The homeowners of this lovely home in historic Seneca, SC were looking for a new HVAC system. Their current system was over 20 years old, and it was showing its age. Their monthly energy bills kept getting higher, and when the system broke down, repairs were costing more as well. The time had come to look into replacements.
Problem: The aging HVAC system for a Cape Style-home in Seneca was 20+ years old, and it was starting to cost more to repair.
Solution: A new Ameristar air conditioning and gas furnace system will keep the homeowners comfortable all year long while improving their efficiency and lowering their energy bills.
Before You Buy- Know What You Need
When the homeowners gave us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air, we were happy to find them a new system, but we wanted to make sure they were comfortable with the decision. We also know that buying a new HVAC system can be confusing.
While a new HVAC system can feel like buying a new car- both are expensive purchases- but the features and advantages of different HVAC systems aren’t quite as simple for most folks to understand as deciding whether you want cloth or leather seats, or that undercoating the dealer always wants you to buy.
Before deciding on any particular HVAC system, you first should know:
- What Size System do I Need? Your HVAC technician should be able to look at your home, take the square footage, and do a load calculation to help determine what size system you need for your home.
HVAC systems are sized by the number of cubic feet of space they have to heat or cool, and a properly sized system is important to keep your energy bills under control. If you get a system that’s too small, it will always struggle to keep you comfortable throughout your home, and it will wear out faster. A system that is too big will always be turning on and off, and this also wears out a system faster and will not control humidity well.
In addition to the size of your home, factors such as ductwork, sunlight, and heat loss and gain need to be factored in to get the right system for your home. - What Fuel am I going to use? Most people replace their current systems with similar systems, but some people decide to replace oil or gas systems with electric or geothermal heat pumps- what you choose will depend on where you live, and what fuels are available to you, along with the cost to install and operate the new system.
- What Efficiency Do I Need? In general, newer systems, especially air conditioning, use more efficient refrigerants and almost any system will improve your efficiency. However, there are additional options such as variable speed blowers and motors, smart thermostats, and other features that can help increase the efficiency of your system. While you will pay a little more for a more efficient system (measured by SEER, AFUE and HSPF numbers- learn more from the US Department of Energy by clicking here), you will get a return on that money by using less energy to heat and cool your home, and your monthly energy bills should shrink.
Finding the Right System
Here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air, we have experience installing a wide variety of HVAC systems, from different manufacturers, and that helps us find the right system for you that meets your needs and your budget.
For these homeowners in historic Seneca, an Ameristar American Standard 15 SEER air conditioner and a 96% AFUE gas furnace were a perfect choice. The Ameristar furnace comes with a 10-year warranty on parts a 20-year warranty on the heat exchanger, and a ten-year warranty on the Compressor, Outdoor Coil, and parts for the air conditioner. This outstanding warranty helps the homeowners have confidence in the quality of the system. In addition, Consumer Reports members rate American Standard as one of the systems with the highest Owner Satisfaction scores.
Sound Matters!
American Standard and Ameristar also work to keep their units quiet. As you can see from the pictures here, the outdoor condenser unit for the air conditioning unit is located in the back of the home, under some windows. The unit is quiet enough that you can still open up your windows and not feel like a plane is taking off outside your window- a real plus for everyone who enjoys the outdoors!
Indoor Installation Matters
Additionally, as we installed the indoor furnace and blowers in this home, we took the effort to make sure each component was well-situated and it would be easy to service and change out air filters when needed. These extra small steps make a difference, especially for equipment that will be an important part of your home for the next several decades!
More Comfort, Less Cost
Upgrading your HVAC system is not cheap. However, increasing the energy efficiency of your home HVAC system comes with reduced energy bills. Certain systems also qualify for rebates from Duke Energy and local energy companies. Also, the new Inflation Reduction Act offers tax credits of up to $2,000 when you install new energy efficient systems in your home. That means big savings up front, as well as the savings you’ll start to see right away on your monthly energy bills! Your new system will make your home more comfortable, while offsetting costs in different ways.
Try A New Smart thermostat
You can also add smart home thermostats to help you better control your HVAC system, deliver the most comfort while you’re home, and save you money with energy-efficient settings when you’re away. You can get the most out of your HVAC system and also better track your energy usage with these new wifi smart thermostats- even controlling them from your smartphone!
Let Us Help You!
We were glad to be able to help our Homeowners in Seneca, SC get more comfort and save money every month with their new Ameristar system. If your home HVAC system seems to be costing you more and more each month, or isn’t keeping you as comfortable as it did in the past, give us a call here at Blue Ridge Heating and Air. We can inspect your system and see if it needs a tune up, or whether you should start to consider if a replacement system might be a better choice for your home, and your pocketbook. Our experienced technicians are here to help you make the best choice for your home and budget!