Heat Pumps are “Hot”
October 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
According to newly released industry stats, the AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute) is reporting large increases of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps for July 2008. The sales of these units are up 6.2% from the same period a year ago.
In the height of the cooling season, heat-pump shipments rallied posting a 17.3 percent increase totaling 198,686 units for the month of July.
Despite the fluctuations in the residential and commercial markets, homeowners are still looking to save energy and money, according to a report written by Kermit Baker, Ph.D., chief economist for the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
“Households are looking for new technologies, while interest in alternative energy generation techniques and energy management systems is growing, Read more
Air Conditioning System Replacement – Efficiency
July 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Upgrading Efficiency:
In the last article we discovered how the age of your home cooling system can be a determining factor in the decision to replace your current Air Conditioner. Now let’s see how the upgrade of efficiency plays into the equation of a new Cooling system replacement.
Efficiency is the leading reason that most families replace their existing Air Conditioning systems. Let’s face it, if something didn’t improve, be it money savings on utility bills or comfort, no one would change out their working units. Cost savings are a serious trigger for homeowners these days and a new Air Conditioning System can prove to be an investment that pays off in a big way. Read more
Split Air Conditioner Replacement – The Age Consideration
July 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Age of Existing System:
One of the basic factors to consider when deciding to replace your old air conditioning system is that of age. The old adage, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is not always the best, and in the case of older cooling systems that attitude can be costly. Let’s say your old cooling system, be it Air Conditioning or Heat
Pump, is a 13 year old 8 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, the standard by which cooling systems are rated) system. Just because it is still running does not necessarily make it a good thing.
How can that be? Well, first off, let’s explore the efficiency. Today’s minimum standard is 13 SEER. Each numeric rise in SEER rating is equal to about an 8% increase in efficiency. So, replacing your 8 SEER system with a minimum 13 SEER will reward you with nearly a 40% increase inefficiency. Read more