Central air conditioning systems have efficiency ratings called SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio), the one you’ll see on the EnerGuide label. However, another efficiency rating, the EER (energy efficiency ratio), is also available, but harder to find. The EER and SEER are measured differently, and in hot climates like ours can be, the EER could make a difference in your choice.

Engineers test the SEER and EER under different conditions and the EER indicates how the air conditioner performs during hotter weather. The minimum SEER stands at 13 and the minimum EER is 9.5. Anything higher provides better efficiency.

These features will increase the efficiency of the cooling system, lowering energy bills and increasing comfort:

• Variable-speed air handler. This type starts and stops slowly, runs quietly, and decreases electric bills.
• Thermal expansion valve. The valve adjusts itself based on the cooling needs indoors. It saves energy because electrical consumption diminishes when the weather is moderate.
• Desuperheater. If you live inland where it’s hotter, this option takes the heat from your home and heats the water in your water heater for free during the cooling season.

Regardless of the SEER and EER you choose, having it sized properly by an HVAC contractor who uses Manual J can make a big difference in the longevity of the system and how fast the payback period is. A system that’s too large costs more and increases your electric bills, regardless of its SEER or EER. Proper sizing is critical and it involves measuring the cooling load of your home, inputting those characteristics into Manual J software to find the right size, then calculating duct sizing.

To learn more about selecting the right air conditioner for your home, contact Air-Tro, Inc. We’ve provided HVAC services for the Pasadena area since 1969.

What are Manuals J and D?
These tools are approved by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America to properly equip homes with the right size equipment and ductwork for their heating and cooling needs. Manual J is able to determine the amount of heat loss from a home during winter months, and the heat gain during the summer months. A number of factors are considered such as the size or your new home and its orientation, the number of your home’s windows and their locations, the level of insulation your home will be equipped with, the local climate, etc. Ultimately, this helps your contractor to determine your home’s precise heating, cooling and dehumidification needs.

Once Manual J calculations are complete, a contractor should consider your ductwork through Manual D. Here, the heat gains and losses from each room (determined through Manual J) are considered when designing the supply and return network of your air ducts. This ensures that heated or conditioned air can flow properly through the system, allowing for even household temperatures.

Are Manuals J and D enforced by law?

Although most building codes require Manuals J and D in construction, be sure to confirm this with your city planner. Always ask your contractor which load calculating tools they are using, and request copies of their worksheets to verify accuracy. If you’d like, you can obtain samples of sizing worksheets from the ACCA website as a frame of reference.

For more information on getting the most out of your new home’s HVAC systems through utilizing Manuals J and D, contact us at Air-Tro, Inc. Heating & Air Conditioning. We’re proud to serve residents of Pasadena and the greater Los Angeles area.

Poor installation and design practices can seriously compromise the performance of ducts, by as much as 75 percent according to some estimates. Whether the result of insufficient insulation, leaks or poor design, ducts that allow energy loss result in uncomfortable rooms, longer-running HVAC cycles and high energy bills. By following Manual D, the leading ductwork design methodology developed by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), you can ensure that your new duct system meets industry specifications for comfort and efficiency. The methodology includes tasks like:

• Locating as much of the ductwork as possible in areas of the home that have access to conditioned air
• Employing two separate duct systems—and two HVAC systems—if the home is very large, or if it’s a two-story home
• Properly locating duct-supply outlets, installing them as much as possible along interior walls of the home to achieve short duct runs that shoot off from the HVAC system
• Avoid installing supply outlets in the vicinity of exhaust fans, which will quickly suck conditioned air into the vents before being distributed in the room
• Designing the right type of duct-return system in the home, and ideally using a multiple-return design so that every room has a return-air duct
• Insulating ducts that are positioned outside of conditioned areas to limit conduction losses
• Mechanically fastening the joints of duct pipes, and sealing them with fiberglass mesh and mastic sealant to promote a tight system
• Measuring airflow rates through the ducts to ensure that duct leakage rates are lower than 5 percent of the system’s total airflow.

