An HVAC system is any system installed in your home that provides it with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Generally speaking, all homes will have at least one HVAC unit installed within their home. This is because these systems are crucial to keeping the indoor environment of your home at a comfortable temperature all year round, regardless of where you live and what the weather is like outside. While an HVAC system has many different mechanisms that work throughout your home, one of the most essential features beyond each unit is your thermostat. 

A thermostat allows homeowners to control the temperature of their home quickly and conveniently with the click of a button. These devices are typically installed on the wall to provide homeowners with information regarding the current temperature in their homes. In addition, a thermostat will also allow you to have preset temperatures and schedules for your heating and cooling throughout the day, so you will not have to worry about it. 

At the same time, your home’s HVAC system is also responsible for circulating the air inside your home. By doing so, it ensures that you and your family are not breathing in stagnant air that is contaminated with dust, hair, dirt, and other airborne impurities that collect in your indoor environment throughout the day. 

As we said, your HVAC system consists of many different mechanisms that work together to cool, heat, and ventilate your home, regardless of how straightforward its job may be. Accordingly, not only does it keep your family comfortable, but it also helps your home function as energy efficient as possible to save you money on your monthly bill. Some of the common mechanisms found in all HVAC systems include: 

• A heat exchanger 
• A blower motor
• Combustion chamber 
• Condenser coils or compressors 
• Evaporator coils 
• Refrigerant
• Thermostats 
• Ductwork 

Further, all HVAC systems can be categorized into three different types of systems –a split system, hybrid system, or ductless system. This essentially determines how your HVAC unit functions in your home. Beyond this, there are individual units that are part of your overall HVAC system that determine how your home is heated and cooled. These units include:

Water heaters

Water heaters deliver hot throughout your home that is then accessible through your faucets. These heaters can also pump water through pipes installed under your floors to create heated features.  

Boilers

A boiler is either powered by oil, gas, or electricity to produce heat onto a designated coil. The heat is then used to boil water held within your boiler tank. When heat is applied, it converts the water into steam. You can think of this as similar to boiling water on a stove. Lastly, the generated steam is then delivered to your home’s ductwork to heat your home through air vents that are installed in each room.  

Humidifiers

Humidifiers ensure there is enough moisture in your air. These units prevent your indoor air quality from becoming too dry. By doing so, it prevents homeowners from experiencing cold-like symptoms such as sore throats, dry eyes, and itchy skin. At the same time, humidifiers also prevent the growth of mold and mildew by regulating the air to have a sage amount of moisture. 

Heat pumps

Heat pumps are a type of HVAC system that utilizes a thermal heat transfer to warm and cool your home throughout the year. To function, a heat pump will either draw warm or cooled air from the exterior of your home into its compartment before a compressor regulates the temperature of the air to your liking. Once this is done, it will pump the air back into your home using your duct system. 

Air conditioning

Air conditioners use a refrigerant method to cool heated air to keep your family cool and comfortable. There are several types of air conditioning units available, and they all use a different form of cooling method to decrease the indoor temperature of your home. 

Furnaces

Furnaces are responsible for warming and supplying heated air through the ductwork installed throughout your home. This heating system is powered by natural gas, propane, or electricity to produce heat before it is moved across a heat exchanger and transported to each room using your ducts and air vents.   

UV air purifiers

UV air purification units remove bacteria, viruses, and other harmful airborne pollutants utilizing a high-powered UV light. This system will help prevent you and your family from getting sick from your indoor air while improving the air quality of your home.

If you have already begun searching for an HVAC system for your home, you may have come to realize that there are numerous types, sizes, and brands of HVAC units available for you to purchase. Because of this, the process of choosing a suitable unit for your home can be challenging, especially when you aren’t exactly sure what it is that you are looking for. 

The fact of the matter is, that all homes are different. Therefore, the type of HVAC unit you require will differ from other homes. This is because the HVAC unit you install in your home will be determined by several factors. These will allow your unit to function as optimally as possible while maximizing your home’s energy efficiency. Accordingly, here are some of the factors you will need to consider when selecting an HVAC in Kitchener: 

• The type of care necessary for your HVAC system to work optimally throughout the years
• The budget you have for your new unit. 
• The expected life cycle of the units you are looking at in relation to other units available. 
• The type and size of the HVAC unit currently connected to your home. And whether you want to keep the same kind of HVAC system or look for different options based on your needs and expectations for an HVAC unit. 
• How much noise the HVAC system makes when it is working. 
• The HVAC unit’s Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). This will directly influence how energy efficient your home is.  
• The number of British Thermal Units (BTUs) the HVAC system uses to heat and cool a home. This will influence the size of the HVAC unit you choose for your home. Each system will have a different BTU rating, and it is essential you select a unit that is the correct size for your home to ensure you are not using too much power to control the temperature. 

