Something like this commonly happens to homeowner’s heating and cooling systems all around the country. Great strides have been made jacking up the energy efficiency of residential furnaces and air conditioning units the heart of your system. Federal regulations require the relative efficiencies of equipment be measured and prominently labeled with an “Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency” (AFUE) if its a gas furnace and a “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio” (SEER) number if its an air conditioning system.

The easiest way I tell my clients to think about this for furnace systems is, if the system is rated at 95% AFUE then every $1.00 you spend in gas, $0.95 of the dollar is staying inside your home and only $0.05 is being exhausted outside. For air conditioning systems I relate SEER ratings to MPG ratings with cars and trucks. The higher the SEER number the more “Miles” of cooling you get out of your system so the lower your electric bill will be.

Just a few years ago the normal SEER rating was 10, 11 or 12 for air conditioning systems but with Federal mandates, HVAC manufacturers are now only able to produce air conditioning systems with SEER ratings of 13 or higher. Often you’ll see contractors selling units with SEER ratings all the way up to 20 or even higher. This theoretically saves the home owner hundreds of dollars each year in energy costs.

Unfortunately, despite paying thousands of dollars to replace antiquated HVAC units, many home owners are not deriving the full benefits of their advanced equipment due to damaged arteries, i.e., leaky duct systems. Too often they hook up high efficiency equipment to an energy-guzzling duct system. Studies have shown that when this happens, an HVAC unit rated SEER 15 will perform like one with an SEER of 9 or 11.

Ever wonder why some rooms have always been very hard to heat or cool? Or why your HVAC system costs so much to run? Or why your house always seems too dusty? Any and all of these problems may be caused by leaky ductwork.

The leaks may be tiny and subtle, occurring at collars, joints and at the equipment/ductwork interface. Careless construction crews sometimes damage the delicate ductwork during original installation, or maybe the home owner will do it inadvertently during spring cleaning. Over time joints come loose and duct tape falls apart. Even if it’s a small hole, when the equipment’s blower system is turned on, air pressure in the ducts increases 15 to 30 times. This forces air to escape like out of the narrow stem of a blown-up balloon. Also, wall and joist cavities often get used as return air ducts and plenums. These are never airtight unless a contractor takes extra measures to seal the seams.

Individually, none of these leaks may amount to much, but the cumulative effect is to dramatically reduce the operating efficiency of your HVAC system. One study done by the Florida Governor’s Energy Office concluded – “It can be projected that duct leaks increase total cooling and heating energy use in Florida by about 33%.” That’s an amazing figure when you think about it. Imagine saving 33 cents out of every $1 you pay in energy bills. Over the course of a year that adds up to some real money!

Minor duct leaks can be detected and fixed by home owners themselves. While the system is running, feel along the ducts for hot or cold air escaping. When you locate minor leaks, you can plug them with silicone sealants made especially for duct systems.

Hardware stores like Town & Country and Home Depot also sell special aluminized tape that is more effective than duct tape for wrapping around duct joints and bends. Also be sure to keep the filters clean on any forced air system. They should be replaced no less than one a quarter for optimum performance (its amazing to us contractors in the business that over 80% of repairs needed to furnace and air conditioning systems are caused by lack of proper maintenance and changing those dang air filters)!

While these do-it-yourself fixes will solve minor problems, more serious cases would benefit from an examination by a home heating and cooling professional. Sophisticated firms use what’s known as an infiltrometer blower door test, using technology developed with government funding by Princeton University scientists. This examination usually takes less than an hour. The device fits snugly into a door opening. While your system is shut off, a fan pressurizes the house. The technician then uses chemical smoke to evaluate duct leakage from inside the home. The smoke should just linger in front of a register or grille. If it races in, it means there are duct leaks nearby. A thorough technician will be able to compute the combined amount of leakage by repeating the test after temporarily taping over registers and grilles.

