Tuckers Air Conditioning & Heating in Gaithersburg, Germantown, and Frederick

For most of us, comfort starts with keeping our home the right temperature, whether that’s toasty warm on bone-chilling winter nights or pleasantly cool in the "dog days" of summer. Maintaining the perfect temperature is the job of your heating and cooling equipment.

Today’s heating systems are more efficient and reliable than ever, but heating is still the single largest energy expense in most homes. Therefore, it’s important to understand what kind of system will give you both comfort and affordability.

For heating and air conditioning equipment, several industry measures have been established to indicate the efficiency of the different types of equipment. Descriptions of those measures are detailed below; but, in general, its important to remember that the higher the efficiency rating, the greater the energy savings. When properly selected, higher efficiency matched systems offer improved comfort at reduced operating costs.

PURON Refrigerant (R410A) – Puron has emerged as the preferred alternative refrigerant to R-22 because it doesn’t contain chlorine and will not harm the earth’s ozone layer. Puron has become the industry standard environmentally sound refrigerant for all manufacturers of residential equipment.

On January 1, 1996 the federal government capped the annual production of R-22 beginning the 1st stage of its phase-out. On January 1, 2010 manufacturers will no longer be allowed to manufacture equipment utilizing R-22.

SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating is the measure of efficiency by which the cooling process of air conditioners and heat pumps are rated. The higher the SEER rating, the greater the efficiency - which translates into greater energy savings.

On January 23, 2006 the federal minimum efficiency standard for central air conditioners made in the US was raised from 10 SEER to 13 SEER - a 30% increase. (Tuckers will continue to service units that do not meet the minimum standard, but we only install new equipment that meets EPA mandates. The new standard only applies to systems manufactured after January 23, 2006.) You can obtain additional information at www.energy.gov.

AFUE - Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency is the standard measurement of efficiency for gas (natural and propane) and oil-fired furnaces. A lot like your car’s miles per gallon rating, AFUE tells you how efficiently the furnace converts fuel (gas or oil) into heat. An AFUE of 90% means that 90% of the fuel is used to heat your home, while the other 10% basically goes up the chimney.

In 1992, the U.S. government established a minimum AFUE rating for furnaces installed in new homes at 78%. (In contrast, many furnaces manufactured before 1992 had AFUE ratings as low as 60%; - so nearly half the fuel was being wasted.) Furnaces with AFUE ratings of 78% to 80% are considered "mid- efficiency"; those with ratings of 90% or higher are known as "high-efficiency." The maximum furnace efficiency available is around 96.6%. Given in percentages, this number tells you how much of your fuel is used to heat your home and how much fuel is simply wasted. The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the efficiency. Tuckers offers a full-line of furnaces with AFUE ratings ranging from 80% to more than 92%.

HSPF- Heating Seasonal Performance Factor is the efficiency measurement used to gauge the efficiency of the heating mode of heat pumps. In general, the higher the HSPF rating, the less electricity the unit will use to heat your home. Again, the higher the number - the greater the efficiency.

The government minimum heating efficiency standards for new heat pumps is 7.7 HSPF. Tuckers offers heat pumps with HSPF ratings ranging from 7.7 to 9.3.