Our Story: Family, Community, and Comfort

In terms of energy efficiency, the general rule is, that in summer: the higher, the better, and in winter: the lower, the better. However, the point of air conditioners and furnaces is to keep your home comfortable. Therefore, you need to find the right balance for you between comfort and energy efficiency. For energy efficiency and lower bills, we recommend keeping your thermostat around 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter.

In addition to your personal preferences, your home’s efficiency in terms of insulation, ducts, air filters, whether you have ceiling fans, whether your vents are blocked, and other factors can affect the optimal temperature for your home.

It varies depending on the type of filter you have. If you have cheaper, disposable filters, we recommend changing them every 30 days. If you have pleated, or poly, filters, we recommend changing them every 90 days. Media filters or CleanEffects filters can last a little longer and should be replaced about once a year.

Proper air filtration is crucial to the health of both your HVAC system and your family. Air filters prevent dust and dirt from building up in your system to keep it performing at its best. High-efficiency filters do a better job of this and remove dust, dirt, mold, and more from the air. This is especially useful if you have allergies or respiratory issues. High-efficiency filters are better, but not 100% necessary. Whether or not you choose to use them, remember to change your filters regularly.

We recommend having your air conditioner or heater be serviced once a year. This will save you on energy and repair costs, keep your system running smoothly and efficiently, and make it last longer. The longer you put off maintenance, the worse your unit will perform, and the more likely it is that it will break down. Trying to save money by delaying maintenance may backfire by forcing you to pay more on energy bills, and potentially, on repairs if a serious issue arises with your system.

Not necessarily. It is important to purchase an air conditioner that is the right size for your home. If you buy an AC unit that’s too big, it will cool your home faster, but it will also be less efficient and will not eliminate humidity well enough. It will have short-run cycles. While it will cool the air quickly, it will shut off before it blows enough air across the indoor coil to drain water from your system. This will leave too much moisture in the air, which can lead to mold and mildew in your home.

HVAC systems generally last 10 to 15 years. However, your system becomes less efficient and performs worse as it gets older. Therefore, after about 10 years, you may want to start looking for a replacement. Even if you are not having any major problems, modern HVAC systems will save you money on your energy bills because they are more efficient. Plus, they generally come with 10-year warranties, so you won’t need to worry about replacing them for quite a while.

Probably not. Older systems use Freon R-22, which has been phased out and replaced with Freon R-410A, also known as Puron. Puron is more environmentally friendly and more efficient. In addition, the minimum SEER rating or efficiency that we can use today is 13 SEER (older systems are 10 SEER and below. The refrigerant and efficiency rating of your indoor coil and outdoor unit must be the same, so you have to replace the whole system at once.