2. What should I look for in a home comfort system?
When you are looking for a new replacement system, two of the most basic questions you need to have answered are:
1) What makes my home comfortable?
The four biggest factors in your home's comfort are:
- Temperature
- Cleanliness/freshness of air
- Humidity
- System Control
2) What kind of system is right for me?
The system that is right for you will depend on a number of factors: your budget, your comfort expectations, physical factors such as what type of system currently exists in your home, the unique features of your home, and more. |
3. Should I repair or replace old equipment?
Three main factors to consider are:
Life Expectancy of Current System. When you’re frustrated with an equipment break-down, it can be tempting to find the least expensive "quick fix" to get on with your life in relative comfort. That "quick fix" may be the least expensive now, but it may not give you the most value — or cost you the least — in the long run.
Paying for repairs to an old or inefficient system often simply prolongs the inevitable. It’s almost like putting a bandage on a serious injury. An older system that breaks down once is likely to break down again ... and again. That means more emergency service calls or, worse yet, the risk of damage to your home or to other components of your heating and cooling system.
Up
-----------
Operating Cost. There’s also an ongoing cost factor to consider. Restoring your old system will only bring it back to its current level of energy efficiency. After you’ve recovered from the repair bills and the frustration of system breakdowns, you still won’t save on your energy bills.
Even six-year-old heat pumps and air conditioners are considered grossly inefficient by today’s energy efficiency standards. So are most furnaces built before 1980. So you could save up to 60% on your energy bills with new high-efficiency equipment. That’s why installing a new heating and cooling system can actually pay for itself in energy savings within a relatively short time.
Up
-----------
Looking at the Big Picture. When one component of your system breaks down unexpectedly, it’s easy to just focus on repairing or replacing that component. But each part of your system works with the others to boost efficiency and reliability, so it helps to keep the big picture in mind.
Replacing your old furnace with a new higher-efficiency model but leaving your old mechanical thermostat in place, for example, won’t allow you to enjoy all the efficiency advantages the furnace has to offer. Likewise, if you install a new furnace but don’t get a humidifier, the air may seem cooler, forcing you to operate your new system at a higher temperature to be comfortable. Plus, you can often save on installation costs if you have several components of your system (for example, a furnace and an air conditioner) replaced at the same time.
Up |
4. What about Environmental Issues?
There's a hole in the ozone. Global warming is here. Most of us are aware of how our lifestyles can affect the environment. Carrier is aware of this also, and offers options for making your system more environmentally sound.
Environmentally Sound Refrigerant
- 20 percent of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions
- 26 of all U.S. sulfur dioxide emissions
- 15 of all U.S. nitrogen oxides emissions
By using more energy-efficient appliances and heating and cooling equipment, and constructing more energy-efficient homes, we can reduce this pollution — and save money at the same time! |
