Cooling

For the average US homeowner it costs more than $1,000 each year to heat and cool their home. No matter which type of heating or cooling system you have, you can reduce your energy costs by using a programmable thermostat to reduce heating and cooling when no one is home or when you’re asleep. According to ENERGY STAR, the average household can save around $180 a year by maintaining proper settings on their programmable thermostat. That’s almost 20% of your heating and cooling costs!

CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING

When purchasing a new central air conditioner, bigger is not better. An air conditioner that is too big for your home costs more to buy, uses more energy (i.e. costs more to operate), and will cycle on and off more frequently, shortening its life span. It will be noisier than an appropriately-sized model, and won’t dehumidify the air as well. But if you’re still tempted to go bigger, get a model with a larger energy efficiency rating, or SEER value. In order to size your air conditioner appropriately, Capital City Heating and Cooling should spend about an hour in your home measuring the walls, floors and windows, checking the insulation in the attic, walls and crawl spaces, and testing the duct work for leaks. Beware of any contractor who will size your unit based only on the square footage of your house.

AIR CONDITIONERS

Air conditioners may look similar, but their Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) can vary widely. Higher SEER numbers save more money spent on electricity. A 13 SEER air conditioner, the EPA “current minimum standard”, uses 23% less energy then a 10 SEER unit (EPA standard up until Jan. 2006). Even though 13 SEER is the minimum efficiency available, we currently offer a line of air conditioners that start at 13 SEER and go all the way up to a 20 SEER. Depending on your average usage, higher SEER air conditioners can significantly reduce your electric bill.

Additionally, we offer many air conditioners that have advanced features, such as 2-stage compressors and variable speed fan operation. These features not only improve the comfort level of your home, but can provide additional energy savings as well.

AIR HANDLERS/FAN COILS

An air conditioning system consists of more than the unit that sits out in your flowerbed. It includes an indoor section that is vital to cooling performance. An air handler is an often overlooked, yet essential part of your central heating and cooling system. The air handler is the indoor portion of your “split system”.

The fan coil is the indoor component of a heat pump system. It includes the fan and the heating/cooling coil. The fan coil is designed for a particular refrigerant, so it must be matched with the heat pump or air conditioner.

We offer many fan coils with variable and multi-speed features that can provide enhanced indoor comfort by slowly ramping up to your thermostat setting rather than simply turning on at full speed. This alleviates the ‘cold air blow’ often associated with single speed fan coils, and dramatically reduces system noise.