The summer of 2022 was not one for the faint of heart. Here in Collin County, we experienced record-high temperatures and were without rainfall from June until August. Many homeowners experienced difficulties maintaining a constant temperature in their homes and unmatched electricity bills in the past months. During the HVAC evaluation, our customer service representatives continually heard, “but my system NEVER shuts off!”
The very brief explanation of why we experienced some of these out-of-the-ordinary scenarios regarding our homes’ HVAC systems is simply a result of how they are engineered. ALL HVAC systems manufactured for sale in the USA are engineered, tested, and rated at a 95-degree ambient outdoor temperature albeit in a laboratory. Manufacturers take this into account and when designing new systems and products they aim to OPTIMIZE the performance at that 95-degree mark. When our weather exceeds this testing threshold, performance may drastically taper off resulting in a reduced capacity, extended run time, and high energy consumption.
HVAC Evaluation — Know Your HVAC’s Limit
These unintended consequences cause homeowners to fret and wonder “how much more can my system take?!?!” It remains one of the most commonly asked questions and unfortunately one that has the broadest range of answers. I do not like the cop-out answer of “it depends,” so I will attempt to provide you with an answer that is more practical in use. That’s where HVAC Evaluation kicks in!
The systems that are designed for use in residential new construction (RNC) are aimed at being inexpensive to compete in the bid process surrounding the RNC market. As well as being very efficient in order meeting the DOE and Energy Star requirements. The one thing most often left out of that formula is built quality. In almost every HVAC system evaluation, I have noticed that the equipment designed for RNC almost always has inferior construction, fewer fail safes and therefore has a reduced life expectancy. The majority of HVAC systems in new homes will last 7 to 10 years before experiencing a major failure such as large refrigerant leaks and compressor failure.
How Top Tier HVAC Systems are Better?
HVAC systems we consider “top tier” equipment are those most often used for the retrofit market. These systems are designed to provide more comfort, serviceability, and longer useful service lives. When compared to their “value series” (code word for cheaper) counterparts, top-tier equipment will be constructed out of higher quality materials, possess fail-safes such as high and low-pressure switches, and utilize technologies such as TXVs and ECM motors. These advantages add up to useful life expectancies of 12 to 15 years in most instances. No doubt extended run times and hard use can affect these numbers but any HVAC evaluation service provider worth their salt should have zero reservations about warranting their equipment for 10 years. Warranties require contractors to “put their money where their mouth is” and protect homeowners from unnecessary future expenses.
Unfortunately, we live in a very competitive HVAC market and there are as many options as there are opinions regarding your home’s comfort. There are exceptions to every scenario and there are not any