Like any product you want to keep in good shape, HVAC equipment requires proper care in order to provide the best benefits. Trained professionals can service your heating and cooling products to ensure they're working at their top potential and help prevent more expensive repairs in the middle of the hottest or coldest months of the year.
The cost can fluctuate depending on the equipment size and different features, so we suggest contacting Northern Comfort Inc at 507-387-6596 to receive a quote.
With two-stage heating, furnaces may operate on two different levels: high and low. Since you can heat your home on the low setting most of the time, a two-stage furnace can work longer and more efficiently. Two-stage heating also works more quietly than traditional furnaces and can provide more even heat distribution and fewer temperature swings.
Northern Comfort Inc offers several different brands and models that incorporate advanced technology to cool and warm your home more efficiently. Technology in the newer HVAC systems offers more precision when it comes to meeting your home comfort needs. If you need more information, please reach out to our experts at 507-387-6596.
Modern furnaces are designed with a number of innovative features older furnaces don't have. Todays heating systems give you more even heating and are better at governing airflow. Although the air coming out of your vents may seem cooler than your old furnace, the airflow is much better and more efficient.
Another bonus of modern furnaces is their ability to operate with other HVAC products as part of a high-efficiency whole home comfort system. When combined with a high-efficiency air conditioner, furnace blowers can more easily accommodate add-on cooling. Other innovations, such as Precise Comfort technology and variable speed motors, will help your furnace work more efficiently and quieter than ever.
The Department of Energy recently increased the minimum efficiency levels for air conditions, and the standards vary by region. Contact Northern Comfort Inc at 507-387-6596 to find the requirements for the Mankato area area.
There are lots of ways to reduce your energy costs and one of the best ways is to make sure you have an energy-efficient HVAC system. Northern Comfort Inc offers many highly efficient products that will help reduce the amount of energy you are using and save you money. In addition to looking for products that have the Energy Star® certification, high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, here are some other factors to consider:
- Remember to schedule ongoing maintenance and have an experienced contractor take a look at your system to confirm its running efficiently.
- If you have specific areas of your home that you need to heat or cool, you might consider a zoning system. This allows you to target that area and reduces wasted energy on heating or cooling areas that aren't used.
- Programmable or smart thermostats make it simpler to maintain your home comfort while not consuming energy to heat or cool your space if you aren't home. It is an easy way to lower energy costs and once you set it, you can walk away and understand its going to take care of your indoor comfort.
Northern Comfort Inc has been supporting the Mankato area community for many years and has been offering trustworthy and dependable service. Our service and the products we carry are of the highest quality and you will be satisfied with our solutions. Our well-trained team is here to help you achieve your ideal home comfort.
There are four things to consider when increasing your indoor air quality:
- The indoor air quality in your space starts to suffer when the air begins filling up with air pollutants. The biggest concern is removing these pollutants. Some to-dos to put on your weekly checklist is vacuuming, washing your linens and confirming any cleaning products are stored properly.
- Especially in newer homes, the insulation is installed so well that it might be challenging for these pollutants to leave the home. While it helps to keep your home warm or cool, depending on the season, its beneficial to get some fresh air inside.
- Make sure that you have good ventilation and schedule routine maintenance on your system. And while that's very beneficial, you can also take your IAQ even further by using air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems to get rid of particles while eliminating chemical vapors.
- Smart or programmable thermostats can manage humidity levels as well as the temperature. This can help avert germs and other particles from collecting while maintaining your home comfort.
Each house brings a unique situation, which is why we advise that you contact our pros at Northern Comfort Inc to find out which solution will be best for your space. Our experienced technicians will conduct an evaluation of your current system and chat about what your ideal home comfort looks like. That will help us select which products will be most effective.
It may come as a surprise that air conditioners don't technically make your home cooler; they actually remove the hot air and move it outside. This hot air blows across a refrigerant coil on the indoor unit and then is sent to the outdoor unit where it is released. Your air conditioner transfers as much hot air outside as is necessary to reach the temperature you have set on your thermostat.
Minimum energy efficiency standards can vary by geographic location. Additionally, air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, have higher minimum efficiency levels than equipment manufactured prior to that date. The team at Northern Comfort Inc can help you find out the minimum requirements for Mankato area, let you know if your current systems meets those requirements or help you find a replacement air conditioner that does.
Your systems service panel will have a white label on it, with your systems model and serial numbers at the top. M/N stands for model number and S/N is the serial number.
