Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for routine tune-ups, such as oil changes or looking at potential issues, your home comfort system should receive the same kind of attention. Regular maintenance by a professional technician provides a variety of benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems perform efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
Contact Connolly Electric & Mechanical at 928-251-4327 to get a comprehensive quote on replacement equipment.
Two-stage heating permits 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 kept on the low setting, allowing your two-stage unit to run for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also give more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, improved air filtration and energy efficiency.
Connolly Electric & Mechanical has a selection of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the correct solution for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, running similar to cruise control to make minor adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. You can reach us at 928-251-4327 to learn more about the technology we carry.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a variety of differences. Furnaces today are designed to provide 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 created to operate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers give your heating system an extra bump so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help reduce 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 created after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Connolly Electric & Mechanical for the efficiency standards for Cottonwood & Prescott.
Connolly Electric & Mechanical offers a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help cut back 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 might 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 certain areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that you don't typically utilize.
- Installing 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 heating and cooling costs.
Connolly Electric & Mechanical is well-known in the Cottonwood & Prescott area and you can rely on 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 filled with 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 great 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 have products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
- Good ventilation and regular 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 avoid particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.
We suggest that you meet with one of the experts at Connolly Electric & Mechanical 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 it cooler in your house, but it actually removes the heat from your house, directing the hot air outside. That hot air moves across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing the hot air outside. This cycle continues until the indoor temperature reaches the temp that was set on your thermostat.
Due to the 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 based on region and carry varying requirements based on your location. Connolly Electric & Mechanical will be able to 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 should be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located near the top of the sticker. M/N denotes model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a few 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 Connolly Electric & Mechanical technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a variety of other factors.
The short answer is Yes. Dirt and other debris can inhibit 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 those kinds of weather.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is its warmest, the high setting kicks in, and when its cooler or more mild, the low setting handles the duties.
Usually, 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 can also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and better 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 fix as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Connolly Electric & Mechanical. Contact them at 928-251-4327 with any additional questions.
Identifying the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think about. Thats why its nice to have such a wide variety of choices from Connolly Electric & Mechanical. Whether you're in the market for 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 choose from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the team at Connolly Electric & Mechanical will be able to help determine what options meet your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a tad confusing due to their name, but they actually cover 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 turned around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and might produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.
Of course we suggest you 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 piece as a complete system, efficiency can suffer.
- As with a lot of 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 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 feature outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than more recent models. Buying a new indoor unit at the same time means you'll have a matched system to provide you with even more comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system may send the system's performance records for each module to a website. You may 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 locations, 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 rinse solar modules.
The right thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Connolly Electric & Mechanical has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help enhance the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Check out our available products or contact us at 928-251-4327 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 Connolly Electric & Mechanical can help lower these costs. If you're looking 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.
- Would you benefit from 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.
- Are you taking advantage of 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 equipment gives you the ability to section off areas of your house and control the temperature differently in each part of your home. These systems are best for when you have parts of your house that are infrequently used or when you and your family are constantly in disagreement of how hot or cold it ought to be inside. Zoning systems are quiet and efficient, giving you more control over the comfort of your home. Find out more about the zoning systems available from Connolly Electric & Mechanical.