Investing in a new air conditioner requires careful deliberation — and looking at lifetime costs.You see, an air conditioner’s initial price is determined by several factors, and a high-efficiency air conditioner will net you lower operating costs over the life of the system, making it a wise investment.

The initial cost of an air conditioner is often the main factor that a homeowner considers. However, a system’s overall efficiency and the features it uses determine how well it will operate over its lifetime. Air conditioners with a low Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio rating will cost you more to operate, while systems with a higher SEER rating will cost less to operate.

Because you live in the San Antonio area, investing in a higher-efficiency system is a smart move, because you use your A/C nearly year-round. Additionally, you’ll benefit from:

• Energy savings – High-efficiency A/Cs start at SEER 16. By comparing that unit with a minimum-rated 13 SEER system, you can expect several hundred dollars more in annual energy savings. For systems rated even higher, your savings can grow incrementally.
• Payback – When you invest in a high-efficiency system, you’ll see a quicker return on your initial investment. And with most properly sized, designed, installed and maintained air-conditioning systems lasting up to 20 years, once higher energy savings pay back the difference in purchasing costs, you’ll continue to benefit from those energy savings.
• Value – Investing in a quality system also raises the value of your home. When it comes time to sell, that high-efficiency A/C will be an immediate draw.
• Repairs – The advantages of the lower lifetime costs of a high-efficiency A/C extend to other operating costs, such as repairs. These types of systems are generally manufactured with features designed to use less energy and run at lower speeds. For instance, two-stage cooling systems consume less energy, using only as much as needed to meet the temperature demands. When the system runs at that lower stage, it also saves the compressor from wear and tear and lasts longer.

For expert help to calculate lifetime costs when upgrading, contact Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning. We have served greater San Antonio since 2001.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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Most homeowners would like to see their home’s energy consumption decrease in order to boost energy savings. The experts at Jon Wayne are happy to help by offering our top 10 ways to drive energy savings higher, no matter the season.

These 10 tips can help you save money throughout the year:

• Use your programmable thermostat to set an energy-saving schedule, and be sure to implement at least one eight-hour period a day when you dramatically adjust temperatures for maximum savings. Most homeowners schedule these periods when the home is unoccupied or when they’re sleeping.
• Upgrade the insulation throughout your home. This action will create a better barrier to prevent heat gain during the summer.
• Seal the air leaks around your home’s exterior. When you close leaks, you’ll keep more conditioned air inside and reduce energy consumption.
• Use ceiling fans during the summer. Running them only in the rooms that are occupied will allow you to raise your thermostat a degree or two while still feeling cool, which will help your A/C consume less energy.
• Install a zoning system, which will help to regulate temperatures throughout your home and decrease energy waste.
• Change your system’s filter regularly to ensure proper airflow through the A/C. When airflow is constricted, your system will consume more energy.
• Ventilate your attic, which will help to move hot air out and ensure adequate circulation — and simultaneously help prevent moisture problems.
• Install weather stripping, applying it around window and door frames to prevent air losses.
• Close the shades or curtains on south- and west-facing windows to prevent heat gain from the sun during the hottest times of the day.
• Replace old, inefficient HVAC equipment, like your A/C or water heater, with high-efficiency systems that will dramatically boost your monthly energy savings, and maximize your investment over the life of the equipment.

By implementing some simple strategies to boost energy savings, homeowners can reduce their energy consumption while making their homes more comfortable. For expert advice, contact the HVAC professionals at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning today. We serve homeowners throughout the San Antonio area, including surrounding communities.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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As spring heats up in Greater San Antonio, homeowners are wise to take some time to get their homes’ HVAC systems ready for summer. Here are some ways to ensure energy savings and protect your home and cooling equipment during the hot days ahead:

• Check the condition of your air conditioning system’s filter. Start the cooling season with a fresh, clean filter. Clean filters help to ensure optimal airflow through your system as well as energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
• Set up a reminder to change the filter. When you use your air conditioner 24/7, check the filter once a month. If you’re not sure how long it takes your filter to become full, set up a calendar reminder to check the filter four weeks after you install a new one. Take it out and hold it up to the light: If it’s dirty, brown or full of lint-like dust, you know it’s time to change it.
• Schedule a maintenance visit. A cooling technician should conduct a comprehensive inspection of the system to ensure that it can operate a peak performance.
• Check your home’s ductwork. Generally as part of an HVAC tune-up, your cooling technician will also check the condition of your ducts and seal them to close up any leaks. Doing so will ensure that you receive more of the cooled air that your A/C generates.
• Prepare the outdoor A/C unit. Remove the outdoor cover before you fire up the system, and check the area immediately surrounding the unit, removing any leaves or debris that could affect airflow.

