It’s easy enough to understand that an efficient HVAC system is better than an inefficient system. When your HVAC equipment operates efficiently, it tends to deliver better results, and it saves you money by consuming less energy. Also, there is the added benefit of reducing the impact of the system on the environment. But how do you know what the ratings mean and what to look for when shopping for an HVAC system? The article below has the details.

 

For an HVAC company you can trust to deliver outstanding results over and over again, Berico is the only name you need to know. Simply pick up the phone, call Berico to schedule an appointment, and you will be well on your way.

 

Starting with Cooling

If you are looking at the efficiency of your cooling system, the metric that is relevant to the discussion is SEER. This stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, and it is a number that demonstrates the energy efficiency of a piece of equipment that was designed to cool an indoor space. It can be applied to either an air conditioner or a heat pump.

 

This scale is designed to be simple for everyone to understand, so what you need to know is this – the higher the number, the more efficient the system. Current standards dictate that all new cooling equipment be rated with a SEER of at least 14 in the warmer states in the U.S. So if you buy a new system, it will be rated at least at a 14, but you could shop for a unit with a higher rating for even better efficiency. Plus 14 SEER may be today’s minimum, but manufacturers now produce HVAC equipment up to 21+ SEER.  Call a Berico representative today who can help you better understand your system’s SEER rating and the potential return on investment for a higher efficiency system.

 

Remember that if you are using a rather old air conditioner currently, it could be operating with an effective SEER number of well under 10. So, by installing any type of new equipment, even if it only meets the standard of 14, you’ll be dramatically improving the efficiency of the setup.

 

A Couple of Heating Measures

Things are a little more complicated when it comes to the measurement of heating equipment, but it’s still simple enough to understand. If measuring a furnace that uses oil or gas to heat an indoor space, its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, or AFUE, should be checked. Again here you want a higher number, as the percentage reflected in this measurement shows how much of the fuel is actually converted to heat. Modern equipment can actually perform at a level of 95% or above, which is incredible efficiency, while older units might barely surpass the 50% mark.

 

There is a separate measure to track the performance of the heating side of a heat pump system. That number is HSPF, or Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, and the minimum rating is 8.2, although you can find products up to 10 on this scale if you want to be as efficient as possible.

 

Is it time for HVAC repair at your home or business? Do you need HVAC maintenance completed so you can avoid costly repairs later? Whatever the case may be, you are only one phone call away from getting the help you need for a fair price. Reach out to Berico and get started today.

Most of the time, the power grid is pretty reliable, and you can just allow your various pieces of equipment to run without any worries. There are issues that come up, however, and sometimes a surge of power may rush through the system and put your gear in danger. This is why you probably have a surge protector protecting your computer – but what about everything else? A whole home surge protector is the answer.

 

Berico is the right choice for all furnace repair and other projects in the Triad. Take a moment to call today to get more information about your upcoming project.

 

What is Whole Home Surge Protection?

This type of system is exactly as it sounds – it provides an additional layer of protection for everything in your house if more electrical current than expected flows through the building. Rather than needing to plug everything into different surge protectors, you can offer coverage to even things that you wouldn’t be able to connect to a standard strip, such as your HVAC system or your refrigerator. Not only that, but you get much better protection from a quality whole home system than you would ever get from a simple plug-in model.

 

A Great Value

When you compare the cost of having whole home surge protection added to your property against the potential expenses you could incur if equipment is damaged, it’s an easy choice. This type of protection is going to keep some of your most expensive pieces of equipment safe, meaning you won’t be forced to go out and buy a replacement sometime soon after a power event that wasn’t your fault.

 

Ideally, you would like to get the longest possible useful life out of all of your major pieces of equipment. Nothing lasts forever, of course, but getting even a few more years out of these major home components is a big financial win. With only a modest cost required to have the surge protection installed, you will have gotten great value for your money, and you can sleep a little better at night as a result.

 

More and More Technology to Protect

Even if all you needed a whole home surge protector for was to keep your big pieces of equipment like HVAC equipment and a refrigerator safe, it would be worth it. But these days, many homes have a list of smart features integrated into the design, and those components need to be protected, as well. You might have a security system that is connected to the electrical grid, along with a smart thermostat and many other pieces including your entertainment equipment. Keeping all of these parts safe is in your best interest, and a surge protection system can do just that.

 

Whether you need AC repair, furnace installation, or maybe the installation of a whole home surge protection system, Berico should be your first choice. With one hundred years in business and a reputation that speaks for itself, you’ll certainly be in good hands with this team.

There are many individual components within your gas furnace that have to be working properly in order for the whole unit to function as it should. One of the key components is called a flame sensor, and you will quickly find yourself left in the cold if it stops working. This article will explain what this part does and how you can determine if it might be causing problems with your furnace.

 

Managing the heating and air system in your home doesn’t have to be complicated – or unnecessarily expensive. By turning to Berico for HVAC service in Greensboro, you can be sure that you’ll be in good hands from start to finish on any upcoming project. Reach out today to get started.

 

What is a Flame Sensor?

Your Furnace would not be able to operate properly – and safely – without the inclusion of a flame sensor. This device is designed to detect a flame when the gas valve is open and gas is being allowed to flow into the furnace. If this sensor doesn’t detect an active flame, the gas supply will be shut off as a safety feature.

 

This is a creative way for furnace manufacturers to avoid creating a dangerous situation in which the gas flows into a furnace that doesn’t have the flame needed to combust the gas. The only problem is that over time, the flame sensor can get dirty or develop other problems, and it might stop working correctly. In other words, it may not detect a flame when one actually is present, and the furnace will struggle to work properly as a result.

