Archive for April, 2012

Orlando Air Conditioning Tip: Keep Your Home Cool and Save Energy

Monday, April 30th, 2012

As the season of hot days and long evenings draws near, it is normal for questions to arise on how to keep your home cool and save energy.  There are some things which are easy to do and can help keep your house cool without overuse of your Orlando air conditioner.

Easy Fixes Which Cool the House from the Heat of the Sun

  • Provide effective shade for east and west facing windows, including planting shade trees around the exterior of the house
  • Delay heat-generating activities until evening
  • Keep the house closed tight during the day so that unwanted heat and humidity do not enter the home
  • Ventilate at night with open windows and fans
  • Use ceiling fans or room fans to increase comfort levels with higher air conditioning thermostat settings
  • Seal and insulate all air conditioning ducts, and seal leaky windows with caulk or weather stripping
  • Install window shades, blinds, awnings, sunscreens, or apply low-e films to windows to block most solar rays which cause heat gain
  • Close south and west-facing curtains during the day on windows which get direct sunlight, and invest in reflective solar curtains
  • Upgrade the insulation in the attic
  • Service the air conditioning unit annually, and place it in the shade with proper air flow to ensure it runs efficiently
  • Install a house fan to cool the entire home at once as well as cool the attic above

Eliminate Internal Heat Sources

  • Lessen stove and oven use during hot days and enjoy a backyard barbeque or cookout, keeping the heat out of the kitchen and in the great outdoors.  When cooking inside do so in the evening and employ use of the microwave, toaster-oven or counter-top grill which produces far less heat than the stove or oven.
  • Switch to newer, compact fluorescent lights which use less energy and produce far less heat than incandescent lights
  • Pass on the hot-drying cycle of the dishwasher and let dishes air dry, or dry them by hand
  • Line-dry clothes rather than using the dryer, or use the lowest heat setting on the dryer
  • Take shorter showers that are cooler, and turn on exhaust fans and open windows to properly ventilate the area, allowing excess heat to escape
  • Turn computers and other electronics off when not in use, and use electronic devices such as TV’s less often throughout the day

Combining the various home fixes while eliminating internal heat sources can turn out to be the best ways to keep your home cool and save energy during hot summer months.  Just try some and see how that energy bill decreases! For more information about how to take care of your Orlando air conditioner or to schedule your annual maintenance visit, give Next Generation Air and Heat a call today!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Services | Comments Off

An Easy Way to Improve the Efficiency of Your AC System

Friday, April 27th, 2012

Simply schedule a maintenance check at least once a year!

Scheduling a system tune up with a professional HVAC technician once a year can help to prevent loss of energy efficiency in your home comfort system. Did you know that all components of your air conditioner – including the filters, coils, and fins –need regular maintenance to continue to function effectively? If you neglect air conditioner maintenance, you will see a decline in your unit’s performance AND an increase in your electricity bills. Worn out parts and buildup throughout the system can decrease performance, causing energy bills to sky rocket. To keep your unit functioning at peak efficiency, make sure to have it checked out once a year by a professional HVAC technician. Find out about our Priority Savings Plan and save with discounts off annual maintenance.

AC Maintenance | Mebourne | Next Generation Air Conditioning

For your peace of mind and wallet, we encourage diligence when it comes to the maintenance of your AC system. An AC tune up is always cheaper and less stressful than an emergency situation!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off

Orlando AC Tip: Causes of AC Short Cycling

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Air conditioning short cycling is a common problem wherein an air conditioning unit will have either short run times or short off times.  This type of quick movement back and forth between being on and off–or rather starting and stopping rapidly–can be detrimental to the overall life of your Orlando AC unit, and is also not energy efficient.

AC short cycling can have many causes, and many fixes.  Below are the main causes for air conditioning short cycling, which can be checked, diagnosed, and fixed quite easily.

