Category: Furnaces

Furnace Replacement: Use This Guide to Find the Unit That’s Right for Your Home

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

There are a lot of variables to consider if you’re facing a furnace replacement. But if you’re motivated by the desire for increased efficiency, stable utility bills and improved comfort, replacing your heating system can get those results — if you keep in mind the following factors when selecting a system:

  • The efficiency of your system is the main factor that will determine your energy bills. Look for a system that’s rated higher than 90 Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) for the maximum return on your investment, which will use 90 percent of the total fuel it consumes to generate conditioned air for your home.
  • Sizing your system is also critical. A system that’s too small won’t keep your home comfortable, where as a system that’s too large will turn on and off more often, leading to increased wear and tear and energy consumption.
  • You can select a furnace replacement system that uses gas, oil or electricity, but you should work with a reputable HVAC contractor to determine which fuel will get you optimal results, as some fuel prices will be too high to get efficient results. Selecting an oil system, for instance, will require that you have access to a supplier, and it often means that you’ll have to purchase all of the oil you’ll need over the winter at the beginning of the season.
  • The advanced features you select for your furnace system will also determine its energy-saving potential. For instance, systems with a variable-speed blower will use less electricity to move conditioned air into your home. Additionally, a system with a variable valve can deliver precise amounts of fuel on a minute-by-minute basis, avoiding wasted fuel consumption when the weather doesn’t call for high levels of heating.
  • Finally, the brand you choose will dictate quality. Choosing a system from a well-known and respected manufacturer, like Lennox, Carrier, or Trane, will ensure a quality system and generous warranty.

Select your furnace replacement system using this guide, and get the results you need and deserve. In the Greater Charlotte area, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical – a local family-owned company since 1972.

Weigh the AFUE Rating When You’re Upgrading to High Efficiency, But Look for These Features, as Well

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

The AFUE rating, or annual fuel utilization efficiency, is an important consideration to make when choosing your new high-efficiency furnace. However, if this is the only figure you consider, you could still end up choosing the wrong unit for your home. Along with the AFUE rating, consider these other attributes as well.

Fuel Type: All-electric furnaces can achieve an AFUE rating of 95-100 percent. This is impressive, but because electricity is more costly in many areas, high-efficiency gas and oil furnaces are usually the best choice for energy savings. Many gas models are capable of achieving comparable AFUE ratings at a fraction of the operational cost of electric furnaces.

Size: If you first make an effort to improve the energy efficiency of your home, you will likely be able to replace your worn out furnace with a smaller model. This decreases the initial purchase price as well as the operating costs of running the furnace for years to come.

Energy Star Label: Choosing a high-efficiency furnace with an Energy Star label ensures you have both an efficient and dependable unit. Energy Star is a prestigious label that is quite selective about which models qualify.

Sealed Combustion: A high-efficiency furnace with this feature takes air directly from outside and exhausts combustion gases directly to your home’s exterior without a damper or draft hood. This is a wise feature to look for because potentially harmful backdrafting is an issue in many units, a problem that doesn’t exist in high-efficiency furnaces with sealed combustion chambers.

Clearly, while AFUE ratings are certainly worth bearing in mind, there are several other important considerations to make when choosing a furnace. For additional help in the selection process of your new furnace, please contact Acosta Heating& Cooling in Charlotte. We’re happy to answer your questions on many HVAC topics, and we can offer expert advice about selecting the right high-efficiency furnace for your home.

Furnace-Troubleshooting Tips: Give These a Try Before You Call for Help

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Furnace problems can be a major inconvenience. You can be left without heat for days and you may end up overpaying for a simple solution. There are furnace-troubleshooting tips you should try yourself before you call your HVAC service technician to see if you can quickly and easily fix your problem.

Below are some of the most frequently experienced problems and quick solutions you can try out to resolve them. Always turn the gas and electricity to the heating system off before you do any sort of work on it.

Furnace isn’t producing heat
While this may seem obvious, if you have not switched your thermostat from cooling to heating mode, your furnace won’t create any heat. This is a common error made at the beginning of the heating season. Also check to see if you need to relight your pilot light, and check your circuit box to see if the breaker for the furnace has been tripped.

Furnace isn’t producing sufficient heat
If you aren’t able to reach desired comfort levels, check on your furnace filter. If it has been too long since you last replaced it, airflow may be restricted, which can reduce heating efficiency. The pollutants it captures amass and form a thick screen that forces your furnace to be overworked, spiking your heating costs. Replace it monthly to prevent this from happening.

Leaky ducts may also be the culprit. Loose duct connections and cracks in the ductwork cause conditioned air to leak out before making it into your home. Use duct mastic to seal up such spots.