 

Some Signs of Trouble

You don’t need to be a furnace repair professional to notice some issues that could point to a bad flame sensor. For example, if the furnace is cycling on and off way more often than it should, that could be the fault of this sensor. As the sensor thinks that the flame is out, it will shut off the furnace until the thermostat tries to kick it on again. A properly functioning furnace will run for a while before it shuts back off – if that isn’t happening, you should at least consider the possibility of the sensor being at fault.

 

Also, if your furnace isn’t creating heat as it should, you may again have a flame sensor problem. In this case, the sensor isn’t doing its job of detecting that the flame has gone out, and it’s allowing the furnace to run without any flame burning. That’s not only a problem in terms of not getting any hot air, but it can also be dangerous because gas will be flowing and not getting combusted.

 

Whether a faulty flame sensor leads to a repair of your furnace, or you decide on a new furnace installation, the team at Berico is the easy choice to take the lead on this job. Take a moment today to get in touch with Berico at (336) 273-8663 to learn more about what’s available and to schedule your first appointment.

As a homeowner, every choice you make has an impact on the world around you. In today’s landscape, where everything is seen through an eco-friendly lens, the decisions you make regarding how to operate your house can be considered from the perspective of how they will impact the environment as a whole. From the equipment you use for heating and cooling to the landscaping you have around the property and much more, it all plays a role in your environmental impact.

 

This article will highlight some of the many eco-friendly practices that all homeowners should at least consider. If any of the changes you decide to make require the help of an HVAC company, Berico is the right choice for the job. Take a moment to get in touch today and learn more about the possibilities.

 

Switch to LED Lighting

As one of the easiest possible ways to improve your home’s performance and make it more eco-friendly, consider switching all of the lights in the house to LEDs. With LED lighting, you get excellent lighting performance, versatility in the look and feel of your lights, and dramatically lower energy consumption. Traditional light bulbs use a ton of energy for how much light they actually produce, but the story is different with LEDs. You will notice on your power bill that less electricity is being used to light up the house, yet it will be lighter than ever before.

 

Cutting down on power consumption is a great start, but that’s not where the benefits end with LEDs. These kinds of lights are also incredibly durable and long-lasting, so you will very rarely need to replace your LEDs once the switch has been made. That means purchasing new lighting on only a rare occasion, and it will also be nice not to need to access your fixtures that are harder to reach and require a ladder or pole to swap out the bulb.

 

Upgrade to a Smart Thermostat

Reducing energy usage is one of the biggest components of being eco-friendly as a household. That point was already addressed above with switching to LED lights, and it can go a step further by making the change to a smart thermostat to control your HVAC system. When an HVAC system is tied to a smart thermostat, it can be operated optimally to make sure the house is heated and cooled as needed without any wasted energy along the way.

 

As was seen with LEDs, this is an upgrade that doesn’t just help your home be more environmentally friendly but also makes it a more comfortable, convenient place to live. With a smart thermostat, you can easily set programs that dictate how your HVAC system operates, and you can even operate the whole thing through your smartphone. Given the modest cost of modern smart thermostats, this is another switch that is easy to make.

 

Strategic Landscaping to Save Water

It’s not all about energy consumption to do your part for the planet. Cutting back on how much water is used on the property is another good step, especially during the summer months when certain types of landscaping require a lot of water – and that resource can be at a premium.

 

Consider switching up your landscaping to include more area that doesn’t have to be watered all throughout the summer months. Even if you are going to continue to have a lot of grassy areas on your property, you could work on balancing out the landscape so there are also large areas that don’t need any water at all. “Natural Areas” have become very stylish in some circles, and they can also be quite attractive. This switch benefits the environment as well as your bank account – it can be expensive to water a vast yard of grass; so save that money and do the planet a favor at the same time.

 

Upgrade Your Appliances

Modern appliances use less energy than older models. If you have some old appliances in your house and have noticed that they seem to draw quite a bit of power, consider upgrading to new models to bring down your power use and get better performance at the same time. The cost of new appliances will be a bit of an initial outlay of money at the start, but you’ll gradually benefit from that expense as your appliances use less energy month after month moving forward.

 

Adding Power Generation

This last point is one that is certainly more dramatic than the other steps and might not be for everyone, because of the initial cost. To be sure, this option is one of the most powerful things you can do to make your house eco-friendly, but it is a sizable project. To make a major move to help the environment around you, consider adding solar panels to the roof of your house to make your own power and reduce your reliance on the grid.

 

Solar power technology has come a long way in recent years. Modern solar panels are able to grab as much available energy from sunlight as possible, and that energy can be captured and fed back into your home. For all of the power that you can create on your roof, you won’t need to draw that equal amount of power out of the grid. Therefore, your energy bill goes down, as does the footprint you leave on the energy system in your area. To accurately do the environmental impact though you do need to consider the impact on the environment of building the solar panels and then of disposing of them after their useful lifespan.  Most calculations of the reduced carbon footprint that you will find online do not fully consider the full consequences of solar energy.  This is a big step to take, and there will be a meaningful initial expense to consider, but those who are serious about being eco-friendly will at least want to take a look at this option and make a fully informed decision.

 

 

 

You don’t have to make dramatic moves to become more eco-friendly as a homeowner. It might be best to make small, steady changes over time to improve the way your house treats the surrounding environment without putting too much of a burden on you or your family. If a new furnace installation or another HVAC project is on your agenda as part of this process, be sure to check in with Berico right from the start. You’ll be in good hands!