Frequently Asked Questions

Efficiency and cost savings await you.

• At Energi Air Systems, we realize that purchasing a heating or air conditioning system is no small matter.
• However, if your existing system is old, in need of repair, or simply inefficient, purchasing a new unit can be as much as 60% more efficient than a system purchased just ten years ago and can offer long-term benefits.
• Rather than continuing to pay for ongoing maintenance and costly monthly bills, invest in a new system today that will save you money for years to come.

Proper maintenance is vital.

• Maintenance and service play a vital role in the lifecycle of a heating or air conditioning system.
• An air conditioner lasts 10 to 15 years, and a gas furnace lasts 14 to 20 years if maintained properly.
• As your equipment gets older, its efficiency can dramatically decrease.
• You may notice that it gets noisier and needs repairs more often.
• When a unit shows its age, you have two choices: overhaul or replace the system.
• Because heating and cooling technologies improve over time, a new system designed with newer, more energy-efficient equipment makes sense, especially if your system is ten or more years old.

Get the facts from an expert.

• There are several options when evaluating today’s heating and cooling systems.
• Your Energi Air Systems dealer can draw on vast heating and air conditioning knowledge and experience to help you decide on the system that best fits your needs.
• The size and age of your home, as well as the number of rooms, climate, local and regional utility costs, and utility incentive/rebate programs, are all factors that will affect the functionality and, therefore, selection of your system.
• Energi Air Systems dealers, utilizing the latest technology, consider all these factors while assisting you in choosing your home's best strategy.
• Consumers seeking to replace an existing system often choose a new unit with equal or higher efficiency ratings than their previous system.
• Replacing 10- to 15-year-old equipment may reduce natural gas or electricity costs by up to 50%.
• Contact an Energi Air Systems dealer to help determine initial cost, warranty protection, service options, maintenance options, operating cost, and the proper installation.

Schedule an Energi Air Systems dealer visit today.

• Factors affecting your new system's size include the climate in your region, humidity levels, the number of windows in your dwelling, and the total square footage of your home.
• The direction your home faces, the number of heat-producing appliances in your home, the type of insulation you have, and the number of people that live in your residence also come into play.
• An Energi Air Systems dealer can easily calculate the appropriate heating or cooling unit for your home and lifestyle.
• You don't want your air conditioner upsized. Air conditioners control the comfort level in your home by cooling the air and removing humidity.
• An oversized air conditioner will cool your home faster but use more energy and does not remove humidity adequately.
• An oversized unit will have short-run cycles. Cooling the air may take a short time, but the unit shuts off before enough air blows across the indoor coil and moisture condenses into water, draining from your system and trapping humidity in the home.
• Too much humidity in the air can lead to mold and mildew problems.
• These short-run cycles also mean your system starts and stops more often, which uses more energy and causes a lot of wear and tear. An air conditioner operates more efficiently during long-run cycles.
• The same holds with heating systems. An oversized furnace will warm the house quicker but uses more fuel and causes more significant temperature swings.

It is all about comfort.

• One is comfort. When all your components are correctly sized for your home, you can relax knowing your system provides precisely how much heating or cooling you need.
• Also, a properly sized matched system enables every component to perform as designed, meaning proper cycle times are maintained, humidity is controlled, and system sound is minimized.

• Some systems are too large for their homes and use more energy than needed to cool and heat your home.
• A matched system provides the heating and cooling you need to get the most value for your utility dollar.

It is all about the ductwork.

• Putting a new system in a home without central air and heat requires ductwork, insulation, refrigerant piping, electrical service, and wiring.
• Also required are a thermostat, condensate piping, flue piping, flue terminations, slabs, filter, driers, registers, grills, drain pans, and an evaporator coil.
• Beyond the equipment and associated hardware, the ductwork is the most vital component installed with a new system.
• Ductwork comprises supply (discharge) and return (intake) ducting.
• Ductwork can be either fiberglass, metal pipe or flexible duct. Sized correctly, it can evenly distribute the proper amount of air to each room.
• The supply duct attaches to the new indoor system's output, delivering air to each zone in a home. The size of the supply ductwork connected to your system determines the air reaching each area.
• The second part of the ductwork system, the return or intake ducting, attaches to the new system's inlet and draws stale air out of the heated or cooled space.
• Attached to the return duct is the filter, which the dealer will install near the furnace or air handler.

You may have options based on your home's design.

• The system location can vary depending on the home design.
• A system with an up-flow application might be in the basement, while you may find a horizontal system application in your attic or crawl space.
• A self-contained or single package unit could be located outside on a slab or the roof.
• Your garage could house an up-flow, down-flow, or horizontal system application.

