Tag Archives: energy bills

AC maintenance | Keith Air Conditioning

Know What to Expect from Professional AC Maintenance

AC maintenance

Scheduling professional AC maintenance every year will help keep the system running smoothly for many years. It helps prevent breakdowns and keeps the unit running efficiently. A more efficient system means you keep your energy use and costs to a minimum in your Mobile, Alabama, home.

The Maintenance Check

Your HVAC technician will completely evaluate and clean your system. The following are some of the steps you can expect during a routine AC maintenance call:

  • Thermostat – Your technician will verify that the thermostat is working properly. A malfunctioning thermostat will result in inaccurate temperatures and cause your system to use more energy. If you have an older thermostat, the AC professional may recommend upgrading to a programmable thermostat.
  • Electrical Connections – All electrical connections will be checked and tightened. A faulty electrical connection can be potentially dangerous and put excessive wear on electrical components. Such damage could also increase your energy costs.
  • Moving Parts – A lack of lubrication can cause friction within the system and increase the amount of energy used. It also increases the wear and tear on the equipment.
  • Condensation Drain – If the drain is not working properly, it can back up and cause water damage, as well as increase humidity levels in the house.
  • System Evaluation – The AC technician should run the system through a complete cycle to ensure the system is starting, running, and stopping properly.
  • Clean evaporator and condenser coils – Dirty coils cause the system to have to work harder to keep your home’s interior temperature comfortable, which again, increases your energy bills and leads to the need for more repairs.
  • Refrigerant Levels – If the refrigerant is not at optimal levels, the system will need to work harder to keep the home cool.
  • Clean and adjust blower components – When the blower is not adjusted properly, it can reduce system efficiency by up to 15 percent. That leads to higher energy use and costs.

 

Schedule AC Maintenance and Save

Having annual preventative maintenance will increase AC efficiency and allow you to realize more savings on your energy bills. For reliable AC service, contact Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. at 251-476-3610. We are your cooling specialists serving Mobile and surrounding communities.

good ductwork design | Keith Air Conditioning

Follow These Principles for Good Ductwork Design

ductwork design

Central or forced air HVAC systems rely on a system of ducts to get conditioned air to every vented area of your home. How well your central heating and cooling works depends a lot on good ductwork design.

Ductwork carries conditioned air from the utility area where your furnace or air conditioner is installed into the living areas of your home. When it is working as it should, each room in your house gets an appropriate volume of air delivery, and the air reaches the vents as warm or as cool as it’s meant to be. When ductwork is improperly designed, however, leaks, heat loss or heat gain, and excessive or insufficient airflow can plague your home. In fact, these flaws can drop an HVAC installation’s efficiency down to 60 percent of its ideal operating conditions. That’s not just bad for the energy bills, it’s bad for home comfort.

Principles of Good Ductwork Design

  • In new homes, ductwork should be designed at the same time the house plans are being drafted. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) offers updated guidelines on how best to approach residential duct system design.
  • Good ductwork design takes into account the heating and cooling loads of each room, not just the entire house. Inner rooms may require less conditioning than rooms that are more affected by outdoor temperatures through conduction and radiation, for example, through walls, ceilings, windows or doors. And smaller rooms, such as bathrooms, require less airflow than larger living spaces.
  • When the heating and cooling loads are calculated, the specific models of furnace and air conditioner should be determined. This is because the rate of air supply provided by the blower fan can impact the size of duct necessary.
  • The location of the central HVAC system should be considered as part of good ductwork design. Symmetrical or nearly-symmetrical ductwork often performs best when it comes to delivering the correct amount of air to every room, which means that tucking the HVAC appliances into an out-of-the-way location can have undesirable consequences for airflow.
  • The duct layout should also take the location of other appliances into account. For example, a duct should not be installed next to a water heater, as the heater may transfer heat into the duct during the cooling season, reducing the efficiency of the home’s air conditioner.
  • When the equipment is selected, contractors should draw up a sketch of your home’s entire air distribution systems in order to calculate the duct size requirements. This step can also help the contractors decide what method of distribution is best: a trunk-and-branch system, where one main trunk duct supplies a number of smaller branch ducts which carry air to each room, for example. Good ductwork design will be fine-tuned to the architecture of the building, as well as the climate.
  • Ideally, ductwork should be kept in conditioned or insulated areas of the home. Insulating the ducts helps to prevent heat loss and heat gain. Keeping the ductwork securely within the home’s thermal envelope also helps to retain energy.
  • When the size and layout of ducts has been selected and the ducts are being installed, the contractor should pay special attention to sealing duct connections with mastic to ensure that no air leaks are present in the system.

Good ductwork design governs year-round home comfort when it comes to heating and cooling your home. In addition, improved airflow throughout your home optimizes the performance of your HVAC system.

To learn more about ductwork design, how to get the most out of your ductwork, and proper ductwork maintenance, contact the experts at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. at 251-476-3610. Our technicians can provide a variety of energy-efficient solutions and systems to improve indoor air quality, energy savings, and comfort in your Mobile-area home or office.