May 27, 2015
Learn how to protect your indoor environment from outdoor pollutants. The landscape of southern California, with the mountains and foothills rolling down to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean, is undeniably beautiful. Unfortunately, this same landscape also creates airflow patterns that result in some very ugly smog being trapped over our cities. While LA County and southern California as a whole have made great strides towards reducing emissions and smoggy days have become fewer and less severe, we still have a problem. According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report for 2015, the top 5 worst metro areas for ozone levels, year-round particulate pollution, and short-term particulate pollution were all located in California. The Los Angeles-Long Beach area had the worst ranking for ozone, aka smog, and the 5th-worst ranking for both year-round and short-term particulate pollution. This is all despite the fact that in 2013 this area had 71.8 fewer high ozone days than in 1996 and 73.3 fewer high particulate pollution days since 2000. In other words, the situation is getting better, but slowly. What are residents of southern California supposed to do in the meantime? This summer may be a particularly bad one for…...
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May 25, 2015
Learn about the 4 steps required for truly effective air conditioner coil cleaning. Have you been keeping up with your air conditioner maintenance? We’re talking about more than just changing or cleaning filters here. There are many other tasks required to keep your unit in safe and reliable operating condition. Perhaps the most important one from an energy savings and performance perspective is air conditioner coil cleaning. Air conditioners create cooled air by taking advantage of the heat transfer through their evaporator and condenser coils. When these coils become dirty, the evaporation and condensation process becomes less efficient. This means the system has to work harder to produce cold air, taking more time and using more energy in the process. The increased wear and tear on the system can also make your air conditioner break down or fail sooner. By having your air conditioner coils professionally cleaned as part of an air conditioner maintenance visit, you can improve the energy efficiency of the system by up to 16 percent, improve its longevity, and restore cool and comfortable air to your property. 4 Steps in Professional AC Coil Cleaning Vacuuming: Using a two-speed vacuum that can both blow and suck, an…...
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May 22, 2015
Proper attic insulation can help keep summertime cooling costs down. When most people think of insulation, the first thing that comes to mind is an image of a house all bundled up against the winter cold. And while insulation does have an important role to play in keeping heat in and chilly winter winds out, winter is not the only season when you need insulation. Insulation also plays a vital role in the summertime by helping to keep cooled air in and hot outdoor air out. If you have a home that was built before air conditioning became a standard feature rather than a luxury, it is entirely possible that this summertime benefit of insulation was overlooked by the builder. It’s possible that any contractors who may have retrofitted the home with air conditioning overlooked proper insulation as well. Now, you may very well be spending more on your cooling bills than necessary and still living with poor indoor air comfort. Even if you have a newer home, you might have sub-par insulation, because over time certain types of insulation may shift, get wet, or otherwise become compromised. Get Your Insulation Evaluated Today Up to 40 percent of the air…...
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April 30, 2015
If your air conditioner uses ozone-depleting R-22 coolant, you may need to make some changes. As of 2015, we are now in Phase 3 of a 4-part plan to virtually eliminate the use of the environmentally hazardous coolant R-22 in America. While the manufacture of new air conditioners, heat pumps, and other equipment using R-22 has already ceased, it is still permissible to run older equipment using this coolant. If your property features an R-22 cooled unit, you have 3 main options going forward. Continue Using R-22 The first option is to continue using your current cooling equipment as-is. While this is a valid choice, it may not be the most cost-effective one if your air conditioner should ever need a coolant top-off. The R-22 phase-out plan does not call for the scrapping or decommissioning of existing R-22 equipment. However, it will put an end to the production or import of R-22 in the US by 2020. The only coolant available will be from recycled sources, namely coolant recovered or reclaimed from old equipment. Naturally the supply of R-22 coolant is going to shrink dramatically. Hopefully, so will the demand, but the low supply is still likely to cause R-22…...
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April 28, 2015
Just because your air conditioner seems to be working just fine doesn’t mean you can neglect maintenance. Air conditioning is one of those modern conveniences that has made the leap from a luxury to an outright necessity for many Americans. We rely on our air conditioning systems to keep us cool and comfortable, yet most people have little understanding of how exactly the system works or how to tell if it needs attention. Many people take an attitude of leaving well enough alone when it comes to their air conditioning equipment. In other words, they think that so long as the system is putting out cool air, they don’t have to worry about it. The reality is, just because an air conditioner has no symptoms of any kind of mechanical problem does not mean it does not need service. All air conditioners require routine annual air conditioner service in order to perform their best. If you neglect your routine service, your air conditioner may still work, but it may use more energy and/or wear out faster. Key AC Service Activities The following tasks should be completed during a routine AC service visit: Clean or replace the filter: Besides contributing to…...