Start with a detailed inspection.

• Your Energi Air Systems installation professional will perform a detailed inspection to ensure your home's most efficient HVAC system design.
• The review by our technician will include an assessment of your home's ductwork, insulation, refrigerant piping, electrical service, wiring, thermostat, condensate piping, flue piping, flue terminations, chimney liner, slabs, filter, driers, registers, grills, drain pans, and evaporator coil.

It is all about efficiency.

• It is mandatory to replace the indoor coil if you are also replacing your air conditioner or heat pump. Replacing only the outdoor unit will lower the unit’s efficiency by up to 15%!
• Your system may fail sooner than usual, and most manufacturers' warranties will be voided if not a matched system.
• There is a rated correlation between your heating or cooling system's efficiency and the indoor coil's performance.
• Changing the current indoor coil for a new one is critical to optimizing your new system's performance, efficiency, and savings potential.

Stay frugal to save energy.

• Normal cooling settings are 75 degrees - 80 degrees.
• Normal heating settings are 68 degrees - 72 degrees.
• You should always set your thermostat to the highest possible setting that is comfortable for you in the summer and the lowest comfortable setting in the winter.
• Setting your thermostat in this way will maximize your energy savings.
• On average, every 1 degree of temperature change equals about 1% energy savings.

Keeping the air clean and equipment running efficiently.

• Replace the air filter in your furnace regularly.
• Dirty air filters reduce the amount of air flowing through a system and make the furnace work harder to maintain the temperature.
• How often you change the filter depends on the type of filter you use, if you have pets, and the size of your equipment.
• The filter should be changed at least every six months, but external conditions in the home and the type of filter could increase or decrease the number of filter changes needed.

Carbon monoxide must always be taken seriously.

• Each year, carbon monoxide kills more than 200 Americans and sends nearly 5,000 more to emergency rooms for treatment, reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
• When carbon-based fuels such as gas, oil, kerosene, or wood burn, they produce gases.
• When fuel combustion isn't complete, carbon monoxide enters the air.
• The CPSC promotes carbon monoxide detectors to alert you to toxic gas in your home.
• If you wake in the night with a headache, especially if another family member complains of a headache or is difficult to arouse, get out of the house fast and seek medical help.

Gas leaks are serious business.

• Propane is stored as a liquid under pressure in outdoor tanks.
• In most residential applications, propane is used as a vapor.
• When liquid propane changes into a gas vapor, it expands in volume.
• Even a small leak of liquid propane can result in a much larger propane vapor, which can be especially dangerous in a confined space.
• A chemical odorant has been added to propane to give it a distinct smell.
• Propane gas is heavier than air, so it will sink to the floor and spread.
• Natural gas is lighter than air and can be ventilated from a structure.
• If you smell natural or propane (LP) gas: Exit your home immediately.
• Do not light a match, start an engine, use a cell phone, or do anything creating a spark.
• From a safe area, contact your natural gas or propane supplier.
• If possible, shut off the natural gas supply at the meter or the propane gas tank supply.
• Stay away from your home until you've been told it is safe to return.

Regular maintenance helps make for a less troublesome life.

• Keeping your system properly maintained will lower energy and repair costs, prevent breakdowns, and prolong the life of your equipment.
• Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy uses increase steadily.

A minor investment that yields significant benefits.

• Without warranty coverage, a breakdown can mean significant expense in parts, labor, or both.
• However, you avoid that unexpected significant expense with a service agreement.
• While no warranty can guard against every possible problem, a service agreement offers a broad range of protection.

Variable airflow enhances occupant humidification and dehumidification comfort levels.

• A variable-speed furnace or air handler as part of your HVAC system can reduce humidity levels.
• Variable speed units run longer at lower speeds, allowing air to circulate through the cooling coil and remove more moisture.
• Variable-speed motors also reduce energy costs, using less electricity than regular motors.
• When conditions become more extreme, the fan speed increases so that the system can meet increased demand, guaranteeing that your comfort needs will be met on even the hottest days or coldest nights.

Money-saving tips you can use today!

• Disconnect and reconnect your indoor and outdoor unit electrical switches.
• Make sure your circuit breakers are in the ON position.
• Make sure your filters are clean.
• Open supply and return vents and make sure they are unobstructed.
• Check the settings on your thermostat.
• Make sure the system switch is on the appropriate COOL or HEAT setting.

Heat transfers indoors to outdoors, which can reverse in the winter months.

