Heritage Home Services
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May 18th, 2012
Don’t sweat the summer heat! Call Heritage Air & Heat to get a great deal on a new AC system. Save $500 off or receive no interest for 12 months when you purchase a new York LX or Affinity Air Conditioning system. Need a tune-up on your current system to get ready for summer? Take advantage of our $59.95 Spring Tune-up special.
May 14th, 2012
There is certainly something to be said for upgrading your current Hamilton HVAC equipment to newer, more energy efficient equipment. Doing so can save you a ton of money in heating and cooling costs and it can make your home a more comfortable place in general. Of course, upgrading your equipment is a big investment, but ideally you will save enough on your monthly energy bills that it will more than make up for the initial cost of the installation.
But before you can decide whether or not it makes sense for you to upgrade, you need to know exactly how much you stand to save every month by upgrading. And that will vary considerably depending on several particulars of your situation.
For instance, you will have to take the age of your current system into account. No matter how energy efficient your system was when you first bought it, that energy efficiency has almost certainly deteriorated over time. Plus, the older your system is, the less energy efficient it probably was to start with. And the less energy efficient your current system is, the more you will save when you upgrade to a newer, more energy efficient system.
But that is not the only variable you will have to be on top of. The amount you will save monthly and annually will also have to do with how much you use your HVAC system. If you live in a rather temperate climate, you may use your HVAC much less, both in the summer and the winter.
In a case like this, the percentage you will save with an equipment upgrade will be the same as it would for someone who lived in an area with a harsher climate, but the actual dollar value will be much lower. All that really means is that it will take you longer to recoup your investment, but it may still be worth it to invest in a new system now.
You will also need to be aware of other factors that could impact the energy efficiency of your Hamilton HVAC system. For instance, if your house is not well insulated, it will not matter how good your HVAC system is. You will still be paying more than you should to keep the indoors comfortable, and while investing in a new system may save you money, you will save more by taking care of your insulation problem first.
For more information about how much upgrading your equipment will save you, give Heritage Air & Heat a call!
May 7th, 2012
They are often called “garage mechanics” or “Johnny one-trucks.” In layman’s terms, these are the men (yes, usually men), who moonlight from their regular jobs in the mechanical services trades or who set up their own businesses with little or no overhead – to keep costs down.
They are the perfect people to call if you want a job done cheaply. True, many are qualified and do good work. But many more are simply looking for work and will do almost anything to underbid or “lowball” their competition. And why not? They can afford lower prices because they don’t have the fixed costs like larger, more established HVAC contractors in New Jersey. Unfortunately, some of these fixed costs include training and licensing, which are a necessity for any contractor.
Here are some things to look for when bidding out a service/replacement job or a new installation. The bidder you hire will answer yes to most of these questions (except the obvious). The lowball bidder likely will not.
There are likely several other considerations but the point is, the contractors should be professional and businesslike. They should “act like they’ve done this before.” The low bidders may appear to put on a good face, but dig below the surface and ask a lot of questions. The low bidders may quickly lose their happy disposition.
A low bid can sometimes work but the odds are not in your favor. The main things are – you want piece of mind and fewer callbacks because of service or installation problems. Call Heritage Air & Heat today for quality HVAC service in the Central New Jersey area!
April 30th, 2012
Though we hate to admit it, we all do it without thinking: turn the AC higher instead of turning on a fan, or forget about the thermostat settings which are set to full-blast when we are not at home. Oftentimes it is the simple things which can have the most impact, and with saving energy this is true as well.
With the cost of living in many areas of life skyrocketing, it’s nice to know there are some easy ways to lower at least one household bill: the energy bill. Of course, some of these fixes are free, and some cost a little time and energy, while others must be paid for as long-term investments.
These quick and easy, do-it-yourself, no cost solutions produce energy saving results almost immediately!
Most of these energy saving options can be procured at the local hardware store, are fairly inexpensive, and can be easily done by any competent home-owner.
If it is important to you to save energy and money long-term and on a larger scale, there are a number of durable energy-saving investments to consider.
To save energy also means to save money, and by following any of the simple steps listed above the average consumer can save energy and save money almost immediately. To find out more ways to save energy this summer with your Hamilton air conditioner or to schedule your annual maintenance visit, give Heritage Air & Heat a call!
April 23rd, 2012
Your Hamilton heat pump is a very complicated piece of equipment that uses a number of moving parts to compress and circulate refrigerant and extract heat from one environment and place it in another. So, if your heat pump has refrigeration problems, it will almost certainly cause problems for the heating or cooling of your home.
