Homeowners across America are faced with the harsh reality that their homes need to be upgraded if they want to avoid a negative impact on their quality of life. Many homeowners may be in the dilemma of not knowing when it's necessary to upgrade or repair their heating and cooling systems, let alone what steps they should take.
With the cost of gas, oil and electricity all rising dramatically in recent years, homeowners are faced with a difficult decision: how to best save money. The question is always on the forefront of people's minds when a furnace or air conditioning unit needs an upgrade; namely whether to 'retain' or 'replace'. Thankfully for those residents across the nation, if you know about the heated argument between these two terms, you can take advantage of it and hopefully make your life easier.
To help you better understand these terms, let's break it down to a level that even a homeowner could understand.
"Retain" means to keep the same heating and cooling system, but simply perform tune-ups on your central HVAC unit or furnace. If you do not perform tune-ups, the efficiency of your system could slip down and lead to higher utility bills and a more costly commitment in repair costs in the near future.Â
"Replacement" means replacing your heating and cooling systems with a newer, more efficient and environmentally friendly unit. Replacing your unit will help save you money in the long term, as newer units are generally more efficient, and will also ensure that your home is within code.
Depending on the type of unit you have in your home will determine how often you need to upgrade and replace. If your heating or cooling system is from the 70's or 80's, chances are that the unit is not energy efficient enough to keep your home at a comfortable temperature, and may even be deemed unsafe for the environment.
In addition to new units being more environmentally friendly and efficient, they'll also last longer thanks to improved technology.
Replacements will allow you to save money in the long run, as you no longer need to spend money on repairs and maintenance. A new unit will also allow you to ensure that your home is in code, which can only help you if you ever have a future issue with your heating or cooling system.
If this is all new information for you, look at everything as a choice. Do you want to pay more for less energy? Or do you want to spend money and make sure that your system is working properly for the next 10, 20 or even 30 years? The choice of course is up to you, but all things considered, I would opt in favor of installing an efficient HVAC unit.
You may have heard the term "duct-work" in relation to your home heating and cooling systems. As the name suggests, duct-work is used to distribute heating and cooling through your home.
The concept behind duct-work is that heating and cooling air are transported from the source of heat (such as a furnace) to the room that they are required in (such as a bedroom).
If your furnace or air conditioning unit is too far away from where you need it, not only will your energy bills increase, but you will also face some serious health effects.
For example, if your bedroom is upstairs and your furnace or air conditioning unit is downstairs, then the air will need to travel up to the room. When you're sleeping upstairs, you want to be comfortable. But if there is a drop in temperature when going from your living room to the kitchen, and then another drop in temperature when it goes up the stairs into your bedroom, you'll end up with a cold bedroom, which can make for a very uncomfortable sleep.
By combining efficient duct-work with central air conditioning and heating, you will be able to ensure that the amount of air that you need to move will be as close to where you need it as possible. This is very important for the comfort of your home.
If you do not have central duct-work in your home, then a great, effective way to combat this issue is a fan-based system.
Fan-based systems work similarly to a regular heating and cooling system, but it uses a fan to redistribute the air that is coming from your HVAC unit.
Fan-based systems are very efficient and can easily be set up in your home. The only drawback of these systems is that they cost more than duct-based systems.
Conclusion:
You can find a great deal of information regarding the various types of heating and cooling systems that are available, as well as when the best time to install a new HVAC system is. Keep in mind that each person's needs will vary, depending on the types of rooms in your home and where you live, so take each tip with a grain of salt.
Author Bio:- Walter Mealey
Walter is a marketing manager at EZ Flood Restoration USA. With extensive knowledge of water damage and flood restoration, he writes articles about the cause and remedy of Mold growth, remodeling Kitchen and Bathroom with latest plumbing innovation and technology, how to Crawl Space after flood, and tips to get rid of Fire and Smoke Damage. Stay updated with recent articles and grab comprehensive knowledge of common ways the flood damage affects your home and business and what proactive steps you take to overcome it as well as modern tools that can keep you alert about the happening of natural and accidental uncertainties.