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Aug 23

End of Season Air Conditioner Sale

By Air Conditioning, Furnace, HVAC

Each year, we’re run off our feet during summer heat waves and things start to slow down through late August. That’s why we want to reward homeowners when they install equipment proactively and we have a bit of room in our schedule.

Until Sept. 30, 2023, save 10% on central air conditioners and mini split heat pump/AC units.

Why install an air conditioner at the end of summer?
We’re all feeling the pinch of inflation. No matter what equipment supplier you decide to go with, prices have been climbing. By installing now, you’re locking in our current price, plus we’re offering an additional 10% discount. Next year, equipment suppliers may well raise prices 5-10% again, and we unfortunately have to pass that on to our customers. Learn more about our air conditioner services. 

Have an aging furnace? Learn more about why you may want to consider installing both at the same time to save on installation costs and maximize your equipment’s efficiency here. FortisBC will be ending their rebate program at the end of 2023. If you install by Dec 31, you can qualify for $1150 in energy saving rebates.

Contact us for a free quote and find out why we’ve earned a 5 star rating on Google.

Sep 27

The Benefits of Combining a Heat Pump with a Furnace

By Air Conditioning, Furnace, Heating, HVAC

Are you considering the heating and air conditioning benefits of a heat pump for your home? We’re introducing a new offering that can seamlessly connect a variable speed heat pump to an existing gas or electric central air (ducted) furnace also referred to as a dual fuel system. It offers the convenience of being controlled through a single programmable thermostat to automatically switch between equipment for major efficiency gains.

Conventional heat pumps will turn off at -5C ambient outdoor air and switch to your back-up source of heat such as your gas or electric furnace.  Using a variable speed heat pump, typically used in mini split applications, our heat pumps operate down to -20C before switching to back-up heat.  This is especially attractive when you have an electric back up, because electricity is typically a higher cost to run than natural gas.  These heat pumps qualify for the HPCN (Home Performance Contractor Network) program.  The flexibility with these options are endless, and one of our experienced sales technicians can aid you in deciding which one is best for your home.

What are the benefits of choosing a dual fuel heating & cooling system?

Improved Cooling Efficiency
By seamlessly combining the efficiency of a heat pump with the powerful air movement of a forced-air furnace, the cool air can be distributed with very low energy costs.

Need a little assistance understanding the technical side of heat pumps? Here are a few frequently asked questions.

What is a Heat Pump?
Contrary to what their name suggests, heat pumps are dual purpose. They work to draw heat inside the home in the winter (even in very cold weather) and release heat outside the home in the summer working as an air conditioner alternative. Instead of burning fuel like a conventional furnace, they move thermal energy between the inside of the home and the outside of the home through refrigerant lines.

Do Heat Pumps Work Well in the Okanagan Climate?
Although heat pumps have been around for over 100 years, they usually weren’t used in colder, northern climates because heating efficiency was lost in cold weather. In recent decades, the technology has greatly improved making them an increasingly popular choice. Modern heat pumps can extract heat out of the air even at minus 20 Celsius, however, they operate less efficiently than traditional furnaces at lower extreme temperatures.

Why Choose a Heat Pump for Your Home?
Heat pumps are very energy efficient because they move heat energy rather than create it. This can help them achieve efficiencies of up to 300% under optimal conditions (3x the energy they consume). Modern environmental standards on new buildings in addition to low operating costs have made them a popular choice for homeowners.

Interested in learning more? Contact us for a free quote and see if a dual fuel system is right for your home.

Sep 15

Why You Should Consider Changing Your Furnace & AC at the Same Time

By Air Conditioning, Furnace, HVAC

If your home heating and cooling system is aging or a major component has quit altogether, it can be tempting to only change a furnace or an air conditioner. There is a larger upfront cost to replacing both at the same time, but there are a few good reasons to consider it.

Furnace and Air Conditioner Installation

Installation Cost Savings

There is work efficiency for an HVAC technician to replace both a furnace and air conditioner at the same time. This can be a significant reduction in your installation costs, particularly if your home requires a complex installation. If you replace one of your major units and the other breaks down shortly after, it could end up costing significantly more combined.

Parts Work More Efficiently in Unison

The furnace and air conditioner work together and utilize each other’s components. When you try to pair a new, efficient unit to an older unit that isn’t very efficient by modern standards, one can drag down the efficiency of the other. This can lead to much higher operating expenses than if both are replaced. The only way to guarantee that a component works at its rated efficiency from the manufacturer is to pair it with a matching new unit.

Efficiency of New vs Old Units

If we look at just a furnace or AC on their own, there have been major efficiency advances in the past decades. For example, most furnaces made before 1990 are lower-efficiency models that average between 60 and 70 percent efficiency. New high-efficiency gas furnaces range from 95 to 99 percent efficiency. Imagine the impact a 20-30% increase in efficiency could have on your bills.

Replacing One Unit Could Lead to Premature Breakdowns

Imagine you’re in the best shape of your life and you go for a jog in broken down, old shoes. You end up working harder and could even risk injury. The same is true in your HVAC system. For example, an old air handler may not be capable of keeping up with modern components and cause undue stress on the system.

You Can Reserve an Air Conditioner Before Demand Spikes

Summer heat waves combined with manufacturing delays can catch a lot of people off guard. In 2021, the heat wave across Western Canada and the US created an extreme demand that equipment suppliers just couldn’t keep up with, no matter what brand of equipment you decided to go with. Installing an air conditioner in the off season is the best way to ensure you’re covered when a heat wave comes. 

