Frequently Asked Air Conditioning and Heating Questions

• The temperature in the house is fine, but the indoor fan runs all the time. What's wrong?

Sometimes homeowners turn the fan switch to "On" versus "Auto" which causes the indoor fan to run continuously. Turn the switch to "Auto" and the fan should stop running continuously.

• Is there any advantage to setting my thermostat fan to "On" so the fan runs constantly?

Yes, there is a couple. The first is that you get constant filtering of the air in your home. The second is that because the air is moving, you have a more even temperature throughout the home. However, continuous fan mode during the cooling season may not be appropriate in humid climates. If the inside of your home feels uncomfortably humid, it is recommended that the fan be used in "Auto" mode.

• Why is a “right sized” system important?

A “right sized” system is important for a variety of reasons. One is comfort. When all our components are properly sized to your home, you can control exactly how much heating or cooling you need so you can relax. Also, a properly sized right sized system enables every component to perform as designed, meaning proper cycle times are maintained, humidity is controlled, and system sound is minimized. Another reason matched systems are important is efficiency. Most people buy systems that are too large for their homes, meaning they pay to heat and cool space that isn't even there. A matched system outlined by a dealer who has completed a load calculation for your home provides just the right amount of heating and cooling you need so you get the most value for your utility dollar.

• The air coming from the registers feels cool when my new heat pump is set for heating. Is there a problem?

While a heat pump is perfectly capable of effectively heating your home, the temperature of the air coming out of the registers is heated to about 90 to 95 degrees, depending on the outdoor temperature. This temperature is approximately 20 - 25 degrees warmer that the indoor air temperature and will warm your house. It is, however, below body temperature (98.6 degrees) and can feel cool when someone puts their hand in the airflow.

• What is the purpose of auxiliary heat?

Under normal operating conditions, the auxiliary heat is brought on automatically by the thermostat when the indoor temperature drops during heat pump operation. There are also times during cold, wet weather when the outdoor coil may ice up and your heat pump will go into a defrost cycle. This is nothing more than reversing the process back to cooling mode. Cooling mode makes the outdoor coil hot and melts any ice. The defrost cycle should only last a few minutes and then return to heating mode. During the defrost cycle, your comfort system is in cooling mode and the supply air is cool. To offset this cool air, the auxiliary heat will be energized during defrost. A mist or fog may be visible from the outdoor unit during defrost.

• How long does a typical furnace and air conditioner last?

On average, a furnace or air conditioner will last 10 - 20 years. Sometimes it pays to replace the old system sooner because of the higher efficiency (lower gas and electric bills) provided by newer equipment. Life expectancies can vary greatly. The major factors influencing life expectancy are proper installation and regular maintenance. Maintenance is a must to maximize efficiency and protect your investment.

• What goes into installing a new system?

If you install a new system, most of the items from the "What happens when I replace my old system?" will need to be installed as well. Beyond equipment, the most important component installed with a new system is the ductwork. Ductwork is composed of two parts, supply and return. Supply duct is attached to the outflow of the new system, delivering air to each zone in a home. The amount of air reaching each zone is determined by the size of supply ductwork connecting it to your system. We will help you determine the size of all the supply ductwork in your home. The second part of the ductwork, the return duct, attaches to the inlet of the new system and draws air out of the spaces to be heated or cooled. Attached to the return duct is the filter. The filter should be placed as near to the furnace or air handler as possible. Ductwork can be either ductboard, flexible duct, or metal and must be properly sized in order to evenly distribute the proper amount of air to each room.

• My electric and gas bills are high. Will a new furnace and air conditioner lower my bills?

YES! A new 13 SEER air conditioner or heat pump could save you as much as 50% on your operating cost of the system. 13 SEER is the minimum efficiency standard allowed by law. Depending on your current operating costs, high efficiency systems could save you even more. Newer gas furnaces are 30 - 40% more efficient than some older models. With rising gas prices, this could mean big savings.

• What is SEER?

This stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The size of an air conditioner is rated in BTU or Tons, however the efficiency is rated in SEER. This ratio is calculated as cooling output divided by the power input for the average U.S. climate. It's like MPG (miles per gallon) in a car - the higher the MPG (or SEER) the lower the gasoline (electricity) bill.

• What is a heat pump? Is it better than an air conditioner?

A heat pump is an electric powered piece of equipment that both heats and cools your home. In the summer, a heat pump is no different than an air conditioner. In the winter a heat pump operates in reverse and heats the indoors. Heat pumps need auxiliary heat (electric heat or gas furnace) to help them when it is very cold or when the thermostat is moved more than 2 - 3 degrees at a time. The initial investment for a heat pump is higher than for an air conditioner, and the ductwork must be exactly right for proper operation. One common complaint of a heat pump is that the air coming out of the registers is not hot enough (compared to a gas furnace). With all their drawbacks, heat pumps will reduce the winter heating bills. However, the savings compared to heating with gas is dramatic and you will probably want to stay with a heat pump.

• Is it OK to install a different brand of furnace (or air conditioner) to work with my existing air conditioner (or furnace)?

Most brands of equipment will work with others as long as the coils and blowers are the proper size. You may, however, experience some loss of efficiency and capacity.

• How does Brower Mechanical determine the size of furnace and air conditioner to install?

Our Comfort Consultant will measure your home and calculate the actual heating and cooling load on your home (calculation based on window size and direction, walls, ceiling, floor, appliances, insulation, etc.) This will determine the proper size of equipment that is needed. This will be compared to your current equipment and ductwork and will be adjusted based on your lifestyle, etc.

• Some rooms in our house are too hot (or cold). Can this be fixed?

Certainly. There are a variety of causes for airflow problems. Sometimes the problems are due to a dirty filter, coil, and/or blower which results in reduced air flow passing through the air handler and causing the air to die off in the outer branches of the duct system. From time to time the duct work comes loose and a minor reattachment repair can solve the problem. In a lot of cases, there are duct design issues. In these cases, a professional from Brower Mechanical should be called in to troubleshoot the situation. Solutions can range from some simple air balancing to replacement of ducts to advanced climate control systems such as a zone system.

• How do I pay for my new system?

For installation of new equipment, we do not require any down payment, however we ask for payment the day we complete the installation (unless other arrangements have been made in advance). We accept cash, checks, VISA, Mastercard, and Discover. We also offer financing through a local financing company and often run same as cash specials to customers with good credit. CHF, POWERSAVER, SMUD Financing, YGRENE, and many more.

• In terms of preventative maintenance, why can't my air conditioner and furnace be checked at the same time instead of one in the spring and one in the fall?

They should be checked and cleaned to ensure they are operating efficiently, properly, and safely. We recommend checking the air conditioner in the spring and the furnace in the fall so that we can fully operate the system to check its operation. When checking your refrigerant level in your air conditioner, we obtain a more accurate reading at higher outdoor temperatures.

• Should I have a new programmable thermostat installed with my new system?

We offer thermostats that you can check and change your temperature from any smart phone or tablet. Programmable thermostats are an excellent tool to save energy. You can program the thermostat so that it raises and lowers the temperature automatically to coincide with your needs. They are particularly effective when your household is on a regular schedule and the program operates continuously. Aside from lowering your energy bill, a programmable thermostat offers additional comfort

• What can I do to maintain my air conditioner or heat pump?

Regular maintenance will extend the life of your equipment and reduce repair costs. Here are some simple tasks that should be done.

• Keep debris, grass clippings, dirt, and leaves away from outdoor unit.
• Use a hose to clear the aluminum fins from airborne debris (be careful, the fins bend easily. Use a regular hose without a spray nozzle, and a very soft brush with light to no pressure).

• When should I replace my furnace?