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April 26, 2015
Phillip Grosenbach to guide the Institute of Heating and Air Conditioning Industries as its new president. General Heating & Air Conditioning is pleased to announce that our very own company vice president, Phillip Grosenbach, will be stepping up into the role of president at an important California HVAC industry trade association, namely the Institute of Heating and Air Conditioning Industries. About IHACI The Institute of Heating and Air Conditioning Industries, or IHACI, is a non-profit trade association uniting providers with diverse roles within the HVAC industry such as contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and even utility firms. Since 1948, IHACI has been pushing for the promotion and growth of the HVAC industry through the following activities: Monitoring: The HVAC industry is constantly evolving as new technologies, new code requirements, new permitting rules, and other regulatory changes are adopted. IHACI is dedicated to monitoring these changes and serving as a repository of the latest, most up-to-date information for its members. Training: IHACI is a major supporter of HVAC training in California. The non-profit’s own curriculum is accredited with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, and it also helps to promote other opportunities for technical training. For example, IHACI is responsible for producing the…...
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March 30, 2015
Simple tips for saving energy and money on cooling bills. Which is worse, physical discomfort or financial discomfort? This is a question many people face each summer, when they struggle to decide whether it’s better to endure hot indoor temperatures and save on their energy bills or crank up the AC and exceed their budget. Fortunately, there are many ways to lower your air conditioning costs and avoid this dilemma altogether. Here are some ideas from the US Energy Department in order from lowest to highest required investment. Minimize Use of Heat-Generating Appliances The first thing you can do is avoid making your home any hotter than it already is through the use of heat-generating appliances such as the oven, stove, or dryer. Instead, grill out and line dry your laundry. Use a Ceiling Fan Another excellent tip is to use your ceiling fan to create a cooling draft inside your home that will make you feel cooler without touching that thermostat. Experts agree that you can actually raise the thermostat about 4 degrees and still feel just as comfortable if your ceiling fan is on. Use the Bathroom Fan Taking a hot shower creates two problems: heat and humidity.…...
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March 28, 2015
Learn the real facts behind 4 common myths about air conditioning. Almost everyone likes saving money on their air conditioning bills. But how sure are you that the steps you are taking are actually saving you money? If you’ve fallen victim to one of the following 4 common cooling myths, you may not be achieving the savings you expect at all. Turning the AC Off and On Wastes Energy Many people believe that they should leave the air conditioning on even when they are not at home, because maintaining cool temperatures requires less energy than cooling down a home that has become warm. In reality, the opposite is true. In most cases, you will save energy by turning the air conditioning off whenever you plan to be away for a significant amount of time. Your air conditioner may run longer when you first turn it back on, but it is not working any harder or using any more energy than normal. Setting the Thermostat Lower Makes Your Home Cool Faster When people do turn their air conditioning off while they’re not home, they tend to think they need to set the thermostat really low when they get back, figuring this…...
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March 26, 2015
Carrier’s Infinity Air Purifier offers many important benefits for your family. An EPA survey found that the average American spends 87 percent of their time indoors, and 69 percent of this time is spent at home. Don’t you want your home environment to be as clean, healthy, and comfortable as possible? Installing an air purifier can help you achieve this. At General Heating & Air Conditioning, we offer top-quality Carrier brand air purifiers, including the Infinity Air Purifier GAPA. This air purifier uses patented Captures and Kills™ technology to trap up to 95 percent of airborne contaminants down to 0.30 microns in size. Once the particles are trapped, an electrical charge runs across the filter to kill or inactivate 99 percent of any germs, pollen, or mold spores among them. The Infinity Air Purifier GAPA purifies all the air in your home up to 8 times per hour to deliver the following 7 benefits. Cleaner Air: The first benefit of an air purifier is simply to improve the overall cleanliness of your indoor air by removing contaminants. Considering that the EPA estimates indoor air can be 2 to 5 times dirtier than outdoor air, this is naturally very important. Healthier…...
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March 24, 2015
Enjoy the ultimate in energy efficiency and comfort by choosing a new heat pump with these 4 features. If you are shopping for a new heat pump, you probably already know a little bit about what makes this piece of HVAC equipment so special. Heat pumps use the temperature differential between indoor and outdoor air to generate heated or cooled air, making them extremely energy efficient. You might even say they don’t generate heat at all, but simply move heat—into your home in the winter and out of your home in the summer. According to the Energy Department, this allows heat pumps to provide the heating and cooling you require for as little as 25 percent of the cost of operating conventional HVAC equipment. However, not all heat pumps are created equal. Here are 4 important features to look for if you want to enjoy the best comfort and efficiency from your new heat pump. Reversible Heat Pump First of all, you want to be sure you choose a reversible heat pump. This means that the direction of the heat transfer can be reversed to create warm air in winter and cool air in summer. Basically, with a reversible heat…...
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