For most American homeowners, the energy required for heating and cooling the largest chunk of their energy bill. The industry that maintains and creates central heating systems is called the HVAC industry. HVAC is not so commonly used by consumers, but it is a good acronym to know. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning – or the mechanical systems used to keep interior temperatures comfortable. In today’s world most Denver HVAC systems are combined into one system called central air or central heat.
The central air unit pumps warmed or cooled air through your house through a system of ducts. Compared to older systems like fans and swamp coolers, central heating is more efficient and less invasive than older systems. The units that modern Denver air conditioning services companies operate on now are becoming increasingly efficient, but the average home still uses about half of its energy on central heat. So you can still save a significant amount of money by upgrading your air conditioner.
So next time your furnace breaks, resist calling the local Denver furnace repair company, and instead consider installing a new energy-efficient central heating system. A modern Energy Star certified compressor with a programmable thermostat will save you money while working faster to adjust your interior temperature.
Some central HVAC units pair a air conditioning unit with a furnace, while others use just a heat pump for both heating and cooling. Heat pumps are much more efficient at heating than furnaces. Temperate climates are especially good for heat pump central heating and air because their effectiveness diminishes the further from norm the temperature gets.
Heat pumps and central ac units work by transferring the heat or cold between the outside air and the inside, usually by using some sort of conductive liquid called a refrigerant. For cooling, the compressor then pumps this cool dry air from the outdoor unit around the house.
When shopping for a new HVAC system for your house, you can use some industry benchmarks to help make your decision. AC units are measured by SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The higher the SEER number, the better the unit is at cooling without using a lot of energy. The Energy Star label also means the unit is more efficient than average. For heat pumps, the industry uses the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. Just like SEER, a higher HSPF means less energy required for the unit to do its job.