Frequently Asked Questions
Heating & Cooling Questions
Simply replacing the outdoor unit alone can significantly reduce the efficiency of the entire system, with potential losses of up to 15%. Moreover, this approach could lead to premature system failure and may void manufacturer warranties. It’s essential to replace both the outdoor unit and the indoor cooling coil for optimal performance.
No, it’s not advisable to have an air conditioner that is too large for your home. Air conditioners regulate comfort by both cooling the air and removing humidity. If the unit is oversized, it may cool your home rapidly, but it will consume more energy and fail to adequately remove humidity.
An oversized unit leads to short run cycles, where the air cools quickly but the unit shuts off before sufficient air passes over the indoor coil to condense moisture properly. Excess moisture left in the air can foster mold and mildew issues.
These short cycles also result in frequent starts and stops, increasing energy usage and causing significant wear and tear. Air conditioners operate more efficiently with longer run cycles.
The same principle applies to heating systems. An oversized furnace heats the house quickly but consumes more fuel and causes larger temperature fluctuations within the home.
A matched system holds significant importance for various reasons, foremost being comfort. When all components are correctly sized for your home, you can precisely regulate the amount of heating or cooling required, ensuring a comfortable environment for relaxation. Additionally, a properly sized matched system allows each component to operate as intended, maintaining appropriate cycle times, controlling humidity levels, and minimizing system noise.
Efficiency is another crucial factor in the importance of matched systems. Many systems purchased are often oversized for homes, leading to unnecessary energy consumption. A matched system, determined through a load calculation conducted by a qualified dealer, delivers precisely the amount of heating and cooling required, maximizing the value of your utility expenditure.
While it may sound like a broken record, it’s crucial to regularly replace the air filter in your furnace. Dirty filters restrict airflow, forcing the furnace to work harder to maintain temperature levels. The frequency of filter changes depends on factors such as the filter type, presence of pets, and equipment size.
Effective air filtration is paramount for both the well-being of your heating and cooling system and your family’s health. Without adequate filtration, dust and dirt accumulation can impair system operation and efficiency. Opting for a high-efficiency filter ensures the removal of a broader range of airborne particles, including dust, pollen, mold, and allergens, which is especially beneficial for individuals with allergies or respiratory issues. Regardless of the filter type you choose, regular replacement is essential to maintain optimal performance.
Yes. Keeping your system properly maintained will lower energy and repair costs, prevent breakdowns, and prolong the life of your equipment. Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in air conditioning performance while energy use steadily increases.
In the absence of warranty coverage, a breakdown can result in substantial expenses for parts, labor, or both. However, by opting for one of our service agreements, you can circumvent these unforeseen costs. While no warranty can cover every potential issue, we can provide detailed information on the extensive protection offered by our service agreements.
By employing a high-efficiency air cleaner, you can effectively eliminate up to 99% of pollen and spores that infiltrate your home, along with a significant reduction in household dust, dirt, smoke, and other air pollutants. This results in cleaner and fresher indoor air, effectively reducing allergens and dust particles circulating throughout the house. Additionally, with a whole-house humidifier, you can alleviate the discomfort caused by dry indoor air, such as itchy skin, scratchy throats, and static electricity. Moreover, humidified air feels warmer than dry air, allowing you to maintain a lower thermostat setting for desired comfort, ultimately reducing energy costs.
Molds are natural organisms present in outdoor environments, where they aid in breaking down organic matter like fallen leaves and trees. However, indoor mold growth should be avoided. Mold reproduces via tiny, invisible spores that float through indoor and outdoor air. Indoor mold growth typically occurs on wet surfaces. Although there are various types of mold, none can thrive without water or moisture.
In HVAC systems, humid air passing over chilled cooling coils can condense, leading to water accumulation and potential mold growth if not drained properly. Stagnant water in collection pans can quickly foster mold growth, releasing harmful spores into the home. Additionally, mold spores in HVAC ducts can spread contaminants throughout the building, often originating from mold growth in other areas of the property.
SEER, AFUE, and HSPF serve as measures of energy efficiency. While air conditioners may appear similar, their Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) can vary significantly. Higher SEER numbers translate to greater electricity savings. For instance, a 13 SEER unit, the EPA’s current minimum standard, consumes 23% less energy than a 10 SEER unit (EPA standard until Jan. 2006). Our product line ranges from 13 SEER to a high of 21 SEER, offering potential electricity bill savings depending on your usage.
Heat pumps, similar to air conditioners, possess SEER ratings and Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) ratings to gauge heating efficiency. A higher HSPF rating equates to increased energy savings, with the scale ranging from 7.5 to 13.0.
Modern high-efficiency furnaces can yield up to 50% in operational cost savings compared to older models. Many pre-1990 furnaces boast Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings of 65% or less. As of May 1, 2013, the minimum AFUE rated furnace permissible for sale in the US is 80% in southern states and 90% in northern states.
Cooling:
Upgrade to a high-efficiency air conditioner: Switching to a more efficient air conditioning system can reduce electricity bills by up to one-third. Consult our professional technicians to ensure the system is properly sized for your home, avoiding over- or under-cooling. [Link to current offerings]
Adjust the temperature: Set your thermostat above 75°F during summer to save electricity. Each degree below this adds three to five percent to your energy bill.
