In This Section: [ Heating System ] [ Furnace Stages ] [ AC System ] [ Clean and Check AC ]
[ Condensing Unit Stages ]  [ Reduce Energy Bills ]

When do you want to replace an Furnace/Boiler, or Air Conditioner  ? Last year utility costs were high and the costs seldom are lowered. Even though your unit was efficient when it was new, that efficiency has been decreasing through the years. Just like a new car should not burn oil, but most 20 year old cars are burning oil. Wear and tear decrease efficiency, even when a unit has had yearly maintenance.   Repair or Replacement of your Heating system. If the furnace or boiler was manufactured earlier than 1988, it is just waiting to fail. Dirt, hard work and time have decreased the efficiency. Would you have much confidence in driving a 1988 car to California in the middle of winter? Your heating unit will be working as hard as driving that car back and forth to California two to three times this winter.   How much money do you want to put into the existing unit if you have an emergency breakdown? Everyone wants to think their heating system will only break down when temperatures are mild and they will have plenty of time to consider choices. The reality is that most break downs occur when temperatures are cold. The system is starting and stopping frequently, just like in a traffic jam. Often, you have to make a quick decision to get the heat back on or face freezing water pipes.   If the heating system was manufactured before 1993, it is time to start thinking about a planned replacement. Start thinking about how long you will be staying in your current home. That will help determine how efficient you will want your new furnace to be. However, town homes or condo owners often are very limited to the type and efficiency of the new heating system. Boilers also have limitations. If your system has been cleaned each year and you change filters every three months – that is great! You should be able to add at least 5 more years before you need to worry about replacement. [ TOP ]   Difference between Single Stage, Two Stage, and Two Stage Variable Furnaces Today’s goal is to have the furnace run for longer periods of time to give more even heating comfort. The fewer times a furnace has to turn off and then turn on saves energy. It is also less stressful to the furnace. Single Stage: regardless of outside temperatures, all the burners come on every time the furnace comes on. Two Stages:  the first stage (60% of the burners) comes on first. If the thermostat is not satisfied within a very short time, the rest of the burners come on. When outside temperatures are moderate, the furnace is saving you more energy in using less gas. This unit is quieter than a single stage unit, but the two stage variable is the quietest. Two Stages Variable: the burners are acting the same as the above two stages. The blower motor is the latest technology. When it comes on, it is like turning on a small light bulb, rather than several larger light bulbs. It runs quieter. It helps overcome many air flow problems. Often, you simply don’t know when the furnace is on and when it is off. Sometimes, people have trouble adjusting to the lack of a sudden burst of heat or hearing their furnace. Others simply enjoy the peace and comfort. This motor is very reliable, but costly. So, you should consider purchasing a 10 year extended warranty for full peace of mind. [ TOP ] AC Repair or Replacement. If the outside unit was manufactured earlier than 1988, it is just waiting to fail. Dirt and time have decreased its efficiency. You will save money with replacement and avoid the emergency repair when the old unit breaks down. Remember, this unit is over 20 years old. How many people drive with total confidence in a 1980’s car? If the outside unit was manufactured before 1998, it is time to start thinking about a planned replacement. If this unit breaks down this year; you need to determine how long you will be living in your present home; how often you have the air conditioning on and what the original efficiency of the unit was. Often, the best decision is replacement rather than repair. If the outside unit was manufactured after 2000; repair might be the most cost effective route. However, there are units that have never been cleaned, have had external damage (dog urine and kids throwing rocks at the unit are 2 good examples) that make replacement the better choice. See also “It Is The Feds” for more details on availability of condensing units [ TOP ]    AC: You Need to Clean and Check the system EACH year. A dirty unit takes more refrigerant, operates under a heavier load and is far less efficient. Just think about filling a car up with bags of dirt and driving it up Pike’s Peak. That is what is happening when you run a filthy condensing unit. Also, a dirty evaporator coil can cause the same problem. We check all the pressures after we have cleaned the unit. That gives the most accurate reading. California, with its energy crisis, had done extensive research in the past two years. Reports show