Your Questions Answered! HVAC FAQs

Like any product you want to keep in good shape, HVAC equipment requires proper care in order to deliver the maximum benefits. Trained technicians can service your heating and cooling products to ensure they're working at their maximum potential and help prevent more pricey repairs in the middle of the hottest or coldest months of the year.

The cost can range depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning at 800-COOLING to get a quote.

With two-stage heating, furnaces may operate on two different levels: high and low. Since you can heat your home on the low setting a lot of the time, a two-stage furnace can operate longer and more efficiently. Two-stage heating also runs more quietly than traditional furnaces and can give you more even heat distribution and fewer temperature swings.

Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning offers a selection of different brands and models that include advanced technology to assist with heating and cooling your home more efficiently. Technology in the newer HVAC systems offers more precision when it comes to supporting your home comfort needs. If you would like more information, please call our experts at 800-COOLING.

Modern furnaces are developed with a host of innovative features older furnaces don't have. Today’s heating systems give you more even heating and are better at controlling airflow. Although the air coming out of your vents may seem cooler than your old furnace, the airflow is much better and more efficient.

Another bonus of modern furnaces is their ability to work with other HVAC products as part of a high-efficiency whole home comfort system. When combined with a high-efficiency air conditioner, furnace blowers can more easily accommodate add-on cooling. Other innovations, such as Precise Comfort technology and variable speed motors, will help your furnace run more efficiently and quieter than ever.

The Department of Energy recently increased the minimum efficiency levels for air conditions, and the standards vary by region. Contact Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning at 800-COOLING to find the requirements for the Bossier City area.

There are several ways to reduce your energy costs and one of the best ways is to make sure you have an energy-efficient HVAC system. Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning carries many highly efficient products that will help decrease the amount of energy you are using and save you money. In addition to looking for products that have the Energy Star® certification, high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, here are some other steps to consider:

• Remember to book ongoing maintenance and have an experienced professional take a look at your system to ensure its running efficiently.
• If you have clear areas of your home that you need to heat or cool, you might consider a zoning system. This allows you to target that area and gets rid of wasted energy on heating or cooling areas that aren't used.
• Programmable or smart thermostats make it easier to maintain your home comfort while not wasting energy to heat or cool your space if you aren't home. It is an easy way to decrease energy costs and once you set it, you can walk away and understand its going to take care of your indoor comfort.

Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning has been assisting the Bossier City community for many years and has been delivering trustworthy and dependable service. Our service and the products we carry are of the highest quality and you won't be disappointed in the results. Our experienced team is here to help you get your ideal home comfort.

There are four things to review when improving your indoor air quality:

• The indoor air quality in your home starts to suffer when the air begins filling up with air pollutants. The biggest concern is eliminating these pollutants. Some to-dos to put on your weekly checklist is vacuuming, washing your linens, and confirming any cleaning products are stored properly.
• Especially in newer homes, the insulation is installed so well that it might be hard for these pollutants to leave the home. While it helps to keep your home warm or cool, depending on the season, it’s important to get some fresh air inside.
• Make sure that you have good ventilation and schedule routine maintenance on your system. And while that's very beneficial, you can also take your IAQ even further by using air filters, germicidal lights, and purification systems to get rid of particles while eliminating chemical vapors.
• Smart or programmable thermostats can assist in controlling humidity levels as well as the temperature. This can help prevent germs and other particles from collecting while preserving your home comfort.

Every home is different, which is why we recommend that you contact our pros at Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning to find out which solution will be best for your space. Our experts will conduct an evaluation of your current system and discuss what your ideal home comfort looks like. That will help us select which products will be most effective.

You might be surprised to know that air conditioners don't technically make your home cooler; they actually remove the hot air and direct it outside. This hot air moves across a refrigerant coil on the indoor unit and then is sent to the outdoor unit where it is released. Your air conditioner moves as much hot air outside as is necessary to reach the temperature you have set on your thermostat.

Minimum energy efficiency standards vary by region. Additionally, air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units made after Jan. 1, 2015, have higher minimum efficiency levels than equipment manufactured prior to that date. The team at Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning can help you find out the minimum requirements for Bossier City, let you know if your current equipment meets those requirements or help you find a replacement air conditioner that does.

Your systems service panel should have a white label on it, with your systems model and serial numbers at the top. M/N signifies the systems model number and S/N is the serial number.

