With chilly weather headed our way here in the Peachtree City area, it’s a good time to have your heating and air conditioning system evaluated for efficiency. If your system is more than 10 years old, has been keeping your family less than comfortable and has caused a noticeable increase in your utility bills, you may want to upgrade your HVAC system.

Most HVAC systems have a lifespan between 10 and 20 years. While each model is different, if your system fits into this age group, it’s possible that the unit is either wearing out or becoming obsolete despite good maintenance practices.

Heating and cooling your home accounts for nearly half of your total annual energy use, so efficiency is an important consideration. Here are a few things to consider when you upgrade your HVAC system.

• HVAC professional: Seek out a qualified HVAC contractor to inspect your home and system, give you honest recommendations and expertly install any new equipment or components.
• Seal leaks: Make sure to seal any leaks found during your energy evaluation, including caulking windows, sealing ductwork and adding insulation where needed. Even new equipment won’t perform well if heated or cooled air is leaking out of your home.
• Load calculation: Before purchasing new equipment, have a load calculation performed on your home to properly size a new system. An over-sized system will not operate well and can raise noise levels and utility expenses by continuously cycling on and off. Variables include your local weather, the ventilation needs of your home and its level of insulation.
• Choosing Equipment:  While the conventional approach to upgrading HVAC systems usually means replacing components separately, an integrated system contains equipment designed to work together. Such systems are more cost effective and have better energy efficiency. These systems are available as split (separate units installed inside and outside) or packaged (one unit housing all the components) units.

For more expert advice on upgrading your HVAC system, please call the professionals at Powers Heating and Air. Our family owned and operated company proudly serves the Peachtree City area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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