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Tag: HVAC Installation

HVAC installation in Lake Havasu CIty, AZ

7 Benefits of a New HVAC Installation

Written by Amanda Zink on . Posted in HVAC.

Buying a new HVAC system in Lake Havasu City, AZ, is an investment. However, your outdated system probably costs more than you realize. Repairs and high energy bills gradually add up. New systems are reliable and efficient, relieving stress and maintaining a consistent temperature in your house. You’ll also reap the benefits of the latest technological advancements.

1. Fewer Repairs

HVAC systems typically need service at one time or another. However, outdated units break down more frequently, resulting in increasingly expensive repairs. This affects your household budget and sometimes leaves you dealing with uncomfortable temperatures. You’ll pay for the initial investment and installation of the new system, but you won’t have to worry about unexpected breakdowns. If you remember to schedule routine HVAC maintenance, you might not be faced with repairs for years.

2. Increased Efficiency

benefits new hvac installationAs time passes, HVAC system components gradually wear out. Technicians can replace broken parts, but your equipment may eventually struggle to keep up with the demand. Your system may short cycle before reaching a comfortable temperature, cool your house unevenly, or produce weak airflow.

Many homeowners adjust their indoor temperature frequently, thinking it will force the HVAC system to reach their desired setting. Unfortunately, this adds strain to a potentially already overworked system. Your energy bills rise as your equipment draws more power. Eventually, the system may shut down completely, or worse, overheat and start a fire in your home.

New HVAC systems offer maximum efficiency. With no broken or outdated parts, they’re ready to heat and cool your home for many years. They operate without strain, reducing your energy bills and environmental footprint.

Upgrading your HVAC system also gives you access to advanced technology. Modern HVAC systems have upgraded features, such as variable-speed compressors and energy-efficient settings. These features provide a system that uses less electricity than older models. Their improved insulation reduces the risk of leaks that drive down efficiency, and newer designs maximize ventilation for superior airflow.

3. Environmental Protection

Newer HVAC systems burn less fossil fuel than outdated models. Many older models also use R-22 refrigerant for air conditioning purposes, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned in 2010 because it contributes to ozone depletion. You can still use your existing unit, but R-22 is increasingly difficult to source. Since the ban, manufacturers have switched to environmentally friendly alternatives.

4. Reduced Noise

Worn-out units tend to make rattling, clanging, or banging sounds. Modern systems are quiet, allowing you to enjoy your day without distractions. Some manufacturers specifically design their units to produce as few decibels during runtime as possible.

5. Higher Property Value

For homeowners, an upgraded HVAC system means that maintenance is manageable. New technology can provide convenience and efficiency. These factors boost your property’s value. If you’re looking to sell your home soon, a new HVAC system may be worth the investment.

6. Rebates and Tax Credits

State and federal governments often provide rebates and tax credits for homeowners who purchase energy-efficient products, including HVAC equipment. This offsets the cost so that you can install new HVAC equipment on a budget. Our team can provide you with information on how you can qualify for tax credits and rebates.

7. Peace of Mind

If you’re hoping that your HVAC system will last a few more years before needing to be replaced, you may want to reconsider. An upgrade now can save you a lot of stress and money. You won’t have to worry about your HVAC system shutting off in the middle of the night or on a holiday, leaving you scrambling to find emergency repairs. Instead, you’ll coast through extreme temperatures with safe and reliable heating and cooling.

Likewise, upgrading before the busy season starts makes it easier for professionals to work around your schedule. If you have already upgraded prior to the busy season, you can relax for the rest of the year knowing that you’re protecting your family.

Who Needs a New HVAC System?

Generally, HVAC systems last 15 to 25 years. Regular maintenance maximizes their life span, but every system wears out eventually. If your HVAC system is older than 25 years, you may not know when the last replacement occurred. If the equipment keeps breaking down, we recommend replacing your model.

Air Control Home Services repairs most issues, but some malfunctions require immediate replacement. For example, a cracked heat exchanger could leak carbon monoxide (CO) into your home, causing CO poisoning. Instead of trying to repair the crack, we recommend having your equipment replaced.