Since equipment size needs vary by home, the best way to determine the correct size equipment for your home is to have a technician from Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning come out to perform load calculation tests. The tests take factors such as square footage, insulation value and amount, and more into account to determine your homes individual HVAC equipment needs.

Yes, debris can inhibit your systems ability to function effectively. It’s not uncommon for heat pumps to have frost or ice on them in the winter, but many include defrost controls so they can work efficiently regardless of the weather conditions.

When an air conditioner uses two-stage cooling, it means that there are two levels of operation. This lets the system work most effectively since there is one level for milder weather and a second for harsher weather that demands the system work harder. Two-stage cooling also enables slight temperature changes, so you don't experience extreme differences in temperature. Aside from better efficiency, other benefits of two-stage cooling include quieter operation and improved humidity control.

Your system could be freezing up for a couple of reasons, but the most typical are dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporator coil and/or a faulty blower motor. Changing a filter is something homeowners take care of; however, you should call the professionals at Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning at 800-COOLING for other problems or if you have other questions or concerns.

Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning has a number of great thermostat options for your HVAC systems. The best thermostat for you will depend on a couple variables, such as whether you want one that's programmable or not. No matter what kind of thermostat you'd like or if you're searching for something that can fit with a home automation system call Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning to hear about which thermostats you can choose from. Our team will help you find one that’s right for your system, your family's needs and your budget.

A heat pump takes care of both your homes heating and cooling needs, offering you one HVAC system that can be used year-round. During the warmer months, heat pumps act like an air conditioner, capturing the hot air from inside your home and moving it outside; in the cooler months, this process is reversed. Heat pumps can be very energy efficient and may produce two to three times more heat than the energy needed for the process.

At Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning, we do recommend replacing both your indoor and outdoor units at the same time because:

• Nowadays, outdoor systems are built to work with their matching indoor system for the highest efficiency possible. When you replace just one of your systems, you may not see the same energy savings as if you had replaced them together.
• Thanks to technological innovation, newer systems mean improved efficiency. This is true for HVAC products as well. While the advancements focus on higher heating and cooling efficiency, they also include benefits such as better air handling, filtering, and noise reduction.
• If your heating and cooling systems are over 10 years old, they need to be replaced. Older models have outdated technology that is likely costing you money due to poor efficiency. So, by replacing your indoor system at the same time as your outdoor equipment, both your systems will provide better energy efficiency that helps you reduce your energy bills and keep your home more comfortable.

Your home energy system could have a communication module that delivers performance stats to an online site or portal. You can visit this to monitor your system's status, the amount of energy being produced and the positive influence you are having on the environment. You can also look at your owner's manual for tips on monitoring performance.

Rain will clean the modules automatically in most areas; however, if you live in a dusty area, you may see improved performance after periodically spraying the modules with water. Please note that high-pressure hoses and detergents should never be used to clean solar modules, as they can harm the product.

Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning can help you find the right thermostat for you based on your home and current heating and cooling equipment. We offer a selection of programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats, which can help enhance the efficiency of your homes furnace and/or air conditioner. Take a look at our thermostats or give us a call at 800-COOLING for more information.

A large portion of your monthly utility bills can be attributed to your heating and cooling system. It makes sense because our home comfort is an important aspect of our day-to-day lives. Luckily, there are high-efficiency solutions from Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning that can keep you comfortable while also decreasing energy costs. When it's time for you to look for a new HVAC system, there are a couple things to consider. You'll want to find air conditioners with high SEER ratings and furnaces with high AFUE ratings. These ratings measure efficiency, so the bigger the number the better off you'll be when it comes to saving on energy costs. You can also consider these tips:

• Keep your system operating to its best ability by scheduling routine maintenance. It helps uphold efficiency and make sure everything is working properly.
• Consider a zoning system if you only have certain rooms that need to be heated or cooled. There is no need to use energy altering the temperature in a room that is never, or rarely used.
• The U.S. Department of Energy indicates that programmable thermostats can save up to 35 percent on heating costs and 25 percent on cooling costs. There are a lot of programmable and smart thermostat products that are easy to use and vary in the number of features-so you can find a solution that you are comfortable with.

A zoning system lets you divide your home and heat or air condition each area differently. While these systems work well for homes that have areas that are infrequently occupied, they may also be beneficial in situations where you and your family can’t agree on the temperature in various parts of your home. There are a number of additional bonuses of zoning systems, including efficiency and comfort. View our selection of zoning systems or give Brooks Heating and Air Conditioning a shout to see how a zoning system could work for your home.