What You Should Know about Refrigerants When Purchasing or Repairing a Residential A/C System or Heat Pump

In 1987 the Montreal Protocol, an international environmental agreement, established requirements that began the worldwide phaseout of ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons). These requirements were later modified, leading to the phaseout in 1996 of CFC production in all developed nations. In 1992 the Montreal Protocol was amended to establish a schedule for the phaseout of HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons). HCFCs are less damaging to the ozone layer than CFCs, but still contain ozone-destroying chlorine. The Montreal Protocol as amended is carried out in the U.S. through Title VI of the Clean Air Act, which is implemented by EPA.

Should You Get Your Heating Ducts Cleaned?

A hot air furnace heats and distributes air through its ducting system. The ducts are usually made of sheet metal and are most obvious in your basement, where they hang from the floor joists. The return, or cold air, ducts bring air to the furnace, usually collecting it centrally in the house. The return air trunk duct is the big rectangular duct along the basement ceiling that enters the bottom of the furnace. The supply, or warm air, ducting usually exits from the top of the furnace. It starts with a trunk duct on the basement ceiling. The individual supply ducts, in round or smaller rectangular sheet metal, branch off the trunk duct and go to each room, where they terminate in a floor or wall register. Over time, dust and debris will collect in these ducts, particularly in the return air ducts.You may be wondering whether it would be worthwhile to have these ducts cleaned.

Rebates 101:

Ontario Fed/Provincial Home Audit program http://www.homeenergyontario.ca/green/back.asp?lang=en&sec=green allows for rebates of $600 for an energy star high efficiency furnace and $1000 for a furnace equiped with a ECM (variable speed) furnace motor.

Existing Federal grants are now increased by 25%

What size air conditioner do I need for my house? 

One Ton of cooling equals 12,000 BTU’s (British Thermal Units), which incidentially is the heat required to raise one pound of water by one degree F.

The correct BTU value (or tonnage) you need for your house  is an engineered value unique to your home. It involves heat gain values (in BTU’s that enter the house thru walls, doors and windows. The higher the insulation or ‘R’ value in these area, the lower BTU air conditioner you will need. It also takes in the solar load. Obviously, a house with a lot of south facing glass is going to require more air conditioning than one with little or shaded south facing glass. Finally, ventilation and infiltration of air are factors. Is the house built to currrent standards and is tight, or is it an old original farm house where a 10 MPH wind outside relates to a 5 MPH wind inside? Hot humid air entering the house puts additional load on the air conditioner.