In addition, consider upgrading your attic insulation. Texas’ hot climate means that a lot of heat is more likely to build up in your attic, greatly affecting A/C performance. Ensure that your attic’s insulation rates an R-value of 38 or higher to prevent the movement of outside heat into the space, further impacting the temperature of your living spaces.

Don’t let San Antonio’s stifling heat take you by surprise. Get your home ready for summer to maximize your energy savings. For help, contact the experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Energy efficiency image via Shutterstock

Upgrading the insulation in your home can lead to significant savings. When your home’s exterior shell has proper levels of insulation to prevent the transfer of heat, you’ll keep heat out during the summer and keep heat in during the winter.

Whether you are adding insulation to a newly constructed home or retrofitting your existing home, use the list of insulation types below to guide your selection.

For a retrofit, you’ll need to have an expert evaluate your existing insulation levels throughout your home, including the attic, all ceilings, exterior walls, basement and floor. If insulation has degraded or worn out over time, you can choose from four basic insulation types:

• Batts or rolls (also called blankets). Suitable for use between wall studs or between floor joists, batts come in a variety of R-values, a measurement that indicates insulation’s effectiveness. This type of insulation can be rolled or laid out in a larger space.
• Loose fill. This insulation type is generally blown into a location using specialized equipment. It’s a good choice for filling hard-to-reach spaces, such as attics, and it will easily adhere and fill crevices.
• Rigid foam. While this insulation is more costly, it has a high R-value and performs well. It is relatively thin, but its fibers are quite dense, offering maximum protection against heat transfer.
• Foam in place. Also a blown-in type of insulation, foam-in-place insulation can be easily blown into existing walls, and it also helps to minimize air leaks.

The U.S. Department of Energy recommends specific R-values for insulation installed in various parts of a San Antonio area home. In your:

• Attic, strive for insulation totaling R-30 to R-49, with some experts recommending at least R-38 for these spaces.
• Exterior walls, go for R-13 to R-15.
• Floors, strive for R-13.
• Cathedral ceilings, go for R-22 to R-38.

Improving the insulation throughout your home will help manage utility bills and improve your home comfort. Contact the experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning today for help. We’ve proudly served Greater San Antonio since the mid-1970s.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about insulation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Insulation image via Shutterstock

Want to see better results every time you open your energy bill? A comprehensive approach to improving home performance and increasing energy savings gets the best results.

Use the following steps to ensure that you leave no stone unturned when evaluating how your home uses energy — and that you use targeted actions that will improve it. For whole-house energy savings:

• Equipment size matters. Every piece of air-conditioning equipment has a specific capacity to cool. If that capacity doesn’t meet your home’s cooling requirements, or “cooling load,” you’ll notice that it will directly impact your overall comfort. Equipment that’s too big or too small will not be able to adequately heat or cool your home, and A/C equipment in particular will not be able to manage humidity levels.
• Know your efficiency. Even if your current equipment isn’t that old, you could still benefit significantly from upgrading. Today, high-efficiency cooling equipment can reach efficiencies far beyond what systems manufactured just 10 years ago can. In fact, the highest-efficiency A/Cs can now reach Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) 23.
• Ductwork impacts your systems. If your ductwork leaks or has loosely connected joints, you’re likely losing valuable conditioned air as it travels through the ducts. Have the system evaluated and upgraded by a professional.
• Keep conditioned air inside. With proper insulation levels, you can be assured that the conditioned air that your cooling and heating systems produce remains inside, because insulation acts as a heat barrier, restricting its movement in all seasons.
• Check the attic. Leaks in the attic allow air to infiltrate the space. In the summer, they will cause your attic’s temperature to soar, further impacting how cool your home feels. Sealing leaks is a fairly simple do-it-yourself job, but it’s important to also evaluate ventilation. A professional HVAC contractor can help you install a solar-powered attic fan, which will remove heat in the attic while saving energy.