There are a number of potential problems your Hamilton heat pump might face, especially as it begins to age and components become worn. Some common issues include:
A heat pump is a very complex piece of machinery with a number of moving parts that can all cause issues if not properly maintained. If your heat pump stops heating or cooling effectively and it is not a simple fix such as a filter or belt, you should call Heritage Air & Heat to inspect for more significant problems such as the compressor or refrigerant.
April 16th, 2012
Your New Jersey heat pump needs to work year round to provide heat and air conditioning. This is why you want to make sure it’s performing as efficiently as possible to save on energy costs and prevent break downs. You should schedule an annual maintenance check-up and inspection with a certified HVAC technician to test the efficiency levels.
However, there are a few common causes of performance issues to be aware of so that you can be sure your heat pump performs at optimal levels. Call Heritage Air & Heat if you have questions about heat pump performance issues, or to make an appointment for an annual inspection and professional cleaning.
You need a certain amount of airflow for your heat pump to work efficiently. If you have an airflow less than 350 cubic feet per minute, it will cost more for your heat pump to heat and cool your home. Your HVAC contractor will check your airflow at your annual maintenance inspection. You can help airflow by keeping your coils clean. Sometimes your air ducts are the wrong size for your heat pump or your fan is not going faster enough, but often cleaning the coils and changing air filters will improve airflow. It’s one of the many reasons that you should have your heat pump cleaned and inspected at least once a year. If you suspect that your heat pump is having problems with air flow, call a professional HVAC technician to come out and take a look.
Inefficient or poorly-designed duct systems may not distribute air properly throughout your home because of potential air leaks. There should always be a balance between the intake and return air in a forced air system, which helps maintain a neutral pressure within the house and increase efficiency. Some contractors argue over how tightly a house should be sealed for this reason, but if your New Jersey heat pump is losing heat through leaks in the air ducts, this will greatly affect its efficiency.
Refrigerant leaks are another common cause of low performance levels in heat pumps. Most heat pumps already have refrigerant when they leave the factory and shouldn’t have any issues. Heat pumps that are charged with refrigerant when they are installed can sometimes have the wrong amount of refrigerant. Either too much or too little refrigerant will lower the heat pump’s efficiency and performance levels. Always check the recommended refrigerant amount or ask an HVAC technician before you add refrigerant yourself.
If the heat pump in your New Jersey home isn’t working properly, it is also affecting your heating bills. Call Heritage Air & Heat today to set up an appointment.
April 9th, 2012
When you are shopping for a Hamilton central air conditioning system, you will have to evaluate your options based on a number of different factors. For instance, you will need to decide which type of system is the best match for your home and for your particular cooling needs. It is also important to make sure that the central air conditioner you choose is the right size for the cooling load it will have to take on.
However, it is also very important to evaluate your central air conditioning options based on how energy efficient they are. This will have a great deal to do with how much you pay in terms of cooling costs each month, which makes it easy to see why you should take it into account before you make a purchase.
The energy efficiency of a central air conditioner is generally expressed as a seasonal energy efficiency rating, or SEER. The SEER numbers you will typically find on the latest air conditioning systems range from eight to 19.5 with the higher numbers signifying a more energy efficient model.
It seems pretty clear that a central air conditioner that has a high SEER will save you money on your electricity bill every month, since it will keep your home just as cool but use less energy. Unfortunately, air conditioners with very high SEER ratings also tend to have high price tags. When you are choosing a central air conditioner, you will have to balance how much you can invest in a new system before deciding on which SEER rating you are looking for.
You can do this by comparing the SEER of the system you currently use with the new system you are considering and compare how much your current energy usage would cost you with each model. Basically, you want to pick a central air conditioner that will save you enough to offset the purchase price of the unit.
Often, this means that you will be best off with a SEER 14 or SEER 16 because these units save you a considerable amount over older models without carrying too high a purchase price. However, the amount you save will be directly related to how much you use your Hamilton central air conditioning system, so if you live someplace that is extremely hot for a large chunk of the year, it may be worth it for you to buy a very high efficiency air conditioning system.
To find out what is the best air conditioner for your home, give Heritage Air & Heat a call today!
April 2nd, 2012
Everybody wants a good deal, especially when making a major purchase for their Edison home. People want their money’s worth. They want to feel like they got the best they could for the money they spent.
But how do you decide what the best option is, especially when choosing a product that you know little about, like a heat pump? The average homeowner does not spend a lot of time studying his heat pump or reading heat pump magazines for fun, so chances are you are not a heat pump expert. That’s understandable…but it doesn’t help you when you are trying to buy a new one and you want the best.
Fortunately, there some things you can look for to get clues about the quality of a heat pump and how well it suits your needs.
Efficiency is among the most important factors in choosing a heat pump in Edison. Because heat pumps can be used for both heating and cooling, they have two different efficiency ratings, one for each mode.
