City Heating & Air Conditioning 3111 Northwest Park Drive
Knoxville, TN 37921
Phone: 865-938-1005
mdavis@cityheatandair.com
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
If you own a house or a place of business, one day you will be faced with the choice of repairing your old unit or replacing it with a new one. Many heating and air conditioning companies push their customers to replace their units because that would bring more money to them. But there is a difference between repairing and replacing.
City Heating & Air Conditioning focuses on informing its customers so that they can make that big decision themselves to repair it or replace it. Repairing a unit most of the time will be cheaper, but sometimes there’s no use in kicking a dead horse. We at City Heating & Air Conditioning will fully discuss the advantages of repairing vs. replacing. From time to time a unit may be replaced, simply because it is old and inefficient. In fact a new energy efficient system can save you on your utility bills and pay for itself over a time. However it may be, we at City Heating & Air Conditioning like to give you the facts and let you, the customer, decide.
Selecting your Unit
It is a big investment that perhaps you will only make once every 10 years. If you’re concerned about what brand and model to choose, contact our sales department and they would be more than happy to assist you. Having the knowledge of the ratings that are applied to air conditioners may help you to choose the best one.
Efficiency Ratings
In a broad-spectrum the higher the efficiency, the higher the price. However, the higher the efficiency the more money that you will actually save through your energy bills, if you are concerned about your efficiency look for the EnergyStar label. The cooling efficiency for air conditioners are classified as SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating). This SEER rating will tell you how efficiently your system uses electricity: the higher the number, the higher the efficiency.
Selecting the Correct Size
In order for your system to reach its top performance, the system must be correctly sized. Customarily, a central air-conditioning unit is sized in tons. One ton equaling 12,000 BTU’s of cooling, and your home needs 1 ton for every 600sq. feet. However, manufacturers have engineered their systems with the exception of SEER rating, and the new units cool less than 12,000 BTU’s. Therefore, if you had a 3-ton air conditioner before, you may need a 3½-ton unit or larger. Our trained personnel can perform a load calculation and determine what size unit you may need.
Why Selecting the Right Contractor is Important
An improperly installed system may waste as much as 50% of your unit’s efficiency. On the other hand it also can cause leaks or create a fire hazard. Be sure that whoever installs your system is fully licensed and they warranty their work. Below is a checklist of questions to help protect yourself. Print off our checklist for a quick and easy reference of questions to ask your contractor.
- Are you licensed? What is your state license number?
Are you fully insured?
If an insured contractor or any of his/her employees gets hurt on your property, you could be liable for their actions, leading to his/her medical bills and even a lawsuit. - Are they EPA Certified?
In order to handle refrigerants, such as Freon, the contractor must be EPA Certified and must use a recover unit when replacing your old system. - Do they pull all necessary permits?
If you live inside the city limits a permit may be required. - Do you want to replace ductwork?
When talking to your contractor he/she should first examine the duct work to insure of its size will accommodate the new equipment. - What kind of warranties cover the equipment?
Have the contractor give you in writing the manufacturer’s warranty and their warranty for installing the equipment. - What are their prices and terms?
The contractor should provide you with a contract before he/she performs any work. Make sure the quoted price is the same as the bill.
