Austin Air Companie Blog : Posts Tagged ‘air conditioning efficiency’

Air Conditioning NEW BREED: Communicating HVAC System

Monday, August 24th, 2015

Air Conditioning NEW BREED: Communication between parts makes for one smart air conditioner and a really comfortable customer.

It also delivers better performance, better comfort, better reliability, and better warranty coverage. So what is the catch?

It’s designed as a complete HVAC system. There are no piece meal options to get this kind of Air Conditioning system for your home.

You might be thinking at this point what exactly is piece meal and what exactly is a complete HVAC system? Most HVAC systems are Natural gas furnace with electric or grid tied air conditioning that consists of an out door condensing unit and an evaporator coil with two copper tubes known as what is called a line set that runs between the condensing unit and the indoor evaporator coil.

With the above type system there are 4 parts to the HVAC system that make up a communicating HVAC system. Now just because you replace the whole HVAC system at once doesn’t make it a communicating system. This is a special system with special parts and special controls. The outdoor equipment communicates digitally with the indoor equipment for the best performance available today in mid tier HVAC systems. Currently it is my opinion these systems are the most reliable with the best in warranty guarantees and because of this makes them a best buy when buying a complete system. Everything you would want in an HVAC system right?

Because of the energy efficiency achieved by them in most cases the cost of the system will be recouped within the life span of the equipment and in some cases even faster depending on usage habits and the age of your current HVAC system.

So now that you understand the number of pieces that make up a complete HVAC system you are probably wondering what a piece meal system is. To describe it accurately it is otherwise known as a mismatched system. Mismatched more or less means the brands of the system are different, there is no ARI number available to determine efficiency and so on. In other words if your out door unit (condenser) failed and you only replace the out door unit condenser without replacing the furnace and the evaporator coil in side the home either attic or closet at the same time that you replace the other pieces.

This method doesn’t necessarily mean the piece meal system won’t work, it just means that it won’t work as well and won’t have many features (it’s either on or off) and won’t have as good of guarantees or warranty coverage of the communicating system and it won’t be as energy efficient as the communicating system either.

Air Conditioning Energy efficiency is very important for us Texas residents with the last heat wave with temperatures in the triple digits for 30 days or more. I’m sure people all over this area are going to be complaining of ‘crazy’ high light bills for the next couple of months. This is why an energy efficient HVAC system is a wise investment and will probably do you a big favor to sell your home if and when the time comes. Other people are no different than you when they look for a new home. For some it’s the first thing a prospective home buyer will look at (the AC system).

For those that want to take this to comfort levels out of this world you could add a zone system to this equipment. Stop those thermostat fights dead in their tracks… stop that constant fight of upstairs versus downstairs temperature wars. A zone system added to this type of system is comfort at it’s best. Best reliability, best comfort and efficiency that blows the roof off. How do I know you might ask?

I have had one of these zone systems in my own home since 2007. Realize only a properly designed zone system will perform this way. I have installed several zone systems as of this writing, they are complicated beasts in most scenarios. If the design is not right it will not work. Remember the system has to perform in 80 degree weather just as well as it has to perform in 100+ degree weather as well as 20 degree weather. I design them to work and perform reliably as well as simplicity if the need arises to fix the system. Certainly you don’t want to sit in Texas heat for any longer than necessary. Which brings me to the last very important part.

SERVICE AFTER THE SALE!

I don’t leave my customers in the heat after installing new HVAC equipment or a new HVAC zone system. I stand behind the systems and units I sell and install and I can fix them if that need arises. This is why I say brand doesn’t matter. It’s more important that I can fix it when it breaks. I have been in the HVAC industry for over 20 years there is not a single HVAC brand out there that out lives another brand… just clever marketing and advertising.

If I can fix and repair any Air Conditioning brand… then please tell me what difference does a brand name make?

About the author of this blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie, a HVAC Service Company serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.

Austin Air Companie
832~475~6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information you can always visit me on my main website @
www.austinairco.com

Better Stuff. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.

How To Calculate Air Conditioning Running Costs

Sunday, January 25th, 2015

[This blog post includes video content embedded below]

When your air conditioner is running it creates what is known as operational costs. Due to technology and reducing the strain on the national power grid, air conditioning equipment is becoming more and more energy efficient than even just as few as 5 years ago.

Air Conditioners are replaced on a national average of around 1 time in every 15 years. Because of this your home could be a home that is burning more energy to get comfortable and more or less paying for a new unit without getting one because the money is going toward paying a higher than necessary light bill rather than paying for a new air conditioning system.

As of January 1, 2015 new laws have gone into effect in regards to air conditioning efficiency ratings. The ratings for the southern part of the country have been raised from 13 SEER to 14 SEER as a mandatory efficiency increase by the EPA.

There is real money to be saved in Katy, Texas by upgrading your air conditioning system to a more energy efficient air conditioning system. The SEER ratings mentioned above are minimums. When you watch my video below on how to calculate your AC efficiency you most likely will be surprised by what I pay to cool my own home. The video will direct you to my main website if you wish to go there later for more information you can do so.

How to Calculate Air Conditioning Operational Costs

Realize this is nothing new, except for the new ruling from the EPA in regards to mandatory efficiency increases. Also realize design, installation practices as well as the rated equipment efficiency all play a role in the over all efficiency and cost of running the air conditioning system.

The ac run cost calculation included in video above is best suited for homes with one air conditioning system and regular utility billing. If you have a home with more than one air conditioning system or you are on balanced billing with your utility provider, then I recommend you schedule a service and let me calculate your efficiency for you. This is the best way to make sure the calculation is done properly.

The efficiency ratings and calculations are designed around the Katy, Texas area weather patterns and information taken from DOE (Department of Energy) as to the number of cooling hours and typical air conditioning design attributes. If you don’t live within the Katy, Texas area these calculations will not work for you. (Different design, different climate, different calculations… don’t try to cram a square peg into a round hole… it will not work.) I know this is more a flaw of the search engine because they often dump you outside of areas you should be in.

I have included additional years videos below here so you can see that this is an annual event of mine since roughly 2010 time frame to show people what they can do for better comfort and pay for it by reducing operational running AC costs. Thank you for visiting with me today. Please choose your comfort provider carefully. Service after the sale should always be considered too.

My 2013 Air Conditioning Costs

My 2012 Air Conditioning Costs

About the author of this blog:
My name is Ray Austin. I am the owner and operator of Austin Air Companie serving Katy, Texas | Cypress, Texas and some surrounding areas. I am a Texas Licensed HVAC Contractor with over 20 years experience in Air Conditioning and Heating Systems. I hold an AOS degree in HVAC/R, EPA universally certified to handle any refrigerant and NATE certified in HVAC installations and repairs.
Austin Air Companie
832.475.6895
“Your home comfort from A to Z”
Air Conditioning | Controls | Heating | Zoning

For more information you can always visit me on my main website @
www.austinairco.com

Better Stuff. Done Right. On Time. Guaranteed.