MORE TECHNICAL TERMS

We at Action Heating & Air Condition, Inc., think that it is very important that the general public understand the terms used in the HVAC business. Below you will find more terms to become familiar with.
INFILTRATION
Air that enters your home through holes, gaps, and cracks, (e.g., plumbing or electrical holes, the heating and air conditioning system, doors, and windows).
IAQ
Indoor air quality
LATENT HEAT
The energy that suspends moisture vapor in the air.
SUPPLY or SUPPLY SIDE
The part of an HVAC system that takes (supplies) the conditioned air from the air-handling unit or furnace to your home. The supply side should be “balanced” with the return side to ensure proper air flow and comfort.
ZONES, ZONED SYSTEM, ZONING
A single HVAC system that can meet different heating and cooling needs in different areas (zones). Each zone of a home has its own thermostat with which it can regulate the temperature and humidity in its area. One “zoned air conditioner” could be set for a high temperature in one zone and for a lower temperature in the other zone. Zone systems have two or more zones.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website

ENERGY STAR INFORMATION

Earning the ENERGY STAR means products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. By choosing ENERGY STAR certified heating and cooling equipment and taking steps to optimize its performance, you can enhance the comfort of your home while saving energy. Saving energy helps you save money on utility bills and protect our climate by helping prevent harmful carbon pollution and reducing other greenhouse gases.

Electric air-source heat pumps, often used in moderate climates, use the difference between outdoor air temperatures and indoor air temperatures to cool and heat your home.

ENERGY STAR qualified heat pumps:

Have higher seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) and energy efficiency ratio (EER) ratings, as well as a higher heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF) than standard models, making them about 9% percent more efficient than standard new models and 20% more efficient then what you may have in your home.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website

FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT REBATE INFORMATION

We are a FPL Participating Independent Contractor. What that means is that if you change out your HVAC System to a high efficiency HVAC System that qualifies for an FPL rebate and you are an FPL customer, then we are qualified by FPL to do your change out and submit the paperwork to FPL for the rebate. Below is information from FPL:

Air conditioning costs are typically the largest part of business' energy bill. Upgrading your old cooling system to a newer, more efficient one can help offset these costs.

FPL's Direct-Expansion (DX) Air Conditioning program rewards your commitment to trimming cooling costs through incentives on installation costs and incentives on electronically commutated motors.

It doesn't matter if you're replacing an old system, installing a DX system in a new facility or looking to upgrade to a high-efficiency model. FPL helps you save money that can be applied to other areas of your business, allowing you to stay competitive and financially comfortable.

Qualifying units include:

Air, water and evaporative-cooled air conditioners and heat pumps
Room unit air conditioners and heat pumps
Water source, groundwater source and ground source coded heat pumps
Package terminal air conditioners or heat pump systems
Units that exceed the Florida Building Code by at least 7 percent

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website

LEAF GUARDS

What is a leaf guard? Very simple. The leaf guard is a protective material placed over the outdoor condensing unit top grate. The material should have openings large enough to let air escape so as not to damage the unit. The material we use has a 1/4" opening and is an ultraviolet rated mesh (polyethylene resin). We cut it to fit the size of your grate on the outdoor condensing unit. This leaf guard protects the components in your outdoor condensing unit by stopping twigs, rocks, leaves, etc. from entering. Leaves can sit in the bottom of the unit and cause rust, twigs can get stuck in the fan blade, and rocks can do considerable damage. When the leaves collect in the bottom of your condensing unit, it enable small rodents to nest and cause damage to the wiring. This is a very inexpensive product to help protect your condensing unit. Give us a call and we can give you a quote.

