The motivation behind installing a new air conditioner, whether at home, varies from one person to another. It could be because the weather is warmer and the existing air conditioner isn’t effective. Other homeowners add an extra air conditioning system in places that aren’t effectively cooled at home. Further, some might have added an extra room to their home, and a new air conditioning system is required to cool the additional room. There are two types of air conditioning systems to choose from in all these instances: central air conditioning systems and mini-split systems. When you have an AC repair company install a mini-split heat pump, you can use it throughout the year as it can heat your home during winter and cool it during summer. When comparing central and mini split air conditioners, you must consider the cost of the unit, your aesthetic preferences, operating costs, energy efficiency, and the size of the space you need to be cooled.

Considerations to Make When Choosing Between Mini Split and Central Air Conditioner

Whenever you choose between the central and mini split air conditioning systems, the best option for you depends on several factors that must be weighed before making a choice. Below are the considerations that you should acknowledge.

Do Your Heating or Cooling Needs Vary?

Does it happen that some family members prefer cool temperatures while others want their room’s temperatures to be a notch higher? Does your home have several rooms or sections that need different cooling or heating temperatures? With a mini split air conditioner or heat pump, you can install different indoor units and separately control every room’s temperature. This is called zoning and is critical if your home has many rooms or stories.

As for the central air conditioners, you can affect zones with different temperatures in your house. However, you must enlist an AC repair company to install dampers in your HVAC systems to create these zones. However, the dampers are installed within the air ducts. Unfortunately, installing them requires opening up the walls or ceilings, which requires lots of work. Are you looking for a non-invasive, easy solution for your home? Then you should choose mini-split systems.

Consider the Size of Your House

Is your house too large? Although they can cool them, mini-split air conditioners aren’t always good for large houses. The more rooms available at your home, the more units are needed for effective cooling. This means you’ll pay more for installing and purchasing these units. However, the mini split air conditioners are a great option if many rooms only require cooling or heating at specific times or days.

If these rooms must be cooled evenly, consider having a repair company send a technician to install a central air conditioner for your extensive house. To work effectively, mini split air conditioners must be installed in areas of the perfect size. Hence, consult a professional to help you determine the best capacity for your air conditioning system. They will conduct a load test and help you choose the best system.

Do You Need Heating and Cooling?

The best solution is a mini split heat pump if you need heating and cooling packed in a single unit. These operate the same way during winter, as you’ll only have to turn on the heat mode. Consult your reliable and reputable AC repair technician if you’re confused about running a mini-split heat pump. Do you live in an area that receives freezing winters and needs robust heating? The heat pump won’t be able to heat your indoor space adequately. If this is the case, you can heat your home using a central air conditioning system but would need a furnace. However, this might prove costly to purchase, install and maintain.

Will Noise Be a Problem for You?

If you install a central air conditioner, you’ll hear loud noises in the air ducts when you turn the unit on. This noise in the air ducts is caused by the vibrations of the air passing through. Mini split air conditioning systems don’t have air ducts. Hence, the issue of the associated noise is eliminated. The modern mini-split air conditioning systems are much quieter. Thus, if noise is a problem, you should enlist an AC repair company to install a ductless mini-split system.

Will the Indoor Unit Impact the Interior Decor?

Mini split air conditioners feature a large indoor unit that may prove unattractive to some. In contrast, central air conditioning systems are typically hidden within your home. This only has receding vents that might go unnoticed. However, they have outdoor units, like mini-split systems, that can be camouflaged using different techniques. If you cannot bear the appearance of the mini-split systems inside your home, consider installing a central air conditioning system.

Energy Efficiency

In heating and cooling, efficiency is usually determined by SEER and EER rating systems. The higher the EER or SEER rating, the more the efficiency of the unit. Modern central air conditioners with a thirteen SEER rating are considered standard efficiency. However, the average SEER rating in many central systems is between 15-18. It is common to find a unit with a SEER value of nearly 20.

