Replacing A Heat Pump In Sapphire, NC

The owners of this beautiful home in Sapphire NC were having problems staying comfortable. The system never seemed to cool off the whole home and hold the temperature, so they were waking up in the middle of the night, sweaty and frustrated. They gave us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating & Air to see what we would recommend.

Signs Your HVAC System Needs To Be Replaced

It’s frustrating when your home HVAC system starts to get to the end of its life span. It starts to need more repairs, and you can find yourself spending more each month on energy bills than you planned, along with more frequent repair bills. Sometimes knowing when to decide to replace the system is challenging- after all, it is a big expense. But, this could be a decision that saves money in the long run, while also solving your comfort issues in the short.

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Knowing when it’s getting to be time to replace the system is important- think about these things:

Is the system more than 10 years old?

If the answer is yes, your system is likely out of warranty, and major repairs will be expensive. Do you want to sink that money into an older system, or invest in a new system that is more energy-efficient and can lower your monthly energy bills?

Is your system using R-22 (freon)?

Freon is an older refrigerant, that started to be phased out in 2020. If your older system is still using this refrigerant, it may not be able to be “recharged” if it develops a leak and will need to be replaced. Newer refrigerants require a different pressurized system, so it’s not possible to convert older systems to take the newer refrigerants.

Are your energy bills noticeably higher?

If you are seeing a spike in your energy bills every month, and certainly year over year, your system is likely struggling and may be “short cycling”- it's turning on and off quickly, but is never getting up to speed. This chews up energy and helps wear out your system even faster. This is definitely a problem to call your HVAC contractor about, to try to get to the bottom of the issue.

Are there unusual noises or smells coming from your system?

Unusual noises or smells can spell trouble for a heat pump system- it could be parts wearing out, a build-up of mold or other residue, or a more serious problem that needs to be addressed.

How Does A Heat Pump Work?

Replacing an Older Heat Pump

When our expert team from Blue Ridge Heating and Air came out to this home, we did a thorough inspection and found that the existing system was starting to fail. It has been short-cycling- turning on and off frequently, which prevented it from adequately heating or cooling the home, and you could feel the buildup of humidity in the air in the home. When anyone sat down on a wooden chair, it would feel sticky and like you had to peel yourself off it when you got up - a sign that the system was no longer controlling the humidity in the home.

Repairs would be expensive, and temporary, as it was clear that the compressor of the old system was beginning to fail, and that a full replacement would be the best option in the long term.

Knowing their system was well over 10 years old, we began discussing options with the homeowners, and they settled on a York LX horizontal discharge heat pump with a York High-Efficiency Variable Speed air handler.

York Systems Provide Comfort on a Budget

York systems are less expensive than some other brands of HVAC split systems, but they stand out with a great warranty, with 10 years of limited coverage on parts plus labor costs for the first year. York systems are also known to have great energy efficiency and low sound levels, which is important, especially if you have the outdoor portion of the system close to patios and decks.

For these homeowners, the variable speed air handler will automatically adjust to the actual cooling needs in their home. The system will run more intensely to reach the desired comfort level, and then back off once that temperature is reached, using just the energy needed to keep them perfectly comfortable. This helps add efficiency to your system and keep the energy bills low, kind of like having cruise control on your car!

And like cruise control, operating at low speeds and turning on and off less leads to less wear and tear as well as less energy usage, making a variable speed air handler a great choice to help keep your energy bills low.

Energy Efficiency Saves Money

Increased efficiency is a big winner- not only does the new system lower their bills, but these systems also qualify for rebates from Duke Energy and tax credits under the new Inflation Reduction Act- up to $2,000! That makes choosing a new system an even better idea to help bring your energy needs and budget under control.

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Helping You Get More Comfort

At Blue Ridge Heating & Air, we love being able to help people get more comfortable in their homes while saving them money. We work on a wide variety of HVAC systems, and can help you find the perfect solution for your home, that will keep you- and your wallet- comfortable.

Whether you have a tight budget, or are looking for a high performance system, we can work with you to make sure you get years of comfort out of your home. Just give us a call, and our expert staff will help you get the system that will deliver everything you need!

Replacing An HVAC System In Brevard, NC

This lovely ranch home in Brevard was having a problem. The heating and cooling system had been struggling, and finally gave out, no longer cooling the home at all. With the weather we have around here, having your AC go out is no joke- you can get uncomfortable pretty fast! They gave us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air, to consider a replacement system.

Problem: Homeowners called because their HVAC system wasn’t cooling the house, leaving them hot and uncomfortable.

Solution: Replace their old, aging system with a high-efficiency York LX series furnace and single-stage air conditioner.