• Heat pumps are an excellent solution for your home comfort system because they work to provide both heating and cooling.
• A heat pump works the same as an air conditioner in the summer but runs in reverse to heat your home in the winter.
• A heat pump can act like an air conditioner, transferring heat from inside to out, or like a heater, transferring exterior heat to the interior.
• A winter day with a 35° Fahrenheit temperature may produce enough heat to warm the indoor space when using a heat pump.
• The system will be matched with a backup heating source, most often electric heat for those frigid days of winter, but it can also be matched with a gas furnace to create an efficient, high-performance dual-fuel system.
• Heat pumps have SEER ratings like air conditioners and Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) ratings for measuring heating efficiency.
• Higher SEER and HSPF ratings mean more significant energy savings.

Dual Fuel Provides the Best for All Seasons

• Hybrid Heat or Dual Fuel system combines the benefits of intelligent control for gas and electric heating to create automatic operation reacting to changing conditions.
• No matter what the temperature is outside, a Dual Fuel system automatically selects the most efficient fuel source for your home, so you'll stay warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and save money all year.

SEER is tied to air conditioner efficiency levels.

• Air conditioners may look similar, but their Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) can vary widely.
• Higher SEER numbers save money spent on electricity.
• Today’s minimum standard models use 23% less energy than the minimum standard unit 10 years ago.
• Even though 13 SEER is the minimum efficiency available in some parts of the country, we currently offer a line of air conditioners and heat pumps that exceed 21 SEER.
• Depending on your average usage, higher SEER air conditioners can significantly reduce your electric bill.

AFUE ties to furnace efficiency levels.

• AFUE is the abbreviation for the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratio.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) utilizes AFUE to rate furnace efficiencies by dividing the ratio of heat output by heat input.
• This measurement describes how efficiently the furnace consumes gas when producing heat.
• As the AFUE rate increases, the efficiency of your furnace also increases, lowering your fuel costs.
• Furnaces manufactured in the United States must have a minimum of 80% AFUE.
• Many 1990 and earlier model furnaces have Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings of 65% or less.
• Today's new high-efficiency furnaces can save up to 50% in operating costs over a ten-year-old furnace.
• The minimum AFUE-rated furnace that can be sold in the United States is 80%.
• Our current product offering starts at this minimum AFUE rating and goes to a very efficient 97% AFUE rating.
• Depending on your average usage, higher AFUE-rated furnaces can significantly reduce your gas bill.

HSPF ties to heat pump efficiency levels.

• Heat pumps have SEER ratings like air conditioners and Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) ratings for measuring heating efficiency.
• HSPF is the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor abbreviation, a rating of a heat pump's heating operation's efficiency level.
• The higher the HSPF, the more efficient the heating performance of a heat pump.
• New units in the United States have a minimum 8.2 HSPF rating.
• Higher HSPF ratings mean more significant energy savings.

More commonly referred to as Freon.

• R-22 is the common name for hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC).
• HVAC manufacturers have standardized using R-22 refrigerant for over 40 years.
• Studies over the past decades show that HCFCs contain chlorine, an ozone-depleting agent.
• For this reason, the United States Clean Air Act set a target date for January 1, 2010, on which HVAC manufacturers must cease the production of products that use R-22.

A refrigerant blend scientifically designed to protect the planet.

• R-410A is the common name for an emerging hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) used as a refrigerant in the HVAC industry.
• R-410A is more environmentally friendly than R-22 and replaces R-22 by HVAC manufacturers.
• At the beginning of 2010, HVAC manufacturers switched 100% to R-410A when manufacturing HVAC equipment.
• New refrigerant guidelines are on the horizon to push refrigerant Global Warming Potential (GWP) levels below 750.
• New regulations will take effect in 2025.

Energy Star helps consumers make better energy decisions.

• ENERGY STAR is a program the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created to help businesses and individuals make energy-efficient purchases.
• ENERGY STAR-qualified products prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
• This program places the ENERGY STAR label, a small blue and white logo, on items that meet superior energy efficiency standards. This label provides a straightforward way for consumers to identify quality, high-efficiency products.
• The average home spends about $1,900 annually on energy bills.
• Heating and cooling account for as much as half of a home's energy use.
• The EPA provides important recommendations for energy-efficient equipment, including proper sizing, quality installation and maintenance, and other home improvement considerations to help you get the most out of the heating and cooling products you purchase, save energy, and save as much as 20% annually on your total energy costs.
• For more information about the Energy Star program, please view their website at energystar.gov.