Types of Air Conditioners & Which One Is Right for Your Home
Air conditioners aren’t something you buy all that often, which means many homeowners aren’t very well educated on them. While there’s no shame in this, here at Lancaster Brothers Heating & Cooling, we believe that an educated consumer is a smarter and happier consumer. When it comes to keeping your home cool and comfortable, there are many options. According to Energy.gov, you can help increase your cooling savings by installing and using the right type of cooling system for your home. So which one do you pick? To help you figure out what is best for you, we’re breaking down the different types of systems for you.
Central Air Conditioner
This type of system circulates cool air throughout your home using a system of ducts and registers. These usually last in the ballpark of 15-20 years, and are definitely considered an investment, but a good one if you buy the right one for your home and take care of it. Central air conditioners provide the most even cooling available. These are fairly quiet, and easy to operate, as well as efficient.
Related Read: The Ultimate Guide to Summer Energy Savings
Room AC Unit
Room units provide cooling for a single room and are usually installed in a window unit or portable unit. Room units typically have a lifespan of 10-15 years. Room units are fairly inexpensive to buy, but won’t cool your entire home, just one space. These are a great way to cool parts of your home that are harder to keep cool in the summer months. They’re a great tandem to a traditional central air conditioner.
Ductless Mini-Split
Ductless mini-split systems are mounted on a wall, and provide zoned cooling throughout your home without ducts. These usually last about 12-15 years. Ductless systems are among the most expensive of cooling systems available, but they are also highly effective at heating and cooling your home, and are very energy efficient. They’re also easy to install.
Evaporative Cooler
These systems cool outdoor air using evaporated water and circulating it throughout the house. They last about 15-20 years before needing to be replaced, but need more maintenance than most systems to stay efficient. Expense-wise, they fall somewhere in the middle of other systems on the market. They cost about half the price of a central air conditioner to install and only use about half the energy. These are best for more arid climates, as they add moisture to the air.
If you need more help deciding which air conditioning system is right for you, call us today at 913-837-2000. Whether you live in Overland Park or Lee’s Summit, you can count on Lancaster Brothers for all of your air conditioning needs this summer.
Chris Lancaster June 25th, 2015
Posted In: Cooling
Want to Beat the Heat this Summer? Upgrade to a High-Efficiency AC System
Kansas City summers are known to be extra hot and humid, which can be challenging for air conditioning systems. If your system is old and inefficient, the heat can be hard to beat. Your air conditioner will not only have a hard time keeping your home comfortable, but it can also dry up your wallet when it comes to utility costs. Replacing your air conditioning system with a more efficient one brings a handful of benefits you’ll start seeing right away, as well as through the years. Lancaster Brothers Heating & Cooling breaks down just how much of a return you could see when you make the investment in a new high-efficiency AC system.
Savings Pile Up Over the Years
You don’t want a system that just barely keeps you comfortable and requires a large amount of energy to operate. Switching to a high-efficiency system will continue to benefit you over the years. As an example, we compared a standard cooling system with a SEER rating of 9, to a high-efficiency system with a SEER rating of 15. Each system is sized at 4 tons (the most common system size), and has the same number of operating hours. As you can see in the image below, your savings continue to compound and increase over the years when you replace your standard AC system with a high-efficiency one. After 20 years you can have racked up roughly $18,650 dollars in energy savings.
*This data is a reflection of replacing a 9 SEER air conditioner with a 15 SEER air conditioner. Energy savings will vary depending on the type of windows, insulation, quality of construction, etc. They are only meant as averages, but the bottom line is that replacing old equipment pays for itself over time in utility savings.
Related Read: How to Keep Warm Air From Creeping into Your Home This Spring & Summer
More Benefits of Installing a High-Efficiency Air Conditioner
Other than thousands of dollars in energy savings over the years, you’ll also see benefits when it comes to the comfort level of your home and your maintenance costs. High-efficiency air conditioning systems require less energy to operate at the same level as less efficient systems. This means you’ll be more comfortable in your home even when your system is running at a lower setting. And because high-efficiency systems operate this way, it also reduces the occurrence of system breakdowns and urgent maintenance needs.
Call Lancaster Brothers Heating & Cooling today at 913-837-2000 to get you on track to be more comfortable in your home and start saving money.
Chris Lancaster May 20th, 2015
Posted In: Cooling
How an Air Conditioner Works
Do you know? Not many homeowners know how one of their most prized appliances actually operates. While it may not be common knowledge, it is the key to becoming an air conditioning whisperer of sorts. To put it simply, it will help you understand common AC system issues, how to fix them, and how to avoid them altogether.
The Parts & Labor of an AC System
An air conditioner works similarly to a refrigerator. It transfers heat from the inside of your home to the outside. This informational diagram by Energy.gov is a great way to show you how it works. The main component that makes this all possible is refrigerant. This liquid is unique because it is able to change from a liquid to a gas at low temperatures as it is pumped through your system. This is important because when a liquid becomes a gas it absorbs heat, and when a gas is compressed into a liquid it releases heat.