Undersized HVAC systems also require a replacement because they can’t keep up with your home’s demands. Inconsistent temperatures, continuous running, high energy bills, low airflow, and high humidity indicate that you need larger equipment. We’ll inspect your home and choose prospective models that meet your needs.

You might need to upgrade if you want to reap the benefits of smart technology in your house. Many outdated HVAC systems are incompatible with smart thermostats. Once you’ve switched to a modern system, you’ll have access to advanced features, such as voice activation, remote controls, and geofencing.

Can You Install a New HVAC Unit in an Old House?

Generally, we can upgrade old homes with new HVAC units. However, we’ll inspect your house first to make sure that the structure can support the system. If your house has weak insulation, we may recommend upgrading your insulation first. Otherwise, a new HVAC system will suffer from air loss, which defeats the purpose of upgrading.

We’ll also review your home’s size and layout. Heat pumps often require updated ducts and plenty of space to operate. Some older homes don’t have enough space for outdoor units, indoor units, or new ductwork, so we might recommend ordering a ductless mini-split instead of a whole-house system.

What Happens During Installation?

When you call Air Control Home Services, we’ll send one of our team members to your house for a free estimate. We will inspect your house and discuss the brands, fuel types, and energy efficiency ratings that suit your home size and budget. Afterward, we’ll size your new furnace and schedule your appointment.

Before our team arrives, we recommend clearing the installation site for easier access. Remove appliances, furniture, and belongings, and keep pets and small children away from the site.

HVAC installation usually can be completed in one day, although larger systems may take longer. We start by removing your existing HVAC unit and transporting it out of the house, then preparing the site for your new equipment.

Next, we will install your upgraded HVAC system. This is a delicate process that involves replacing various components, including wiring, refrigerant lines, and evaporator coils. We’ll test your new equipment to ensure that it’s working properly, then clean up the site and answer final questions before we leave.

Rely on Your Local Experts

Air Control Home Services offers the installation and repair of various types of heating and cooling equipment. We also provide routine maintenance. Our other services include duct sealing, indoor air quality assistance, plumbing, and electrical work. Call us at Air Control Home Servicesin Lake Havasu City today to take advantage of our five-star customer service.

 

HVAC Upgrades in Lake Havasu City, AZ

A Guide to HVAC Zoning: Understanding the Benefits and How It Works

Written by Amanda Zink on . Posted in HVAC.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your home comfort in Lake Havasu City, upgrading to a zoned HVAC system is one of the best options. This can be especially beneficial if you’re considering an AC replacement. With a zoned HVAC system, you’ll generally never need to worry about any parts of your house being too hot during the summer or too cold during the winter. In this article, the HVAC team at Air Control Home Services explains everything you should know about HVAC zoning and why a zoned system is such a great investment.

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What Is a Zoned HVAC System?

Most residential central HVAC systems have just a single zone. That means when the HVAC system is running, it always supplies hot or cold air to every part of the house. It also means there is only one thermostat in a central part of the house that controls the temperature for the entire home. In a zoned HVAC system, the house is split up into two or more smaller areas, each of which has a thermostat that controls the temperature only for that zone.

The way it works is that there are metal gates called dampers installed within various parts of the ductwork system. These dampers can open and close to allow air to start flowing into a zone or to block off the airflow to that zone. When the thermostat in any zone senses that the temperature is higher or lower than you want it to be, it will signal the HVAC system to start running. At the same time, it will also signal the damper for that zone to open so that air starts flowing out of every vent in that zone. If the HVAC system is still running and another zone gets too cool or too hot, that zone’s thermostat will also signal a damper to open so that the HVAC system starts supplying heating or cooling to both zones. As soon as one zone reaches the correct temperature, its thermostat will then signal the damper to close so that air stops flowing to that zone. Nonetheless, the HVAC system will continue running until every zone is finally at the right temperature.

