No matter what your HVAC questions are, the experts at Northern Comfort Inc in Mankato area have answers. Whether you have questions about choosing new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we are here to help. Our online FAQs answers provide a rapid response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 507-387-6596.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for normal tune-ups, such as oil changes or checking out probable concerns, your home comfort system should receive the same kind of attention. Regular maintenance by a trained technician provides various benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems work efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost can fluctuate depending on the equipment size and different features, so we recommend contacting Northern Comfort Inc at 507-387-6596 to get a quote.
Two-stage heating permits the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. Approximately 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is kept on the low setting, allowing your two-stage unit to work for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also provide more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, improved air filtration and energy efficiency.
Northern Comfort Inc has a selection of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the best match for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make tiny adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Give us a call at 507-387-6596 to learn more about the technology we carry.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a number of differences. Furnaces today are designed to provide more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are created to integrate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers give your heating system an extra bump so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help decrease noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units created after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Northern Comfort Inc for the efficiency standards for Mankato area.
Northern Comfort Inc has a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help reduce the amount of energy they require to operate. Aside from choosing products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you can consider the following:

  • Making certain that your system receives regular maintenance by a trained technician can keep your system operating at its top performance.
  • Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only specific areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that you don’t typically utilize.
  • Having a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home around your schedule. They can be programmed to give you the comfort you desire when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on utility costs.
Northern Comfort Inc is well-known in the Mankato area area and you can rely on them to provide quality home comfort products. We offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to providing customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the right solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home full of air pollutants floating around. So, to increase IAQ, the first step is to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. You can easily do this by cleaning and vacuuming at least one time during the week, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
    • Proper insulation is great for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it difficult for airborne pollutants to escape. We carry products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and routine cleaning are a start, but air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems take your IAQ to the next level by capturing microscopic particles, killing germs and getting rid of particles while destroying chemical vapors.
    • Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help stop particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.

We recommend that you meet with one of the professionals at Northern Comfort Inc and have them perform an evaluation of your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you choose which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Many homeowners believe that air conditioners make it cooler in your house, but it actually removes the heat from your house, sending the hot air outside. That hot air moves across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing it outside. This procedure continues until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level that you set on your thermostat.
Due to the high amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined regionally and carry varying requirements based on your location. Northern Comfort Inc will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re searching for a replacement system.
These numbers are located on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker should be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located around the top of the sticker. M/N signifies model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a couple ways to determine what size system is the best fit for your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size system is by having your local Northern Comfort Inc technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a variety of other factors.
Yes, because dirt and other debris can hinder your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is not unusual to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also feature defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in that type of weather.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is in its hottest weeks, the high setting is used, and when its cooler or more mild, the low setting gets the job done. Usually, the lower setting is able to take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting starts up, you may not realize it because it can maintain such even temperatures for your comfort. This may also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and enhanced humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a couple of reasons why it could be doing so. The most typical reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can fix as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Northern Comfort Inc. Contact them at 507-387-6596 with any further questions you may have.
Identifying the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think through. Thats why its nice to have such a great variety of choices from Northern Comfort Inc. Whether you’re searching for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are various thermostats that you have to select from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the team at Northern Comfort Inc will be able to help determine what options are best for your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a tad confusing due to their name, but they actually cover both your heating and cooling needs year-round. When its hot outside it works like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets switched around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and might produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we suggest you also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are created to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other part as a complete system, efficiency may be affected.
      • As with many products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These advances most importantly include improved heating and cooling efficiency, but also consist of improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
      • Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old normally need to be replaced. Not only do they have outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than newer models. Buying a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with even more comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system could send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You should visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shows carbon offsets as it happens.
In most regions, rain will be enough to keep the solar modules clean. If you live in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water can help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to wash solar modules.
The best thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Northern Comfort Inc has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help increase the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Check out our available products or contact us at 507-387-6596 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a big amount of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Northern Comfort Inc can help reduce these costs. If you’re shopping for a new heating or cooling system, look for products with high SEER ratings for air conditioners and AFUE ratings for furnaces. SEER and AFUE are a measure of system efficiency, and the higher the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, don’t forget about these additional factors:

      1. Is your system regularly maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will run more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Do you need a zoning system? If there are rooms in your home that are rarely used, a zoning system will allow you to heat or cool only the most used areas of your house.
      3. Does your home have a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may lower your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning systems give you the comfort of sectioning parts of your residence and control the thermostat differently in each area. Zoning tends to be good for when you have areas of your residence that are infrequently used or when you and your family are always in disagreement of how hot or cold it ought to be inside. Zoning systems are quiet and efficient, enabling you to have more control over the comfort of your home. Learn more about the equipment available from Northern Comfort Inc.