Are you taking ductwork design seriously? It has a lifelong impact on your Pasadena home, so contact Air-Tro today to schedule a free home consultation.

Air leaks

Document the areas around your home that leak. You likely know of many already, as drafts from under doors or around windows are easy to feel. Check other places around the home’s exterior where air leaks are likely to occur, such as areas where utilities protrude through the home, around baseboards, behind electrical outlets, and the like.

To close air leaks, use basic home caulking, applying material designed for the interior along the areas where leaks occur, and using exterior caulking to close up leaks around the perimeter of the home’s exterior.

Insulation

If you seal all air leaks in your home, but your energy evaluation neglects to take insulation into account, you may still have large amounts of energy loss. If insulation levels aren’t up to par in the walls, floors, attic and so forth, heat will move through the building. In summer, this means heat will move into the home, causing the interior temperature to rise, and increasing air conditioning costs. Conduct a visual inspection to ensure that the areas you can see are insulated, such as around the attic hatch, on the floors, and around protrusions through the attic flooring. You’ll need to hire an expert to conduct a thorough evaluation of insulation in areas like walls.

Additional steps

Boost home efficiency by considering elements in the home that generate heat, contributing to a higher cooling load. Replace lighting with efficient options like compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and choose appliances that don’t draw energy when they’re in standby mode. When upgrading, choose Energy Star-qualified equipment that consumes less energy.

If you’d like to get even better results, contact Air-Tro to schedule a professional energy audit. We serve homeowners in greater Pasadena. Give us call or visit our website for more information.

Looking for an investment in your home that’s guaranteed to get a big return? Then schedule a heat pump maintenance appointment this spring. It’s arguably the most important maintenance task you can do, as it requires a nominal cost and nets a return of higher operating efficiency, energy savings, reliability and low repair costs. Your system will last longer too. Who can argue with benefits like that?

Without regular maintenance, a heat pump can operate as much as 25 percent less efficiently than a system that’s cared for regularly. That’s a huge cost to you in terms of energy consumption. Can you afford to pay that kind of money over the life of your system if you don’t invest in heat pump maintenance? The real question is this: Can you afford not to invest in maintenance?

• During maintenance, your technician will thoroughly clean the heat pump, ensuring that its performance potential isn’t prohibited by dirty coils, which impact heat transfer, or dirt buildup on the motor, which causes it to consume more energy. A clean system runs optimally.
• You’ll net energy savings when your heat pump runs as efficiently as possible. Heat pumps use less energy when they’re unencumbered by dirt buildup. Over the life of the system, you’ll use less energy when you invest in heat pump maintenance.
• Heat pumps that are cared for require fewer repairs, too. That’s one reason manufacturers require proof of annual service before they’ll cover a part replacement under the warranty.
• Experts agree that regularly servicing a heat pump extends its lifespan, by some estimations, as much as five years. A longer-lasting system boosts your return on investment, eliminating the need to pay for a replacement system if you were to neglect the heat pump.

When your heat pump runs efficiently, the overall efficiency of your home increases, especially if you’ve made upgrades to the insulation in your home or had the ductwork sealed. Don’t let an inefficient heat pump compromise your investment. In Pasadena, contact Air-Tro to make an appointment.

Air-Tro Nabs Another Prestigious Award for Their Air Conditioning and Heating Service

Air-Tro Heating and Air Conditioning has an award winning reputation for taking care of San Gabriel Valley residents and to prove it they just won 2013 Reader’s Choice Award in the category of air conditioning and heating for the second year in a row from San Gabriel Valley readers.

The coveted San Gabriel Valley Reader’s Choice Awards reflects the opinions of Air-Tro’s most valuable critics, their customers. What are their customers saying about them? From Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena, “They showed up before dawn, worked in the dark and later in the rain to finish the job. We LOVE Air-Tro!” From a San Gabriel customer, “Excellent work. Completed in less than 4 days.”

