With the hot weather upon us we are staying indoors much more, so you should invest into Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) products to protect you and your family from airborne particulate, viruses, and bacteria. Call us today for a free consultation and stay healthy.
Coastal Cooling and Heating is an established HVAC company in Okaloosa County, Walton County, and Bay Counties with over 20 years of experience. We specialize in customer service for air conditioner repairs, heater repairs, air conditioner installation, air conditioners, heat pumps, air handlers, gas furnaces, and heater installation. We are state licensed and insured and offer the highest quality technicians in the area. Work with us and we will guarantee 100% satisfaction.
Heating and cooling is the largest energy expense in the average home, usually accounting for around 56% of the energy used. Plus; you know when you are uncomfortable if the temperature is wrong. It's hard to get comfortable, hard to sleep; hard to live. We know the importance of heating and cooling and how it affects you.
We take pride in doing our job quickly and efficiently so you can get back to living your life.
We can do it all: residential repair or commercial unit repair, remodeling, new construction, heat pumps, gas furnaces; you name it and we can work with it.
We encourage the use of Indoor Air Quality Products (IAQ), digital programmable thermostats, and energy saving products. We suggest that you get involved in our scheduled maintenance program to keep your system in peak operating order. This will prolong the life of the equipment and will continue to save you money on your monthly utility bill.
The answer is "Yes". Here are some simple procedures you can perform before going to the expense of a service call:
Check disconnect switches (indoor and outdoor if you have a split system). Make sure that circuit breakers are ON or that fuses have not blown.
Check for sufficient airflow. Make sure air filters are clean and that supply-air and return-air grilles are open and unobstructed.
Check the settings on your thermostat. If you want cooling, make sure the temperature control selector is set below room temperature and the SYSTEM switch is on the COOL or AUTO position. If you want heat, make sure the temperature control selector is set above room temperature and the SYSTEM switch is at HEAT or AUTO. The FAN switch should be set at AUTO.
Three main factors to consider are:
Life Expectancy of Current System
When you're frustrated with an equipment break-down, it can be tempting to find the least expensive "quick fix" to get on with your life in relative comfort. That "quick fix" may be the least expensive now, but it may not give you the most value-or cost you the least-in the long run.
Paying for repairs to an old or inefficient system often simply prolongs the inevitable. It's almost like putting a bandage on a serious injury. An older system that breaks down once is likely to break down againand again. That means more emergency service calls or, worse yet, the risk of damage to your home or to other components of your heating and cooling system.
Operating Cost
There's also an ongoing cost factor to consider. Restoring your old system will only bring it back to its current level of energy efficiency. After you've recovered from the repair bills and the frustration of system breakdowns, you still won't save on your energy bills.
Even six-year-old heat pumps and air conditioners are considered grossly inefficient by today's energy efficiency standards. So are most furnaces built before 1980. So you could save up to 60% on your energy bills with new high-efficiency equipment. That's why installing a new heating and cooling system can actually pay for itself in energy savings within a relatively short time.
Looking at the Big Picture
When one component of your system breaks down unexpectedly, it's easy to just focus on repairing or replacing that component. But each part of your system works with the others to boost efficiency and reliability, so it helps to keep the big picture in mind
1. At what temperature should I keep my thermostat set?
We recommend 78 degrees on cooling. Some people are not comfortable at this setting and require it cooler. But you need to remember that for each degree below 78 degrees you will increase the energy cost for air conditioning by a significant amount.
2. Should I keep my fan running?
Normally no, but there are exceptions such as some business applications, etc. In home, this practice can increase humidity usually causing higher electric bills and increased discomfort.
3. Should I turn off my air conditioning during the day if I am not at home?
No, you can raise the setting on the thermostat a few degrees. Up to 82 to 83 degrees will use less energy and still allow for the A/C system to recover when you lower the thermostat to your desired comfort level when you get home in the evening.
4. When I go away for the summer what should I set my thermostat at?
82 degrees, but it is even better to have a programmable thermostat installed and preset to run at 76 degrees for two hours per day. This will insure proper humidity removal each day to cut down on mold, while keeping operating costs to pennies per day.
5. How often should I have my air conditioning unit or heat pump checked?
Twice a year. You should consider a Service Agreement whereby we will automatically perform the maintenance service for you. The benefits of a service agreement more than pay for the small investment. You get semi-annual maintenance and many other benefits. If interested, contact us at 850-424-6339
6. Can I close up vents in rooms I am not using? Does it save money?
It is not a good idea to close vents in your home. The savings are insignificant and the air balancing will be wrong, causing the relative humidity to raise in the home and become uncomfortable. It may also cause Mold problems.
7. How often should the filter be cleaned or changed?
When it is dirty. Depending on the application, it ranges from once a month to twice a year.
8. How long should each "off" and "on" cycle be?
This varies with each House and is difficult to answer as it depends on the outside temperature and how well your home is insulated. We at Coastal Cooling & Heating can perform an energy survey on your home or business and tell you.
9. How long should it take to cool a hot house down to 80 degrees?
This depends on how hot it is outside and how long the unit has been off, as furnishings, carpet, etc., store heat. Expect at least 2 to 3 hours or longer.
10. How long should an air conditioning unit or heat pump last?
This depends on how much it is used, how well it is cleaned and maintained, and the environment. Normally you could reasonably expect a unit to last 8 to 10 years or more according to most manufacturers. With the salt air oceanfront and waterfront homes could be a little less.
11. What is meant by "high-efficiency air conditioning"?
Equipment that delivers more BTU's of cooling relative to the electrical wattage consumed by that of standard or low efficiency equipment. This is measured by S.E.E.R. (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), the higher the S.E.E.R. number the more efficient.
12. How much could "high-efficiency air conditioning" save me?
Considerable! Most equipment installed in the 1980's had an S.E.E.R. of between 6.0 and 9.0. Today the minimum S.E.E.R. is 13.0 and goes up to 20.0. Many times we remove older air conditioning equipment and replace it with new high-efficiency equipment, and the owner gets 30% to 50% return on investment.
13. Should I turn my air conditioning off during the night?
No, but you can raise the temperature up 2 to 4 degrees. A programmable or computerized thermostat as mentioned previously can also be programmed to perform this function.
14. What should the supply air temperature be?
Approximately 16 to 20 degrees lower than the return (or rooms) temperature.
15. Where is the condensate drains?
In the indoor air handler and extend to the outside of your home. You have a primary drain for draining the water out, and a secondary drain to drain the water out if something happens to your primary drain, such as rust, leaks, algae or mold build up, foreign object, etc. Not all units have secondary drains.
They must be checked, and cleaned if necessary.
16. Is my unit big enough?
One of Coastal Cooling & Heating trained technicians can answer this after he performs an energy survey for you. To answer this question it requires us to perform a complete heat load calculation, then and only can you be assured your equipment is properly sized. There is NO "rule of thumb answer".
17. Where are the breakers for my unit?
Normally you have a breaker next to your air handler and a breaker outside next to your condensing unit, as well as in your main electrical panel.
Regular inspections and tune-ups of your air conditioning and heating system are the same as scheduled maintenance and oil changes for your car—they keep things safe and running well for years:
1. Maintains peak performance and energy efficiency for highest monthly utility savings
2. Protects system components from general operational problems that could lead to component failure or system breakdown
3. Protects you and your family from things like gas leaks and improper venting
4. Keeping the coils clean and the salt rinsed off will prolong the life of the air conditioning and heating system