Install ceiling fans: Change the blade direction to counter-clockwise in summer for a gentle breeze.
Schedule annual maintenance: Ensure peak efficiency and catch potential breakdowns early with yearly maintenance by licensed technicians.
Keep vents unblocked: Ensure supply and return air vents are free of obstructions for efficient cooling and even air distribution.
Heating:
Upgrade to a high-efficiency furnace: New models use up to 50% less fuel, saving up to 25% on heating costs annually. Opt for a model with an energy-efficient motor for additional savings. [Let us show you the advantages]
Schedule annual maintenance: Ensure peak efficiency and catch potential breakdowns early with yearly maintenance by licensed technicians.
Install a programmable thermostat: Control your home’s temperature when away or asleep. Lowering the thermostat by 1°F for seven hours daily saves one percent on heating bills.
Keep vents unblocked: Ensure supply and return air vents are free of obstructions for efficient heating and even heat distribution.
Install ceiling fans: Change the blade direction to clockwise in winter to push warm air down from the ceiling into the room.
Heat pumps are a great solution for your home comfort system because they work to provide both heating and cooling. Heat pumps have SEER ratings like air conditioners and Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) ratings for measuring heating efficiency. Higher SEER and HSPF ratings mean greater energy savings.
Heat pumps are a very efficient alternative to electric heat. A heat pump works the same as an air conditioner in the summer, but it runs in reverse in the winter to heat your home. The system will be matched with a backup heating source, most often electric heat for those extremely cold days of winter.
With a conventional heating and cooling system, saving more meant using less energy. However, a Hybrid Heat system revolutionizes this approach by combining intelligent control for both gas and electric heating, creating a system that adapts to changing conditions.
Regardless of the outdoor temperature, a Hybrid Heat system automatically selects the most efficient fuel source for your home, ensuring warmth in winter, coolness in summer, and year-round savings.
Variable speed fans operate based on a straightforward principle: they can spin at various speeds, adapting to the heating and cooling requirements of your home. Typically, they function at lower speeds, ensuring a consistent and reliable flow of warm or cool air. This capability aids in controlling humidity levels, minimizing utility costs, and reducing system noise. As conditions become more extreme, such as during extremely hot days or cold nights, the fan speed increases to meet heightened demand, ensuring your comfort needs are met even on the hottest or coldest days.
Energy Efficiency Questions
Fiberglass insulation is fluffy, pink, yellow, or white and most commonly known. Fiberglass insulation is cost-effective, it comes in rolls, batt, and loose-fill. It has a relatively low R-value, it can be customized to fit the R-value needs of any home based on how thick and densely it is installed.
Though insulation prevents the transfer of heat through the materials that make up your home, there are almost always still small holes, cracks, and gaps that allow for air to flow freely from your living space. This issue is not addressed with the previously mentioned insulation materials, but spray foam insulation can solve both problems at once. Spray foam insulation is an expanding non-toxic polyurethane material that is installed as a liquid foam. As it expands it hardens and fills any existing holes and gaps in addition to providing a high resistance to the transfer of heat. Spray foam is the top of the line, most effective insulation material for attics and crawl spaces.
Finding insects, rodents or other animals in your home is never a good thing. If you do happen to find one, be sure to replace your insulation immediately. Not only do these animals eat away at existing insulation, making it virtually nonexistent in certain areas of your home, but they also contaminate what’s left of insulation in the areas they inhabit.
If you notice that there is water damage, this means it’s time to replace your insulation as soon as possible. Once insulation is exposed to moisture or gets wet, it can’t be salvaged. Wet insulation is also prone to growing dangerous mold that can infest various areas of your home.
The amount of insulation that a home will require depends on several factors. The size of the home will be the largest determinant followed by other variants such as the region that the home is in, the age of the home, and the type of insulation that will be used. The best way to determine how much insulation your home will need is to schedule an appointment with our office for a free energy audit and get a quote from one of our experts.
Fiberglass insulation can last for a very long time if it has not been damaged. In many cases, it will last as long as 80 to 100 years. If the insulation in your attic has been there for over 20 years it is recommended to have it looked at and evaluated for efficiency. However, since it is made of fiberglass it does not degrade in the way that a material made from organic substances would.
The best option for insulation on any attic will depend on the needs and the location of the home. Depending on the region you live in there may be code regulations that require a high R-Value. (R-Value is the insulation’s capacity to resist the transfer of heat or heat loss.) To determine the best type of insulation that will be beneficial for your home, it is best to contact us for a free energy audit. We will be able to assess the governing factors of your home and help you choose the option that will best suit your needs.
R-value is determined by a grading system used to check the Insulation’s effectiveness. The higher the R-Value, the more insulated the material is. Depending on type of insulation such as blow-in insulation, batt or foam insulation, it may require a different layer of material. There are many factors that may affect R-value such as climate or location as well.
Using state-of-the-art equipment, we will explore every known cause of energy loss. From air infiltration, misconfigured or improperly sized ducts, to insulation, ventilation, hvac system, and more.
Have more questions?
We offer home energy efficiency solutions to all of our customers. You can always count on Green Attics to get the job done right the first time. We use state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to find the source of your energy efficiency problems and fix them fast.
Air conditioning 