  • AC Refrigerant Leak:  There could be a refrigerant leak somewhere within the AC unit.  A temporary fix might be to add refrigerant and recharge the air conditioning unit, but long-term, an HVAC specialist will need to be contacted in order to find and fix the leak properly, ensuring excess money is not paid to continually add an unnecessary amount of refrigerant.
  • AC Coil Icing: This means that the evaporator coil or cooling coil has become encrusted with ice or frost and is causing the unit to malfunction by turning on and off in short bursts.  Turning off the unit completely and letting the ice melt, then checking and replacing dirty filters can oftentimes fix this problem.
  • AC is Oversized:  The amount of power needed (or the BTUs needed) to cool a space is directly proportional to the size of the space or room which is being cooled.
    • If AC short cycling has been a constant problem since day one of an AC system installation, it is entirely possible that the A/C unit is too large for the space which it is cooling.  This could mean contacting an Orlando HVAC technician to have the unit analyzed and a new, smaller unit put in.
    • If A/C short cycling is a relatively new problem, some possible causes could be: closing or opening doors which previously were not closed or opened frequently, or the addition of partitions within rooms which effectively makes the room size smaller.  This could mean simply adjusting the thermostat, or the blower fan to a lower speed to compensate for the change, or opening interior doors to increase the size of the space which is being cooled by the AC unit.
    • AC Control Board Problem:  While less likely, the problem could be in a control board or control switch which has been damaged, thus causing erratic and rapid starting and stopping cycles.  In this case an HVAC technician would need to be contacted in order to replace the broken control switch.
    • AC Compressor Damage or Start-Up Issues:  Some AC systems have hard-starting compressors which take time to re-pressurize properly after shutting down.  If the AC system is being turned on or off manually on a frequent basis, the compressor might have a hard time restarting because the high pressure which had built up on the previous on-cycle had not had a chance to come down to normal levels again.  An easy way to diagnose this problem is if after leaving the AC unit shut off for thirty minutes, the unit works properly after being turned on again.  To help this compressor issue, an HVAC service technician can add a starter capacitor to the AC unit.

These and other AC short cycling causes can be checked, diagnosed, and fixed quite easily by an experienced HVAC professional like Next Generation Air and Heat! Give us a call today!

Tags: ,
Posted in Services | Comments Off

The Importance of your Melbourne Thermostat

Friday, April 20th, 2012

Did you know that the placement of your thermostat can have an impact on your home’s energy efficiency? If your thermostat is very close to something that generates heat, such as a lamp or TV, it can register your house as hotter as than it actually is and make your air conditioner run longer. Even something little, like if your thermostat is in direct sunlight, can lead to inaccurate readings and wasted energy.  Make sure that your thermostat is properly placed and calibrated to keep your home as comfortable and energy efficient as possible.

Thinking about upgrading to the most accurate thermostat technology? Just a few degrees difference can make a huge impact on your energy bill! Many people don’t realize the importance of their thermostat, but in reality this piece of equipment is responsible for monitoring the temperature of your whole home! Contact Next Generation today to find out more about your thermostat options. We have wireless, digital, and wired models available to fit the needs of any household.

Melbourne | Thermostat | Next Generation Air and Heat

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off

Why Is My Melbourne Air Conditioner Not Cooling?

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Designed for one to two decades of life, Melbourne air conditioners are able to run virtually trouble free with just a little maintenance annually.  If these little things like changing the air filter and cleaning the drain are not done regularly, the neglected units can really lose their cool.

The Basic Course

Through a process which involves the rapid evaporation and condensation of chemicals called refrigerants, air conditioners use compounds that have properties that allow them to change rapidly from gas to liquid and back again at low temperatures.

Heat is absorbed when the liquid evaporates and transforms into gas, making the space around it cooler.  Compressing it tightly together again, the heated gas condenses back into liquid with a residue of unwanted moisture that must be released and is vented usually to the outdoors.

The newly cooled air is distributed through the house by means of ductwork, pushed by fans driven by electric motors.  As the air moves along, it passes through a filter and can be further de-humidified.

Problems in the System

If the filter is clogged, movement of the cooled air is slowed to the point we might think the unit is broken.  If the condensate drain is plugged, the motor can get damaged and stop producing.  Regular maintenance performed by the home owner or as a service of Next Generation Air & Heat can avoid or eliminate these simple aggravations.

