Purchasing a new furnace and air conditioning system is a significant investment and Pardee Service Experts understands that. As you explore your options, there are several fundamental questions that you need answered in order to assure you have an affordable and efficient HVAC solution for your Charleston area home. So let’s take a look at what you should understand about a new home comfort system.
What Specifically Makes Up A Heating & Air Conditioning System?
Your home’s Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, what Pardee Service Experts refers to as the “home comfort system”, typically includes three major components:
- The furnace, which creates heat and air movement
- The condenser, the air conditioner or cooling equipment, and
- One or several parts that governs air quality and humidity levels in your home
In some Charleston area homes, a heat pump may be used in place of a furnace and condenser. Heat pumps withdraws indoor heat in the summer and add outdoor heat in winter. Operating via the thermostat, these primary components monitor your indoor environmental comfort level. Like the engine of a car, the home comfort system is the mechanism of your home that ‘drives’ your family’s indoor comfort year round.
The Real Key Is Quality Installation
The specs of your home dictate the choices available to you for a home comfort system. The quality of the installation is extremely important in that process. If the installation is poor, the equipment, energy-efficiency and your comfort suffers dramatically. Irregardless of how much you spent, the equipment will experience frequent repair problems in the future if the install was lousy. So it’s really important to work with a heating and air professional that can back-up their installation quality.
Look At All Available Features And Options
There are a myriad of makes, models, features and options of comfort equipment available to pick from. You should always think about every option to assure your home’s air quality, humidity level, temperature and energy-consumption exactly the way you desire for your family’s lifestyle and health needs. A decent home comfort company will help you determine your family’s specific comfort needs and desires, then simply walk you through the best solutions that will meet those needs for you. When they're finished, you should have the knowledge you need to make an informed buying decision you are comfortable with.
Energy Savings Now Prevail
A trustworthy home comfort company will also perform what’s called a heating and cooling load calculation and an energy-efficiency analysis on your home. These calculations not only determine the proper type of equipment needed, they show how you can benefit from the added savings of high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products.
Energy-efficiency and utility savings are important factors because the cost of operating a heating and air conditioning system is typically not added when figuring out your budget. For example, if you can save $700 per year in utility costs with your new home comfort system, what would you do with the unexpected money? When energy costs go up, high-efficiency equipment becomes a “plus” vs. being a “minus” to your family’s budget. Equally important, as heating and air conditioning manufacturers produce more efficient equipment, our climate also benefits. So really give some thought to high-efficiency equipment. It’s equipment designed to save much more than just your utility bills; it's environmentally conscious.
Will The Company Be Able To Honor Your Warranty?
When conducting your “apples-to-apples” comparison of Warranties and Guarantees from different Charleston area companies, carefully consider and aggressively question the financial health, history and longevity of the company you are dealing with. There are a lot of cheap service pitches out there; buyer beware. A paper certificate does not amount to much if the issuing company is not around tomorrow and you’re stuck with a poorly installed, malfunctioning system. The company should be viable enough to supply you reasonable financing with terms that fit your monthly budget. The risk with a lot of smaller companies is that they are sold or just go out of business.
In short, the manufacturer of the equipment will usually warrant defects in the equipment, but the installing company alone guarantees the installation work.
Getting Started
If you live in the Charleston area, Pardee Service Experts can help you. Schedule an appointment online or simply call 843-410-6103 and we will be happy to assist you.
A new furnace or air conditioning system will save you energy and money all year long. Although it’s a big decision to get a new system, we hope this information has helped you understand the buying process and what to watch out for as you move through it.