1 ton of cooling = 12,000 BTUs. Simply stated, if your house needs 3 tons of cooling, you will need a unit that has a capacity of 36,000 BTUs.
British thermal unit. It is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water 1-degree Fahrenheit.
Depending on the environment or your home, the filter should be changed every one to two months. If you have a lot of people in and out all the time and/or you have pets, or you have a lot of indoor activity, you should change the filter every month.
If you set the temperature to 78 or 80 degrees when you leave home, you may think you are saving energy, but you're really not. Air conditioning systems are designed to work on a 20-degree temperature difference. This is to make sure that the system properly dehumidifies the air. If there is more than a 4-degree difference between the desired temperature and the actual temperature, the system has to run long and hard to bring it back down. Try setting the temperature to 76 degrees during the day and 72 degrees when you get home. I think you will find this more comfortable, and you will save energy, too.
A heat pump is a device very similar to the outdoor condenser in an air conditioning system and is used the same way in the summer to cool the home. But, in the winter, because of the addition of a reversing valve, the heat pump can "reverse" the air conditioning cycle, and instead of taking heat out of the house like in the summer, it takes the heat from the outdoor air and transfers it to the inside of the home.
SEER is the seasonal energy efficiency ratio of heating and cooling appliances. It was developed by the government so consumers could compare efficiencies between various heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.
Without a doubt, you should have a heating or cooling system serviced yearly. The best time is before the beginning of the heating or cooling season. Yearly service helps avoid costly breakdowns when you need the system most, and it also helps extend the life of the system and keep it running efficiently.
An HVAC contractor is a contractor who is a specialist in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. He or she is licensed and certified in this special field.
CFM stands for cubic feet per minute. It is a measurement of airflow used to determine the amount of air needed for various heating and cooling needs within a structure.
AFUE stands for the annual fuel utilization efficiency of various types of heating equipment.
KW stands for kilowatt. 1 KW = 1,000 watts of electricity.
A HEPA filter is a high efficiency particulate air filter. These are similar to the kind used in hospitals to keep the air clean. They are generally larger/thicker than a standard air filter, so you should call your HVAC contractor to have one installed.
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