ProTech HVAC

In these times of high-energy prices, it’s a natural to think about your heating and cooling systems’ operational efficiency. Most home and business owners understand the basics - change air filters regularly, have the oil burner cleaned annually, etc., but few understand how systemic - incorporated into the design and installation - issues affect the amount of energy used.

In my estimation, roughly 40% of systems consume excessive amounts of energy commencing the day they were first turned on. Usually because the design was inept and poorly thought out, and/or because the installers cut corners by using too small a pipe or duct diameter, inappropriate controls were chosen, or the equipment was too large in capacity to begin with. For example, I ask this no-brainer of a question: Will a tractor trailer truck transport you to the grocery store to do your weekly food shopping and back? Of course it will, but at what expense for fuel? Who needs to drive there in such an expensive vehicle that consumes so much fuel, unless, of course, you are shopping for a National Guard Battalion? Well, that’s analogous to having too large a boiler or air conditioning system in your home or place of business. Another good analogy is that if your hvac equipment is too large, then it will perform too quickly and soon shut down, then come back on, then shut down again, then come back on…you get the idea. That example compares to city driving vs. highway driving. Once your car overcomes inertia and is up to speed on the highway, and cruise control has been set, it requires much less fuel than if the car was constantly stopping and going and repeatedly overcoming inertia.

These are simple examples of poor fuel economy, but with 28 years in the business, I can demonstrate endless others. Suffice to say, if 40% of all systems’ energy consumption can be reduced, then is yours among them? Protech can evaluate your system for as little as the cost of one hour of labor - $85. You could save that amount many times over if you take corrective action by allowing us to make changes to your poorly designed or installed hvac system(s). Should you become aware of your hvac system efficiency?

In these times of high-energy prices, it can be hugely beneficial to ensure that your HVACR equipment is operating at its peak performance. Following are some examples of how your equipment can run inefficiently and what remedy/remedies can be applied to increase efficiency.

In the case of oil burners:

The rule of thumb is annual “proper” maintenance - fuel filter, nozzle, and accumulated soot removal - pays for itself with the savings of increased fuel efficiency. Why? A dirty nozzle affects combustion efficiency; therefore, improper oil atomization results in a dirty fire, which produces soot. An 1/8″ of soot accumulation on the heat exchanger is equal to an inch of fiberglass insulation. Insulating the heat exchanger allows increased heat from the combustion process to go right up the chimney, rather than transferring through the heat exchanger into the space to be heated. Also, did you know that your fuel company’s primary interest is in selling fuel? That may seem elementary, but there are many companies who facilitate this by not offering energy saving devices that could save you as much as 30% or more on your fuel bill. Many fuel companies do not stress among their technicians the importance (to you) of optimizing combustion efficiency, so often a poor furnace cleaning results. There are many primitive devices that perpetually cause your heating system to burn more fuel, and I can identify them in minutes, usually over the phone.

Air conditioning & Refrigeration:

Three things guarantee that your electric bill will be high - dirty evaporator and/or condenser coils, refrigerant leaks, and low SEER rated equipment. The first issue can be resolved through periodic cleaning that involves application of special dirt and grease remover. As in the example of the soot on a heat exchanger, dirt/grease on coils will block heat transfer and cause the equipment to run longer to produce the same amount of cold energy. Low refrigerant charge means there is less refrigerant to carry the heat from the indoor (evaporator) coil to the outdoor (condenser) coil, and can cause the compressor to cycle on and off excessively. Low Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) means that the equipment must also run longer to transfer heat - usually from the space to be cooled to the outdoors. The higher the SEER the less electricity is required to cool the space. For example by upgrading from SEER 9 to SEER 21, the power consumption is reduced by 57% (equal to 1 - 9/21). It is claimed that this can result in an energy savings valued at up to $570 per year depending on the usage rate and the cost of electricity. The higher the electricity cost, the more money is saved by installing 21 SEER equipment.

There are many more examples that can be given of how equipment efficiency can be adversely affected, which I would be happy to discuss with you. The upcoming cooling season will soon be upon us. Is your equipment poised to consume excessive energy? The best time to clean oil burning equipment is prior to summer when condensation can mix with the sulphur content of the soot accumulation in your furnace or boiler and cause corrosion, which dramatically shortens the life of the equipment.

Please post any comments you may have.

John Rocheleau