No matter what your HVAC questions are, the techs at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Greater Richmond have answers. Whether you have questions about choosing new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we are here to help. Our online FAQs answers give you a quick response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 804-979-2758.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for regular tune-ups, such as oil changes or looking at probable problems, your home comfort system should get the same kind of attention. Routine maintenance by a professional technician provides various benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems work efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost can fluctuate depending on the equipment size and different features, so we suggest contacting Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling at 804-979-2758 to receive a quote.
Two-stage heating enables the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. Approximately 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is left on the low setting, allowing your two-stage unit to run 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 right fit for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make minor adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Give us a call at 804-979-2758 to learn more about the technology we offer.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a variety of differences. Furnaces today are developed to give more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are crafted to work with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers give your heating system an extra boost so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help decrease noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made 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 offers a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help reduce the amount of energy they require to run. Aside from selecting 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 ongoing maintenance by a trained expert can keep your system operating at its top performance.
  • Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only specific areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that aren’t used.
  • Using 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 want 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 offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to providing customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the appropriate 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 increase 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 one time during the week, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
    • Proper insulation is good for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it challenging for airborne pollutants to escape. We have products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and routine 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 getting rid of 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 experts at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling and have them assess your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you choose which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Many homeowners believe that air conditioners make the air in your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from your house, moving 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 the heat outside. This procedure continues until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level that you set on your thermostat.
Due to the high amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) increased 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 searching for a replacement system.
You can find these numbers on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker should be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located near the top of the sticker. M/N stands for model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a handful of ways to determine what size system will best suit your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size 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 handful of other factors.
The short answer is Yes. Dirt and other debris can impede your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is normal 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 its warmest, the high setting starts up, and when its cooler or more mild, it operates on the low setting. Most of the time, the lower setting can take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting kicks in, you may not realize it because it can generate such even temperatures for your comfort. This may also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and enhanced humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a variety of reasons why it could be doing so. The most frequent reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can change as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. Contact them at 804-979-2758 with any additional questions.
Choosing the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot of considerations. 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 a number of thermostats that you have to select from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the pros at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling will be able to help determine what options fit your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a little confusing due to their name, but they actually cover both your heating and cooling needs all year. When its hot outside it works like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets turned around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and could produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we think you should also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are intended to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other piece as a whole system, efficiency can be diminished.
      • As with many products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These developments most importantly include greater heating and cooling efficiency, but also consist of 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 feature outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than more recent 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 can visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also displays carbon offsets as it happens.
In most areas, rain will clean the solar modules off automatically. If you live in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water may help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to clean solar modules.
The best thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help enhance the efficiency of your HVAC systems. View our available products or contact us at 804-979-2758 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 lower these costs. If you’re shopping 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:

      1. Is your system regularly maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will run more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Could your home use a zoning system? If there are rooms 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.
      3. Have you installed a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may reduce your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning your home allows you the opportunity to divide areas of your house and control the thermostat differently in each part of your home. These systems are ideal for when you have areas of your home that are rarely used or when you and your family are constantly in disagreement of the perfect temperature for the house. Zoning systems are quiet and efficient, allowing you more control over the comfort of your house. Find out more about the zoning equipment available from Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.