Energy costs are headed upward and in the not as distant future, paying your heating and cooling bills may appear like carrying an additional mortgage. Installing additional insulation and energy efficient windows might help the problem or you may want to consider upgrading your HVAC system to help keep your energy costs in order, but when you take those drastic measures - have you been getting the most from your current HVAC system?
Tweaking your HVAC System for Better Efficiency
Whenever your home was built, an HVAC contractor did load calculations predicated on room dimensions and window locations to determine how big your HVAC system. The calculations were also used to size the home's supply and return vents and the floor plan determined their finest locations. Those calculations provided an excellent starting place for ensuring the house's first owner received an HVAC system that conditioned the inner of your home efficiently, however, everything may have changed when a household moved to the residence.
Furniture placement, window treatments, and how your household goes about living their everyday life can impact the performance of your HVAC system and before long you could notice that some rooms are too warm while other areas of your home seem impossible to heat. Don't panic - generally you don't need any large scale repairs, all that's needed is just a system tweak.
A Balanced HVAC System
If you're having issues with your HVAC system heating or cooling your home properly, ask a company to come out to accomplish a method balance. New homes sometimes have one trip by the HVAC contractor to balance the heating and cooling system a part of their warranty.
The HVAC contractor will use a meter to determine venting at each supply register and use trunk line dampers to boost or decrease venting as needed. If your ductwork doesn't have dampers, they might recommend they be added - which can be typically a simple enough and inexpensive task. In some cases the contractor may suggest adding supply or return vents to rooms that don't respond adequately to venting adjustments.
The One Zone Dilemma
One of the most common HVAC problems many homeowners encounter is uneven heating and cooling distribution in a multi-level house or apartment with a one zone system. A one zone system means this 1 HVAC unit with an individual thermostat is working to keep the temperature on different degrees of the home. When you have a scenario similar to this and the thermostat on your primary level is placed at the temperature you need, there's an excellent chance that your upper floor or finished basement can be too cold or too warm depending on the season.
It could be difficult for an HVAC contractor to alleviate this problem with manual ductwork dampers as you may wish to adjust the temperature on the level you are actually using. In this situation, the contractor may suggest adding a digital damper to the body -- this enables an additional thermostat to be added on top of the or finished basement level of your home. The electronic damper permits one to direct venting from the level not currently in use and keep the temperature perfect where you are.
In extreme cases your contractor may recommend adding an additional HVAC system to your home. Asking an HVAC contractor to balance the body is a great way to make sure you're getting efficient performance from the body and don't forget to help keep your filters clean.
Elevation Mechanical owner Chris Baker and Miguel Quijas works practical in the heating and air conditioning industry daily, keeping him update with current trends in the heating and air conditioning business visit website.
