Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for regular tune-ups, such as oil changes or checking out probable issues, your home comfort system should be subject to the same kind of attention. Scheduled maintenance by a professional technician provides a variety of benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems operate efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
Reach out to Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling at 804-302-6657 to get a comprehensive quote on replacement equipment.
Two-stage heating enables the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. About 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is set on the low setting, enabling your two-stage unit to work for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also offer more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, improved air filtration and energy efficiency.
Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling has an assortment of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the best match for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, functioning similar to cruise control to make small adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. You can reach us at 804-302-6657 to learn more about the technology we carry.
The Department of Energy recently increased the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units created after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling for the efficiency standards for Greater Richmond.
Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling has a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help lower the amount of energy they require to run. Aside from picking products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you can consider the following:
- Making certain that your system receives regular maintenance by a trained technician can keep your system operating at its top performance.
- Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only certain areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that aren't used.
- Having a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home around your schedule. They can be programmed to give you the comfort you desire when you're home and increase or decrease the temperature while you're not around, helping you save on energy bills.
Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling is well-known in the Greater Richmond area and you can trust them to provide quality home comfort products. We carry a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to giving customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the right solution for your home.
Improving your home's indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:
- Poor indoor air quality leaves your home with lots of air pollutants floating around. So, to improve IAQ, the first step is to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. You can easily do this by cleaning and vacuuming at least weekly, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
- Proper insulation is ideal for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it difficult for airborne pollutants to escape. We carry products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
- Good ventilation and ongoing cleaning are a start, but air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems take your IAQ to the next level by capturing microscopic particles, killing germs and removing particles while destroying chemical vapors.
- Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help stop particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.
We suggest that you meet with one of the technicians at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling and have them perform an evaluation of your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you decide which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.
Lots of homeowners believe that air conditioners make your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from inside your home, directing the hot air outside. That hot air flows across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing it outside. This process continues until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level that you set on your thermostat.
Due to the increasing amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined regionally and carry varying requirements based on your location. Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling can help answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you're in the market for a replacement system.
These numbers can be found on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker will be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located around the top of the sticker. M/N signifies model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a few ways to determine what size system is right for your home, but the most reliable way to size a system is by having your local Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a number of other factors.
Yes, because dirt and other debris can inhibit your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is common to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also include defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in that type of weather.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is in its hottest weeks, the high setting is used, and when its cooler or more mild, it operates on the low setting.
Most of the time, the lower setting is able to take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting is in use, you may not realize it because it can produce such even temperatures for your comfort. This can also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and improved humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a couple of reasons why it could be doing so. The most common reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay.
A dirty filter is something you can take care of as a homeowner, but the others need to be done by a professional like those at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. Contact them at 804-302-6657 with any further questions you may have.
Picking the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think about. Thats why its nice to have such a big variety of choices from Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. Whether you're searching for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are various thermostats that you have to pick from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the team at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling will be able to help determine what options meet your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a bit confusing due to their name, but they actually meet both your heating and cooling needs all year. When its hot outside it operates like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets reversed and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and may produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.
Of course we advise you to also replace your indoor system, but this is why:
- All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are created to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren't paired with the other part as a whole system, efficiency can be diminished.
- As with most products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These improvements most importantly include greater heating and cooling efficiency, but also involve improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
- Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old usually need to be replaced. Not only do they consist of outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than todays models. Getting a new indoor unit at the same time means you'll have a matched system to provide you with better comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system could send the system's performance records for each module to a website. You should visit this website to learn more about the system's status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shares carbon offsets as it happens.
In most locations, rain will clean the solar modules off automatically. If you reside in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water could help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to clean solar modules.
The proper thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling offers programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help improve the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Browse our available products or contact us at 804-302-6657 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a significant amount of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling can help decrease these costs. If you're searching for a new heating or cooling system, look for products with high SEER ratings for air conditioners and AFUE ratings for furnaces. SEER and AFUE are a measure of system efficiency, and the larger the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, think about these additional factors:
- Is your system regularly maintained? Whether it's a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will work more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
- Do you need a zoning system? If there are areas in your home that are rarely used, a zoning system will allow you to heat or cool only the most used areas of your house.
- Does your home have a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may decrease your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.
Zoning systems give you the ability to section off portions of your residence and control the thermostat differently in each room. These systems are ideal for when you have spaces of your house that are rarely used or when you and your family are always in disagreement of the perfect temperature for the house. Zoning systems are almost noiseless and efficient, giving you more control over the comfort of your family home. Discover more about the zoning systems available from Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.