FSHAC – Furnace Repair News

Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009

This ground breaking legislation has gives energy tax credits to consumers who purchase High Efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment to qualify for a direct tax credit of up to $1500.

Qualifying equipment includes:

Air Source Heat Pumps with a minimum SEER of 12.5 and SEER of 15.0

Central Air Conditioning with a minimum SEER of 13.0 and SEER of 16.0

Gas, Propane, or Oil Hot Water Boiler AFUE greater then 90%

Natural Gas or Propane Furnace AFUE greater then 95%

Oil Furnaces AFUE greater then 90% Read more…

As you plan for your home repair/improvement project, it is important to ask the right questions in order to protect your investment.  The tips in this fact sheet should allow you to protect yourself as a consumer and minimize the possibility that a misunderstanding may occur.

KNOW YOUR CONSUMER RIGHTS – CONTRACTS Read more…

From FOUR SEASONS HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING – CHICAGO.

How does a furnace work? The heating cycle begins as soon as the thermostat determines that the temperature in the room is below the setpoint at which the consumer has set on the thermostat.

***(As a side note, a programmable thermostat can save you a great deal of money in the long run as you can easily program the thermostat with a lower setpoint for all the hours that you know you will not be home. Why keep the house any warmer than you need to when no one is there? If you know that you usually arrive home from work at 6:00pm, for example, you can program the thermostat to warm your house up for you starting at 5:30 rather than keeping the house unnecessarily warm all day long). Read more…

Four Seasons Heating & Air Conditioning is ready for Spring 2010 to arrive.  We can’t wait for spring and the opportunity to serve the Chicago area with the best air conditioning service for brand new customers and long standing customers alike!  We are READY, and you should be too.  The weather will start turning and even if the air conditioner won’t be in use until it’s hot outside,  be sure to get it checked while the temperatures are still mild.

Once Daylight Saving Time arrives there’s mores sunlight and temperatures approach 60 degrees. That is the very best time to think ahead  and schedule an air conditioner tune up to be sure it is running at peak efficiency and won’t let you down when it’s time to turn it on for the first time.  Read more…

CHICAGO, IL – You’ve spent the money to have your ducts cleaned to improve the air quality in your home or building. If your ducts were cleaned by Four Seasons with state-of-the-art triple HEPA filtration, your ducts are so clean you could eat off of them.

There are two easy things you can do to keep them that way. First, FILTER YOUR AIR!!! Make sure that you have the best possible filter in place and that it is properly installed. Your Home Comfort Specialist at Four Seasons Heating & Air Conditioning would be more than happy to help you with this. Second, make sure that you clean your furnace and air conditioner regularly. The importance of this cannot be overstated. There wasn’t much point in cleaning your ducts if you are going to allow your furnace or air conditioner to get filthy right away! Read more…

Is maintaining the right amount of moisture in your home a problem? As we have discussed previously in other blog articles there are many choices for humidifiers from tabletop models to larger portable models available at most retail stores. One of the most cost effective and all around effective options is whole home humidifier unit that is part of your central air system. The Lennox Healthy Climate WB12 whole house humidifier provides cost effective whole-house humidity control for standard-sized homes.

The Lennox WB12 humidifier works with your HVAC system to maintain the right level of humidity by directing humidified air equally to the entire home. It operates more precisely keeping humidity levels constantly in the comfort range 30-60 percent humidity – humidified air feels warmer allowing you to lower the thermostat and still be comfortable. Read more…

Don’t put off home maintenance any longer.  As soon as the snow melts, take care of your home.  It’s almost time to come out of hibernation and inspect your home for winter damage.  Snow and ice can really take a toll on your home.  For example ice damming on your roof and gutters which is an accumulation of ice formations – a sign of inadequate insulation. Here are a few things you should take care of ASAP.

Clean and check your home heating system

You need to clean and check your furnace filters and be sure to clear away any debris, leaves, etc. from your air conditioner.

Clean or replace your furnace filter

A dirty filter will cost you 30% more in your utility bills as well as premature breakdown of your equipment.  If you need a new furnace the springtime offers some of the best pricing and manufacturer rebates on furnaces. Read more…

Do you know that most deserts have a relative humidity of 25 percent?  Now compare that to most homes that have a relative humidity of 17 percent!!  Dry air may be a good answer to why you get sick more often in the winter months than in any of the other seasons.  Getting a humidifier / in-duct humidifier can greatly reduce this risk and have you feeling more healthy all winter long! According to Consumer Reports “These humidifiers are the ideal choice if you have a forced air heating system and want to humidify the whole house.”  “They’re also the least expensive to run: about $30 or so per year, compared with as much as $350 or more for four tabletop models.”

Even when the winter weather is mild, dry air in your home can be associated with the types of colds typically seen in the coldest months of the year. It’s not always necessarily the amount of allergens and viruses in the home during this time, but the low humidity causes some serious dryness that results in dry skin, drying of the nasal passage ways (Sinus headaches), and those “shocks” that you feel when you touch certain objects. Those nasal passages are an important line of defense for your body to fight off nasty flu and cold viruses that are always present in the air.  When they are kept moist the nose can catch those very viruses before they have an opportunity to enter the body. This can be best achieved with a bypass humidifier.

You should insulate your home when the following occurs:

>You have an older home and haven’t added insulation. Consider that only 20% of homes built before 1980 are well insulated.

>The distribution of heat in your home is uneven, cold zones in the winter or hot zones in the summer. Adding insulation creates a more uniform temperature and increases comfort by evenly covering your attic across all areas of your home. It is not uncommon to find settling of material if your current attic insulation is more than 15 years old. Read more…

With the economic tax credits that started approximately 18 months ago, the demand for new high efficiency furnaces has increased.  There is a shortage of qualified installers and service people in our industry.  Be sure that you purchase your new furnace or air conditioner from a licensed and certified heating and cooling installer.  Today’s high efficiency furnaces and air conditioners require proper installation from a certified tech that has received hours of training.  If you look around for a qualified heating contractor you can find one in your town that is certified.  A furnace that is not properly installed will cost you more to operate and have frequent break-downs.  Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning only employs factory trained techs that install all of our equipment to the manufacturer’s specs and requirements.  In today’s tough economy be sure that you do the homework on who you are having install your furnace.  The equipment is just as important as who installs it for you.