Homes with duct leaks in attics and crawl spaces often will draw that hot, dusty, moldy air into conditioned space. This not only wastes energy, it can be a health hazard as well. This is why, in addition to testing for duct leakage, people living in older homes should consider having their ducts cleaned to remove years of accumulated dirt and grime that contribute to allergies and other ailments. If you think (or know) you have leaky ductwork, don’t wait to call your trusted HVAC professional so they can thoroughly examine your system and prevent you from going through another summer with high utility bills!

As a new section to my monthly column, please contact me with any questions or concerns you have about your home’s HVAC system. Your questions are probably the same questions other homeowners have and I would love to answer them. You can email (Garrett@CookHeating.net, mail (1002 Covington St. Crawfordsville, IN 47933) or even call my office (765-362-5300) and I’ll do my best to help you out.

Garrett Cook is the general manager at Cook Heating & Air and is dedicated to educating consumers about the industry.  He can be reached at garrett@cookheating.net.

Geothermal heat pumps – GSHPs to those in the business – are a different option for heating, cooling and domestic hot water systems with wide ranging benefits!

Geothermal systems use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of outside air. This allows the system to reach high rates of efficiency (350 – 500%) even on the coldest of winter nights, especially compared to air-source heat pumps on cool days.  Although Geothermal systems have been around for more than 40 years, they’re not all that common in this area.

Because the heat is derived well below ground level, Geothermal systems are effective and reliable alternatives in most parts of the country.  In fact, even just a few feet below ground level, the temperature ranges between 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C) throughout the year. Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The Geothermal system takes advantage of this by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger – what we in the business call an “Earth-Loop”.

For many years, in order to have a geothermal system in your home you needed to have adequate land for earth-loop to be installed (or you needed to have well water).  This would normally rule out people living in town to have geothermal as a viable option but with technology advances in earth-loops, you now can have geothermal systems in your home even with limited lot size of your property.  We have installed earth-loops where once was thought impossible.  Depending on the style of earth-loop, there can be minimal yard tear-up too.

As with any heat pump, geothermal (a.k.a. water-source) heat pumps are able to provide heating and cooling for you home.  But one additional benefit with most Geothermal systems is that they can also supply your home with hot water (ranging from 40 – 90% of your homes volume of hot water at energy efficiency levels between 400 – 550%)!  Relative to air-source heat pumps, Geothermal systems are quieter, last longer and do not depend on the temperature of the outside air.  Most Geothermal systems are self-contained in one piece of equipment (called a package unit) meaning the only heating/cooling system you have in your home sits inside (no more loud outdoor units).

Even though these systems initially cost more than your typical boiler of furnace-based system, consumers typically make up the difference in just five years thanks to truly incredible energy savings.  In addition, Geothermal systems have extensive life spans:  20 – 25 years for the equipment and 50+ years for the earth-loop (most “Earth-Loop” piping systems have a life-time warranty). No furnace or air conditioning system even comes close to that!

There are many major benefits to placing these systems in your homes.  For example, Geothermal systems use a whopping 25%–50% less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems.  Geothermal systems also improve humidity control by maintaining about 50% relative indoor humidity, making Geothermal systems a great choice in humid climates.

Other benefits include:

• Geothermal systems can be installed in new homes or to replace your current system, no matter what type it might be (gas furnace, electric furnace, heat pump, boiler system, etc);
• In most Geothermal systems there are fewer components than traditional heating and cooling systems, so this means there is less items to breakdown or wear out;
• Geothermal systems perform excellent with “zone-control” space conditioning, allowing areas within your home to be heated or cooled to different temperatures;
• Geothermal systems work well with other Indoor Air Quality equipment such as air filtrations systems, whole-home humidifiers, etc;
• A two-speed Geothermal system is so quiet that you’ll barely know when its operating: there are no tell-tale blasts of cold or hot air.