NEWS FROM HONEYWELL

Some very interesting news from Honeywell:
Honeywell's Programmable Thermostats Edge Out Competing Products in Features, Rates Favorably on Other Factors

In Frost & Sullivan’s survey of 1,013 U.S. homeowners, 646 owned programmable thermostats and rated various brands on several specific points. Homeowners using Honeywell programmable thermostats rate their thermostats higher than users of any other major brand. “Honeywell users appreciate the features offered by its brand – 33 percent cite that having the ‘best features’ is their main reason for using Honeywell, compared to nine percent among users of other brands stating the same,” said Christina Alfaro Research Analyst with Frost & Sullivan’s Customer Research Team. “Supporting Honeywell’s overall best rating is that it rated well for other factors too, such as ease-of-use, energy efficiency, and cost savings.”

Honeywell conducts extensive – and on-going – customer research to ensure the products they develop are simple-to-install and are easy-to-use. For instance, their Prestige™ programmable thermostat incorporates a patented, interview-based interface that walks a homeowner through the set-up process by asking a series of questions, such as “what time does the first person wake-up in the morning?” or “what time do you go to sleep at night?” The answers help the thermostat program itself – no owner’s manual is needed. The graphic user interface displays information in an easy-to-understand format, the on-board user’s manual provides definitions and directions for each display screen and can be customized to display in English, French or Spanish.

Some Honeywell programmable thermostats also have the ability to wirelessly communicate to accessory devices using the company’s RedLINK™ technology, the first wireless protocol developed exclusively for the HVAC industry. The thermostat can be used with an outdoor sensor that sends a signal to the thermostat to display outdoor temperature and humidity on the home screen. This makes it simple for the homeowner to get access to that information.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website

RECLAIMING R-22 REFRIGERANT

With the impending phaseout of R-22 looming, the price and availability of the product will soon make it impractical to use.

With virtually tens of millions of R-22-designed a/c systems in operation, refrigerant users and equipment owners will need to employ a number of alternative options to satisfy their cooling needs. Due to the special application designs and cooling requirements found in multifamily structures, there are a unique set of challenges in maintaining cooling equipment and fewer practical options.

It is illegal to purposely vent any refrigerant. All refrigerant users must possess an EPA 608 certification (required by law under The Clean Air Act) to recover all refrigerants. Recovered refrigerants are to be recycled or returned to an EPA-registered reclaim service provider.

The law does allow equipment owners to recycle and reuse refrigerants in their own equipment without processing it through a reclaim company. However, this practice adds additional costs in the form of equipment, labor, and energy, and, if done improperly, can create additional service problems and even equipment failures.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website

HOPEFULLY SPRING IS ABOUT TO SPRING

Like any type of heating and cooling equipment, maintaining your heat pump is essential to keep it in top working order.

It’s easy to neglect your heat pump and postpone maintenance, but once you realize why regular service is so important, you’ll never miss a routine appointment again.

Regularly maintaining your heat pump provides the following benefits:

• Greater energy efficiency: A heat pump that is serviced every six months operates more efficiently than one that never receives professional tune-ups. Inspections that improve heat pump efficiency include changing the filter, sealing ductwork leaks and verifying proper refrigerant charge.

• Longer equipment life span: A well-maintained car can last years longer, and the same is true of a heat pump. Tightening electrical connections, replacing worn belts and cleaning the indoor and outdoor coils are all measures that protect system components and help them last longer.

• Lower energy consumption: More efficient heat pumps consume less electricity, which lowers your bills and helps the environment. Fixing refrigerant leaks, checking electrical connections, checking amperage, and cleaning away dirt all help to lower energy consumption.

• Improved comfort: A few adjustments and inspections can improve the heating and cooling output of the heat pump, helping you feel more comfortable in any season. Measures that improve your comfort include verifying correct electric control and ensuring that no return and supply registers are blocked, a just a few.

These types of inspections take place during professional tune-ups. However, there are things you can do on your own in between professional maintenance visits that provide similar benefits. These include:

• Changing the filter

• Keeping plants and other vegetation trimmed back from the outdoor unit

• Cleaning supply and return grilles and making sure they’re not blocked

Make sure you give us a call and set up your maintenance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).For more information about Indoor Air Quality and other HVAC topics,click here to visit our website