When It’s Time To Replace your Heating & Air Conditioning

If your current HVAC system is more than 10 years old, it’s likely out of warranty. And just like when your car starts getting to be “high mileage”, systems older than 10 years old are starting to get to the point where the costs for repairs start to add up, and you have to decide whether it’s time just to replace the whole darn thing.

Read More: The Blue Ridge Replacement Process For A Furnace

Benefits to Replacement

When you replace an older heating and cooling system, there is a silver lining. Newer systems have become much more efficient, meaning they can produce more comfort using less energy, which reduces your electric and gas bills each and every month.

This efficiency improvement also comes with some savings- local energy companies like Duke Energy have rebates for updating your systems, and under the new Inflation Reduction Act, a new more efficient HVAC system could earn you tax credits up to $2,000- that helps make the expense of a new system more affordable for sure!

Replacing AC and Heating At The Same Time

When you replace your air conditioning, many times we recommend you replace your furnace at the same time. Why is this?

AC and heating systems are “matched” kind of like your washer and dryer are matched, and when one starts to go, it’s often a sign the other isn’t far behind. Mismatched systems also can decrease performance, and you won’t get the comfort benefits you should with a mismatched system.

Furnaces often get pinhole leaks in their heat exchangers, which can be a really dangerous situation, leaking carbon monoxide into your home. This happens due to metal fatigue, from constant heating and cooling, and over time, the metal gives out. You can’t diagnose this without taking a look at the heat exchanger, which technicians can do as they replace your AC.

Many times when someone plans just to replace their AC and not their furnace, we discover signs of metal fatigue when we start the replacement, and then we’re forced to replace the furnace anyway- which can prolong the job- and your discomfort too!

You can also save significantly on labor costs by replacing both systems at the same time.

Both furnaces and air conditioner systems depend on common components like the “blower” that helps distribute the heated or cooled air throughout your home through your ductwork. Having a matched heating, cooling, and blower or distribution system makes sure all components can work well together, and you get the comfort and efficiency you deserve.

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Comfort at Last with York

York is part of Johnson Controls, a world-class leader in manufacturing. York comfort systems, like the single-stage AC system and LX furnace our homeowners chose, are known for their longevity and their value.

It took a total of four days to replace the air conditioning and furnace for our homeowners. They’ve been really happy with the results, and their home is now a great place- every day of the year. And best of all, they are already seeing a change in their energy bills- something every family can really appreciate!

And our installers here at Blue Ridge take the time to find the right location for the outdoor equipment, and built this special platform to help make sure the outdoor system will be free from leaves and debris that can affect its performance, as pictured above!

Give us a Call- We’re Here to Help!

If your heating or cooling system is leaving you in the lurch, give us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air. We’re happy to help with any repairs, and if you need or want a replacement, we’ll help you find the perfect system that will give you the comfort you crave while keeping within your budget- that makes everyone happy! Give us a call today and let’s help you get comfortable!

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Buying A New Furnace From Blue Ridge Heating And Air

Buying a new furnace to heat your home or business is a big purchase. The purpose of this article is to help you understand how Blue Ridge Heating and Air approaches the process. It is our goal to meet or surpass your expectations throughout the entire process.

In this article, we are going to go over the process from start to finish. I'll break it down into 3 parts:

• Consultation

• Sale

• Installation

If you'd like to speak to someone now about your heating system, give us a call, or click on the button below to contact us online.

Speak To Someone About Your Heating System

Consultation

As nice as it would be to have “off the shelf” products and pricing for gas furnaces, it’s not quite that simple. This is due to the customized nature of the installation process at each home, in addition to the variations in furnace features and efficiencies. That being said, a homeowner can expect a new furnace installation starting price around $6000. This is the indoor gas furnace unit for a split system. It does not include a new outdoor air conditioner unit or indoor coil. As furnace models get higher in BTU heating capacity, and higher in energy efficiency, the price increases commensurately.

The purpose of the consultation is to fully understand the customer’s needs and expectations. Prior to coming to your home, if time allows, our comfort specialist will perform a heat load calculation. Most of the information needed to do this is available from third-party online sources such as Zillow.com. However, they may need to call you to complete the analysis or complete it once they are at your home. An example output of this analysis is shown below. You can see that about 52,000 BTUs of heat energy are needed to heat this home.

Now that we know what size of furnace output is needed, we need to select a furnace. There are two general efficiency classifications of gas furnaces: 80% and 90%.

You can think about this like you do vehicles. You can buy the Dodge Charger and get 22 miles per gallon, or the Honda Accord and get 36 miles per gallon. Both can accomplish the mission, but one does it at much lower operational expense. To determine the minimum furnace size needed, you simply apply the math. 52,000/0.80=65,000. So, for an 80% furnace to deliver 52,000 BTUs of heat, you would need a furnace with at least 65,000 BTUs of input.

