It is important to have your heating and cooling system checked at least annually, but preferably twice per year. Having a technician check at the beginning of each of the heating and cooling seasons (summer and winter) ensures no unpleasant surprises while the weather is at its most severe. It is also good for the overall maintenance of your HVAC. Questions about your system’s status can also be answered and potential issues discovered before they cause problems.

A ductless mini-split is a type of heating and cooling system that does not require ducts to condition the air. This makes them great solutions particularly for renovations, additions, or buildings that do not already have ductwork in place. A ductless mini-split system is comprised of the indoor air handling unit and the outdoor compressor. The indoor unit tends to be fixed high on a wall or ceiling mounted and pushes conditioned air into the room.

Customers ask us this HVAC question quite often. While we will not tell you yes or no definitively, we can certainly tell you some of the benefits and help you decide if a programmable thermostat makes sense for your family. The best part about a programmable thermostat is simply that it helps you really get a handle on your home’s energy consumption. When used correctly, a programmable thermostat will improve your home’s energy efficiency and has the added bonus of lowering those utility bills.

The best answer to this common HVAC question is that you should aim to replace your air filter every one to three months, ultimately depending on your home and its usage. A clean air filter will ensure high indoor air quality, and will serve to protect your HVAC system’s longevity.

A central air conditioning system actually works by removing the heat from the air in your house, not by manufacturing additional cold air and introducing it to your home. In order to make this removing of heat take place, you require three main components: 1) Compressor 2) Evaporator Coil and 3) a Blower. All of these three components work together to cool your home.

Yes, if your furnace or air conditioner is 10 years old or older, it may be time to start thinking about upgrading. There have been several technological advances over the past decade that have increased both the energy and operational efficiency of the units. Today's models can help you save on operating expenses, are better for the environment and deliver better overall comfort.

In North America, air conditioner equipment power is often described in tons of refrigerant. A ton of refrigerant is defined as the cooling power of one ton of ice melting in a 24 hour period. 1 ton is also equal to approximately 12,000 BTU. In the HVAC industry we throw around the term ton to describe the size of the air conditioner you need. In other words, the greater the number of tons of the unit, the larger the capacity of the unit which means the bigger the area it can cool. The larger the ton rating, however, the more energy the unit will use. This is why proper furnace and air conditioner sizing is so important.