HVAC Information You Should Know
Beaufort Air Conditioning & Heating believes that informed customers can more effectively use their HVAC systems and save money in the long run in energy, maintenance and repair costs. Here are some terms you need to know:
Heat Pump
A heat pump moves heat from one place to another. It differs from other HVAC systems because it uses energy to pull heat from the outside and transfers it to the inside. It goes through a process of compression and exchange to increase the air’s temperature and reverses the process to reduce the air’s temperature.
Duct Work
These are the pipes that distribute airflow to the rooms within your home. They can be either hard pipe or flexible.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
This is the air quality within your home. Often, this is related to the health and comfort of the home’s occupants. In the Southeast, this is a big factor because of the numerous types of pollutants that can make their way into our homes. This usually includes pollen, dust, and other airborne particles.
Zoning
The ability to control the temperature in specific rooms of your house or floors.
- Zone Damper: Dampers are what allows or restricts airflow to certain rooms or floors.
- Zone Board: Zone boards are what the brains of the zoning system. This tells the dampers to open and close based on what the thermostats are telling it.
Dehumidifier
A Dehumidifier removes excess moisture from the air. These are very common in the Southeast, especially in older homes that aren’t as well insulated as new construction homes.
Programmable Thermostat
These types of thermostats are the most energy efficient because they allow you to program your system to maintain a certain temperature at a specific time throughout the day. Typically, setting the temperature to be warmer when you are not home so that the system doesn’t run as often saves you on your energy bill.
Refrigerant (R22 and 410A)
Refrigerant is a compound that can be transitioned from a liquid to a gas then back to a liquid. This process is what absorbs and transfers the heat in and out of your home. As of 2020, R22 stopped being produced and is extremely expensive to buy. Because of EPA regulations, most companies do not sell it or use it anymore. Since 2012, the industry standard used in all heating and air systems is 410A.