When the heat builds, however, and cool relief seems nowhere near the air ducts, it may be time to call a Melbourne air conditioning professional to dig deeper to find the reason and suggest solutions.

Back to Cool

If not serviced regularly, the amount of refrigerant in the coils may decrease over time or the coils themselves could get clogged and impede the evaporation/condensation process.  A leak in the coils could drain the system, rendering the unit useless and wholly unproductive.

There are belts on each of the two separate fan motors which may be worn or loose, causing the fans to blow less efficiently.  The motor may need to be oiled or have a broken part that doesn’t allow it to push the air at all.

Most of the time, these fixes are relatively minor and do not threaten the life of the air conditioning unit.  Schedule an annual inspection and service from a certified HVAC company like Next Generation Air & Heat to take it off your list and stay cool.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Services | Comments Off

Green Your Orlando HVAC System

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Regular Maintenance Avoids High Costs

No matter the energy rating of your Orlando appliance, a schedule of simple maintenance and replacement of filters can make a significant difference in its longevity.  A furnace rated at 95% efficient will burn nowhere near that great a rating if the air is blocked and unable to pass through the filter without effort.

Fan belts on the blower motor can loosen over time and become ineffective, forcing the heater to burn longer and hotter to distribute air that should normally breeze through the ductwork.  Working so hard, parts break and the furnace might need replacement.

To help keep your air conditioner and furnace working at peak efficiency, remember to schedule annual maintenance with your Orlando HVAC contractor.

Programmed Thermostat

If left to our own habits, furnaces and air conditioners might run for hours under unnecessary circumstances because we are not thinking to turn our thermostats up or down.  At the change of seasons, in particular, it may feel warm enough to open a window while the heat is still adjusted to come on at those fresher temperatures that now seem so inviting.

In older homes, the replacement of the old dial thermostats with the newer programmable versions can save hundreds of dollars annually on energy costs.  Smart phones allow adjustments to thermostats from anywhere in the world for the instance that a cold snap may threaten frozen pipes while we are away on vacation.

Changing World

Tax incentives, climate change and the economics of energy dictate that we look closely at our habits and find ways to conserve our resources.  Simple steps taken by each of us can lead to a wealth of improvements and make a real difference in our energy consumption.

For more tips about how you can improve your home’s energy efficiency, please give Next Generation Air & Heat a call today!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Services | Comments Off

Things to Look for in a Your Orlando Central Air Conditioning System

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

When it comes time to buy a new Orlando air conditioner, there are a lot of factors to consider. Beyond the obvious issues like cost, you need to consider how that system will operate once installed. What factors are most important to you? Control? Comfort? Cost? Here are some things to consider when selecting your new air conditioner.

  • SEER – The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating measures the efficiency of your cooling system during a typical hour. To calculate this number, we divide the total BTUs of cooling produced by the watt/hours of electricity consumed during that hour. So, the higher your SEER rating, the less electricity is used to produce the same amount of cooling. Standard SEER ratings are between 11 and 15 these days, but some high end units have SEER ratings of up to 20.
  • Controls – How much control do you want of your system? Many air conditioners these days come with multiple speeds, allowing you to control the air flow as well as the amount of energy consumed by the device in cooling. Do you want it to constantly blow at 100% or would you like it to run at 50% to reduce consumption. Another option available in central air conditioners is zone control, allowing you to determine which rooms receive cooling with separate thermostat settings.
  • Dehumidification – Air conditioners are dehumidifiers by default, but not every system offers the same degree of humidity control. Some simply remove moisture as part of their regular operation. Others have more advanced controls to provide specific humidity control throughout the year.
  • Sound Dampening – Newer models have sound dampening features like insulation and vibration isolation to reduce sound. These are also great for weather protection and help to maintain your system for more years.

A good central air conditioner will keep your family cool and comfortable for years to come so make sure to do your research and choose a model that fits your needs in advance. If you’re not sure about any one feature, a Orlando air conditioning contractor can help you make your decision.

If you have any questions or would like to have a new air conditioning system installed in your home, please give Next Generation Air & Heat a call today!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Services | Comments Off