas to a liquid
sending it to the evaporative coil where the Freon becomes
cold.
EER – Energy
Efficiency RatioIs an instantaneous
indicator of performance at 95 degrees Fahrenheit. In other
words it is the ratio of output cooling to input power.
- Evaporative
Coil
The second vital part
of any air conditioning system. This device receives hot
liquid Freon and via a metering device changes the state of
that Freon so that it becomes cold.
- Furnace
This device utilizes a fossil fuel such as natural gas
or propane to heat the “heat exchanger”. A blower
wheel powered by a fan motor, blows
air a crossed the “heat exchanger” and into the home.
- HSPF –
Heating Season Performance Factor
Is specifically used to
measure efficiency of heat pumps. The higher the HSPF the
more energy efficient the unit is.
- MERV Rating
– Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value
A measurement scale
used to rate the effectiveness of air filters. The higher
the MERV rating the greater percentage of particles captured
on each pass of air.
Seer -
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating
A rating used to rate
the efficiency of air conditioners. The higher the Seer the
more efficient the machine is. (See the “Savings
Calculator”)
System Types:
- Straight
Cool/Gas Heat Split System
This system type
utilizes a condenser, evaporative coil
and gas furnace to provide cooling and heating
to your home. The condenser is usually found ground
mounted; but, in some cases is found on the roof. The
furnace can be located in the attic, garage or closet.
This system type
utilizes a condenser, evaporative coil and air handler
to provide cooling and heating to your home. It is
different from a straight cool in that a heat pump will
reverse the flow of the Freon to provide heat. Thus, no
fossil fuel gas is necessary. The condenser is usually
found ground mounted; but, in some cases is found on the
roof. The air handler can be located in the attic, garage
or closet.
- Packaged
Straight Cool/Gas Furnace
Commonly referred to as
a “Gas-Pack”. This system type utilizes a condenser,
evaporative coil and gas furnace to provide cooling and
heating to your home. A package unit is unique in that it
is one piece of equipment which houses all of the
components. Package units are normally located on the roof;
but, have been found on the side of the home or ground
mounted.
This system type
utilizes a condenser, evaporative coil and an air handler to
provide cooling and heating to your home. Heat Pumps are
unique in that they reverse the flow of Freon to provide
heat thus no fossil fuel is necessary. A package unit is
unique in that is one piece of equipment which houses all of
the components. Package units are normally located on the
roof but have been found on the side of your home or ground
mounted.
Comfort Tips
Setting your thermostat
can bring energy cost savings. Lowering your thermostat in
the winter and raising the thermostat in the summer by 3 to
5 degrees can save you anywhere from 6% to 15%.
In the summer raising
the temperature of the thermostat coupled with running your
fan in the “on” position will provide a more even
temperature throughout the home and also help the home
maintain that temperature providing a more comfortable
environment.
The EPA (Environmental
Protection Agency) has determined in many cases the quality
of the air inside your home is worse than the quality of the
air outside. The addition of a germicidal light and
substitution of a higher MERV rated filter
will reduce the amount of pollutants in your air providing
an easier to breathe healthy cleaner air.
Maintenance Tips
Maintaining your air
conditioning equipment is the single best thing you can do
to ensure its longevity and efficiency of your air
conditioning system.
- Preventative
Maintenance:
Preventative
maintenance is advised once before the heating season and
once before the cooling season. This is the best way to
avoid breakdowns when you need your equipment the most.
Also, this is a requirement by manufacturers in order to
maintain your equipment and parts warranty. Schedule your
service call today.
- In Between
Maintenance Calls:
In the meantime you can
hose off your outdoor coils; being careful not to damage
them. Keep the area around your outdoor condenser clean and
free of debris and always call your our service department
at the first sign of an obvious problem with your system.
It is imperative that
you change your filters out often. Dirt is the worst enemy
to your air conditioning system. We all know that fresh
clean air is important to our health. We should also know
that our home air filters need to be kept clean not only for
our health but also to protect the air conditioning and
heating equipment. A dirty (or worse, no filter at all)
filter can cause our heating and air conditioning equipment
to fail. By maintaining a good filter maintenance schedule
we protect our health and the heating and cooling
equipment. Also, by changing out your filters more often
will reduce energy costs and promote equipment longevity
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