Constant blower operation
Make sure the “fan continuous” setting isn’t on. If it is already off, reset the limit control switch for the fan.

Furnace operation is too noisy
If you’re hearing abnormal system noise or system noise has increased, any number of problems could be present. The best course of action is to call in a professional.

To learn about more furnace troubleshooting tips, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical today. We have proudly served the Charlotte Metro Area since 1972.

Prepping Your Home for Cooler Weather

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

As the summer winds down, residents in the Charlotte Metro area are beginning to prepare their homes for cooler weather. Having a winterized home is essential to ensure that your abode will stay warm without breaking the bank, and certain preventive measures concerning your HVAC equipment are required to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently.

To get your home buttoned up for the impending fall and winter, there are quite a few things you can do yourself, and a professional can help with the rest. Here are a few simple, yet effective ways to get your dwelling ready.

  • Remove window air conditioning units to prevent drafts from seeping through the opening.
  • Check the weather stripping around windows and caulked areas, and add additional sealant as needed.
  • Prevent pipes from freezing by adding insulation or wrapping them.
  • To circulate warmer air throughout the home, reverse the direction of ceiling fans.
  • Lower the temperature setting when no one is at home. Consider having a programmable thermostat installed for convenience.

Some of the preparations for cold weather are best left up to a professional NATE-certified technician, and these more in depth tasks include:

  • Taking care of a full system maintenance checkup on the furnace  or heat pump and any other heating related devices such as a whole house humidifier
  • Investigating the home’s air ducts for proper sealing and placement
  • Checking the insulation levels to ensure adequacy.

Keep in mind, furnace filters will need to be replaced or cleaned monthly for optimal results during the cold weather months.

Contact us at Acosta Heating and Cooling to find out more about our preventative maintenance money saving program, which will keep all of your HVAC equipment in optimal condition for every season.

Is This the Year to Replace Your Heating System? Do the Math and Decide

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Wondering whether it is time to replace your home’s heating system? Before you decide, you should probably do the math to see if a high-efficiency system would be the right choice for your home.

The energy efficiency of furnaces and boilers is most often measured in terms of AFUE, or Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency. AFUE tells you what percent of the fuel’s energy gets turned into usable heat energy, as opposed to being lost through the exhaust or due to other inefficiencies. Though some new models have AFUE numbers as high as 98 percent, your current system is probably much less efficient; some older models have ratings as low as 60 percent.

You can translate AFUE into dollars and cents for your North Carolina home to see how much a high-efficiency system would save you each year. If you know your total heating bill for the past year, and the AFUE of your existing furnace or boiler, you can find out how much of the fuel was utilized by multiplying the two numbers. For example, if your heating bills were $1,500, and the AFUE is 75 percent, then $1,500 x 0.75 = $1,125.

So, of you had 100 percent efficiency and zero waste, your total fuel bill would only be $1,125. No system is 100 percent efficient, but some get close. If you are considering a 98 percent AFUE system, you can account for the 2 percent waste by dividing $1,125 by 0.98. That gives you $1,147.96 as your new bill, because $1,147.96 x 0.98 also equals $1,125 of heat output. Compared to what you are paying now, that is a savings of over $350 each and every year.

To learn more about high-efficiency heating options and other ways to reduce energy consumption in your Charlotte-area home, contact the experts at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical.

Fall Is Almost Here — Time to Schedule Your Service Check

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

With the chilly autumn weather rapidly approaching, it is time to schedule a service check to ensure that your furnace is up to the challenge of keeping your family cozy and warm. In fact, it can be downright risky to turn on the unit prior to having a check up.

Regular maintenance is essential not only for safety, but neglecting to have an annual service check on your heating device can decrease the longevity of the unit substantially. When a professional comes out to perform this service, they will take several steps to insure the unit is working in peak form, which will keep your home warm while keeping money in your pocket.

The most important step that a qualified HVAC technician will take is to inspect the furnace for any signs of leaks or cracks. If either of these is present in the flue or within the furnace at the heat exchanger, there is a high risk of carbon monoxide seeping into your home’s air supply, which is quite dangerous. These cracks and leaks must be taken care of immediately to protect you and your family.

The next step of the service check involves cleaning the combustion chamber thoroughly to remove any soot build up on the walls of the unit. This buildup can increase the likelihood of corrosion, so its removal is beneficial in extending the lifetime of the device. Some furnaces call for annual lubrication of the blower motor, and the technician will take care of this if necessary.

Make sure to do your part by checking your furnace’s air filters each month to help keep the indoor air quality cleaner and the system running more efficiently.

To schedule your service check, contact us at Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical today. We have been taking care of customers in the metropolitan Charlotte area since 1972.