If you’re like most homeowners, you don’t meet or speak often with HVAC pros, and when you do, it’s for short periods. Even as limited as your interactions may be, it’s helpful to understand the most important terms and facts about your own system.
What to Tell Them
When you’re having your system serviced, it’s helpful to tell the technician:
- Where the air handler (aka blower compartment) and thermostat are. The air handler could be in a hallway closet, the basement, the garage, or the attic. The technician will need to access the thermostat when servicing your system.
- How much your energy bills are and your typical temperature settings summer and winter. In most homes, the temperature and energy bills correlate directly to each other. If you use the oven, water heater, or dryer more than most families, let the technician know.
- When you last had the system serviced. It’ll indicate how efficiently your system is running and help clarify the gas and electric bills.
Words and Phrases to Know
In the event you need a new HVAC system, you’ll probably hear these common terms used by HVAC pros:
- Load calculation. HVAC systems need to be accurately sized for the home. Besides the cubic footage of your home, the technician needs to know how energy efficient it is, what the floorplan design is, your preferred temperatures and your family size. The HVAC pro will use Manual J software to run the load calculation.
- Efficiency ratings. All HVAC systems carry efficiency ratings that indicate how effectively they use electricity and gas to condition your home. Higher ratings indicate better efficiency.
- Payback period. Although more efficient equipment costs more initially, you’ll recover your investment faster with a more efficient system because it uses less fuel. The technician will be able to estimate your savings over time.
Being able to communicate with HVAC pros will help you understand your current system better and make solid decisions when it’s time to replace it. For more information, contact Hartman Brothers Heating & Air Conditioning, providing trusted services for Fort Wayne homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in New Haven, Indiana and surrounding Fort Wayne area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC technicians and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 260-376-2961.