 

If your home heating & cooling system is nearing the end of its lifespan or not running efficiently, contact us for a free quote.

Until Mar 1, 2023, we’re offering a free Honeywell smart thermostat and your first year of warranty-approved maintenance free (no service contract) when you install a furnace and air conditioner combo. Plus, all new furnaces are eligible for $1150 in energy saving rebates from FortisBC.

Apr 07

The Top Reasons to Add UV Filtration to Your Home

By Air Conditioning, HVAC, UV Filtration
AC Installation UV filter WIFI Thermostat

Modern airtight homes are excellent for efficiently maintaining your home’s temperature. One of the downsides of this, however, is that particles such as mold spores, viruses and odours can be trapped inside. One solution for this issue is adding filtration to your central air. UV sterilization has an extensive history in settings such as hospitals and restaurants. Recently, it has become increasingly popular in the home, particularly for those with a sensitivity to allergens.

Here are some of the top reasons to consider adding UV to your heating and cooling system.

Mold & Bacteria on Air Conditioners
Mold and bacteria can thrive in moist cool conditions like your air conditioner’s evaporator coil. Adding a UV filter will kill contaminants in the home such as mold spores, bacteria and viruses.

UV Filtration Increases Efficiency and Lifespan of HVAC Components
When contaminants build up inside your AC coils, it can force the system to work harder to circulate air. This reduces efficiency, increases your bills, and can also shorten the lifespan of your equipment because it’s working harder.

UV Filtration Requires Less Maintenance
UV filtration uses light rather than cleaning with a physical filter. This leads to less maintenance than alternative home filtration systems. UV filters only require maintenance when a bulb needs replacing.

If you’re interested in adding UV to your home, contact us for a free estimate.

Until April 30, we’re offering free UV filtration systems and WIFI thermostats ($700 value) when you have an air conditioner installed. Air conditioners start from $3,850 for the unit and installation.

 

Looking to remove odours from a shared dwelling or from a home with pets?
Upgraded models of Honeywell UV air filtration systems feature odour absorption. This makes it a popular option in homes with multiple units and a shared central air system. If tenants cook meals with unappealing odours or have pets, this helps to reduce smells in the home. If this is a feature you’re interested in, talk to us about upgrading. We’ll take the price of the base model and installation cost off of your bill during our air conditioner deal. 

Jan 28

How Mini Splits Can Offer Major Savings on Energy Usage

By Air Conditioning, Heating, HVAC, mini split, Plumbing

Ductless mini split systems have been popular in more moderate climates for decades. In recent years, advances in technology have made them an excellent heating and cooling solution in colder northern climates like the Okanagan. They offer significant savings on costly baseboard heating and function as a dual purpose air conditioner in the summer.

If your home doesn’t have central air ducts, has smaller ones that are inadequate for modern furnaces, or even if you have a more modern ventilated system that produces hot and cold zones, mini splits can be an excellent solution to keeping your home comfortable. Here are a few of the top reasons we recommend considering them.

 

What is a Ductless Mini Split System?

A mini split system functions both as a heat pump in the winter and an air conditioner in the summer. This consists of one or more wall-mounted indoor units and a heat pump located outside your home. The two are connected by small refrigerant lines, making installation locations much more flexible.

mini split heat pump and ac


What Are The Benefits of Mini Splits?

A Solution to Hot and Cold Zones in the Home

Even new homes with brand new duct distribution systems can have issues maintaining a balanced delivery of air throughout the home. When the summer sun bears down, it’s common to have hot spots in top floor, westward facing rooms. In the Okanagan, the hottest parts of the day are between 2-6pm and those rooms with full exposure aren’t going to be as nice as the dark basement or eastern facing rooms. The best solution is to add a mini split heat pump AC unit to help make those spaces more tolerable for living and sleeping. The reality is, those hot spots are also cold spots in the winter, so you’re covered with the heat pump during winter months and stay cozy throughout the year.

Energy Savings Over Baseboard Heating

If you’ve been running baseboard heating through the winter, you know how electrical bills can rack up. The addition of ductwork requires a major renovation, so central air isn’t an option for most homes without it. The flexibility of installation makes a mini split system our recommended solution. A single interior head unit can often displace 4-6 baseboards in a main living area, each at approximately 1000 watts. While the savings will vary depending on the home size and layout, the heating costs are often cut by 20%-50%. In ranchers or single-level homes with open plans, a single indoor head unit can adequately heat and cool the entire space.

Mini Splits Are Dual Purpose with Air Conditioning

One other drawback when your home isn’t equipped with ductwork is air conditioning in the hot Okanagan summer. For years the only option was to hang an AC unit out of your window. Similar to baseboard heating, a mini split is much more efficient than a window unit. These systems will also increase home security because an open window isn’t required.

Improved Air Quality and Quality of Heat

A mini split system provides air circulation that improves indoor comfort in a few ways. First, because of the airflow, the filtration system inside will remove dust and allergens from the air throughout the year. The other advantage of air circulation is that it will provide more consistent temperatures throughout the home as opposed to warm and cool spots created by baseboards.

Create Climate Controlled Zones

In a home with multiple mini split heads, each one can be zone controlled for that particular space. This can offer further energy savings if units are switched off in infrequently used areas.

Energy Efficiency Rebates

While mini splits will require an upfront investment, there are incentives beyond the savings on energy bills. FortisBC offers energy savings rebates of $1,200 on a single head installation and $2000 on an installation that uses two or more units.

Interested in discussing a mini split system in your home? Contact us for a free estimate.

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