Mini-split systems have the highest SEER rating of all types of air conditioners. You can easily find a mini split air conditioner with a SEER rating of over 20. Hence, if you are looking for an energy-efficient unit that won’t empty your pockets because of the high energy utility bills, have an AC repair company install a ductless mini split system at your home.

Choose the Right System

Although they will both cool your indoor space, there are some situations where central air is better suited than a mini-split system and vice versa. Do you need help choosing an air conditioner? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Phoenix today for professional advice.

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What Are The Benefits Of Professional AC Repair Services?

In summer, the weather can get extremely hot, and there are not many things that compare to the feeling of getting into an air-conditioned house after spending some time in the scorching heat outside. Therefore, if you live in an area that gets too hot in summer, you can appreciate the importance of the role your air conditioning system plays in keeping your family comfortable. Unfortunately, your air conditioner, like any other machine, is not perfect. Indeed, it can break down or develop issues that could compromise its performance and even put your home and family in danger, in addition to causing serious inconveniences. Considering the importance of your air conditioner, most air conditioning issues you will run into will need to be addressed urgently, and therefore, you might be tempted to fix them on your own. However, this is not recommended. Instead, you should have a professional AC repair service you can trust to help you promptly handle any air conditioning issue you might encounter. But why exactly should you avoid DIY air conditioning repairs? Below is a rundown of the benefits you can expect by hiring a professional HVAC company as opposed to trying DIY repairs.

Protect Your AC’s Warranty

Air conditioners are quite pricey devices. This explains why they usually come with warranties. Indeed, AC equipment manufacturers use warranties to show that they have confidence in the quality of their products. By giving you a warranty, they accept to take responsibility should the appliance break down within a specified time. As such, if your air conditioning system has a valid warranty, you can be in a good position to hold the manufacturer accountable should it develop a serious problem. However, you need to remember that warranties are not without conditions. For instance, for your air conditioner’s warranty to remain valid, the manufacturer might require you to ensure that all AC repair repairs are handled by a licensed AC repair company, no matter how simple they might seem. If this is the case, resorting to DIY air conditioner repairs might effectively void your warranty and cause you to lose all the privileges it affords you. On the other hand, by ensuring that all your air conditioning issues are handled by professionals, you can keep your warranty valid and continue benefiting from the rights and privileges it affords you.

Avoid Getting Injured

Handling an air conditioning system can be quite dangerous and could leave you with serious injuries if you decide to do it on your own. For instance, if your air conditioner’s refrigerant is leaking, trying to seal the leaks and refilling the refrigerant on your own could expose you to the risk of Freon poisoning, also known as refrigerant poisoning. This conditioning is associated with serious symptoms like headaches, nausea, fainting, seizures, vomiting, and even death. Besides, your AC has electrical components, and handling them without the necessary tools and skills could lead to electrical injuries like electrocution and electrical shocks. Therefore, for the sake of your safety and that of your family, you need to ensure that all your air conditioning issues are addressed by a professional air conditioning repair company. Professional HVAC contractors have the necessary training and experience to handle air conditioners without getting themselves hurt or putting other people in danger. In any case, these professionals are insured, meaning that even if they get injured while repairing your air conditioning equipment, you won’t be held financially liable for their injuries since their insurance will cover them.

Protect Your Air Conditioner

Although modern air conditioning systems are quite durable, they have some delicate components that must be handled with care. As such, unless you are a professional air conditioning repair expert, you may not have what it takes to handle various air conditioning issues without putting your air conditioning equipment at risk of getting damaged. For instance, if your condenser coil and evaporator coil are dirty, they can make it harder for your air conditioning system to keep your home cool. However, trying to clean these coils on your own could cause serious damage to them. Unfortunately, replacing or repairing them can be extremely expensive. Therefore, considering the damage that a DIY AC repair could cause to your HVAC equipment, it is not worth trying. On the other hand, professionals deal with air conditioners daily, and they have the necessary training, experience, and tools to handle all kinds of air conditioning issues you might run into without causing any damage to your air conditioning equipment.