Clearly, Air-Tro is delivering when it comes to providing reliable Los Angeles HVAC service. This latest award is a long string of awards honoring over four decades of Air-Tro HVAC expertise. Air-Tro has received Angie’s Super Service Award five times, a qualification that only about five percent of all the companies on Angie’s site receive. They were also awarded the 2011 Contractor of the Year Award by Air Conditioning Contractors of America.

Air-Tro Air Conditioning and Heating is a full service HVAC one stop source that designs, installs, repairs and maintains air conditioning systems in the greater Los Angeles Area. According to Air-Tro’s mission statement, “To be a one stop source means to have the know-how in all areas of air conditioning, filtration, purification and heating. We design, install, repair and maintain air conditioning and heating systems and we are licensed to do electrical and plumbing as needed.”

Customers can find a full list of their services online at www.airtro.com along with testimonials about their work from HVAC clients all over the Los Angeles valley. They are dedicated to helping homeowners and business owners cut their energy costs by providing the most effective HVAC design and installation that focuses on energy efficiency and environmentally friendly methods.

More About Air-Tro Air Conditioning and Heating:

Air-Tro Air Conditioning and Heating has been taking care of the San Gabriel Valley since John Helbing founded the company in 1969. Now his sons Tony and Bob Helbing continue the family tradition of craftsmanship, quality and comfort. Recognized as Contractor of the Year in 2011 by the Air Conditioning Contractors Association; five-time winner of the Angie’s List Super Service Award.  For more information visit www.airtro.com

If you have an electronic air cleaner running in your home, you’ll benefit from its ability to target—and remove—dust particles, pollen and more in the air. Electronic air cleaners, however, do require a bit of maintenance to keep them in good operating condition. But don’t worry. Maintenance is easy. All you need to do is keep a close eye on the collector plates.

Whether you employ one or more portable units, or a whole-house electronic air cleaner, the unit uses collector plates to attract and contain electronically charged particles. Over time, particle buildup on the collector plates will meet capacity. To maintain optimal indoor air quality, you’re required to clean the plates. The owner’s manual should instruct you on how often to clean the plates, but generally every three months is sufficient. You can also talk to your HVAC contractor about the frequency of cleanings, as certain conditions in the home such as the presence of pets or home occupants that suffer from serious allergies may mean you should clean the plates more often.

To clean the collector plates, follow these instructions:

• Make sure the furnace or air conditioner is off.
• Shut down power to the air cleaner.
• Wait about a minute, and then open the access door.
• Remove the collector plates and the pre-filter; then shut the access door.
• You can wash the collector plates in the dishwasher or tub, but consult the manufacturer’s directions to choose the best method.
• If using the dishwasher, gently rest the collector plates on top of some glasses to avoid the spokes on the dishwasher trays from penetrating the sensitive components of the collector plates. Instead of using the drying cycle, allow the plates to air-dry before replacing them.
• If using the tub, fill the tub with a few inches of water, and let about a cup of dishwasher soap dissolve. Then, gently agitate the collector plates a few times, after allowing them to soak for about 15 minutes. Completely air-dry the plates, and then replace them.
• Install a new pre-filter.

If you’d like expert help with maintenance for electronic air cleaners, contact Air-Tro. We serve homeowners in greater Pasadena.

No matter how efficiently your air conditioner and furnace operate, if you have any of these features in your home, you’re likely to experience hot and cold zones:

• Two levels
• Large space like a great room
• A room with a vaulted ceiling
• Remodeled spaces above a garage or in an attic
• Rooms with large windows
• An area of the home constructed over a concrete slab
• A rambling home design plan that extends out into multiple directions

It’s helpful to learn how some of these design features impact heating/cooling. In homes with two floors, rising heat causes comfort problems. In summer, for instance, the upper floor will always be hotter than the first floor, and therefore require more cooling to remain comfortable. If you crank up the A/C, however, the first floor would become frigid.