Furnaces eventually wear out just like any piece of machinery. Our professional HVAC service technicians will see certain indicators that tell them your furnace is wearing out. Some of those symptoms are:

• Frequent pilot light outages
• Delayed ignition
• Yellow flame or wavering flame
• Excessive soot or corrosion
• Too much or too little heat
• The smell of sulfur or burnt eggs

Frequently, equipment owners start considering replacing their units when the frequency and costs of repairs become a bigger headache than the cost of replacing the unit.

• How do I select the right heating/cooling system?

First, make sure the unit is properly sized. Your Comfort Consultant will provide a load calculation for your home. Also will offer to provide an energy assessment to determine operating cost. Next, consider any comfort issues in the home. Some products can reduce air stratification and uneven temperatures from room to room. Finally, know your budget parameters and the efficiency of the system being proposed. Rebates from the utilities can often offset the majority of the price with coupled with other energy saving measures. There are many factors to consider when selecting a new heating and/or cooling system.

• How can we improve the efficiency of an existing heating and cooling system without replacing the furnace or the air conditioner and without adding more insulation?

First and foremost is MAINTENANCE. The equipment needs to be cleaned and serviced by a licensed professional at least twice per year. Studies have shown that lack of proper maintenance can reduce equipment efficiency by 5 - 10%. In addition, most of today's filters need to be changed a minimum of every 90 days, and don't skimp on the filter. You should use a filter that has a high efficiency rating to help keep your air and equipment clean. After thorough cleaning of your equipment, the service technician will adjust the Freon levels in your air conditioner to the manufacturer's specifications. An over charged unit is just as bad as an under charged unit when it comes to energy consumption. On the heating side, the burners should be cleaned for maximum performance, as well as adjusting the gas pressure, and cleaning the blower wheel. Program 8 hour or greater blocks of time and no more than 7 degree adjustments are recommended.

• How often should I have my air ducts cleaned and inspected for repairs?

In the majority of homes, cleaning and inspection once every three years is adequate. The type of air filter you are using and the frequency of maintenance on your heating and air conditioning equipment can have a significant effect on the duration between cleanings. The purchase of a good quality air cleaner will protect your heating and air conditioning equipment, duct system, and your home, while scheduled maintenance will extend the life of the equipment and increase its efficiency.

• My furnace uses propane gas and is blowing cold air, is there anything I should check?

Check your propane tank to make sure you have gas. To check the tank, flip open the dome lid on top of the tank. Look at the gauge. It will have numbers (percentages) from 0 to 100. Make sure the needle is not on zero.

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Carbon Monoxide & Rodent Infestation

What is carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide, or CO, is an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death.

Where is CO found?
CO is found in combustion fumes, such as those produced by cars and trucks, small gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal and wood, and gas ranges and heating systems. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces can be poisoned by breathing it.

What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. High levels of CO inhalation can cause loss of consciousness and death. Unless suspected, CO poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms mimic other illnesses.

People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die from CO poisoning before ever experiencing symptoms.*

Who is at risk from CO2 poisoning?
All people and animals are at risk for CO poisoning. Certain groups — unborn babies, infants, and people with chronic heart disease, anemia, or respiratory problems — are more susceptible to its effects. Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room and more than 4,000 are hospitalized due to CO poisoning. Fatality is highest among Americans 65 and older.

How can I prevent CO poisoning from my home appliances?
Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year. Hopefully Brower Mechanical. *916-624-0808

Rodents
Worldwide, rats and mice spread over 35 diseases. These diseases can be spread to humans directly, through handling of rodents, through contact with rodent feces, urine, or saliva, or through rodent bites. Diseases carried by rodents can also be spread to humans indirectly, through ticks, mites or fleas that have fed on an infected rodent.*

*Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) plans, directs, and coordinates a national program to maintain and improve the health of the American people by promoting a healthy environment and by preventing premature death and avoidable illness and disability caused by non-infectious, non-occupational environmental and related factors. We are especially committed to safeguarding the health of populations that are particularly vulnerable to certain environmental hazards - children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

For Your Energy Assessment
Carbon Monoxide Test
Appliance Safety Test
Rodent Infestation Inspection
Call (916) 388-0808
Price will vary depending on your location. Some areas can receive free safety inspections. Call for details.