Save Time and Money

Many people think that they can save some time and money by trying to fix some air conditioning issues on their own instead of calling professional HVAC contractors. Unfortunately, the reality is quite the opposite. Indeed, if you decide to try fixing your air conditioning issues on your own, you might end up spending more money and time than expected. This can be explained in several ways. For instance, since you are not an experienced HVAC contractor, you might misdiagnose the underlying cause of the air conditioning problem you are facing, meaning that you may not only fail to fix the issue at hand but also end up creating new problems. Therefore, even after wasting your time and money trying to fix your broken air conditioner, you might end up having to spend more money on professional air conditioner repair services in the end. On the other hand, by calling a professional HVAC contractor from the word go, you can get the issue resolved efficiently, which would consequently save you time and money.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, if you have an air conditioning problem in your house, there are many benefits you can expect by hiring a professional HVAC contractor as opposed to trying to handle it on your own. If you are looking for a reliable air conditioning repair service near you, One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Phoenix is the answer. Call us for more information about our services.

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Why You Need an Air Conditioner Service to Maintain and Service Your AC

It can be unbearably hot during the summer, with temperatures averaging 102°F. Most residents use their ACs to help keep their homes cool and comfortable throughout the summer. Due to the excruciating temperatures, homeowners tend to overwork their ACs to beat the heat. This strain on their AC systems accelerates the wear and tear of their internal parts and eventually leads to complete failure. Regular servicing and maintenance by a reputable air conditioning service can help you avoid this inconvenience.

In today’s post, we’ll highlight the importance of having a professional air conditioning service maintained for your AC for longevity.

Keeps Your Home Comfortable

Air conditioners tend to give out at the worst possible times. Regular servicing by a reputable AC company decreases the likelihood of this happening. They’ll ensure your AC runs seamlessly so you can have a comfortable home all year round.

Improves Your Home’s Air Quality

The quality of the air we breathe is crucial to our health and vitality. Regular servicing by an air conditioning service helps maintain or improve your home’s air quality. The excess dirt and debris in dirty filters could get into the air supply and compromise your home’s air quality. This also introduces bacteria and mold spores into your home, possibly leading to respiratory complications.

The AC service will clean or replace your filters, removing any dirt and debris that may have accumulated on them. That way, you can get clean, fresh air to keep your home comfortable and its occupants healthy and happy.

Improves Your AC’s Longevity

With proper maintenance, your AC should last you about 15 to 20 years. Unfortunately, homeowners barely get ten years out of their AC systems.

An air conditioning service will help identify issues with your AC early on so they don’t spiral out of control. They also ensure all parts of your AC function optimally for improved efficiency. Doing so extends your AC system’s life span so you can get the most out of it.

Reduces Operating Costs

Sure, servicing your AC professionally costs money, but not servicing your AC costs a lot more. Worn-out and malfunctioning parts can greatly compromise your AC’s efficiency. This translates to astronomical energy bills that only increase with time.

An AC servicing company will service and maintain your air conditioner to ensure it works at its most efficient. That way, you can save a lot of money over your unit’s entire life span. Plus, given that regular servicing extends its lifespan, you’ll save a fortune in the long run.

Decreases the Likelihood of Major Breakdowns

Few things are as annoying as your AC unit breaking down smack dab in the middle of the summer. However, this is a reality you might have to contend with if you neglect regular servicing by an air conditioning service company.

Minor issues with internal parts of your AC can quickly escalate into full-blown issues, leading to a complete breakdown of the system. Regular service will identify any potential problems with your AC and address them before they get out of hand. In doing so, they also help you save a bundle in repair costs.

Eliminates Foul Odor

The accumulation of mold and fungi in your AC unit could lead to a foul, musty odor from your vents. Although diffusers and air fresheners can mask the smell, these are only temporary fixes. Servicing your AC is a permanent fix that eliminates this foul odor and ensures your home smells divine.

AC technicians will clear any mold and fungi inside the system. They’ll also identify any leaks in the system that promote the growth of this mold. That way, you can have clean, fresh air in your home.