Historically, 80% furnaces were used in attics because they do not condense water. The inefficiency of the furnace does not enable water to form. Therefore, there are no drain lines full of water to be concerned about freezing and bursting during the winter. If an 80% furnace is already installed in your attic, most of the time a new 80% furnace is used as the replacement.

Upgrading to a 90% furnace requires that the exhaust flue (metal b-vent) be replaced with a PVC exhaust flue. Typically, this exhaust flue penetrates the roof. If the flue is being changed from the metal b-vent to PVC, a roofer must be engaged to ensure proper penetration and sealing on the roof to prevent leakage. The increased installation cost of the 90% equipment, flue replacement, and hiring a roofer leads most homeowners to maintain an 80% furnace as the replacement.

On the other hand, if the attic application is a new construction or remodel, a 90% furnace is a good option. The primary additional action to do from the installation standpoint is to fully insulate the condensate drain line to prevent freezing during the winter.

Normally, if the furnace is located in a crawl space, basement, or mechanical room, a 90% furnace is used.

In addition to ensuring we size the furnace correctly for your home, we also want to ensure the duct system is sized correctly for the amount of airflow needed to condition the home. It is quite common for air returns to be undersized, which can impede efficient conditioning of the home and shorten equipment life. The overall condition of your duct system can be assessed as well.

The logistics of replacing your furnace also must be assessed. Is the access hole to the attic or crawl space limited in size? Can the installers safely access the working area? Sometimes, additional plywood is secured to the joists in the attic to improve working efficiency and safety. You will see the comfort specialist capture most of this information in a digital form on their iPad, along with many pictures and some videos. These are instrumental in helping the installation team to be well-prepared when they arrive.

The comfort specialist may discuss other preferences with you such as single or two-stage furnaces, and constant or variable-speed blowers. These features impact price, energy efficiency, and comfort.

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The Sale

Our goal is to help educate you as much as possible so that you can make an informed decision that leaves you with no regrets. We want to tell you everything about our company, our people, our standard of service, and the products we have to offer. We want you to know by the end of your consultation if you want to do business with us or not. Yes is great, and no is ok.

Our quotes are provided with a total investment price, and a payments (financed) price. We have a number of financing options that can help to manage the expense of a new installation.

If you sign off on a proposed solution while our comfort specialist is still at your home, you will provide a deposit in the form of a check or credit card. Alternatively, if you plan to finance the purchase, you would apply for financing at this time.

The comfort specialist will ask you for your preferred installation date or dates.

If you decide later on, for example on another day, to move forward with the installation, contact the main office or reply to the email address on your quote. You will be contacted to secure your deposit or financing, and to determine when you prefer the installation. We have a note explaining this on all of our quotes, but you should be aware that our quotes are valid for 30 days. If you make a decision to use us after 30 days, we may need to update our quote as equipment prices and other variables may change.

The Installation

Once you’ve made the decision to move forward on an installation with Blue Ridge Heating and Air, the Installation Manager will pull the permit with the county or city as applicable and contact you to solidify the installation date.

The day before the installation, the Installation Manager will re-confirm the install for the next day with you. On the morning of the install, the Lead Installer will call you before leaving the shop as a final confirmation. The Lead Installer will be your primary point of contact during the installation, but you are free to contact the Installation Manager with any questions or concerns.

After the installation is complete, the final payment will be collected or monthly payments activated. The Lead Installer will review the Comfort Maintenance Plan with you, and then request a want-date for the inspection. At a later date, the office will schedule the date of inspection and inform you. The inspector will inform you and the company of the inspection result. Should the inspection fail for any reason, Blue Ridge Heating & Air will contact you to schedule a date to come resolve the issue.

In Summary

We know that Blue Ridge Heating and Air is not going to be the best fit for everyone. You will find a wide range of pricing in the market. Generally, the low end of the pricing begins with the phrase, “I know a guy…, or My cousin does side work…, etc.” If that sounds appealing to you, we are not a good fit. Our pricing may be 20 to 50% higher than these options. You should not expect a permit, inspection, or strong follow-up service in these cases.

The other end of the pricing spectrum is typically associated with the larger, well-known company names in the area. Their reputations are easily assessed by looking at the reviews on their websites and Google profiles. Quite often, they have solid reputations and will stand behind their work. On occasion, we have seen their prices be 1.5 to 2 times higher than ours when we’ve crossed paths with a customer. We think that you will find that Blue Ridge Heating and Air pricing lies somewhere in between these two extremes. We do have overhead, a building, trucks, benefits for our valued team members, regular factory training on equipment, etc. So we will never have the lowest price out there. However, we pride ourselves on “Going the Extra Mile” for our customers. If you do not have this type of experience with us, our management and owners want to know about it and make it right.

Schedule A Furnace Consultation With Blue Ridge