Since equipment size needs vary by home, the best way to figure out the right size equipment for your home is to have a technician from Northern Comfort Inc come out to perform load calculation tests. The tests take things like square footage, insulation value and amount, and more into account to determine your homes unique HVAC equipment needs.
Yes debris can inhibit your systems ability to function effectively. Its common for heat pumps to have frost or ice on them in the colder months, but many include defrost controls so they can work efficiently regardless of the weather conditions.
When a cooling systems has two-stage cooling, it means that there are two levels of operation. This allows the system to work more efficiently since there is one level for milder weather and a second for harsher weather that demands the system work harder. Two-stage cooling also enables slight temperature changes so you don't experience extreme differences in temperature. Aside from better efficiency, other benefits of two-stage cooling include quieter operation and better humidity control.
Your system could be freezing up for a variety of reasons, but the most typical are dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporator coil and/or a faulty blower motor. Changing a filter is something any homeowner take care of; however, you should call the professionals at Northern Comfort Inc at 507-387-6596 for other problems or if you have other questions or concerns.
Northern Comfort Inc offers a number of great thermostat options for your HVAC systems. The best thermostat for you will depend on variables such as whether you want one that's programmable or not. No matter what kind of thermostat you'd like or if you're searching for something that can fit with a home automation system call Northern Comfort Inc to hear about which thermostats you can choose from. Our team will help you find one thats right for your system, your family's needs and your budget.
A heat pump takes care of both your homes heating and cooling needs, offering you one HVAC system that can be used year-round. In the warmer months, heat pumps act like an air conditioner, capturing the hot air from inside your home and moving it outside; in the cooler months, this process is reversed. Heat pumps can be very energy efficient and may produce two to three times more heat than the energy it uses.
At Northern Comfort Inc, we do recommend replacing both your indoor and outdoor units at the same time because:
- Outdoor systems are now built to work with their matching indoor system for the highest efficiency possible. When you replace only one of your systems, you may not see the same savings on your energy bills as if you had replaced them together.
- Thanks to technological advancements, newer systems mean better efficiency. This is true for heating and cooling products as well. While the advancements focus on greater heating and cooling efficiency, they also include benefits such as better air handling, filtering and noise reduction.
- If your heating and cooling systems are more than 10 years old, they need to be replaced. Older models have outdated technology that is likely costing you money due to poor efficiency. So by replacing your indoor system at the same time as your outdoor equipment, both your systems will provide better energy efficiency that helps you decrease your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable.
Your home energy system may have a communication module that delivers performance stats to an online site or portal. You can visit this to monitor your system's status, the amount of energy being produced and the positive effect you are having on the environment. You can also take a look at your owner's manual for tips on monitoring performance.
Rain will clean the modules automatically in most areas; however, if you live in a dusty area, you might see improved performance after periodically spraying the modules with water. Please note that high-pressure hoses and detergents should never be used to clean solar modules, as they can damage the product.
Northern Comfort Inc can help recommend the right thermostat for you based on your home and current heating and cooling equipment. We offer a number of programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats, which can help improve the efficiency of your homes furnace and/or air conditioner. Browse our thermostats or give us a call at 507-387-6596 for more information.
A big portion of your monthly utility bills can be attributed to your heating and cooling system. It makes sense, because our home comfort is a vital aspect of our day-to-day lives. Fortunately, there are high-efficiency solutions from Northern Comfort Inc that can keep you comfortable while also reducing energy costs. When it's time for you to shop for a new HVAC system, there are a couple things to consider. You'll want to look for air conditioners with high SEER ratings and furnaces with high AFUE ratings. These ratings measure efficiency, so the bigger the number the better off you'll be when it comes to saving on energy costs. You can also think about these tips:
- Keep your system operating to its best ability by scheduling routine maintenance. It helps sustain efficiency and make sure everything is working properly.
- Consider a zoning system if you only have targeted rooms that need to be heated or cooled. There is no need to consume energy regulating the temperature in a room that is never, or rarely used.
- The U.S. Department of Energy states that programmable thermostats can save up to 35 percent on heating costs and 25 percent on cooling costs. There are a lot of programmable and smart thermostat choices that are easy to use and vary in the amount of features-so you can find an solution that you are comfortable with.
A zoning system allows you to parcel your house and heat or air condition each area differently. While these systems function well for homes that have areas that are seldom visited, they can also be helpful in situations where you and your family cant agree on the temperature in certain areas of your residence. There are a number of additional benefits of zoning systems, including efficiency and comfort. Look through our selection of zoning systems or give Northern Comfort Inc a ring to see how a zoning system could fit in your home.