Probably the chances are that at some point are going in your life you’ll need to consider the question, “Should I repair my heater and air conditioner or replace it. There are several factors to take into account.
- Your homes heating load.
- The condition and age of your current heating and air conditioning system.
- The energy efficiency of your current heating and air conditioning system.
Let’s begin with the heating load. If your heater and air conditioner isn’t the correct size for your home, you may be spending more on utility bills than you need to and you may not be a comfortable as you should be.
Have you remodeled your home and added on additional square feet? Then the unit may not be sufficiently and economically heating and cooling your home. Most remodels may extend the existing ducting system, which may not be the best way to warm and cool your home.
Hot air always seeks cooler air. In the wintertime, when you fill your home with warm air, it tries to escape through doors and windows, to the cooler air outside. In the summer, the warm outside air tries to come in to your air conditioned home through the windows and doors. The purpose of measuring the heat load is to determine the exact size of the equipment required by your home.
The rate of heat transfer is the movement of air going from warm to cool. We can determine the amount of BTU loss or gain by considering specific conditions and measuring them. We know that it takes an equal amount of BTU’s to replace the lost BTU’s. Once we have the measurements, we can recommend the size of equipment that will cool and heat your home perfectly. Or we will know that your heater/airconditioner is the correct size for your home, is energy efficient and will recommend that you repair it.
Your heating and air conditioning system maybe 10 or 15 years old, but it still maybe time to replace it. Technology is advancing at a rapid rate. Your system may have out dated features and systems. Newer systems have a distinctive energy advantage. Your system may be well maintained, and you may still have problems. It’s common for furnace heat exchanger to crack over time. If this happens you make have deadly carbon monoxide leaking into your home.
How energy efficient is your current unit? Will utility rates continue rising in your area? Installing a new heating and air conditioning system may be, in the long run, a money saver. There maybe some rebates or tax credits that will reduce the cost of a new system.
Need an energy analysis on your current system vs the energy usage of a new system? Please give us a call at (760) 918-0456.
