This Article Is About 2019 Energy Star Most Efficient HVAC. Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C, in Plano, Texas provides full service plumbing maintenance, repairs and replacements for every plumbing component in your home. Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters. Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C is near your home in Richardson TX, Garland TX and northeastern Dallas, TX. We service all homes in southern Collin County, TX & Denton County, TX with no additional travel charge. We service all homes in southern Collin County, TX & Denton County, TX with no additional travel charge.
Al’s also provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Heat Pumps, and Gas & Electric Furnaces. Additionally, we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane) — A 2019 Energy Star Most Efficient HVAC Selected Products, Ameristar (same company as American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (same company as York HVAC).
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2019 ENERGY STAR Most Efficient HVAC Products
For 2019, ENERGY STAR Most Efficient HVAC Designation Recognizes Select HVAC Products (among ENERGY STAR certified products). These Central Air Conditioners represent the leading edge of energy efficient products for 2019. These systems are designed to provide maximum comfort while using the least electricity (with the; thermostat, controller, or application as identified within the article).
2019 Energy Star Most Efficient HVAC
Includes These American Standard HVAC Systems
Outdoor Unit SEER BTU Capacities Indoor Unit
- American Standard Platinum 18 Series SEER 18 24,600–54,000 BTU TAM9 — Variable-Speed Air Handler / Multiple BTU Available
- American Standard Platinum 20 Series SEER 19.25–20 24,000–52,000 BTU TAM8– Variable-Speed Air Handler / Multiple BTU Available
- American Standard Platinum 20 Series SEER 19 54000 BTU TAM7A0C60 Variable-Speed Air Handler / 60,000 BTU
Note: The Article lists the Air Handler Models paired with the outdoor unit. Air Handlers are not furnaces but American Standard offers gas furnaces that are compatible with the outdoor units shown above.
Click Here To Read The Entire Report – 2019 Energy Star Most Efficient HVAC Systems: Energy Star’s 2019 Selected HVAC Systems
Oxbox & Ameristar Value-Priced HVAC Sytems
New for 2019, Trane endorses the value-priced brand Oxbox. We have an article (link below) about Oxbox HVAC. Within the article we note that we cannot determine any difference between Ameristar HVAC & Oxbox HVAC components.
They are made by the same company, Ingersoll Rand. Ingersol Rand also makes Trane & American Standard premier HVAC Systems. Both their premier and value-priced brands appear to be identical products that are branded under two different names. In most cases, they have the same model number, though the prefix before the number is different. We attribute the prefix difference as representing the brand.
Click Here To Learn More About Ameristar & Oxbox Value-Priced HVAC Systems: Oxbox & Ameristar HVAC
Texas Cooling & Heating Represents 41% Of Total Residential Energy Bills
According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency ** Texas Homes Cooling & Heating Costs Represent 41% of Total Residential Energy Bills. In Texas, heating costs are 22% and cooling cost are 19%.
The perhaps surprising heating costs are because 1/2 of Texas home have electric heat. According to Center Point Energy *** “Natural gas prices are consistently 2 to 3 times lower than electricity prices.
In Our Article We State:
- 80% GAS Furnace: 60.2 MCF of Natural Gas X $9.71 per MCF: $585.00 Annual Heating Cost
- 97% GAS Furnace: 51.2 MCF X $9.71 per MCF: $497.00 Annual Heating Cost
- Standard Efficiency Heat Pump 7,450 kWh X 0.1098: $810.00 Annual Heating Cost (around 35% less expensive than electric furnace)
- Electric Furnace: 11,775 kWh X 0.1098 per kWh: $1,295.00 Annual Heating Cost
** Source: https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/reports/2009/state_briefs/pdf/tx.pdf
*** Source: https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/Services/Pages/natural-gas-electricity-cost-comparison.aspx?sa=mn&au=bus
Click Below To Read Our Article On The Heating Costs With Electricity Versus Natural Gas:
AlsPlumbing.com Heat Pump & Gas Furnace Heating Costs
Top Ways You Can Decrease Cooling & Heating Costs.
Next We Provide The Top Home Energy-Saving Upgrades + Top Habits That Save On Cooling & Heating Costs.