Reduces Your Carbon Footprint

Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide you produce from your daily actions. Driving a gas-powered car, eating meat, and using air conditioning increase your carbon footprint.

Servicing your AC unit regularly decreases your carbon footprint. AC servicing ensures your air conditioning system works optimally. This increases its efficiency, thus reducing its energy consumption and carbon footprint. The reduced carbon footprint is great for the environment.

Better Compliance With the Manufacturer’s Warranty Terms

AC Manufacturers are usually stringent with their warranty terms, especially for extended warranties. Some require regular servicing by a licensed air conditioning service for the warranty to stand.

Failing to service your AC system as per the requirements could easily void the warranty. By hiring an air conditioning service to maintain and service your AC, you can get the most out of your warranty and get value for your money.

Prevents Expensive Replacement

As mentioned earlier, minor issues with your AC unit quickly develop into more serious ones. Some AC issues are beyond repair and require a complete system overhaul. Replacing your AC system is expensive and could put a hole in your budget.

Regular servicing helps prevent these major issues that might warrant a complete replacement. The Air conditioning service will identify and solve these problems early on. This means you don’t have to worry about replacing your AC sooner than you have to.

Can I Service the AC?

Most people don’t like spending money on professional AC servicing and would rather DIY their servicing. While there’s nothing wrong with that, you’re better off leaving maintenance and servicing to the pros. A professional air conditioning service will do a much better job at servicing your AC and keeping it in tip-top shape.

They have the right skills and experience to do so, guarantee their services, and protect your safety. While professional AC servicing costs money, you’ll eventually make up for it further down the line.

Get Professional AC Servicing Today

Regularly servicing your AC will improve its performance, efficiency, and longevity. Hire a professional air conditioning service today to ensure your AC unit runs like a well-oiled machine. It’s an effective way to keep your home cool and maintain your AC unit.

At One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Phoenix, we take pride in being one of the best AC service companies in Paradise Valley, AZ. Contact us today, and we’ll help keep your AC in great shape.

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Ways By Which Hiring an Air Conditioner Installation Professional To Pair Your Unit With a Smart Thermostat Can Help Save Energy

The ever-rising electricity costs have resulted in a nationwide burden on various households. As a result, many have been left struggling to remain financially afloat. About 75% of Americans are seriously concerned about paying utility bills because of this drastic increase in energy costs. With the persistent economic hardships and no near future sign of relief, it is time that homeowners start to think smarter. This means making choices to save cash on energy costs without sacrificing comfort. One of these methods is having an air conditioner installation technician pair their air conditioners with smart thermostats. These devices are designed for energy-saving, comfort, and convenience purposes. But how can they help you save energy?

Save with Smart Heating and Cooling Schedules

When it comes to smart thermostats, you can program their settings per your preferences. It means you’ll create an air conditioning schedule based on when you’ll be at home, asleep, or away. With smart thermostats, you can easily schedule your indoor temperatures to what will work best for you, and the unit will handle the rest. Upon setting the schedule, the smart thermostat will adjust automatically all day through.

Smart thermostats offer different presets such as Away, Home, Sleep, and Pets. You can use these presets for creating a schedule. With the Away and Home presets, you can focus on energy savings when you’re away and your comfort when at home. For example, you can use the thermostat setback approach when going out. The Department of Energy estimates you will save about 10% on energy utility bills using a thermostat setback for 8 hours.

Smart thermostats also come with companion apps. For instance, when you have a late meeting and cannot make it back on time, you can make the required changes on heating or cooling directly from the app. This means the air conditioning unit will only use the energy necessary when heating or cooling is necessary. Thus, you will notice reduced energy utility bills at the end of the month.

Use Vacation Mode, Leave Those Temperature Worries Back at Home

Although completely turning off the HVAC unit when leaving for a vacation might appear a trivial solution for saving energy costs, it can result in different problems in your home. For example, should it get cold, the water pipes at your home may freeze and even burst. Unfortunately, this will damage your floors, walls, and home appliances. On the other hand, if it gets scorching during summer, the high humidity might damage the wooden furniture and spur mold growth.

