Points to Consider When Buying a New HVAC System in Albany

March 09, 2015

Buying a new furnace and air conditioning system is a significant investment and Roland J. Down Service Experts understands that. As you explore your options, there are many important questions that you need answers for in order to assure you have the most energy-efficient and affordable choice for your Albany area home. To that end, let’s take a look at what you should be familiar with about a new home comfort system.

What Exactly Makes Up A Heating & Air Conditioning System?

Your home’s Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, what Roland J. Down Service Experts refers to as the “home comfort system”, usually includes three major components:

  1. The furnace, which creates heat and air movement
  2. The condenser, the air conditioner or cooling equipment, and
  3. One or several parts that control air quality and humidity levels in your home

In some Albany area homes, a heat pump may be used in place of a furnace and condenser. Heat pumps withdraws indoor heat in the hot months and add outdoor heat in the colder months. In conjunction with the thermostat, these key components regulate your indoor environmental comfort level. Like the engine of a automobile, the home comfort system is the instrument of your home that ‘drives’ your family’s indoor comfort year round.

Quality Installation Is The Key

The specs of your home dictate the choices available to you for a home comfort system. The quality of the installation is essential in that process. If the installation is unprofessional and performed poorly, the equipment, energy-efficiency and your comfort suffers dramatically. Irregardless of how much you spent, the equipment will experience frequent repair problems in the future if the install was shotty. So it’s absolutely critical to work with a company that can prove their installation quality.

Think About All Available Features And Options

There are hundreds of makes, models, features and options of comfort equipment available to select from. You are best served by researching every option that can make your home’s air quality, humidity level, temperature and energy-consumption exactly the way you desire for your family’s lifestyle and health needs. A decent home comfort company will help you determine your family’s specific comfort needs and desires, then carefully walk you through the most sensible and affordable choices that will meet those needs for you. When they're done, you should have the knowledge you need to make an informed buying decision you are comfortable with.

Reduce Energy Consumption

A credible home comfort company will also perform what’s called a heating and cooling load calculation and an energy-efficiency analysis on your home. These calculations not only help you figure out the proper type of equipment needed, they conveniently map the extra savings of high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products.

Energy-efficiency and utility savings are essential factors because the cost of operating a heating and air conditioning system is often overlooked when evaluating your budget. For example, if you found $700 laying next to your furnace or A/C system each year, what would you do with this new found money? When energy costs go up, high-efficiency equipment becomes a “plus” vs. being a “minus” to your family’s budget. Equally important, as heating and air conditioning manufacturers produce more efficient equipment, the outside environment also benefits. So truly consider your choice of high-efficiency equipment. It’s equipment developed to save much more than just your utility bills; it's environmentally conscious.

Will The Company Be Able To Honor Your Warranty?

When evaluating Warranties and Guarantees from multiple Albany area companies, strongly consider and aggressively question the financial stability, history and longevity of the businesses you might assign the job. There are a lot of cheap service pitches out there; its very important that you understand and verify any and all claims and the company’s health. A paper certificate does not matter too much if the issuing company is not around when you need to use it. The company should be viable enough to present you favorable financing so you can further leverage the financial investment with low, easy to manage monthly payments. The risk with many smaller companies is that they are sold or just go out of business.

To summarize, the manufacturer of the equipment will commonly warrant difficulties in the equipment, but the installing company alone guarantees the installation work.

Getting Started

If you live in the Albany area, Roland J. Down Service Experts can help you. Schedule an appointment online or simply call 518-417-2938 and we will be happy to assist you.

A new furnace or air conditioning system could save you energy and money every single month. We know that buying a new system is a big decision; we hope this information has helped you understand the buying process and what to watch out for as you move through it.

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