Get expert help to assess your home’s performance, and increase your potential for energy savings. Contact your local HVAC professionals at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning today. We’ve proudly served the Greater San Antonio area since the mid-1970s.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Energy efficiency image via Shutterstock

Choosing a programmable thermostat is a fairly simple process. Knowing what programmable thermostat settings will help you maximize energy savings is also pretty straightforward. There are a few basic guidelines that will help take your energy savings from dismal to great — all year long.

Temperature and time frame are the key factors to keep in mind, providing a foundation for and encouraging increased savings.

Temperature

While you need to balance comfort with energy savings, you’ll get better results the lower you can drop your home’s temperature throughout the day. According to Energy Savers, homeowners can, on average, save 1 percent on heating and cooling bills with every degree they lower the thermostat (in the winter) and raise it (in the summer).

So, you can increase energy savings by setting the thermostat as low as possible in the winter, for instance, when you’re at home, but you can also lock in savings by drastically lowering it during two key times: during the day, if you leave your home for work or school, and at night, while you’re sleeping.

Time frame

In order to ensure energy savings from setting the thermostat back (during times the when you’re sleeping or the home is unoccupied), you need to keep that temperature consistent for a long period of time. Eight hours is generally recommended to overcome the increased energy that your furnace will consume to take your home back to a comfortable temperature.

Keeping the temperature and time frame principles in mind, when choosing a programmable thermostat, you’ll notice that most models have an override setting. This mode is helpful when your schedule suddenly changes, for instance, if you arrive home early and want your home at a comfortable temperature. But use this mode as infrequently as possible, because regularly overriding the system will result in higher energy consumption — and you’ll bypass potential energy savings from regular, consistent setbacks.

Need help choosing a programmable thermostat? Want further guidance to navigate which programmable thermostat settings will result in increased energy savings? Contact San Antonio’s leading HVAC experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about programmable thermostats and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Programmable thermostat image via Shutterstock

When it comes time to have HVAC equipment serviced or installed, homeowners generally want the best person for the job. But separating expert heating technicians from the pack can be tricky, unless you know what qualifications to look for.

To choose an expert that will do high-quality work, and ensure peak efficiency and energy savings from your equipment, consider the following factors:

• Licensing and training: Always work with a contractor that holds the necessary state and local licenses. Training is important too, so ask about the contractor’s training program for service and installation.
• Certification: Not all certification programs are the same. North American Technician Excellence (NATE) is the most coveted certification available, and it’s the industry standard for expert workmanship.
• Sizing: A contractor should always evaluate your home’s heating needs by conducting a load calculation. This step will enable the contractor to match the appropriately sized system to your home.
• Safety and efficiency: Another step in the installation process should include an evaluation of your home’s ductwork and combustion safety. Ask the contractor what steps are involved in the company’s installation work.
• Employees: The highest quality contractors will conduct background checks and drug tests on their employees. Because expert heating technicians work with dangerous materials, such as natural gas, it’s important that they are clear-minded, as well as highly trained.

Along with these important factors, you should also evaluate a technician’s guarantees. A trustworthy contractor will back up the work performed, ideally with a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. At Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning, we’re confident you’ll be happy with our work — and we stand behind every job we do with our unparalleled, comprehensive 12-point guarantees, including:

• Two-year test drive
• True pro
• Craftsmanship
• Energy savings
• Right size
• No excuses
• Property protection
• $500 no worries first-year operation
• Lifetime no overtime service charge
• 30-day low price
• No lemon
• Five-year comfort

Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning’s expert heating technicians are highly qualified and trained to help you with all of your home heating and cooling needs. For service in the San Antonio area, give us a call today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Service technician image via Shutterstock

When it comes time to select a new heating system, it’s important that homeowners prioritize furnace efficiency ratings. Efficiency ratings in general are the primary indicator of how well a heating system will perform, so here’s what you need to know:

The efficiency rating you want to look for when assessing a furnace system is AFUE, or annual fuel utilization efficiency. This is a basic measurement of how well a system will use fuel, natural gas or propane for instance, to produce heat for your home. High-efficiency systems start at 90 AFUE, and they will get you the best results as far as energy efficiency goes. Mid-efficiency systems start at 80 AFUE, while the minimum efficiency manufacturers must produce is set at 78 AFUE. It’s best to talk with your HVAC contractor to determine which system will best fit your home.

