Southern Indiana, Clark, Floyd, and Harrsion Counties as well as Louisville HVAC clients often ask how they should operate their furnace fan – auto or continuous? So, what should you do? Well, it depends…
If you have a high efficiency filtration system and a variable speed ECM blower, you will want your fan running continuously to circulate the air at a low velocity. The lower speed of continuous fan allows for better filtration. The continuous fan will provide more air exchanges each day. Thus providing cleaner air to the home.
What about the rest of us with standard filters and blower motors? If you live in a humid area where the air conditioning system must remove a lot of moisture, you’re better to leave the fan in Auto. You can see as much as a 10% reduction in indoor humidity during the summer. Continuous fan will evaporate the water from the coil that the air conditioner just removed. So, there’s a trade off between circulating the air and humidity control.
Another consideration is register location. If they are placed low on the wall, then the air likely blows on you. You wouldn’t want room temperature air blowing on your skin during the winter. Probably wouldn’t feel to bad in the summer. So, maybe you’d be better only running continuous fan in the summer.
For questions on your unit, give us a call at VanKleef Heating and Air Conditioning 812-280-0510
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Continuous Fan or Auto Fan
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Hybrid Heat
Utility rates are on the rise. Conventional gas furnace and air conditioning systems can be a burden on the budget. Have you considered a hybrid heat system? Hybrid heat systems consist of a heat pump and gas furnace. Most homes in Kentuckiana area utilize an air conditioner and gas furnace. Most older furnaces are 68% to 80% efficient. All York, Lennox, and Trane condensing furnaces are at least 95% efficient. However a heat pump is 200-300% efficient! You can utilize the heat pump in weather over 30F to provide super efficient heating. Our most popular hybrid heat system consists of a two-stage gas furnace with variable speed motor and a 15 SEER heat pump. This system offers the savings benefit of the hybrid system and the comfort of two-stage gas heat.
If you’d like to know more about a hybrid heat system, call us today 812-280-0510 VanKleef Heating and Air Conditioning! -
Waiting To Replace Your HVAC System
So, you are considering selling your Louisville home but your air conditioner is not working well. Do you live with it thinking you won’t be in the home in a couple of years or replace it with an energy efficient air conditioner and furnace?
Three reasons to replace that dinosaur system now.
1 – If it’s more than ten years old, it’s up to 30% less efficient than today’s minimum efficiencies. You’ll save on energy consumption with a new system.
2 – Utility rates increase every year. No matter how much we dislike it, LG&E gets their rated increase approved annually whether it’s electric or natural gas rates. Back to point number one, you’ll save money with a new system.
3 – Let’s say you you do put your house on the market. The buyers will use the age and condition of your heating and cooling system as a negotiating point. A new HVAC system eliminates that point. Plus a stack of lower utility bills is on your side of the negotiating table.
If you can afford to do it, purchasing that new system makes sense.
Contact us today at 812-280-0510 VanKleef Heating and Air Conditioning to arrange an in-home consultation. -
Furnace Setback Temperatures
We are often asked about how low to set the thermostat to save money on your heating bills. Obviously, you save more money the less your equipment operates. So, how cold can you stand it in your Southern Indiana/Louisville home?
Are you a Scrooge and want to keep it 40°F in the house? Well, there is a limit. When a furnace is operating, all of the combustion gases are just that – gases. We don’t want any of them to condense into a liquid while in the primary heat exchanger or vent. So, manufacturers recommend keeping the temperature above 60°F.
What happens if the gases condense in your furnace or vent? When they condense, they form acids. These acids will eat the metal in the vent and heat exchanger. This drastically shortens the life of your system.
So, what’s the answer? Set your thermostat as low as you can bear but keep it above 60°F in the winter. -
Dry Air
Do you get dry itchy skin in the Jeffersonville or Louisville fluctuating weather? Are you concerned about your wood floors and furniture being too dry? We can help with a whole house humidifier.
Whole house humidifiers are mounted on your furnace duct system and controlled automatically by a humidistat in conjunction with your thermostat. Three primary types of humidifiers are steam, fan powered and bypass. The steam humidifier uses significantly less water than the other two. It also works well with all types of heating systems.
In addition to making the air moist, it will also make the ‘cooler’ air more comfortable. This allows you to keep the thermostat a couple degrees lower for the same comfort level. In turn, you save on your heating bill.
Honeywell TruSTEAM humidifiers are the preferred choice of VanKleef Heating and Air Conditioning. We’ve installed them in our own homes as well as customers’ homes. Call 812-280-0510 today to schedule an appointment to see which humidifier is right for you.