Your heat pump heating efficiency is measured with the heating season performance factor (HSPF). This rating compares the heat pumps estimated heating output with how much energy it consumes. In other words, how much heat you are going to get for the amount of energy needed to run the heat pump. The higher the HSPF rating, the more efficient the heat pump and the more energy you will save. Heat pumps produced today have at least a HSPF rating of 7.7, while the most efficient heat pumps you can get on the market have a HSPF of 10.
The rating system used to convey the cooling efficiency of a heat pump is the seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER). This is a simple numeric value that rates how efficient the unit is. Many new heat pumps carry a SEER of at least 12, while the most efficient models rate between 14 and 18.
While efficiency is important, it is just one factor. More efficient units are also more expensive, so you will want to consider the upfront cost. The most efficient units will pay for themselves in savings relatively quickly, but the purchase price is still important. Be sure to weigh all the pros and cons when choosing a new Edison heat pump.
For more information about how to choose a new heat pump for your home, call Heritage Air & Heat today!
March 26th, 2012
Of the many kinds of heating systems, forced air furnaces are among the simplest in East Windsor and monitoring the flow of heat is as simple as checking the registers and feeling the flow.
At the furnace, usually in the basement or a central location, air is heated to a temperature set by the thermostat. Once large and dominant, over the years, technological improvements have enabled furnaces to be much smaller and fit into closets.
With a fan, the warm air is circulated through a system of ducts and distributed at registers or grates usually in the floor. A second grate takes the cooler air back to the furnace to be heated.
The rooms in your house should always be a consistent temperature, even with the normal cycling of your forced air system. The heat produced by your furnace is distributed through your house via the ducts and it gradually warms your rooms. After the heat has dissipated, your thermostat recognizes the change in temperature and calls for your East Windsor furnace to deliver more heat.
A problem occurs when there is poor air circulation, and it leads to your system efficiency is greatly reduced. Since your rooms are not heating up as consistently, your furnace runs more often to try to keep your home at the thermostat setting. You can also have some rooms warmer than others, or rooms that experience more extreme temperature fluctuation.
By turning the thermostat higher, the furnace will engage and begin to force air to the registers.
Most registers have adjustable slats that can be rotated to allow more or less flow. Checking to make sure all are fully open is the first step. There is usually a lever or gear in obvious view.
Make sure all registers are free to allow air movement and not blocked by furniture or carpets.
After testing with your hand to see if there is adequate air flow, using an infrared or dial thermometer will more accurately identify if there are differences from register to register which could indicate a blockage of some sort in the vent or a problem with the system at the furnace.
Furnaces should be maintained on a yearly basis by contracting with an East Windsor heating company who can regularly change the filters, inspect the internal elements and ensure proper and efficient functioning of this most important part of your home.
March 21st, 2012
Of the many ways to heat a home in Plainsboro, forced air systems are the simplest in function and the easiest to maintain. They are so simple, in fact, it is easy to forget they need attention at all, but there are dangers to not changing your furnace filter on time that have a real and painful cost in efficiency and dollars. Even health risks arise when filters have been neglected too long.
Contracting with a company like Heritage Air & Heat ensures consistent maintenance and oversight to allow home owners the comfort and relaxation you deserve in your own home.
Usually in the basement or a central location, a furnace heats air to a temperature set by the thermostat. Over the years, technological improvements have enabled furnaces to be much smaller and fit into closets instead of the large and gangly monsters of old that could fill an entire basement.
By a fan in the furnace, the warm air is circulated through filters into a system of ducts to be distributed to grates in the wall or registers on the floor. A second grate and duct system returns cooler air back to the furnace to be reheated.
When the system is properly maintained, it is clean, efficient and produces comforting heat on demand at the touch of the thermostat or consistently throughout the day and night.
The furnace filter is designed to remove dust from air as it passes through your furnace. The longer your furnace filter is in place the dirtier it becomes. The increase of particles caught in the filter creates resistance to air flow through the filter and reduces efficiency.
To make up for the loss of flow through a dirty filter, the heat exchanger, usually a gas or oil fired flame, must work harder to produce the same amount of heat to the space. This becomes costly financially and causes undo wear and stress on the equipment, requiring a partial or full replacement much sooner.
Additionally, operating above ideal designed conditions, cracks in the chamber may appear from the over load which can allow carbon monoxide, a toxic gas, to be released into the duct work. This gas in large quantities in the home can cause headaches, nausea, and in extreme circumstances, even death.
To avoid problems and excessive strain, remember to change the filters at the beginning of each new heating season. An annual maintenance check-up and thorough cleaning by a qualified company like Heritage Air & Heat ensures a safe and comfortable season of warmth with no need to worry about the dangers of not changing filters in your Plainsboro furnace.
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