Congress, President Retroactively Extend HVAC and Water Heating 25C Tax Credits

On January 2, President Obama signed legislation designed to avoid the “fiscal cliff” and keep tax rates from increasing for every American who pays taxes. In addition to its many other tax provisions, the bill retroactively reinstates the 25C tax credits for highly efficient HVAC and water heating equipment that expired at the end of 2011.

Specifically, the bill extends the tax credits that expired in 2011 from January 1, 1012, until December 31, 2013, for qualified equipment listed in Section 25C of the Internal Revenue Code. Because the credits were made retroactive to January 1, 2012, they can be used for qualified equipment that was installed any time after December 31, 2011. 

Qualified equipment includes:

Water Heaters ($300 Tax Credit)

• Electric heat pump water heaters with an energy factor of at least 2.0
• Natural gas, propane, or oil water heater with an energy factor of at least 0.82 or a thermal efficiency of at least 90 percent

Furnaces ($150 Tax Credit)

• Natural gas, propane, or oil furnace with an AFUE of not less than 95

Boilers ($150 Tax Credit)

• Natural gas, propane, or oil boiler with an AFUE of not less than 95

Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps ($300 Tax Credit)

• Split system central air conditioner that achieves the highest efficiency CEE tier as of January 1, 2009 (16 SEER; 13 EER)
• Packaged central air conditioner that achieves the highest efficiency CEE tier as of January 1, 2009 (14 SEER; 12 EER)
• Split system electric heat pump that achieves the highest efficiency CEE tier as of January 1, 2009 (8.5 HSPF; 12.5 EER; 15 SEER)
• Packaged electric heat pump that achieves the highest efficiency CEE tier as of January 1, 2009 (8.0 HSPF; 12.0 EER; 14 SEER)

Advanced Main Air Circulating Fan ($50 Tax Credit)

• A fan used in a natural gas, propane, or oil furnace with an annual electricity use of no more than 2 percent of the total energy use of the furnace.

We are not tax advisers. Please consult a qualified tax professional for more information.

Email Us for more information

Energy Efficiency Tax Credits Extended as Part of Fiscal Cliff Deal

Energy Efficiency Tax Credits Extended as Part of Fiscal Cliff Deal

The energy efficiency tax credit was extended as part of the fiscal cliff compromise.
As part of the "fiscal cliff deal" that just passed, Congress voted to extend the tax credit for energy efficient home improvements and energy efficient homes that otherwise would have expired on December 31. We are NOT tax advisers. Please contact a tax specialist for more information.

One other major catch - this is a $500 "lifetime" credit - so if you have taken it anytime from 2005 - 2011 you can't use it again.

Researchers set new world record for solar energy efficiency

Solar power is one of the most popular forms of alternative energy today. The concept of harnessing the energy potential of the sun has led to the development of innovative technologies and energy systems that have helped reduce the reliance on fossil-fuels that many countries around the world experience. Efficiency, however, has been a major problem that has kept solar energy from replacing traditional power sources. Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been focusing on improving the efficiency of solar panels, and they may have recently made a breakthrough in this endeavor.

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15 years of research pays off

Scientists from the III-V Multijunction Photovoltaics Group with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have been working on producing high efficiency solar cells for the past 15 years. During this time, researchers have tested a wide array of materials that could be used to create solar cells, many of which produced lackluster results. Recently, however, the team discovered a material that was capable of boosting the efficiency of solar cells to new heights, breaking the current efficiency record for solar energy systems.