For More Detailed Articles:
45 Ways To Lower Cooling Costs (Without Upgrading A/C): AlsPlumbing.com 45 Ways To Lower Cooling Costs
Ways To Lower Heating Costs (3-Part Article): AlsPlumbing.com 20 Uncommon Ways To Lower Heating Costs (Part 1 of 3)
Click To See A Substantial Ductwork Air Leak: Substantial Ductwork Leak
Click To See A Substantial Ductwork Air Leak: Substantial Ductwork Leak
Click To See A Substantial Ductwork Air Leak: Substantial Ductwork Leak
Click To See A Substantial Ductwork Air Leak: Substantial Ductwork Leak
Click To See A Substantial Ductwork Air Leak: Substantial Ductwork Leak
Click To See A Substantial Ductwork Air Leak: Substantial Ductwork Leak
Click To See Today’s Method Of Sealing Ductwork With Mastic: Ductwork Being Sealed With Mastic
Smart Thermostat
SHOWN: Nest Thermostat
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You may be aware of the Nest Smart Thermostat, a sophisticated device with many capabilities. The Nest Thermostat’s Buyer Satisfaction Rating Score is 4.5 Stars (out of 5) with 14,000 buyer reviews on Amazon alone (as of July 2019)!
The difference between the Nest Smart Thermostat and a Programmable unit is:
- Nest will learn your cooling / heating habits
- Nest programs itself.
- Nest learns how long it takes to restore the temperature. This ensures your home is the desired temperature at the desired time.
- Nest goes on-line to get the outside temperature, then varies the reset time based on outdoor temperature.
- Another notable feature is Nest’s ability to sense and control indoor humidity level (using the A/C).
Nest’s “Early-On” feature combines the thermostat’s schedule with the knowledge it has gained with the “Time-to-Temp” feature. It learns how long it takes your HVAC System to reheat or recool the house (after the temperature was set back). With this knowledge, it knows when to start the HVAC to achieve the desired temperature at the preset time. If Nest learned that you arrive home from work at 6 pm, and you want the house to be 70 degrees, Nest will begin to cool / heat the house at the correct time, based on outdoor temperature. It won’t start cooling or heating earlier or later than required. Programmable thermostats can only reset at the times you tell them to.
- Nest Connects To Your Home’s Wi-Fi
- You Can Operate It From Your Cell Phone with the Nest App.
- It Details Your Heating / Cooling Energy-Use History.
- It Notifies Your Cell Phone If Your Home’s Temperature Is Too High Or Too Low, due to a possible shutdown of the HVAC system.
Click Here To Learn More About The Nest Thermostat: AlsPlumbing.com Nest Thermostat
Source: U.S. Department Of Energy (DOE)
The older the home, the more air it leaks. A newly built home in Texas can have no more than 3 Air Changes Per Hour. An Air Change is an exchange of the home’s entire indoor air with outside air through leaks and / or mechanical ventilation. A typical home built in 1970 has as many as 17 ACH! All the air leaks in a typical older home would be the equivalent to having one window open all the time. **
** Source: https://www.nrdc.org
Note: We perform dictwork inspections and sealing.
Click Here For A YouTube Video Showing A Blower-Door Test: Blower Door Test
Attic Insulation
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In Our Article (link below) We State:
Texas Homes Insulation Levels That Were Common And Became Required By Building-Code:
Attic Insulation Wall Insulation
- 1950’s: none none
- 1965-1970: R-13 (3.5″ BATT) R-6 (2″ BATT)
- 1970’s: R-19 (6 ″ BATT) R-6 (2″ BATT) *3
- 1980’s: R-30 (9″ Blown) R-13 (3.5″ BATT) *4
- 2014: R-38 (15″ Blown) R-15 *5
- *3 Source: https://snuggpro.com/blog/item/many-homes-built-prior-to-1980-were-built-without-insulation-in-the-walls
- *4 Source: https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/insulation-code-change_o
- *5 As required by the 2012 Edition of the International Building Code (IBC)
Click Here To Read The Entire Article: Lower Heating & Cooling Costs With Attic Insulation
Click Here To See A Thermal Image Of Missing Attic Insulation: Thermal Image Of Missing Attic Insulation
- Cleaning the Indoor Coiling Coil (inside the furnace or ductwork and can’t be seen without removing a panel) will have a similar effect on cooling performance and costs as cleaning the outside A/C unit.
- During summer this coil is wet when the A/C is running (it’s what removes humidity). This makes it a prime surface for dust to stick to.
- Furnace filters allow some dust through. Over a long period of time, the indoor cooling coil can become clogged and requires cleaning.
- If the furnace was operated without a filter, the indoor cooling coil can become completely clogged in a very short period of time.
Click Here To See A Clogged Indoor Cooling Coil: Clogged A/C Cooling Coil
Is There An Energy Hog Living In Your Kitchen?
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