As a homeowner, the thought of purchasing a new HVAC unit can be intimidating and daunting. Does my home have central heating? Do I need just a furnace, air conditioner, or both? What are my options with installing a geothermal system? These are valid questions that may not have transparent answers. Your friends and heating and cooling experts at Wyckoff have some things for you to consider before you look into having a new HVAC unit installed.
Table of contents
- Research Your HVAC Options and Ask for Help
- Have Your Home Air Ducts Inspected
- Furnace Considerations
- AC Unit Considerations
- Consider Installing a Geothermal System
- Choose the Right HVAC Expert
Research Your HVAC Options And Ask For Help
When your HVAC unit breaks down, it’s easy to accept the first recommendation you find online and call it good. However, you might be losing out on hundreds, even thousands of dollars if you don’t take the time to shop around and weigh your options. Before taking the first HVAC system that you see, research multiple different brands and models to see which ones would fit your home best. Each major manufacturer has a variety of different models with different pros and cons depending on what you are looking to spend. As always, the experts at Wyckoff Heating & Cooling are here to give you whatever insight you are looking for. Feel free to contact us with any questions and to get a quote on an HVAC installation!
It’s also worth noting that if you are looking to upgrade your system, a technician will need to determine if your house needs preparatory installation work. If you are unsure whether or not you need additional installation, consult a Wyckoff HVAC technician.
Have Your Home Air Ducts Inspected
A new HVAC unit is only as good as its ductwork. You need to make sure that whatever HVAC system you are looking to purchase is capable of delivering warm and cold air throughout your house. Hire a service technician from Wyckoff to come out and make sure that there are no broken seals or joints throughout your system. Foregoing an air duct inspection can result in the loss of 10-30% in efficiency from your brand new HVAC unit.
Inspecting your air ducts for dust, pollen, and even mold that could be spread throughout your entire home should also be a priority. Apart from just having your air ducts inspected for leaks, we recommend having our experts provide duct cleaning with the state of the art Rotobrush air cleaning system. This camera-guided system brushes and vacuums directly at the source so that we never have to use chemicals or sealants.
Considerations for Replacing Your Furnace
Central heating systems can be confusing to the average homeowner who is unaware of the technicality involved with furnace units. Terms such as single-stage, dual-stage, true modulation, and static power can seem like sensory overload when you simply just want a furnace that heats up your home. Here are the things you want to consider when shopping around for a new furnace unit to be installed in your Iowa home.
SEER
This acronym stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. As efficiency technologies improve for HVAC units, it’s important that we have a ranking system that keeps up with them. A SEER scale is measured from 0-21, with 13 being the lowest efficiency rating allowed by law (at the moment). It is calculated by the amount of heating or cooling output divided by the total electrical energy to do so. The higher the SEER number of the furnace unit you are looking to install, the more efficiently you can expect it to perform year-round.
Types of Furnaces
This is the part where most people tend to get lost, which is why we are here for you! Since consumers have such drastic differences in price points that they are willing to pay for a new furnace, manufacturers have split central heating furnaces into three standard categories.
Single-stage furnace
These types of furnaces only have one heat setting: high. So when it is on, it is cooking at full blast until your house meets the temperature it needs to be at before shutting off. This process continues on a cycle, with your house temperature staying within the same median range of temperatures.
Two-stage furnace
As you might have guessed, a two-stage furnace operates simultaneously with a high and low setting. The low setting constantly runs to make sure that the air temperature does not fall far below your desired house temperature. This allows the high setting to run less often, ultimately saving you more money.
Modulating furnace
Some of the newest furnaces are capable of operating with a modulating flame that adjusts with the desired temperature of your home. As long as they are on, these units run almost consistently. They are created with offering the highest efficiency possible for modern furnace systems. To learn more about modulating furnaces, get in contact with us today.
Considerations for Buying The Right Air Conditioning Unit
It’s also important to think about how you can efficiently keep your home cool. Thankfully for the sake of homeowners, air conditioning units are a little more universal and have a little less to consider when having a new air conditioner installed.
Preferred accessories for efficient air conditioners
You will want to get an air conditioning unit that maximizes its efficiency and life expectancy to get the largest return on investment. Look for air conditioners that have these elements in place:
Variable speed settings
Air conditioners with variable speed scroll compressors and blowers produce less noise and are more efficient than traditional ones.
Evaporator coils
When choosing an air conditioning unit, look for one that comes with an all-aluminum evaporator coil. These are less likely to leak or break down from corrosion compared to those that are steel or copper.
ENERGY STAR rating
Much like the SEER score that you will want to consider for your furnace unit, you will want to check that the air conditioning unit has an ENERGY STAR rating. This means that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy have rewarded it for being such an efficient system.
Phasing out R-22 refrigerant
On the topic of efficiency, it’s out with the old products and in with the new. The environmentally destructive R-22 refrigerant will be universally phased out of production by the year 2020 (if nothing changes from now until then). New systems operate by using the much more eco-friendly R-410A refrigerant, so be aware of that when you need refrigerant replaced. To learn more about this, you can read a previous article we wrote about the R-22 phase-out.
Geothermal Systems
One of the greatest advancements to happen in recent HVAC technology was the introduction of geothermal systems for homes and businesses. Geothermal heating and cooling systems are quite amazing for a handful of reasons.
Maximum energy efficiency
Geothermal systems are capable of reducing energy costs for Iowa homeowners by up to 80% on an annual basis.
Great for the environment
They use energy from the Earth below us to heat and cool your home, creating zero greenhouse emissions in the process.
Easy installation
Installing geothermal systems is incredibly easy for homes and businesses. Not only that, they can be installed at any time of the year and retrofit buildings with ease!
Tax credits & rebates for Iowans
To offset the costs of an initial installment of a geothermal system, interest-free loans and tax credits are available from local utility providers and government agencies. To learn more, talk to your utility provider and visit DSIRE to view available incentives.
Choose The Experts For HVAC Installation
At Wyckoff Heating & Cooling, we are proud to say that we hire the most System Adjustment and Verified Efficiency (SAVE) certified technicians throughout the entire state of Iowa. As a family-owned business with over 150 employees and nearly 70 years of service to Central Iowa, you can trust that we will be there for you. Contact us for your next HVAC repair, replacement, or installation!