Determining the best type of system for your home depends on geographical location, the size and physical characteristics of your home, and the way the system will be used.
HVAC System Types
Split Systems
A split system is the most common type of heating and cooling. The furnace, which is indoors, is used as the heat source, while the air conditioning unit is outdoors and functions to cool the home. This type of system consistently and reliably heats and cools your entire home, as well as maintains indoor air quality through the use of filters inside the furnace.
Hybrid Systems
A hybrid system consisting of a heat pump provides both heating and cooling but with greater efficiency. This system is normally paired with a gas furnace or an electric air handler. A Heat Pump works just like an air conditioner to cool your home, which is by moving heat from inside the home to outdoors. A heat pump, however, has a reversing valve that allows it to absorb heat energy from outside air (yes, even in cold temperatures) and sends it indoors, thus supporting the heating effort for the home as well. When the weather is extra cold, the gas furnace becomes the primary heat source to ensure maximum comfort is maintained. It’s a solution that saves both energy and fuel.
Ductless Systems
Ductless systems enable you to heat and/or cool your home without invasive ductwork. They also operate quietly, have a compact design, and require minimal installation. Both Heat Pump and A/C solutions are flexible, whether you’re looking to maintain comfort in one room or multiple rooms.
Are you suffering from a hot or cold spot in your home?
Are you renovating your home?
Do you want air conditioning but can’t add duct work?
Ductless systems deliver cooling and/or heating to specific, targeted areas within the home. The installation is less invasive and can even be less expensive since these systems don’t require ductwork to distribute air. Ductless systems have an outdoor unit connected through a small hole to a compact wall-mounted unit indoors. Each indoor unit is designed to provide warm or cool air solely for the room in which it is installed. The indoor unit can be installed on a wall, in the ceiling, or on the floor. Ductless systems can be used for only one or two rooms, but they can also be expanded to make up to 8 separate climate zones in your home.
These flexible systems deliver targeted comfort in the indoor areas they’re placed. They also act as a zoning system by offering individual temperature control over each separate room. For example, if you want a cooler home office but a warmer bedroom, you can install a ductless unit in each room. This allows you to set different temperatures in each area depending on your comfort needs. A wireless remote makes this even easier. Not only are these units generally very energy efficient, but they also give you a much more refined level of control than you would have with a traditional duct-based system.
Heating and cooling systems come in Single-Stage, Two-Stage, and Multi-Stage options representing the levels at which they operate.
A Single stage unit means its operating speed is either on or off.
A Two-stage unit means it operates on either high or low. The low setting is adequate to meet most household comfort demands about 80% of the time, providing even temperatures. On hotter days, it can leverage the high level of operation to maintain comfort levels. Two stage systems are typically quieter and more efficient than a single stage unit.
A Multi-stage unit has a range of operation and therefore the most precise temperature control and best comfort. These variable speed units are the quietest and offer the most energy savings.
With an HVAC system, one size does not fit all. It is important to consider:
Cooling & Heating Capacity
Energy Efficiency
Air Quality
Humidity Regulation
Installation Requirements Unique to Your Home
Your Comfort Consultant will explain what these terms mean and help you identify which equipment will best suit your needs.
Technician arrived promptly at the scheduled appointment time. He went through the HVAC system thoroughly and has a good understanding of our different heating and air conditioning needs for the whole house..We look forward to the different estimates of the work to be done.I did not decide to use this company since I am still waiting for the estimates.
Matt was very knowledgeable and professional during the visit. Did not find the intermittent noise of our water tank when he visited but will definitely call back if the issue comes back.
Pros - Professional, friendly, quality products, large enough to be able to handle difficult projects, no pressure on an upsellCon - Scheduling can be a couple weeks out, but that is more a result of a lack of foreplaning on me than it is on them.We had a new furnace and AC unit put in a year ago, the installation team was great and did a lot of work to make the installation go smoothly in a tight and hard to reach area.Fast forward to today, had our first annual maintenance done and the tech (Zachary S.) was just as responsive to concerns and accommodating to questions. He finished the project faster than anticipated, but at no point seemed to rush or give the impression that he was "phoning it in" while working. As a bonus, Zachary had such a calm demeanor that my highly alert working dog settled down for a nap almost as soon as work began.
Isaac was great! Explained everything and made sure we understood what he had done. We appreciated all the information and feel good knowing our heating and cooling systems are in good working order!
Great communication with the company/office. Scheduling was easy and flexible. Isaac was on-time, explained that he was here to clean and inspect the furnace, and got right to work. When he was finished he told me what he'd cleaned and tested, and that he'd changed the filter. He'd even fixed the filter cover (it was bent when we purchased the house) so the cover now fits properly. Isaac was very professional, polite, and efficient. And just as importantly, he had a great sense of humor.