Award-Winning PV Cell Pushes Efficiency Higher

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An operator inspects a photolithography tool used to manufacture high-efficiency Solar Junction concentrator solar cells. NREL's pioneering multijunction work led to the Solar Junction SJ3 solar cell with tunable bandgaps, lattice-matched architecture, and ultra-concentrated tunnel junctions. Credit: Daniel Derkacs/Solar Junction

It takes outside-the-box thinking to outsmart the solar spectrum and set a world record for solar cell efficiency. The solar spectrum has boundaries and immutable rules. No matter how much solar cell manufacturers want to bend those rules, they can't.
So how can we make a solar cell that has a higher efficiency than the rules allow?
That's the question scientists in the III-V Multijunction Photovoltaics Group at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) faced 15 years ago as they searched for materials they could grow easily that also have the ideal combinations of band gaps for converting photons from the sun into electricity with unprecedented efficiency.
A band gap is an energy that characterizes how a semiconductor material absorbs photons, and how efficiently a solar cell made from that material can extract the useful energy from those photons.
"The ideal band gaps for a solar cell are determined by the solar spectrum," said Daniel Friedman, manager of the NREL III-V Multijunction Photovoltaics Group. "There's no way around that."
But this year, Friedman's team succeeded so spectacularly in bending the rules of the solar spectrum that NREL and its industry partner, Solar Junction, won a coveted R&D 100 award from R&D Magazine for a world-record multijunction solar cell. The three-layered cell, SJ3, converted 43.5% of the energy in sunlight into electrical energy — a rate that has stimulated demand for the cell to be used in concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) arrays for utility-scale energy production.
Last month, that record of 43.5% efficiency at 415 suns was eclipsed with a 44% efficiency at 947 suns. Both records were verified by NREL. This is NREL's third R&D 100 award for advances in ultra-high-efficiency multijunction cells. CPV technology gains efficiency by using low-cost lenses to multiply the sun's intensity, which scientists refer to as numbers of suns.
Friedman says earlier success with multijunction cells — layered semiconductors each optimized to capture different wavelengths of light at their junctions — gave NREL a head start.
The SJ3 cells fit into the market for utility-scale CPV projects. They're designed for application under sunlight concentrated to 1,000 times its normal intensity by low-cost lenses that gather the light and direct it at each cell. In regions of clear atmosphere and intense sunlight, such as the U.S. desert Southwest, CPV has outstanding potential for lowest-cost solar electricity. There is enough available sunlight in these areas to supply the electrical energy needs of the entire United States many times over. 

Bending Material to the Band Gaps on the Solar Spectrum

Sunlight is made up of photons of a wide range of energies from roughly zero to four electron volts (eV). This broad range of energies presents a fundamental challenge to conventional solar cells, which have a single photovoltaic junction with a single characteristic band gap energy. 

Good Band Gaps, but Not So Good Solar Material

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The NREL team that shared the 2012 R&D 100 award for the world-record SJ3 multijunction solar cell include, from left, Aaron Ptak, John Geisz, Sarah Kurtz, Brian Keyes, Bob Reedy, and Daniel Friedman; unpictured team members are Jerry Olson and Steve Johnston. Credit: Dennis Schroeder / NREL

The new solar cells NREL developed had two things going for them — and one big issue.
"The good things were that we could make the material very easily, and we did get the band gap and the lattice match that we wanted," Friedman said. "The bad thing was that it wasn't a good solar cell material. It wasn't very good at converting absorbed photons into electrical energy. Materials quality is critical for high-performance solar cells, so this was a big problem."
Still, NREL continued to search for a solution.
"We worked on it for quite a while, and we got to a point where we realized we had to choose between two ways of collecting current from a solar cell," Friedman said. "One way is to let the electrical carriers just diffuse along without the aid of an electric field. That's what you do if you have good material."
If the material isn't good, though, "you have to introduce an electric field to sweep the carriers out before they recombine and are lost," Friedman said.
But to do that, virtually all impurities would have to be removed. And the only way to remove the impurities would be to use a different growth technique.