We start in the evaporator part of your unit inside your home. Here your blower circulates air from your home. That air is pushed across cooled coils filled with cold liquid refrigerant. As the warm air inside your evaporator passes across the cooled coils, it is cooled as the refrigerant inside the coils removes the heat and humidity by absorbing it from the air. This newly cooled air is then blown back into your home.
As the refrigerant continues to move through the evaporator coils, it has now warmed up and evaporated into a gas. The gas refrigerant then moves into the outside part of your unit in the compressor. Here it is compressed into a high pressure hot gas. The gas then travels through the condenser coils, where your condenser fan blows air over the condenser coils, removing heat from the gas refrigerant. As that heat is removed from the refrigerant, it is condensed back into a cool liquid state and the process starts all over again. This process continues again and again until your home reaches the cooling temperature you want, as programmed and sensed by your thermostat setting.
The Takeaway from This New Knowledge
If you learned anything from this explanation on how your system works, it should be that refrigerant is VERY important. If there is a leak in your condenser or evaporator coils it could spell disaster for your system. If you have low refrigerant levels you have a leak. . As you can see, refilling refrigerant is just a temporary fix. Refrigerant levels should remain constant in your system unless you have a leak.
You also want to make sure to keep all of your coils clean and free of debris so that they can effectively cool the air being pushed into your home.
And make sure you keep your vents and outside ac unit clear of any obstructions.
Lastly, make sure your thermostat has working batteries and has an accurate reading. It is what measures the temperature in your home and signals to your AC system how hard it should be working.
The best way to keep your system healthy is to call in the professionals at Lancaster Brothers Heating & Cooling for regular maintenance on your air conditioner. We have a thorough checklist that covers all the major components of your system. It will leave your air conditioner refreshed and ready to go. Call us at 913-837-2000 for all your air conditioning needs.
Chris Lancaster May 8th, 2015
Posted In: Cooling
How to Keep Warm Air from Creeping into Your Home This Spring & Summer
The hot humid air is starting to creep into the Kansas City area already, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep it from creeping into your home. We all love when winter ends, and the sun warms our city and our souls, but once our homes start heating up, things get uncomfortable, and fast. If you follow Lancaster Brother’s Heating & Cooling’s four steps to keep warm air from creeping into your home this season (all approved by Energy.gov), you’ll be much happier with the comfort level of your home, and your energy bills.
Use Your Windows to Your Advantage
-
When the air cools down at night, turn off your AC system and open your windows. Then in the morning, close the windows and blinds to capture the cool night air inside, and to keep the sun’s warm rays from heating up your home.
-
Install window coverings on your windows to decrease heat gain through your windows.
Learn How to Use Your Thermostat Effectively
-
Keep your thermostat set as high as you can while still being comfortable during the summer. For optimal savings, keep the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures as close as you can stand.
-
Use a programmable thermostat to create different settings for different parts of the day. Keep your house warmer than usual when you are away, and lower the thermostat setting back to a more comfortable level only when you are at home and need cooling.
-
Don’t turn the dial on your thermostat to an extremely cool temperature in hopes that it will cool your home more quickly. It won’t, but it will make your air conditioner work harder than it needs to, costing you more dollars.
Keep Your Air Conditioning System as Efficient as Possible
Change your dirty air filters regularly. Filthy filters make it harder for your system to distribute air, meaning it has to use more energy (and money) to do its job of keeping you comfortable.
-
Schedule regular maintenance, like air conditioner tune-ups before the heat of the season. It will keep your system healthy and humming, and will reduce the chance of breakdowns.
-
Keep heat emitting lights or other appliances away from your thermostat. They can confuse your system into thinking it’s warmer than it actually is in your home, causing your system to run longer and harder than it needs to.
Minimize Other Heat Factors
-
Avoid using the oven or taking long hot showers on hot summer days
-
Replace old light bulbs with energy efficient alternative bulbs. These emit less heat, and save you money on your bills.
-
Try to minimize activities that generate heat. Things like running a computer, burning open flames, running a dishwasher or clothes washer or dryer, and using hot devices such as curling irons or hair dryers all create enough heat to offset your air conditioner.
Call Lancaster Heating & Cooling this spring and summer to help you keep the heat from creeping in. We handle all air conditioner repairs in Kansas City homes, and have great maintenance plans. Call us at (913) 837-2000 today.
Chris Lancaster April 28th, 2015
Posted In: Cooling
The Most Common Air Conditioning Problems & Why They’re Happening
Kansas City summers can be sweltering. The Midwest is known for its heat and humidity, so make sure your air conditioning system can tackle the job of keeping your home comfortable. If you often find that your system isn’t performing, you need to get to the root of the problem to figure out if it just needs some help or needs to be replaced. Lancaster Brothers Heating & Cooling uncovers the top air conditioning problems we see and explains why they’re happening.
Problem: Your Unit Isn’t Cooling Your Home Properly
Reason: Is your home too balmy for your liking, or do you find that parts of your home aren’t cooling off like they should? Your air conditioner could have one of several problems:
-
Are your air filters filthy? Clogged up air filters make it difficult for your system to distribute the cooled air throughout your home and can even cause a system shutdown.
