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Air Conditioning & Heating Service
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Air Conditioning and Heating Systems and Other Indoor Comfort Equipment

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Furnaces

Heating systems are much more efficient today. They are rated by % of efficiency of gas input vs. heat gain in the home. The AFUE or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency is the standard measure of your heater's efficiency. See the glossary for more information on AFUE. The closer to 100%, the more efficient the heating system is. Older, less efficient systems used to be as low as 50% efficient. As systems age, their efficiency even goes lower. New systems are at least 78% efficient and can be up to 95% efficient.

Click here to see more information on furnaces.

Air Conditioners

Take a look at your home comfort system. If you have an air conditioner outside, then you may also have an indoor coil and furnace inside. You might say the coil is the other, less visible part of your system. While a coil may be a component that you're not very familiar with, it's just as important to your home's comfort as your air conditioner. And, because the coil was designed to work in tandem with your outdoor unit and furnace, it's important that they match in both size and capacity.

New systems are much more efficient than even a few years ago. Air Conditioners have an efficiency rating called the SEER, or the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. See the glossary for more information on SEER. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the system is. A SEER rating of 10 or 11 used to be the highest with inefficient systems in the 6 or 7 SEER range, but today new systems are at least 13 SEER, and the most efficient systems are up to 20 SEER.

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Thermostats

In today's world, with higher energy prices and larger homes, it is a smart move to replace that old thermostat with a modern one. Digital programmable thermostats are more accurate than their predecessors. The benefits are more constant temperatures and cost savings of up to 33% when set back at night and when you are away during the day.

Click here for more information about thermostats.

Indoor Air Quality

There are many things you can do to improve the quality of the air in your home. Below are three categories of products -- filters, air purifiers and humidifiers -- that can improve inside air which will make you more comfortable.

Filters

Thousands of different contaminants are in the air both inside and outside the home. Contaminants such as dust, mold and mildew spores, pollen, dirt, pet dander, bacteria, viruses, smoke particles, water droplets, allergens, etc. invade the air we breathe and in some cases cause illness. The principle job of a filter is to remove airborne contaminants and improve the air quality as air cycles through the home by the heater or air conditioner. All filters do this by trapping airborne contaminants as air passes through them. There are many filters for you to choose from. This section lists the major filter types and general information about each type.

  1. Fiberglass filters. The least expensive filter is fiberglass. They cost about a dollar per filter. Fiberglass filters remove dust and other airborne contaminants by trapping them as air passes through the fiberglass material. They filter dust and large particles but are not very effective at removing smaller particles from the air.
  2. Filters with other filter material. There are many filters available that are similar to fiberglass but are made of different filter material. They vary in how well they filter the air. The better ones advertise their effectiveness on the package, showing how well they filter the air and even how small the particles are that are trapped.
  3. Filters with filter material that is pleated. Pleated filters are the same as those listed in #2 above with one added advantage. The material is pleated which increases the surface area of the filter. This means that there is more filter material for air to pass through and allows for less air to pass through a given point on the filter, increasing the filter's life and improving air flow. Pleated filters range from one inch to four inches wide; the wider the filter the more surface area there is for air to pass through.
  4. Electrostatic filters. Electrostatic filters are similar to all the above filters with one addition: they develop a static charge which attracts airborne contaminants. They are usually cleanable and can be reused many times.
  5. Electronic filters. Electronic filters are different than all the other filters above -- they don't have the traditional filter material. They contain metal plates that are separated by a specified distance. These metal plates are energized with an electric charge. As air passes between the plates, the charge attracts airborne contaminants to the plates. Electronic filters are reusable. The plates are cleaned periodically to remove the contaminants.

As filters do their job cleaning the air, they eventually become filled with what they are removing. Depending on the type, they must be replaced or cleaned. Most filters should be replaced monthly to keep a good supply of air flowing. Keeping the filter clean will keep your heater or air conditioner running more efficiently. This will save on utility bills.

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Humidifiers

In the winter the air along the Wasatch front is very dry. Humidifiers add moisture to the air which eliminates dry skin and makes our homes more comfortable. There are advantages to humidifying the air in the home which are listed below.

  1. When the air is dry, our skin dries out. This makes it itchy and in some cases makes the skin crack. Humidifiers keep the skin from drying out. People that use more lotions and creams in the winter find that they don't need to when their homes are humidified.
  2. Some people suffer from nosebleeds or other medical conditions due to dry air. Humidifiers can help mitigate these conditions.
  3. The temperature in the home can be lowered slightly when it is humidified, with no loss of comfort. When moisture from the skin evaporates, it has a cooling effect on the skin because evaporation draws heat from the body. With a more moisture in the air from a humidifier, the moisture from the skin doesn't evaporate as fast, reducing heat loss. This tends to make people feel warmer, even when the temperature is lower.

Click here for more information about humidifiers.