er felt cold and damp, or felt stuffy and
stickydespite the fact that the thermostat was set at a comfortable 72 degrees? Those are both the kind of
problems you get when you force cool air into a room that already has high heat humidity.
At Heritage, we take a different approach: We know that truly efficient and effective air conditioning is
not about forcing cool air into your home, its first about removing heat and humidity from your home. Once
the excess heat and humidity is out of your home, then your system will be able to cool your home more
efficiently, and more comfortably.
How do we design such a system? We start by carefully measuring how much heat and humidity is getting
into your homethrough windows, doors, walls, ceilings, air leaks, heat from appliances and people, etc..
We also analyze how air flows through your home. Then, well design a system that pulls heat and humidity
out of your home and replaces it with cool, comfortable air.
Any professional you consider for installing your central air system should make these calculations for each
room. This is absolutely essential if you want to take advantage of our second guidelinegetting air flow to
work for you. 2
2. WHEN GOING IN CIRCLES IS GOOD: Making Sure
You Have Good Air Circulation Throughout the Home.
If a system lacks EVEN air circulation between rooms and floors of the home,
the result will be inconsistent temperature and humidity control, leaving you often
uncomfortabletoo warm or too cool.
The key to consistent comfort is consistent air circulation. Think of each room in your
home as a section of a wheel. When you dont get good circulation in one room, its
like having a flat spot on a wheel; the wheel is not going to roll smoothly. With central
air conditioning, one room with bad circulation can keep air from circulating smoothly
through your whole house.
This is so important. Experts say that improper air flow can actually reduce the
efficiency of your air conditioning equipment by as much as 60%! They also say that
improper air flow is a common cause of many breakdowns in air conditioning systems.
When air is not flowing smoothly, this puts extra pressure on the equipment to force
cool air into the home.
So how do you get proper air circulation throughout your home? As we said above,
it starts with a system that is designed to draw the right amount of heat and humidity
out of each room as the cool air comes in.
And this is not just about having the right air conditioning equipment. Its more
about having the right size and location of the ducts that circulate the air through your
home. Good ductwork design is key to good air circulation and consistent comfort.
You should ask any professional you are considering for central air installation to
submit a copy of the ductwork design with their quote and go over it with you. With
a little explanation, youll be able to understand the design, and this will help assure
you that youll be getting the proper air circulation. Without a good ductwork design,
youre at risk of being disappointed with the way your new system performs.
At Heritage, our technicians are always happy to go over the ductwork design with
you, and explain how it will deliver the right air circulation and consistent, cool,
comfort throughout your home, even on the hottest days.
3. CONSERVING ENERGY: Making Sure You Get an Air
Conditioning System That is Very Energy Efficient.
Central air conditioners are rated according to their Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
(SEER). The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the air conditioner.
Many older central air conditioners achieve SEER ratings of only 6 or 7 while new
equipment is required by the government to have a SEER rating of at least 3!
And the government keeps raising the SEER requirement because of the increasing 3
demands on our power gridsdemands that have led to some of the widescale blackouts
weve seen in recent years.
Since energy costs are going up all the time, it just makes good sense to consider
purchasing the most efficient system you can afford. The American Council for an
Energy-efficient Economy recommends getting a system with a SEER rating of at least
4.5.
However, its important to keep in mind that the actual efficiency of your air
conditioning system will be very much affected by the conditions under which your
system is running.
Its like driving a car. Your car might be rated at 30 miles per gallon. But if the car is
loaded with people and youre driving up and down hills, or in stop and go traffic, or at
high speedsyoure probably not going to get 30 miles per gallon.
Likewise, if your air conditioning system is burdened by a poor air flow system, or if it
is not designed to remove heat and humidity from the home, these factors will actually
lower your SEER rating. In other words, even if you have equipment with a SEER rating
of 13, poor air flow could reduce the effective SEER value of your system to 6 or 7!
Thats why the design and installation of the entire system is so important.
By purchasing equipment with a high SEER rating, and by getting the right design
and installation, youll be saving the most money every year on energy costs, youll be
keeping your home more comfortable, and youll be protecting the environment as well.
4. THE GOLDILOCKS FORMULA: Getting a System
That is Not Too Big or Too Small, but is Just Right
For Your Home.
Two of the most common mistakes people make when purchasing central air
conditioning are () Getting a system that is too large for the size and style of house, or
(2) Getting a system that is too small.
This happens when contractors recommend an oversized unit, saying that bigger is
better. It isntits just more expensive. Or it happens when contractors try to sell
you a smaller unit so that they can underbid other contractors and make sure they get
the job.
Consider some of the problems you can get into from overbuying or underbuying.
An oversized central AC system will turn on and off too frequently, which will wear
down your equipment and waste electricity. Plus, the larger system will cost you more
upfront!
This frequent cycling on and off will also make your indoor temperatures fluctuate
up and down more, resulting in a less comfortable environment. The oversize unit 4
will lower temperature too quickly and then turn off before removing the appropriate
amount of humidity. This is another reason why homes with oversize units feel cold
and clammy, or chilled; the air is cold and damp.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that nearly half of all existing
air conditioning equipment is over-sized! They estimate that this costs 20% each year in
wasted energy!
Likewise, a system that is too small for your home will overwork the air conditioner
and it may fail to keep your home adequately cool. Such a unit will lower humidity,
but will not lower the temperature enough, so the air will feel dry but warmand the
system will run all the time. And over-running the equipment will lead to premature
breakdowns.
And even if you get the right size air conditioning equipment, you also have to beware
of buying too small when it comes to your air duct or airflow system. The National
Comfort Institute states, Its not unusual to see return air systems undersized by 30-50%.
In fact, equipment problems including compressor burnout, frozen indoor air conditioning
coilsare often a result of improperly placed and installed air distribution systems.
A good way for you to be sure the equipment youre buying is not over-sized or
under-sized is to find out if the contractor youre working with did a formal load
calculation (which we always do at Heritage). Ask for a copy of the calculation to be
submitted with the proposal. This will at least assure you that the contractor takes
capacity design seriously, that hes not just winging it.
Bottom line: there is an air conditioning system that is just right for your size and
style of home, and at Heritage well make sure you get it.
5. THE HOMEWORK FACTOR: Working With a Professional
Who Will Study and Evaluate Your Home Before Designing
Your System.
The EPA states that you should only hire a contractor who asks questions, measures
windows, doors, floors, ceilings, checks insulation, calculates a cooling load, and fixes
system problems that may compromise comfort and cost you money.
At Heritage, for example, we never recommend a central AC system without first doing
a complete analysis of your home and checking a list of factors that include:
The size and style of your house and how many windows it has
How well insulated or airtight it is
How much solar energy comes in through the windows
How much shade is on your homes windows, walls, and roof
How much heat the lights and appliances give off
Your typical thermostat settings
The number of occupants in the home
How much air leaks into your home from the outside
We take all of these factors into account by doing a computer load calculation, as 5
mentioned earlier. We measure all rooms, check insulation, check windows and doors,
and input all data into special industry software to calculate cooling load.
Then we also ask you a lot of questions, such as:
Do you have moisture problems?
Do you have hot or cold rooms?
Are you about to make any changes to your home?
How have your energy bills been running (a contractor should ask to review
past bills).
All of this information helps us determine how much cool air the system must generate
on the hottest days in order to keep you comfortable.
At Heritage, we make sure that all the components of your new system are matched,
tuned and designed to work toget