FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

There are so many factors that need to be considered when properly sizing your new Comfort System. Our team design specialists will inspect and review all aspects of your home to present you with options best suited for your comfort goals, your energy consumption levels, and how you use the home.

Bigger is simply not better!

The goal is to design and install a new heating and air conditioning system that will keep you comfortable year-round, even on those extremely hot and bitterly cold days, yet you never want to over-size the system as this will lead to many negative short and long term challenges.

An oversized air conditioner will not do a good job of dehumidifying your home and although it might cool your house fast, this is actually not good. It takes several minutes of operation (about 8-12 minutes) before an air conditioner even “hits” its rated efficiency level.

Think about it like highway miles versus city miles on your car or truck. When cruising down the expressway at 65 mph, your mile per gallon is higher than when you’re running errands around the city and starting & stopping. Your air conditioner’s efficiency works the same way. It’s the starting and stopping that puts the most wear and tear on your air conditioner and all of the components inside of it.

Risks of an over-sized High-Efficiency Comfort System:

• Higher utility costs
• The reduced life span of your Comfort System
• Increased repairs and breakdowns, earlier in its life
• Uneven temperature control throughout your home
• Louder operation
• Reduced air filtration
• Either too much humidity in the summertime or not enough in the wintertime

Just like anything that will stand the test of time, a home, building, monument; it must be built upon a solid foundation.

Don’t “guess” with your hard-earned dollars. Have one of our Design Specialists come out and thoroughly examine your home, share with them all your goals (likes & dislikes of your current system) and let them educate you on all of your options.

When researching a new Comfort System for your home, every credible resource will all say the same thing. The most important day of an air conditioner or furnace’s life is hands down the day that it is installed and calibrated to your home.

20-30 years ago, this was not nearly as important as it is today. New Comfort Systems are not built the same way as furnaces and air conditioners back then. Just like cars, manufactures are constantly looking for ways to enhance their technology to meet the demands of the government mandates as well as the demands that homeowners now place on everything. Technology has truly changed the world in which we live.

Automobiles used to be built out of steel and metal, today they utilize fiberglass and plastic in place of these materials to improve fuel economy and provide a much more comfortable ride between point A and point B.

It is more critical today than ever before to ensure your new Comfort System is installed properly and all the calibrations and preventative steps are taken by the Installation Team. Heating and Air Conditioning companies must evolve to keep up with today’s enhancements and technologies. Some will, many will not. The mentality of “I’ve been doing this a long time” is not nearly as relevant as it used to be. All major manufactures require the successful completion of additional training classes before an HVAC contractor is able to even purchase high-end systems. Many contractors do their best to “talk a customer out of” higher-end equipment as they are not qualified to purchase it, sell it or install it.

There are very specific processes and procedures that must be followed in order for the comfort system you just invested thousands of dollars into works properly and delivers everything that you just paid for.

Know that when you do business with Environmental Heating & Air Solutions, you will have access to all the most advanced features available to you and your family.

Do your research on the company installing your new high-efficiency system and stick with one of the “Big 3” manufactures is the best advice we can provide when it comes to comparing products and services.

The brand of your new Comfort System is less important than the company you choose to install it. At least this is true when you stick with the big brands (Lennox, Trane, Carrier). All of these major manufactures have additional product lines as well, but they are of less caliber than their major brand. In almost every scenario manufacture will slightly alter their “sister” product lines so that they do not include all the same components or even features as their primary brand.

As an example; Carrier is owned by United Technologies and they produce several brands (as does every major manufacture) Bryant, Payne, Day & Night, Heil, and Tempstar. Just because all of these brands fall under the Carrier/ICP umbrella, it does not mean they are all equal in terms of quality.

Environmental Heating & Air Solutions is a Premier Lennox Dealer. Lennox builds a cutting-edge, great product and has for years and years. They also make it easier for us to serve our customers should anything break down in the future. Most manufacturers use a 3rd party distributor to sell their product from the manufacture to the contractor. This adds another layer of complexity when it comes to processing any warranty claims or having the ability to support homeowners and HVAC contractors. Lennox sells directly to us and allows a Premier Dealer like us the ability to authorize any warranty claims while we are in your home, should there be a challenge.

When it comes to your home Heating and Air Conditioning System upgrade, invite the professionals at Environmental Heating & Air Solutions into your home and you will soon see (and feel) the EHA difference.

SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Basically, all these means are that the higher the SEER rating, the less it will cost you to operate. With the increase in electricity and fuel costs year over year, investing in the highest SEER rating that is affordable for you is always the best approach.

The actual operational efficiency of your new Comfort System will always be determined by the company you hire to install it, your existing ductwork, as well as many other factors.

The higher you go in SEER rating, the more enhancements and features the equipment will have. Make sure you do a good job of understanding what each of these features is before making your final selection and never listen to a contractor that tells you that “in your area” this or that really isn’t justifiable. The additional enhancements that come in these higher SEER-rated systems are VERY beneficial in numerous areas. The truth of the matter is a contractor will say these things because they know that the higher efficient systems are more expensive, and they know that it requires more knowledge and skill-set to install them properly.

Take your time to understand things such as:

• Modulating and 2-Stage Capacity (Furnaces and air conditioners)
• Variable Speed, DC current motors
• Communicating equipment
• Zoning
• Wi-Fi enabled controls with remote access
• Onboard diagnostics

One of our Design Specialists will walk you through each of these features in terms that you will understand so that you can make an informed, educated decision when upgrading your home’s Comfort System.

Older HVAC systems do not work efficiently, which can lead to drastic rises in heating and cooling costs and frequent repair expenses. Older furnaces can experience cracks in their heat exchangers, allowing dangerous carbon monoxide leaks. Old HVAC systems are also more likely to short out, resulting in sudden system failure or electrical fires.

To maintain proper function, your heating and air system should be inspected, cleaned, and serviced at least once a year. Typically, you will service your heating system in the fall and your air conditioning system in the spring.

Every manufacture of Heating and Air Conditioning equipment will all-state in their user manuals as well as in their installation instruction that their warranty (normally 10-year parts) is only valid when a homeowner can produce evidence that routine annual maintenance has been performed. Although they (manufactures) might night hold homeowners and contractors accountable to this as of today, they have the right to request this information prior to approving any warranty repair on one of their systems.

Environmental Heating & Air Solutions provide comprehensive HVAC maintenance services that will not only uphold your manufactures warranty, they will also ensure that your system is operating efficiently, properly, safely, and within the manufacture’s specifications.

Servicing your air conditioner before the summer heat sets in and your furnace before the temperatures drop in winter, will provide you the peace of mind in knowing that you are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws our way.

In reality, an ESA maintenance agreement will cost you nothing. It will ensure you’re not over-paying the utility company, it will allow you to be informed of when a part is operating outside of the manufacture specifications, which in turn allows you to replace the component before it causes your system to stop operating, rather than when it breaks down.

Our trained professionals will thoroughly inspect every component and educate you on all of their findings.

Contact EHA Solutions today and schedule your Heating or Air Conditioning maintenance today!

The frequency of air filter replacement depends on a few factors. For a vacation home or single-occupant home with no pets, your air filter can last for 6-12 months. The average suburban home without pets requires a new filter every 90 days; add a dog or cat and you should change your filter every 60 days. If someone in your home has allergies, you might change your air filter monthly.