Air Excellence Installation & Service, Inc. A/C Company of Jacksonville, Florida

CUSTOMER AWARENESS INFORMATION

A several thousand dollar purchase is something you want to know more about

National 13 SEER Rating - Mandatory R-22 Phase Out

The current Energy Codes require a 13 SEER min., and the mandatory phase out of R-22 refrigerant (freon) will be in effect by the year 2010.

State and national standards for energy are ultimately painting our industry into a corner. By 2010 contractors will have to begin changing both pieces of equipment (anyway) as it relates to R-22, because only R-410A equipment will be manufactured.
The problem faced by our industry is that we will not be able to do business on "change-outs" as we have in the past. Most older split systems are going to require a complete equipment replacement in order to meet the intent of the Energy Code.

SEER

SEER stands for Season Energy Efficiency Ratio and applies to central air conditioners and heat pumps. The minimum set by the Department of Energy is 13 SEER and for Energy Star, 14 SEER. The higher the SEER, the greater the energy economy.

HSPF

HSPF stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor and measures heat pump efficiency. The minimum set by the Department of Energy is 6.8 HSPF and for Energy Star, 8 HSPF. The higher the HSPF, the greater the energy economy.

VARIABLE SPEED AIR HANDLERS

(Not necessary for 13 SEER systems - Required for 14 SEER and up)

HOW IT WORKS

Starts softly at 50% fan speed to allow the evaporator to get ice cold quickly

Next it ramps up to 80% to deliver fresh cold air and thoroughly dehumidify the home for approx. 7-8 min.

Finally it ramps up to 100% fan speed to satisfy the thermostat and maintain humidity control

KEY BENEFITS

Much quieter than standard air handlers

Designed for maximum comfort

Increases overall efficiency

Adjustable ramping for custom applications

Removes up to 4 times more moisture than standard speed air handlers

Provides warmer start up temperatures in heating

May help to eliminate hot spots with better air flow and continuous fan operation

Allows your filter to pull out more particles with slower air movement across air filter

CUSTOMER AWARENESS INFORMATION

Important facts you the customer need to know about new High SEER rated equipment

ARE HIGHER SEER SYSTEMS AN ADVANTAGE?

Over the course of the system's lifetime, reasonably being about 15 years, you could save a considerable amount on your utility bills.

In one real life example a customer had a 13 SEER Trane XB installed. Before the install the customer's average utility bill was about $200.00 monthly with the old system. He figured it was best to change out the old system before breaking down. After the install he found it was around $150.00 a month. That's a 25% savings which is $50.00 a month! Over a 1 year period that's $600.00, and over 15 years that's $9,000.00 in savings. That means the system is doing more for you than just paying for itself, as well as cooling and heating your home better.

Based on the above example it should be well within reason to say a 16 SEER system could save you an estimated 35% on your monthly utility bill. So for example if the above customer had a 16 SEER system installed he could have been saving about $70.00 a month, which is $840.00 a year, and $12,600.00 over 15 years.

YES, a higher SEER system is an advantage.

IMPORTANCE OF PROPER INSTALL TO ACHIEVE SEER RATING

Another very important point to stress is that the SEER rating of the system does not mean it will get that "as is" without taking into account the other applicable factors involved such as:
1) knowing how many feet of line set the factory charge of the unit is good for
2) knowing how much additional refrigerant is necessary per foot of line set beyond what the factory charge is good for
3) knowing how to charge a system by weight method providing the factory charge amount is exactly what the specs say - sometimes units from the factory come under-charged or over-charged,
4) knowing how to charge a system by using the Super-heat and Sub-cooling methods. Therefore the system's SEER rating is dependant upon the installer performing the job properly since the SEER rating can only be accurately achieved by these factors and methods. A rating of 19 SEER for example means that the unit has the capability of operating at that SEER if it is correctly installed.

The installer is required to get the manufacturer's specs for the proper charge according to the current existing environmental conditions and set it by that.

If you, the customer, do not see any noticeable decrease in your utility bill then that is an indication the system is not operating to the SEER it is capable of.

REASONS NOT TO USE AN UNLICENSED CONTRACTOR

An unlicensed contractor, company and/or individual is not likely to be concerned about doing the job to the standards set by the Florida Building Codes since they won't be pulling a permit for the job anyway or having an inspection done. Furthermore, since they are free of obligations to any responsibilities for their work if improperly installed, or if you didn't get the items according to what they initially proposed in the deal, they may be as well ignoring any requirements set by the manufacturer specifications, regarding such procedures as unnecessary and taking up too much time, so they skip a lot of things to get done faster.

Things like: not doing a refrigerant line pressure test to make sure there's no leaks; not pulling a vacuum on the refrigerant lines to clear them of air, moisture and non-condensables (skipping this can lead to compressor failure); not checking and adjusting the subcooling temperature to the manuf. design spec.; and so on. These procedures are necessary for proper operation and to achieve the SEER rating the system is meant to get.

Bottom line is, you could get ripped-off and have little or no recourse to rectify what has happened to you, and furthermore, it can void the warranty.

It is nice to find a great deal, but be smart about it. Don't cheat yourself in the process.

Doing things as cheap as possible a lot of times equates to a messed-up job, improper equipment performance, and the extra cost that comes up as a result of such work.

IMPORTANCE OF PERMITS

REASONS TO OBTAIN A PERMIT AND GET INSPECTION

Permits are required by city or county ordinance and are a matter of public health, safety and welfare.

Permits with a "passed" inspection are a form of documentation upholding the homes value, and are necessary when a home is appraised for resale purposes.

Though permitting is by ordinance, which means its the law, a homeowner should look at it for being beneficial by staying within the established laws and codes. In some instances, it matters by giving the homeowner the legal edge.

Expect your contractor to pull the proper permit, and expect an inspection by the city or county authority to ensure the work performed meets code.

Regard the inspection an important legal matter for your benefit.

Failure to be present for a scheduled city or county inspection is regarded the same as a "failed" inspection, and incurs a fine on each occurrence.

Refusing and/or avoiding a scheduled city or county inspection can result in the issuance of a "Notice to Homeowner".

A "Notice to Homeowner for refusal to make access for Inspection" document is submitted if necessary, unless a waiver releasing the city or county authority of responsibility which is an optional course of action by the customer, allowed in some locations. (Waiver requires a Notary Public Signature)

In the "Notice to Homeowner" are statements such as:

"Local and State laws require that all permitted work be inspected. It is your responsibility to provide access for this inspection. You were contacted on the dates listed below, but have refused to make access available to City inspectors. Please contact us by __________________________________ in order to schedule this inspection. Failure to do so may result in loss of permitting privileges for this address."

"Inspection of permitted work is required under the City's Ordinance Code. Although with or without inspections the City does not have liability or responsibility for the quality of your contractor's work, we have found such inspections to be a valuable tool in advancing the public health, safety and welfare concerns upon which the City's requirements are based. Therefore, this correspondence is to notify you that a violation has been entered at the referenced address, and that no future permits will be allowed until this violation is cleared. This correspondence and the violation are public records under Florida law."