HVAC

For most houses, the routine replacement schedule for air filters is every three months. But if you have pets or people with allergies in your home, you might need to replace your filter as often as every month. The return on investment for regular filter replacement is great. It costs so little to replace the filter that it almost doesn't figure into the equation. But neglecting return filter replacement can, over time, lead to significant costs in a couple of different ways.

With suitable maintenance, the majority of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems exist for about 15 to 20 years. Professional regular servicing and the attention of a true system connoisseur during semi-annual tune-ups can push the HVAC lifespan toward the two-decade mark. Still, it mostly comes down to usage, care, and local environmental conditions. If you're sort of system-happy and live in an area with a large cooling or heating demand, you might not be living on borrowed time with your system yet, but you definitely should start thinking about what's next if you're past the halfway point.

To keep a life support system operating at optimum efficiency, regular professional maintenance is a must. For one thing, it ensures that energy efficiency doesn't suffer due to something simple and easily corrected, such as air leaks in ductwork or around windows and doors. For another, it gives the homeowners a chance to prevent or correct any excessive energy use at the source—that is, within the life support system—before the electrical meter starts spinning like a pinwheel in a windstorm.

Noises that are out of the ordinary, such as grinding, squealing, or banging, can be signs of mechanical trouble. If parts of your home are at different temperatures, then your ductwork is probably not in a straight line, or your system may be on the verge of a meltdown. If your energy bills suddenly climb (unrelated to changes in energy prices or usage), then your system's efficiency has probably tanked. If your heating system seems to be running nonstop, then either your thermostat is on the fritz or your system is cycling on and off due to some other problem. And if you see moisture around the unit, then you probably have a problem that could result in mold.

The dimensions of an HVAC system are contingent upon factors such as the number of square feet, the height of the ceilings, the caliber of insulation, and the local weather. To arrive at the best-fitting system, professional HVAC contractors do load calculations. These not only determine the system size but also establish the system's overall efficiency. An inefficient system is bad for the environment in two ways: it consumes excessive energy, most of which comes from burning fossil fuels, and it might also emit pollutants not regulated by the federal Clean Air Act.

The term "maintenance" refers to the regular, preventive, and often routine services of cleaning, lubrication, and component inspection that keep a system running smoothly. When something goes wrong and a part fails, we make repairs. Routine maintenance helps us catch these kinds of problems before they escalate into more costly repairs. Even with the best preventive maintenance, some components are likely to fail from time to time. When we mention "professional maintenance," we're reading off a checklist that includes some pretty basic stuff, like cleaning coils, checking for refrigerant leaks, testing electrical connections, and the like.

Contemporary heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems feature high-efficiency models that have better SEER ratings and technology to save energy, like variable-speed motors and multi-stage cooling. As a result, many of these systems don’t just cool; they "dehumidify," and in cooling mode, they use a lot less energy than many older models do. And the EER rating? If that's high, what you have is a contemporary system that is saving a good deal of energy.

More efficient air filters trap more dust and dirt. They also trap more allergens and other pollutants. If you want fantastic indoor air quality, consider adding some air purification systems or even UV lights to your HVAC setup. And don't forget about your ducts. Regular duct cleaning will remove not just the dirt you can see but also the contaminants you can't see that would otherwise be in your indoor air. Finally, maintain your humidity at a comfortable, but not excessive, level.

The expenses associated with HVAC systems are large but very variable; they can be as low as a few thousand dollars but can also reach up to 10 or 20 times that amount. For the average consumer, the cost of the system is largely dictated by the home's size and the installation's complexity (which is, unfortunately, often dictated by the home's layout), but the local labor rates—and the price the contracting company sets for itself—also play a significant role. Some companies help consumers out with this major expense through financing plans.

The installation of HVAC systems calls for expert knowledge and professional credentials. If these systems are installed improperly, the result can be voided warranties and problems with the system's efficiency. The power of this statement became clear to me on a recent visit to a house where I had occasion to look over an HVAC installation. I had a pretty good idea, even without the qualifications of the people who had done the work, that it had been done by folks who just didn't know what they were doing.