What a lot of homeowners don’t know is that your HVAC unit requires maintenance at least once a year to ensure that it is working optimally to heat and cool your home. In addition, yearly maintenance is also needed as it can help technicians discover potential problems before they become more severe and costly. 

Nonetheless, sometimes it can be difficult to tell when there is something wrong with your HVAC unit. This is especially true if you don’t know what signs to look out for around your home. Therefore, to ensure homeowners are proactive with their HVAC unit’s maintenance schedule, here are some signs you can watch out for around your house that may indicate there is something going on that can cause further damage. 

• There are odd noises coming from your HVAC unit and/or ductwork when your HVAC system is functioning. These noises can include rattling, hissing, or clicking. 
• You have noticed a noteworthy increase in your home’s energy bill over the past couple of months. However, you have not employed your HVAC system any more than you usually would. 
• There is low air pressure coming from your vent, making it difficult to evenly cool or heat each room throughout your home. When this happens, you will experience pockets of heat throughout your home that are uneven. 
• Your thermostat is inaccurate compared to the temperature you feel in your home. Or your thermostat will not turn on/it is malfunctioning. 
• Your HVAC system will not turn on. Or it is turning on and off randomly throughout the day. 
• There is an odd odor coming from your HVAC unit. These smells may be similar to a burnt or stale smell. It can also include the scent of mold and mildew. 
• There is mold and mildew growth in and around your HVAC unit.
• Your home is constantly dusty, regardless of how often you clean it. 
• You or a family member has been experiencing cold or allergy-like symptoms for an extended period of time without any explanation. 
• You are unable to control a consistent, comfortable temperature in your home. 

Have you noticed any of these signs around your home? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to seek help from a professional HVAC technician from Dunn Heating and Air Conditioning.

With over 55 years of experience, the team at Dunn Heating and Air Conditioning has proudly helped thousands of homeowners in Kitchener with their HVAC repairs, maintenance, and installations. Because of this, we understand first-hand that all homeowners and their homes are different. Therefore, as installing an HVAC system in your home is not a one-size-fits-all job, to provide you with an installation cost, homeowners will first need to book a free home consultation with us.

By having a professional technician visit your home, they’ll be able to perform an inspection before providing you with suggestions on which HVAC unit will help you optimize your home’s energy efficiency to help save you money in the long run, based on your home’s unique features. Therefore, while we cannot provide you with an installation cost online, we can provide you with a list of factors that will ultimately influence your final installation cost so you have a better idea of what to expect. Here is a closer look at these factors:

• The SEER rating, also known as the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, of the unit that is desirable to ideally control your home’s temperature through the year while still operating as energy-efficient. 
• The scope of the project and cost of labor. 
• The company you choose to partner with to install your HVAC in Kitchener. 
• The type of HVAC system you want to install compared to the kind of HVAC system you presently have installed in your home is different.  

Further, another significant factor that will determine the type of HVAC system you require for your home is related to the BTUs of the HVAC unit. These units are also known as British Thermal Units. As we said earlier, these units will differ between HVAC systems, and it is extremely important that you choose a system with the correct number of BTUs to cool and heat your home. This is because these units will determine how much power is required to control the temperature of your indoor environment. Therefore, a unit that is too small for your home will need homeowners to use more energy to control their indoor temperature. On the other hand, an HVAC unit that is too big for your home will also give you more power than necessary to manage your home environment. These units are ultimately determined by: 

• The height of your ceilings 
• The age of your home
• The style, kind, and quality of ductwork you currently have installed in your home. 
• The total square footage of your home 
• The layout of the rooms and floors in your home 
• The quality of your insulation

As you can see, numerous factors will influence the cost of installing an HVAC in Kitchener. However, with the professional help and guidance of the team at Dunn Heating and Air Conditioning, you can rest assured knowing your home is in good hands. 

When partnering with our team, we’re happy to offer homeowners in Kitchener 0% interest rates and no payments for the first 12 months on all HVAC systems!

For more information on how we can help you with your HVAC needs, call us or book a free consultation online with Dunn Heating and Air Conditioning today!