Do you have pets at your home? You shouldn’t leave the HVAC completely turned off on vacation, as they also need comfort. Maybe you also want to return to a comfortable home after the vacation. The best solution is to have an air conditioner installation technician pair your HVAC with a smart thermostat. Most of these devices feature a vacation mode where you can set the maximum and minimum temperature thresholds and the duration you’ll be out. It means your indoor temperatures will never exceed the set limit, resulting in less power consumption.

Turn Your HVAC OFF or ON Automatically Using Location-Based Triggers

With Smart Thermostat’s Geofencing Feature, you never have to worry that energy costs will spiral out of control again. Geofencing in these smart devices uses motion sensors and location-based triggers for sensing where you are and automatically adjusting the HVAC settings. It means that your unit can promptly adapt when you’ve left your home and reduce the air conditioner usage to help you save money and keep your indoor space comfortable.

Leveraging Smart Home Integration To Amplify Your Savings

When you use a smart thermostat, controlling the heating and air conditioning system becomes easier than ever. You even can have an air conditioner installation technician help you pair the smart thermostat with voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Alexa for more convenience. Other integration options include Samsung SmartThings, IFTTT, and Siri shortcuts. With the help of smart controllers, you can link the smart thermostat with other smart home devices like smart fans and smart lights for a more elaborate automated system. Smart home integration gives you more control over the home appliances, which helps you reduce the amount of energy consumed.

Make Cooling or Heating Decisions Based On the Outdoor Weather Conditions

There are smart thermostats with a weather tab by which you can check the status of the current weather based on the set location. The smart thermostat considers the outdoor temperatures during winter and decides if auxiliary heating is required. Doing this saves on bills because you do not have to pay for home heating when it isn’t needed. You can adjust the settings depending on the outside weather by using the IFTTT triggers. For example, when the outside temperatures rise above the set threshold, the smart thermostat will switch to cooling mode.

Leveraging Usage Statistics To Stay On Top Of The Energy Spend

Knowing how much energy your unit uses weekly, monthly, or even daily is critical to ensure you save on heating and cooling costs. Tracking the HVAC runtime can help you lower your electricity utility bills. When an air conditioner installation technician pairs your HVAC with a smart thermostat, you can always know the energy spent, helping you reduce energy costs and carbon footprint. You can also use the application to track your HVAC’s real-time runtime energy use based on the mode or fan setting. This real-time data a smart thermostat provides can help homeowners analyze their spending on cooling and heating. They also can set achievable goals on minimizing energy use per month.

Smart Thermostat For Achievable Energy-Saving Goals

Are you overwhelmed by the heating and cooling costs? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Phoenix. Our technicians will pair your HVAC with a smart thermostat, helping you set achievable heating and cooling energy use reduction goals.

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Operation, Benefits, and Applications of Infrared Heaters from Your Reliable Heating and AC Repair Company

Most homeowners find it challenging and scary to use new and innovative heating solutions in the market. They prefer traditional systems that have been used and are assured to offer their family heating and comfort. They have many questions, such as whether it is worth it, whether this system provides the required heating needs, and, most importantly, whether it is reliable. While a professional from your reliable AC repair company can answer all these valid questions with conviction, the fear can only go away after extensive research and deep knowledge of what a heating system can offer you. Therefore, this article will highlight all there is to know about infrared heating. It will explain its operation, benefits, and where best applied to help you lay your fear to rest.

What is Infrared Heating?

The first step towards knowing any system and erasing doubts is understanding what it is. Therefore, lets us look at the concept behind infrared heating. Infrared heating is a luminous heating that uses electromagnetism to produce heat. The mechanism of infrared heating is similar to the sun’s rays. Electromagnetic waves heat an object or, in this instance, the person in your home immediately after the waves encounter it. Therefore, the heat is transmitted directly through the air and absorbed in contact with an object. Infrared heating eliminates the need for convection currents by using direct electromagnetic waves. Therefore, it is more effective and cost-efficient.