One other thing to note about zoning is that it can generally only work if you have a variable-speed HVAC system. That’s because the system needs to be able to constantly adjust the volume of airflow based on how many zones are currently open and how much heating or cooling it needs to put out at any given time. If you had a standard single-stage HVAC system, you’d encounter major issues any time not all of the zones were open. For instance, a furnace would quickly start overheating if any zones were closed since it would produce much more heat than needed, resulting in much of the hot air backing up. The system would also have major issues with short cycling, which is when it repeatedly turns on and off in a short period of time.

Benefits of HVAC Zoning

Although installing a zoned HVAC system costs more than a standard single-zone system, it will provide major benefits in terms of improving your comfort and helping reduce your heating and cooling costs. One reason a zoned HVAC system can lower your energy bills is that you can set the thermostat in each zone to a different temperature. There are even smart thermostats that can adjust automatically based on your habits. That means you don’t need to heat or cool unoccupied zones as much, which in turn reduces how much your HVAC has to run. Variable-speed HVAC systems in general are always far more efficient and use much less energy since they can run at a lower speed instead of always being on full power.

In terms of improving your comfort, one of the biggest benefits is that you can easily eliminate hot and cold spots on different floors or different parts of your home. You can also ensure that the room you’re currently occupying is exactly at whatever temperature you want, which isn’t always the case with a single-zone HVAC system. That’s especially useful for multi-story homes where you often end up with the basement or lower floor sometimes being too cold and the upper floor often being too hot.

benefits zoned hvac

One last advantage of a zoned system is that your HVAC units will often have a longer lifespan than they otherwise would. That’s partly because variable-speed HVAC units in general tend to last longer since they don’t experience near the amount of wear and tear when operating on a lower speed. In a zoned system, your HVAC units also typically won’t run as much as they would in a single-zone system since there will rarely be times when you need to heat or cool every zone at one time.

Benefits of zoned HVAC systems include:
  • Lower energy bills
  • Set rooms to different temperatures
  • Eliminate hot and cold spots
  • Less wear and tear
  • Longer lifespan

Understanding the Basics of Designing a Zoned HVAC System

To enjoy all of the benefits a zoned HVAC system can provide, the system must be designed properly in terms of the size and layout of all of the zones. In most cases, you never want to have more than four zones. That’s because a variable-speed HVAC system can only slow down to where it produces around 25% of its total heating or cooling capacity. If you had more than four zones and only one zone was currently open, you’d still often end up with issues like overheating and short cycling.

You can design a cooling and heating system with more than four zones if you want, but it will create some issues with zones being warmer or cooler than you want at times. The reason is that not every zone in this type of setup can be a “control” zone, which is one that can signal the HVAC system to turn on and off. That means all the thermostats in the other zones can do is open and close their zone’s damper.

To illustrate the potential problems you may encounter, let’s say you have three bedrooms in one part of your house and want them all to be a separate zone. The master bedroom would normally be your control zone, and its thermostat would signal your HVAC to run when the bedroom was too hot or too cold. Even if the other two bedrooms were too hot or too cold, the only time they’d start receiving air is if the master bedroom was also too hot or too cold since their dampers would be located further along in the same duct branch. As soon as the master bedroom reached the right temperature, its zone damper would close so that air also stopped flowing to the other bedrooms even if they hadn’t yet reached the right temperature.

In most situations, you’re best to design a zoned system so that each floor of your house is on a single zone or create separate zones for your sleeping areas and the other living areas you use more often. That way you can save energy by heating or cooling the unoccupied zones less. You’ll also improve your comfort by ensuring each floor or part of the house always stays exactly as warm or cool as you want.

Call Air Control Home Services

Air Control Home Services is a family-owned company that’s been providing honest, reliable HVAC, electrical and plumbing services in the Lake Havasu, AZ, area since 1990. Our expert technicians specialize in all aspects of air conditioning and heating systems. We’re ready to help if you’re looking to upgrade to a zoned HVAC system or need to install a new heat pump, air conditioner or furnace.

To set up a consultation with one of our comfort specialists and learn if a zoned HVAC system is right for your home, contact us today.

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