that improperly charged units are the leading cause of high wasteful (30 to 40% waste) electrical usage. Who wants to pay more than necessary to the electric company? Even if you did not use your air conditioning much last year, the condenser sat outside all year and is dirty. Think how often you clean the outside furniture before sitting down, especially when you are wearing light colors. [ TOP ]   Difference between Single Stage and Two Stages Condensing Units Today’s goal is to have the entire system (condensing fan motor, compressor and blower motor) run for longer periods of time to give more even cooling comfort. The fewer times each motor has to turn off and then turn on saves electrical energy. It is also less stressful to all components. The longer the A/C system runs, the more humidity can be removed from the home. Single Stage: regardless of outside temperatures, the entire system comes on. When temperatures are mild, but humidity levels are high, the only way to remove more humidity is to lower the thermostat temperatures. This immediately increases the electrical usage. Two Stages:  the first stage comes on first. If the thermostat is not satisfied within a very short time, the second stage comes on. When outside temperatures are moderate, the system can remove more humidity because the running time is longer. So, it is saving you more energy in using less electricity. You must have a two stage furnace or two stage variable furnace to have a two stage condensing unit. Further, this system only comes in Puron. It does qualify for the Federal Energy Credit in 2006 and 2007. [ TOP ] You Can Reduce Your Energy Bills with More Efficient Units Cooling: Replace an older unit with a new high efficiency cooling system, increase your SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio*) rating and save money on your cooling bills. Older units can have SEER ratings as low as 5 or 6, compared with 12, 13, even 15 or 16, with a new cooling system. Your savings: check the numbers below: Cooling Efficiency SEER Approximate Annual Operating Cost 6.0 $200 $300 $400 $500 $600 $700 $800 $900 7.0 175 260 345 430 515 600 690 780 8.0 150 225 300 375 450 525 605 685 9.0 135 200 270 335 400 465 540 610 10.0 120 180 240 300 360 420 485 550 11.0 110 165 220 275 330 385 440 500 12.0 100 150 200 250 300 350 405 455 13.0 90 135 185 230 280 325 370 415 14.0 85 130 170 215 260 300 345 385 15.0 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 16.0 75 115 150 190 225 265 300 340 17.0 70 105 140 175 210 250 285 320 *SEER is the total cooling output in BTUs (British Thermal Units) during a normal annual usage period for cooling, divided by the total electric power input in watt-hours during the same period. To Use This Chart: Estimate the approximate cooling efficiency of your current air conditioner. If it’s more than 10  years old, the efficiency is likely to be about 6.0 SEER. Then estimate your annual cooling cost, based on your total electric bill, eliminating the  cost of other electricity use. Then use the chart to estimate how much you can save with a higher efficiency system. Example: If your current air conditioner has a SEER of 6.0 and your annual operating cost is S600, the cost to operate a new 14 SEER system will be approximately $260. giving you an estimated annual savings of more than $340. [ TOP ] Heating: Replace an older furnace with a new gas furnace, increase your AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency*) rating and save big money on your heating bills. Older units can have AFUE ratings as low as 60%, compared with 78%, 80%, even 94+% with a new unit. The math is very simple: the more fuel you convert to heat, the lower your fuel bill. Your savings: check the numbers below:      Heating Efficiency AFUE Approximate Annual Operating Cost 60% $400 $500 $600 $700 $800 $900 $1,000 65% 365 460 550 640 735 825 915 70% 340 425 510 595 675 760 845 75% 315 395 470 550 630 710 785 80% 295 365 440 515 585 660 735 90% 255 320 385 450 515 580 640 95% 240 305 365 425 485 545 605 *AFUE is the total heating output in BTUs (British Thermal Units) during a normal annual usage period for heating divided by the total fuel input in BTUs during the same period. To Use This Chart: Estimate the approximate heating efficiency of your current furnace. If it’s more than 10 years old, the efficiency is likely to be about 60%. Then estimate your annual heating cost, based on your total fuel bill, eliminating the cost of other fuel  use. Then use the chart to estimate how much you can save with a higher efficiency system. Example: If your current furnace is 60% efficient and your annual operating cost is $700. the cost to operate a tiew 93% AFUE system will be between $425 and 450, giving you an estimated annual savings of approximately $250.                    •Source: YORK®                    Heating and Air Conditioning 866-690-7400 -or- 847-358-3300 [ TOP ] Call LACO Mechanical Services today at 866-690-7400 -or- 847-358-3300  Fax: 847-290-8070 Email any questions or concerns to Info@LACOmech.com