Many homeowners in the San Antonio area use a heat pump as their heating source. And this type of system gets good results for two reasons:

• These systems don’t generate heat from fuel (electricity); instead, they use electricity to move heat around (from the outside to the inside during winter, and vice versa during summer), which allows them to reap a four dollar return for every dollar spent.
• They also act as a heating and cooling system, which makes them a smart investment if you need to replace both. A heat pump’s efficiency rating is heating seasonal performance factor (HSPF), and high-efficiency ratings begin at 8.

To maximize home comfort and efficiency, you should also have your new system sized. You can choose a top-of-the line heating system, but if it’s not sized correctly, you won’t get a good return on your investment — as the system won’t reach peak efficiency.

If you’re facing a heating system replacement, use furnace efficiency ratings, along with heat pump ratings and sizing factors, to guide your choice. The HVAC experts at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning are happy to help. Just give us a call today. We’ve been assisting homeowners in maximizing comfort and efficiency in their San Antonio homes since the mid-1970s.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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If you are replacing an HVAC system, you want one that will efficiently heat and cool your home. Some HVAC professionals simply calculate the size of your new unit based solely on the size of your house, which fails to account for a number of factors that will influence your system’s efficiency and effectiveness; or they base their unit on the size of the system that is already there.

While your home’s size is part of the equation, there are several additional factors you should consider when determining load calculation. What is load calculation? It is the the process of determining how much heating and cooling you need for your home. In addition, if you are also replacing ductwork, today’s better insulated duct systems can help lower your home’s need for a larger unit and a properly engineered and installed duct system can help eliminate hot and cold spots within the home.

Local temperature extremes should play a major role in sizing your system. Here in San Antonio we’ve had more than our fair share of summer heat, and our average summer highs will definitely have a bearing on how big your HVAC system should be.

The shape and the orientation of your home will also affect the choice. For instance, the heating needs of a two-story home with several large, sunny, south-facing windows are very different from those of a shaded one-story house, even if they have the same amount of indoor space.

The amount of insulation in your home, the air infiltration rate, the number of occupants, and your desired comfort level are other factors that will affect your decision. It is also a good idea to factor in heat given off by lights and other major appliances.

Rather than risking poor results by a contractor who goes strictly by square footage or another “rule of thumb,” ask your heating and cooling contractor if they use the ACCA Manual J protocol for performing load calculation. That’s the recommended method published by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America.Consumer Reports warns to “be leery of a contractor who bases estimates merely on house size or vague rules of thumb.”

Done correctly, a load calculation can save you money by allowing you to purchase a smaller unit than you already have and reduce your energy use by reducing inefficiency. Contact the professionals at Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning to have a trained Comfort Engineer determine the right size for your new system.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about load calculation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Advancements in heating and cooling technology have made it increasingly easy for San Antonio homeowners to decrease their annual energy costs. One such breakthrough was the introduction of variable-speed air handlers. Updating the traditional one-speed system, variable-speed air handlers allow for multiple operating capacities, making it much easier to condition your household without wasting energy.

Consider the benefits:

• Because variable speed air handlers aren’t forced to run at full capacity at all times, they don’t experience the constant burden of the single-speed air handler; this extends the life of your system.
• Variable-speed operation also means lower energy consumption, which translates to lower energy costs for San Antonio homeowners.
• Where single-speed systems whip air through your filters at a constant, breakneck speed, a variable-speed air handler allows for a slower passage of air. This leads to a more thorough filtration of air and better dehumidification (when cooling). Thus, indoor air quality is much improved.
• Since a variable-speed air handler can change speeds gradually, you are no longer subjected to sudden puffs of hot or cold air. Nor do you have to worry about the noise that accompanies the operation of a single-speed system.

If you are interested in increased efficiency and energy savings, a variable-speed air handler may be a good place to start your research. In fact, it is estimated that variable-speed air handlers can save homeowners up to 40 percent annually in heating and cooling costs – a significant savings.

For more information regarding these energy-efficient systems, speak to one of our trained technicians. Contact Jon Wayne Heating & Air Conditioning today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about variable-speed air handlers and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Jon Wayne Heating and Air Conditioning services  San Antonio and the surrounding communities of Seguin, New Braunfels, Bulverde, Boerne, and Comal County. Visit our website to see our special offers to get started today!