Customer Education Tools
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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| Q. | What does SEER stand for? |
| A. | SEER means Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It is the number that rates the efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump according to procedures established by the Department of Energy. In a more simple way of looking at it the SEER rating is the BTU capacity of your system divided by the power consumption in WATTS. This means that an air conditioner or heat pump with a higher SEER rating is more efficient than one with a lower SEER rating. This means that the system costs less to operate. |
| Q. | Will programmable thermostats save me money on energy bills? |
| A. | Yes! Programmable thermostats can help save money by gradually increasing or lowering the temperature in the house throughout the day. When having to increase or decrease the temperature more than 4 or 5 degrees the system has to work extra hard to catch up. This is what makes people have high energy bills. If it increases/decreases gradually it will not have to work as hard making the energy bill lower. |
| Q. | If my air conditioner is not cooling does that mean I need a new unit? |
| A. | There are many different minor problems that could be wrong with your unit. It could be as easy as a dirty filter to a leak in the system. If your unit is not working properly you should call a technician out to diagnose the problem and either repair or replace the unit. |
| Q. | Should I be running my system’s fan on auto or continuously? |
| A. | Running the fan all of the time will increase the amount of filtration and will tend to even the temperatures throughout the house. The fan constantly running will also raise the humidity in the house during the cooling season unless a separate dehumidifier is used. It is normally good to run the fan continuously in the winter, but not in the summer because of the humidity unless of course you have a humidifier. |
| Q. | Should my outdoor heat pump run during the winter? |
| A. | Yes, it is normal for an outdoor heat pump to run during the winter as it is the primary heating and air conditioning source for all of the seasons during the year. |
| Q. | My home is hot and cold in different areas. Why isn’t it even throughout the house? |
| A. | These areas are not getting enough air from the heating or cooling system to provide you with comfort. This could be corrected by adjusting manual balancing dampers or repairing a leaky duct. It could also relate to zoning. This is common with upstairs areas and basements. Give us a call and we could come out to diagnose your particular problem. |
| Q. | How often should I change my filters? Why? |
| A. | It is recommended that if you have disposable filters that you replace them once a month. Some specialty filters may be changed annually unless otherwise needed because of pets. Other filters are washable so you need to wash them once a month. They need to be replaced or washed because a dirty filter can cause your system to stop working properly. |
| Q. | Should I cover my outdoor unit in the winter? |
| A. | Covering the unit is not necessary. Air conditioners are manufactured to withstand all possible climate changes. In fact, rain helps keep your unit clean. Wrapping the entire unit in plastic or any other cover that prevents airflow traps moisture inside and can accelerate corrosion. Of course, because heat pumps run all year long, they should never be covered. Air conditioners need to take in and exhaust air to operate. |
| Q. | My thermostat has two fan settings “auto” and “on”. What is the difference? |
| A. | The “auto” setting is typically used and means that the fan will only operate when the system needs to maintain the heating or cooling to a certain temperature. The “on” setting means the fan will run continuously regardless of a need for heating or cooling. |
| Q. | What is the proper humidity setting for my humidifier? |
| A. | Every home is different, but the recommended setting is 35% – 45%. When the weather becomes extremely cold you may notice excess condensation on your windows. At this point you should lower your setting a little to protect your windows. |
| Q. | Should my system require freon to be added every year? |
| A. | Absolutely not! If your system has required freon each year, you have a leak that should be found and repaired. It could save you money on service calls and freon. |
| Q. | How close to the outdoor unit should I plant shrubs or flowers? |
| A. | All manufacturers agree that shrubs should not be closer than 18 inches close to the outdoor unit at full maturity. Outdoor units require to intake and exhaust air to operate efficiently. If air gets trapped inside a shrub border, the unit can build up heat and require service. |
| Q. | Understanding air conditioner |
| A. | Many people buy or use air conditioners without understanding their designs, components, and operating principles. Proper sizing, selections, installations, maintenance, and correct use are keys to cost-effective operation and lower overall costs.
Air conditioners employ the same operating principles and basic components as your refrigerator. The air conditioner cools your house with an indoor coil called the evaporator coil. The condenser which is an outdoor coil is hot. It releases the collected heat outside. A pump called the compressor moves a heat transfer fluid, or refrigerant, between the evaporator and condenser coils. The liquid refrigerant evaporates in the indoor evaporator coil which pulls the heat out of the air and cools the home. It is pumped outdoors where it goes back into a liquid giving up its heat and ready to circulate back inside. |
| Q. | Maintaining existing air conditioners |
| A. | Older air conditioners may still be able to offer years of relatively efficient use. However, making your older unit last can require you to perform proper operations and have a preventive maintenance service done biannually to check for any possible problems and to fix them before they do too much damage. |
| Q. | Buying new air conditioners |
| A. | Today’s best air conditioners use 30% to 50% less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as air conditioners made in the 1970’s. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old you may save 20% to 40% of your cooling energy costs by replacing you air conditioner with a new, more efficient model. |
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