Orlando, Tampa, & Jacksonville Air Conditioning Educational Center

Did you know that the air in our homes and businesses can be between 70-100 times more polluted than outdoor air?  Dust, animal dander, bacteria, viruses, mold and mildew, and cleaning chemicals can all contribute to allergy problems, asthma, breathing issues and upper respiratory infections.  There are many products available today that help clean your indoor air and maintain improved health.  Be sure to check into UV lights and improved filtration products to assist in this cleansing of your indoor air.  Be sure to investigate the MERV Ratings of filters (Like SEER-the higher the better) and their ability to capture and kill viruses, bacteria and the like.

Trust the Orlando Air Conditioning professionals at Air Flow Designs for innovative air conditioning solutions.  Call us today at 321.397.2110.

The difference between an 8/10 SEER and a 14 SEER unit is about 35-50% in energy usage.  This may not always translate into a similar saving, however, on your utility bill as utility rates continue to increase.   A homeowner may use 15-25% fewer kilowatt hours in a specific month than a year ago but may see only negligible savings due to these possible utility rate increases.  Carrier Corporation says that on average, nationally, heating and cooling costs constitute a little less than 50% of your utility bill.

NO!!! You want the system to be properly sized and run a reasonable amount of time to remove humidity and maintain more consistent temperatures.  “Bigger” usually means it will run for shorter periods of time, creating a condition known as short cycling.  The hardest thing on A. C. and Heat Pump compressors is starting up and shutting down so by over-sizing this way you effectively shorten the life of the compressor and waste power while doing it!.

The air handler unit is the indoor unit which blows the cool or warm air through your duct system.  Single speed air handlers blow at a constant speed whenever they are on (and they should only be on when the outdoor unit is operational). A variable speed air handler is more sophisticated and provides a higher level of comfort in most applications.  Its blower ramps up and down speed-wise as demanded by the “control” or thermostat providing more consistent temperatures and helping to eliminate hot spots and cold spots, providing a higher level of comfort.  Variable speed air handlers also improve the efficiency of your total systems anywhere from 1-2 SEER points saving you more money.  Also, since you are only filtering your indoor air when your indoor unit is on, you can run your variable speed air handler all the time for pennies a day because of its ultra high efficiency.  This way you will be providing your family with 24 hour indoor air filtration, 7 days a week.

Higher is better on both.  Think of these like Miles per Gallon on your car.  The higher the better and the higher efficiency systems of today deliver much higher SEER Ratings and HSPF ratings just like most of  today’s cars deliver higher MPG than they did 20-30 years ago.

By the way, SEER Stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating as Determined by ARI (American Refrigeration Institute)
HSPF stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor.

At Air Flow Designs, we are passionate about customer service and also, offering our clients a wealth of information so that they are empowered to make an educated decision when purchasing air conditioning products or repair services.

We will be providing you with helpful articles on air conditioning, including efficiency issues, how to choose, etc.  Please check back often!