Using Molecular Beam Epitaxy to Virtually Eliminate Impurities

Solar cells are typically grown using metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy, or MOVPE.
"It works great, except you always get a certain level of impurities in the material. That's usually not a problem, but it would be an issue for this novel material, with the gallium arsenide diluted with nitrogen," Friedman said.
A different growth technique, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), is done in such an ultra-high vacuum — 10 to the minus 13 atmospheres — that it can lower the impurities to the point where an electric field can be created in the resulting photovoltaic junction. And that would make the otherwise promising gallium-arsenide-dilute-nitride material work as a solar cell.
"The only problem was that there was no one in the entire world manufacturing solar cells by MBE," Friedman said.
But that was soon to change.

Partnering with a Startup out of Stanford University: Solar Junction

A Stanford University research group with expertise in the use of MBE for other electronic devices saw an opportunity, and around 2007, they spun out a startup company they named Solar Junction.
Because Solar Junction was a mix of enthusiastic recent Ph.D.s and experienced hands from outside the established solar cell field, "they weren't tied to the constraints of thinking this couldn't be done, that the only economically viable way to make solar cells was with MOVPE," Friedman said.
The federal lab and the startup got together. Solar Junction won a $3 million DOE/NREL Photovoltaic Technology Incubator contract to develop a commercial multijunction cell using dilute nitrides, and also received more than $30 million of venture-capital funding for this commercialization effort. To see more about NREL's Incubator projects, see the NREL news release.
"So Solar Junction had this good idea. But now they had to prove that you could actually make a high-efficiency solar cell with this," Friedman said. "Otherwise, who cares? People can make a lot of claims, but it's very simple to know whether you have a good solar cell or not — you just measure it."
It didn't take that long, Friedman said. By 2011, NREL had certified a new efficiency record for Solar Junction's SJ3 cell. The cell achieved an efficiency of 43.5% under concentrated sunlight, a significant step beyond the previous multijunction efficiency record of 41.6%, and far beyond the maximum theoretical efficiency of 34% for traditional one-sun single-junction cells.
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Dilute-Nitride Junction Eliminates Need for Heavy Germanium Layer

With the new dilute-nitride junction, the germanium layer, which constitutes about 90% of the weight of the cell, is no longer needed. That may not be a big deal when it's part of a huge fixed utility-scale array. But when solar cells are used to power satellites, reduction in weight means a smaller rocket is needed to launch into space, potentially reducing costs significantly. The lighter weight is also essential for the military, which is increasingly asking soldiers to carry backpacks that include solar devices to power electronics.
Serendipitously, if the germanium substrate is retained, it has essentially the ideal band gap of 0.7 eV for a fourth junction, perfect for capturing longer wavelengths of the solar spectrum. That paves the way for a 50%-efficient solar cell in the not-distant future.
The cost to manufacture the SJ3 cell is competitive with that of the industry-standard GaInP/GaAs/Ge cell, according to Solar Junction. Its greater efficiency translates to significant cost-of-energy savings.
According to a report released this fall from IMS Research, the CPV market is forecast to double in 2012 and reach almost 90 megawatts. The World Market for Concentrated PV (CPV) — 2012 predicts installations of CPV will grow rapidly over the next five years to reach 1.2 gigawatts by 2016.
Because of its design and size, SJ3 is an instant plug-in replacement for the standard cell now used by the space and CPV industries. So, for example, if a 40%-efficient cell were replaced with a 44%-efficient cell, this would instantly increase the entire system power output by close to 10%.
"This is really a classic example of NREL developing something and then industry picking it up and running with it and making it a great commercial success," Friedman said. "We started with some very basic materials research. We took it to the point where it made sense for industry to take over and take it to the marketplace."
"We conceived the cell, demonstrated the individual parts, and let the world know about it," Friedman said. "But Solar Junction put all the parts together with record-breaking results, made it work with MBE, and commercialized it at a time when no one else seemed to be interested in or able to do it."
And now, utilities are ordering the SJ3 cells so fast that Solar Junction has depleted its pilot-scale stock and gone into partnership with manufacturer IQE to ramp up to full manufacturing scale.