And due to government incentives, today there are many savings options!  In fact, qualifying Geothermal systems installed between now and 2016 can get a 30% U.S. Federal Tax Credit with no maximum limit (businesses can receive a 10% tax credit with no maximum)!  Also, most electric utility providers (Tipmont REMC, Parke County REMC, Duke) offer rebate programs for their clients who install Geothermal systems (rebates range from $200 – $2,000 based on which utility company and the size of the equipment). So what this really means is instead of taking 5 years for a Geothermal system to pay for itself, it now only takes 1.5 – 2 years!

As with any type of home comfort system; the reliability, energy efficiency and comfort level provided by the equipment are dependent on how the entire system is designed, installed and maintained.  If Geothermal is something you’re interested in call your HVAC contractor to discuss the specific benefits you’re looking for.  Remember; a professional HVAC contractor will take the time to prepare a custom solution based on your family’s wants and needs, review energy savings estimates, and provide you options on the different styles of Geothermal systems and earth-loops available.

Garrett Cook is the general manager at Cook Heating & Air and is dedicated to educating consumers about the industry.  He can be reached at garrett@cookheating.net.

If you are not having your heating and air equipment serviced annually, the answer to all of these questions could be a resounding yes.  Annual equipment maintenance is of the upmost importance and is often overlooked.

The effects of faulty or inefficient equipment can be detrimental to your family’s health.  An annual service schedule, which includes a heating inspection, is the best way to make sure you and your family is safe from dangers and guarded from various inefficiencies.

According to a recent survey performed by Honeywell, Inc., about 55% of American home owners have their heating and cooling equipment professionally serviced at least once a year.  They are the smart ones.  Annual maintenance tune-ups are one of the best home maintenance investments you can make.

Many problems can arise due to a lack of maintenance.  These problems include poor indoor air quality, increased fuel bills (of as much as 10-15 %!), and accelerated equipment wear and tear.   Approximately 75% of all repairs could be avoided with regular maintenance and system repairs can cost you hundreds to even thousands of dollars.

By committing to annual maintenance, homeowners can extend equipment life as much as 20 – 30%!  This translates to an additional 5-10 years of usage for your heating system.  Most HVAC companies offer some type of regular maintenance plan to take care of your heating system’s needs and it’s also a good way to ensure you don’t forget about scheduling regular maintenance.

In addition to annual maintenance, annual heating inspections can save your life. Small cracks in a heat exchanger or problems with the flue system could allow deadly carbon monoxide gas to seep into your home. Each year, hundreds of people in the U.S. die in these tragedies. A professionally trained service technician knows how to spot danger signs in the system and should perform a variety of tests to ensure your family’s safety.

Remember to look for and choose a well equipped, competent service technician for all your repairs.  Modern heating equipment is very sophisticated and requires service technicians to be continuously trained in order to accurately trouble-shoot and maintain these systems. A well-equipped and trained service technician has an array of electronic measuring devices and tools to properly service various units.  In addition, these technicians can evaluate your needs and recommend the right options for your specific needs.

Service is important, but sometimes even the best maintenance cannot save an antiquated system. In fact, efficiency improvements over the last decade have been so dramatic that if your boiler or furnace, for example, is more than 20 years old, it could be time to replace your system – even if it is still operating well.  Ask a trusted contractor to do an energy audit of your home to see what kind of savings can be achieved by equipment replacement.

Never hesitate to ask your contractor about energy efficiency improvements that can be obtained from devices such as programmable thermostats or even air-sealing your ductwork system.  Depending on the type of heating system you have, programmable thermostats automatically raise and lower the temperature based on when the home occupied.  Programmable thermostats typically pay for themselves in fuel savings within one or two years.

There are many things to keep in mind when thinking about equipment maintenance.  In my monthly columns, I will do my best to bring you helpful information in an effort to educate you as to what options are out there.

Garrett Cook is the general manager at Cook Heating & Air and is dedicated to educating consumers about the industry.  He can be reached at garrett@cookheating.net.