How Do Infrared Heaters Work?

Infrared heaters use the principle of electromagnetism and emit electromagnetic waves in the infrared spectrum. The waves are a type of light, but unlike the sun waves, they are not visible to the human eye. They are shorter than radio waves but longer than the light we see hence their invisibility. When a resident or object in your home encounters electromagnetic waves from an infrared heater, the waves convert to heat energy. The heat energy warms the resident or objects up and, in turn, emits heat as well. Consequently, this forms a loop of warming which eventually leads to the uniform heating of the room. Below is a step-by-step guide on how these heaters operate;

Infrared Radiation Generation

An infrared heater has a heating element, usually a ceramic element or a metal wire filament which generates heat through electrical resistance.

Metal wire filaments are made for materials such as tungsten, quartz, or nickel-chromium alloys. On the other hand, ceramic heating elements are made from materials such as magnesium oxide or aluminum oxide.

However, a heating and AC repair company will advise you to buy a ceramic heating element infrared heater due to its outstanding qualities, such as durability, high resistance to temperature, and ability to emit infrared radiation.

Infrared Emission

As the heating element warms up, it generates heat emitted as radiation in the form of waves. The waves travel through your home air to be absorbed by residents or objects in the space.

Infrared Absorption

When infrared radiation gets in contact with people, objects, and walls within your home, it is absorbed.

Conversion into Heat

Once the infrared radiation is absorbed by the people and objects in your home, it converts to heat energy, thus warming the object.

Continuous Heating Loop

The infrared heater continues the generation, emission, absorption, and conversion of infrared radiation, creating a continuous loop.

What are the Benefits of Infrared Heating?

Although infrared heating is a new system in the market, it offers many benefits that change how most homeowners heat their homes. Unlike traditional systems that depend on convection currents to warm the air in your home, infrared heating warms the object directly through radiant heat, creating a comfortable environment with evenly distributed heat. Some of its benefits include;

Cost-Effective

When installed by a reputable AC repair company, infrared heating is a cost-effective heating solution for your home. Compared to traditional heating systems, infrared heating typically requires minimal energy and has a longer lifespan. They save you money on your monthly electrical bills and from changing your heating system frequently.

Energy-Efficiency

The primary benefit of infrared heating is its energy efficiency. Unlike other heating systems that rely on convection currents, infrared heaters directly heat an object, minimizing the probability of energy loss. Since the conversion from electromagnetic waves is high, the energy used to heat your home is low, resulting in lower electrical bills. Infrared heating, therefore, allows for a more cost-effective and efficient heating solution for your home.

Improved Indoor Air Quality

Infrared heating offers improved air quality since it does not circulate dust and other airborne contaminants in your home. Infrared heating is direct, thus reducing airborne particles. Notably, this is an ideal heating system for people with allergies and breathing-related problems.

Easy Installation

Due to their simple structures, infrared heating systems are easy to install. They also require minimal maintenance since they only have a few moving parts. This contributed to their longer life span compared to a traditional heating system that has a more complex system. However, even with their easy installation, you should enlist an AC repair company for infrared heating system installation.

Where Is Infrared Heating Applicable?

Infrared heating can be used in many settings, both in the residential and commercial sectors. Some of the most common applications include the following;

Residential Heating

Since its penetration into the market, infrared heating is becoming increasingly popular for homes due to its cost-effectiveness. It also offers homeowners an alternative energy-efficient alternative to traditional heating systems.

Commercial Heating

It is ideal for commercial houses since it is energy-efficient and quickly heats large spaces, eliminating the need for a central heating system.

Industrial Heating

Infrared heating provides efficient and fast heating hence its wide use in industrial spaces. It is mainly used for curing, drying, and heating large areas in industries.

Are you looking for an effective, energy-efficient heating solution? Contact us at One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Phoenix to install an infrared heater.

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