Brookfield Heating & Cooling

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much can I save on my utility bills with a new furnace or air conditioner?

Typically a new 13 SEER air conditioning system will save you 30% to 50% on your electric bill over an older unit. New furnaces will save you anywhere between 20% and 40%, sometimes more, depending on the efficiency of the model you buy.

Q: What does "SEER" stand for?

It stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. The size of an air conditioner is rated in Btu's or Tons (12,000 Btu = 1 ton) and the efficiency is rated in SEER. The higher the SEER rating the less electricity the unit will use.

Q: Should I get the highest SEER air conditioner I can buy?

Not necessarily. In 2006 the government mandates that no residential air conditioner manufactured will be less than 13 SEER. Higher SEER systems are made, at higher prices of course, but you may not be able to offset the higher cost with savings on your electric bill.

Q: Shouldn't I get a little bigger air conditioner than I really need so it doesn't have to work very hard to cool the house?

Absolutely not! Actually, "over sizing" an air conditioner does exactly the opposite of what you think it does. The first thing that happens is that it doesn't remove the humidity from the home like it should, so you end up turning the thermostat cooler because it feels "sticky" and uncomfortable. Since every degree cooler that you set your thermostat costs you 3 to 5% more in electricity, a larger air conditioner than what you need starts costing you money fast. Besides that, it costs more to buy a bigger one in the first place!
Yes, the big a/c cools the house down fast, but it does more starting and stopping than the properly sized one. Too big an air conditioner for your home (or the ductwork system) can cause freezing of the inside coil and then it doesn't work at all. These things wear the system out faster. All things considered, too large an a/c will cost you more money, it won't do as good a job, and it will normally not last as long as the right sized one.
Back to Your AC.

Q: When you say a furnace is 93% efficient, what do you mean?

Simply put, 93% of the heat from the burned gas stays in the house and only 7% goes out the flue pipe. Compare this to a lot of twenty or thirty year old furnaces that put 55 or 60% of the heat into the house and 40 or 45% went up the chimney.

Q: Does a bigger furnace work better?

Same as the a/c, the furnace needs to be the right size for the house. Too big a furnace causes the house to heat up too fast and the temperature will vary quite a bit. And like the oversized air conditioner it wastes energy and doesn't last as long as it should.

Q: Will I need ductwork changes when I get a new furnace or a/c?

Maybe, maybe not. The size of the ductwork needed is determined by the size of the furnace and air conditioner that are used. Once the equipment is decided on then the ductwork will need to be checked to make sure it is sufficient. This is a very important step. How well the system works and how efficient it is depends as much or more on the ductwork as it does the equipment. Think of your ductwork as the delivery system for the heated and cooled air, you have to get the right amount of that air in the right places in your home for it to do it's job. Your heating and cooling man also needs to know if there are any hot or cold spots in the house.

Q: How do you figure out what size of furnace or air conditioner I need?

Your house loses heat in the winter and gains heat in the summer. The furnace replaces the heat that's being lost and the a/c removes the heat that's being gained. To know how big they need to be we need to know how much heat the home loses and gains. In order to decide this we have to measure everything. How big are the windows and how well are they made? How many square feet of ceiling and outside wall is there and how much insulation do they have in them? What kind of doors do you have and do you have storm doors? How many people live in the house? All these things figure into it and need to be found out before we can be certain of the size of the equipment you will need.

Q: What is a "heat pump"?

A heat pump is basically an air conditioner that works in reverse in the winter time. In the summer an air conditioner removes heat from your house. In the winter a heat pump removes heat from the outside air and puts it into the home. Since often it cannot get enough heat from outside to do the job it must turn on "backup" or "auxiliary" heat. This extra heat is usually in the form of electric heating elements.

Q: Should I consider buying a heat pump?

If you have only electric heat now a heat pump will give you considerable savings. So if you're not comfortable with gas in the house and your home is well insulated a heat pump will work just fine. But  if you have an old gas furnace it would probably be better for you to replace it with a high efficiency one. Typical heating costs between a heat pump and a high efficiency gas furnace are very close. Since the life expectancy of heat pump equipment is usually shorter than that of a gas furnace, the furnace is usually a better investment. People often feel more comfortable using a gas furnace because the air blowing out of the registers is warmer than heat pump air. Whether or not to replace an old heat pump with a new one or switch to a gas furnace would depend on how satisfied you have been with the performance of your old system.

Q: I've heard about "Ground Source" heat pumps, are they any good?

Ground source heat pumps use water circulated in pipes in the ground or a well system to heat and cool the refrigerant gas ("freon") that in turn heats or cools your house. (The regular heat pump uses the air outside.) They offer very low utility bills in a new home but they cost much more to install in the first place. They are much more complicated than other heating and cooling systems which leads us to believe maintenance costs will be higher in the future. Until these systems have been in this area longer so we can get a better idea of how long they will last and how much repair work will be involved we cannot recommend them. (Utility companies expect a service life of "about twenty years".)

Q: How often should I change my air filter?

Usually every month. We urge our customers to set up a schedule that will remind them that it's time to change the filter. For instance, the first day of the month or when you pay your utility bills. Even if the filter doesn't look all that dirty change it anyway. If you think to yourself, "it's not that dirty, I'll check it in a few weeks or so", you'll usually forget. Make it a habit with a set schedule. A clean filter every month is the best way for you to save on utility costs and repair bills.

Q: How often should I have my furnace or air conditioner serviced?

The air conditioner should be checked in the spring and the furnace in the fall. It's the only way to make certain they are safe and operating at their peak efficiency.

Q: I have a new furnace. Do I really need a carbon monoxide detector in my house?

You bet. A lot of homes have attached garages, ventless heaters or fireplaces, gas water heaters. All are potential sources of carbon monoxide. And just like a new car or anything else you buy, even a new furnace can have a problem.

Q: Will a carbon monoxide detector tell me when I need a new furnace?

If you wait for a CO detector to inform you your furnace is bad, you've waited too long. Have your furnace checked regularly to make sure it's okay. (What if your detector wasn't working properly and you didn't know it?) Besides the safety factor, you don't need to be rushed into buying a furnace because it's cold outside and you have to get something done quick. It's better to find out that you are going to need a new furnace before it completely quits so that you have time to look around and talk to people, get some estimates and make an unhurried decision.

Q: I was told my furnace has a "crack in the heat exchanger" and I need a new furnace. Is this really a serious problem?

The heat exchanger is the part that transfers the heat from the burned gas into the air in the home while keeping the fumes separated. It is the most critical part of the machine. A crack or a hole in the heat exchanger can let carbon monoxide and other vapors into the air that could kill you. If someone tells you that your furnace is "cracked" pay attention! You can sometimes replace a heat exchanger if the furnace is not over fifteen or twenty years old or it may be wiser to purchase a new furnace.

Q: Does the "freon" in an air conditioner ever wear out?

No. Sometimes it can become contaminated or damaged from overheating or other problems in the system.

Q: Is it normal to have to add freon to my air conditioner every year?

Only if the system has a leak somewhere and is loosing the refrigerant (freon). If you don't have to add very much then the leak may be too small or inaccessible to be found by the service technician.