-
Make sure your thermostat has full batteries, and that your settings are correct if you have a programmable thermostat. People often forget to replace batteries in their thermostat and end up wasting money on a service call.
-
Check to see if your refrigerant is low or leaking. Your system won’t be able to cool the air in your home without it. And you can’t just fill your system with more.
-
If your system experiences this, you need a professional HVAC technician to assess the issue and mend the leak.
Problem: Your Air Conditioning System Isn’t Powering On
Reason: The first warm days of the season are upon us, and air conditioners are turning on all over Kansas City. If you find that your system won’t power up, make sure to check for the following things:
-
Is the evaporator coil in your air conditioner dirty or frozen? Either scenario is not a good one. Try cleaning your coil of dust and debris or frost. Make sure to turn the system off and let it thaw completely before turning it on again. If that doesn’t do the trick, it may need to be replaced, and in that case it might be time to just invest in a new air conditioning system altogether. Evaporator coils are very costly to replace.
-
Are your thermostat settings correct? If you have a programmable thermostat, your settings might not be set for the warmer weather yet. Make sure it set to cool, not heat. You can reprogram your thermostat to turn on during certain parts of the day and to turn off during others. Read this article to find out more about how to use a programmable thermostat to make your home more comfortable.
There is one surefire way to protect your system from problems like these, and that is to invest in annual maintenance of your air conditioning system. Regular air conditioner tune-ups keep your system running smoothly, and increase its lifecycle. Call Lancaster Brothers Heating & Cooling at 913-837-2000 today to schedule your spring tune-up for your air conditioner.
Chris Lancaster April 13th, 2015
Posted In: Cooling
3 Benefits of an Air Conditioner Tune Up
Believe it or not, air conditioner season has arrived. But stop! Before you begin to rely on your AC unit full time, be sure to take the responsible step of tuning up your air conditioner. Why? Let the team at Lancaster Brothers break down the top three benefits of an air conditioner tune-up for your Kansas City home.
Save Money By Lowering Utility Bills
Regular maintenance on both your home’s furnace and air conditioner helps to keep your heating and cooling system running efficiently. And when it is running at its peak efficiency it is using less energy, saving you money on energy bills. The team at Lancaster Brothers goes through a checklist when tuning up your air conditioner that helps to ensure everything is tighten, oiled, and working properly.
Avoid Unwanted AC Breakdowns During the Hottest Days of the Year
Just like a car, your air conditioner needs to be tuned up regularly to help things operate properly. And just like with an automobile tune-up, heating and cooling technicians use this to help identify problem areas with your air conditioner. Finding these issues early on and taking care of them sooner than later will help you avoid a breakdown on the hottest day of the year.
Related read: Lancaster Brothers’ Spring Cleaning Checklist
Help to Extend the Life of Your System
We understand that an air conditioner is a big investment for homeowners. Because of this, it is important to give your AC unit a bit of attention each year. Taking care of your equipment with an annual AC tune-up helps to keep your system in good condition, ensuring that you will get the most out of your investment.
Looking for an experienced team of air conditioning professionals to come out to your home and perform an air conditioner tune-up? Give the Lancaster Brothers a call today, at (913) 648-9442.
Chris Lancaster March 31st, 2015
Posted In: Cooling
Lancaster Brothers’ Spring Cleaning Checklist
Spring has sprung in Kansas City! While the warm temperatures are wonderful, more than likely there are a few things that need to taken care of before you can really enjoy the weather. The Lancaster Brothers team of air conditioning professionals put together this helpful checklist to get your home on track for warmer weather.
Get An Air Conditioning Tune-Up
Tune-ups are a must before heading into full-time air conditioner season. They help your AC unit work more efficiently. When your unit is working at its peak efficiency then energy bills are lower. And let’s face it, who doesn’t want lower energy bills? The U.S. Department of Energy reports that heating and cooling costs account for about 48% of the energy use in a typical U.S. home. This percentage makes it the largest energy expense for the average home.
Replace That Dirty Filter
Your heating and cooling system’s filter should be changed every month. Why? Your filter is used to remove dust, dirt, pet hair, and other debris from the air that’s filtered through your home. These particles accumulate quickly, and when they do they dirty the filter. A dirty filter cannot collect as many particles, can cause your system to slow down, and even stop operating.
Related read: Air Filter Facts & Stats
Improve Indoor Air Quality
The beautiful weather comes hand in hand with pollen, mold, and other allergens. Do you have allergy sufferers living in your home? We recommend improving the indoor air quality sooner than later. How? By installing a PureAir Purification System. This system is the only single indoor air quality system that addresses all three classes of indoor air contaminants. These three classes include small, breathable particles such as pollen, dirt, and dust, airborne contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and mole spores, and vapor contaminants such as odors and chemicals.
Looking for help taking care of some of these spring-cleaning tips? Call the team at Lancaster Brothers at 913-851-3399.
Chris Lancaster March 27th, 2015
Posted In: Cooling