A similar process occurs in rooms with large window expanses. Heat accesses the home through the window panes, raising the cooling load in that space; however, other rooms in the home with standard-size windows will have a lower cooling load. A single HVAC system and ductwork servicing rooms with differing loads can’t meet the demand.

Employing a zoning system resolves these problems. Working with your contractor, you’ll group your home into zones with similar heating/cooling loads. Then, the contractor will install dampers in the ducts, which are controlled by dedicated thermostats. You can then set the thermostat in each space, and the dampers will open and close to deliver just enough cooled and heated air to meet the load in that space.

For help installing a zoning system in your home in greater Pasadena, contact Air-Tro today! We’re happy to help resolve your comfort problems — once and for all.

Professional A/C maintenance involves these tasks:

• Checking the system’s refrigerant charge. Undercharged systems require additional refrigerant to reach manufacturer recommended levels
• Looking for refrigerant leaks. Refrigerant is harmful to the environment—and to humans—and any leaks in refrigerant lines should be repaired promptly
• Measuring airflow through the coils, ensuring the system functions at the proper capacity
• Checking ductwork for obstructions and/or leaks, and resolving comfort problems by sealing leaks, repairing damage and insulating as necessary
• Testing the electric controls, lubricating the motor, tightening connections and ensuring the nonconductive coating is up to par
• Checking the motor and belts for proper operation
• Testing the thermostat’s accuracy, and calibrating it as necessary
• Inspecting the controls, so that the heating mode is locked out when the cooling system runs, and vice versa
• Cleaning all components thoroughly, and replacing worn parts as needed

With a comprehensive investigation of the system’s condition, A/C maintenance ensures the efficiency of the system, its capacity to comfortably cool your home, and its ability to adequately meet the home’s cooling load. You can boost the results of professional A/C maintenance by servicing the A/C throughout the cooling season by:

• Replacing the air filter at the start of the season.
• Checking the filter once a month when the A/C runs continuously, and replacing it when it’s full.
• Checking the area around the condenser unit, faithfully removing old vegetation, grass clippings and other landscaping that could block the airflow of the unit, or access the components inside it
• Ensuring that all registers and grilles are not blocked by draperies, furniture or other objects that would otherwise prevent sufficient airflow into the living spaces

Air-Tro serves homeowners in greater Pasadena with quality cooling and heating equipment, superior installations and preventive maintenance plans. Give us a call today to schedule A/C maintenance, or to ask about our savings plans.

• Get in the habit of removing your shoes. People commonly track allergens into the home on the bottoms of their shoes. Reduce the likelihood of these allergens making their way into your home by removing shoes before coming into the home, or leaving them on a welcome mat just inside the door.
• Keep in mind that clothes carry allergens too. If you spend time outdoors, you’ll track allergens that are located on your clothing inside . Never lay allergy-laden clothing on your bed, and put on a new change of clothes once you come inside.
• Keep bedding clean. Because you likely spend a lot of time sleeping, and dust mites like to burrow into bedding, washing bedding frequently in hot water keeps the sleeping area allergen-free. You can also cover the mattress and pillows with dust mite-proof covers.
• Clean with the right tools. Dusting with a tool that employs electrostatic material helps to trap dust and allergens, rather than simply spreading it around. Using a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuum also boosts cleaning practices, as this type of vacuum permanently traps allergens inside of it.
• Keep humidity levels low. If you commonly experience high levels of moisture in the home, ensure that exhaust vents aren’t directed back inside the home, consider using a dehumidifier, or install Ultraviolet (UV) lights to destroy mold spores, bacteria and viruses.
• Use an air cleaner. Whole-house systems typically employ multiple technologies like UV lights, a high-efficiency filter, and a catalyst to combat all three classes of contaminants like particulates, bioaerosols, and odors and volatile organic compounds.

If you’d like expert advice to improve indoor air quality in your greater Pasadena home, contact Air-Tro today! We’re happy to help you select the best indoor air quality improvements to get the job done. Give us a call today or visit our website for more information.