Gas furnaces are rated for AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) – the amount of heat used to warm your home or office space from the burned fuel. Late model furnaces use 90% of available heat. Many older models are only 60% efficient.

For air conditioning, the rating is SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). It allows you to compare different product brands with similar efficiency ratings. The actual efficiency rating for a specific system depends on the combination of the outdoor unit and the indoor coil. These ratings are available from your dealer and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute’s Energy Guide. And a variable-speed indoor blowers increase the efficiency of your system.

Heat pumps are rated by SEER for cooling efficiency and by HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) for heating efficiency. Again, the higher the rating, the less energy used to warm your home or office space.

As an independent Trane dealer, Long Air Conditioning can help you make all these comparisons. Or reference the ARI Directory.

A: The capacity in tons of a Trane outdoor unit is determined by dividing the 7th and 8th digit of the model number by 12. So if the model number is 4TTX4036A1000A, take 36 and divide by 12, equaling 3 tons.

This is only for Trane models. Other companies use a different method based on their model number nomenclature.

A: All promotional programs are administered locally to promote particular products during particular times by participating independent Trane dealers. Our regional Trane wholesale distributor can give you specifics about programs in your area and participating dealers. You may see special offers advertised by a local dealer or ask about them when you call for an estimate.

A: Unlike older-model gas furnaces that used a standing pilot light to ignite the burners, many of today’s models use an electronic ignition system. This includes a Hot Surface Igniter (aka glow plug or glow stick). The igniter receives electrical current to heat its surface and ignite the burners in the furnace.

Cracks in a hot surface igniter are not necessarily visible. After installation, have Long Air Conditioning check the glow pattern for inconsistencies and replaced it, if necessary. Cracks will not necessarily prevent the igniter from working, but will shorten its life.

A: The major components enclosed in an air handler’s cabinetry are the blower and motor, controls, heater compartment, and an evaporator coil. This is why it is sometimes referred to as a fan coil. Standard air handlers, like the single stage furnace, deliver the same airflow no matter what the temperature inside. Trane’s variable-speed air handler has Comfort-R Enhanced mode, like our variable-speed gas furnace, allowing the coil to cool down quickly and the blower to slowly ramp up and ramp down or to operate at 50 percent of the cooling air speed in the FAN ON position. This provides greater humidity control, quieter operation, maximum air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration for greater control of your home’s indoor environment.

A: Long Air Conditioning recommends Trane Programmable Comfort Controls such as the XL800 or XL600 series thermostats. Contact us for assistance with purchase and installation of energy-saving controls.

A: The heat pump is an air conditioner that reverses the process of removing heat from the inside of the house in summer to absorbing the heat from outside air and moving it inside in winter. It is effective by itself down to temperatures around 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point, either a gas furnace or an air handler with supplemental electric heat will kick in and help heat your home. The Auxiliary Heat light on your thermostat will light. The heat pump will continue to operate along with the electric auxiliary heat. It will shut off when a gas furnace is energized. Emergency heat is a manual override option in the event your heat pump needs service.

A: 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.

A: The heat pump is effective in many geographies. In all electric applications, the heat pump may consume less energy than an electric furnace or air handler using resistance heat. Why? Because it can deliver the same amount of BTUs as electric heaters using less electrical input than the electric heat. In moderate climates the savings that natural gas yields may not be as advantageous as in colder climates, since there is less frequent use of the furnace in milder climates. Of course, the heat pump can be matched with a gas furnace where preferred. The heat pump can operate in the milder temperatures when the gas furnace may tend to short-cycle.

To determine which system would serve your specific needs best, Call Long Air conditioning to perform a load calculation on your home or office space, and then estimate the cost of operation for the different combinations of equipment.

Contact Long Air Conditioning Inc. today at 936-756-5645 with all your heating and cooling questions.