Author Archives: Bruce's Air Conditioning

Get Your Air Conditioner Ready for Memorial Day

Memorial Day is the traditional start of summer and the end of spring for many in the Valley of the Sun. Vacations, end of the school year, and pool time are top of mind this time of the year. But one of the most important components for homeowners to prioritize is a checkup of the air conditioner. Your house becomes a refuge from the climbing temperatures outside, and now is the best time to get your air conditioning unit in tip top shape before Memorial Day.

Schedule Maintenance

Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your air conditioning running smoothly. As springtime temperatures turn into summer’s blazing heat, your air conditioning system needs to be ready to tackle the extreme weather conditions. The best option is to call your local professionals at Bruce’s to perform a tune up to keep your home cool and avoid the excessive heat outdoors during daytime hours.
Maintenance ensures your air conditioning unit will be running efficiently, helps to avoid unexpected inconvenient and expensive breakdowns, and lengthens the lifespan of your HVAC system. Bruce’s technicians suggest twice-yearly tune ups for your HVAC system to operate at high performance levels and help you save money on your monthly utility bills. Even when the temperatures are above triple digits, an HVAC system serviced properly will be your best resource to assist keeping your family comfortable.

Check the Thermostat

Your HVAC thermostat will be checked during the maintenance call. Even smart thermostats can experience hiccups throughout the year, sometimes resulting in a false reading and wasted energy. When our trained technicians check the thermostat settings, they’ll be able to gauge if it’s operating efficiently. A thermostat operating properly allows your air conditioning unit to keep up with cooling demands, reduces wear and tear on your system, and allows you to optimize temperatures indoors whether you’re at home or away.

Bruce’s is Here for You on Memorial Day

Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating has the expertise to help keep your family cool and comfortable all summer long including the Memorial Day long holiday weekend. Our technicians can perform emergency repairs if needed to keep you cool indoors when the temperatures get toasty hot outdoors. Our years of experience will keep your HVAC system running when you need it most. Call us today to schedule servicing at 480-968-5652. We’re here for you 24/7 including holidays and evenings.

Why ENERGY STAR Ratings are Important for Your Home

This entry was posted in Residential and tagged on by .

Keeping comfortable in your home is important especially during the hotter months in the Valley of the Sun. With almost half the costs of your home energy bills stemming from keeping your house cool, a unit past its prime can be surprisingly costly. The typical outdated AC unit will lose 24% of its energy due to duct leakage, low refrigerant levels, and incorrect equipment sizing. When you want to save energy and money when it’s hot outdoors in Arizona, it just makes sense to invest in more energy efficient ENERGY STAR rated HVAC systems when you’re ready to replace your system.

ENERGY STAR Equipment Ratings

Since launching in 1992, ENERGY STAR products have saved over $300 billion on utility bills for homeowners and businesses. These products have also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over two billion metric tons.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) issues ENERGY STAR labels to products that meet certain criteria. In order for an HVAC system or appliance to earn an ENERGY STAR rating, the product must meet or exceed certain minimum guidelines. The requirements are based on a wide variety of factors such as product cost, performance, and energy consumption. The rating means the products are generally 10 to over 30 percent more energy efficient than non-rated equipment.

Efficiency Ratings for Heating and Cooling Systems

Starting in 2023, when homeowners purchase a new HVAC system, the product must carry a SEER2 (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2) rating of no less than 14.3 in the south and southwest. These regions have higher minimum ratings due to using more AC than in other regions of the country. The higher the SEER2 rating, the higher the energy savings and efficiency to your bottom line.

Income Tax Credits

The great news is the new federal tax credits now provide up to $3,200 annually to reduce the cost to you for energy efficient home upgrades by up to 30 percent. These improvements, such as a new HVAC system, can help you save money on your monthly utility bills for many years to follow.

Bruce’s Knows HVAC Systems

The qualified technicians at your locally owned Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating are available year-round to help you determine the best HVAC system for your household. We’ll provide free estimates on the purchase and installation of a new system. Just call us today at 480-968-5652 to schedule your free quote on HVAC products from leading manufacturers for affordable cooling solutions Valleywide.

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How to Increase AC Efficiency

The biggest part of your monthly energy bill in the Valley of the Sun can be attributed to heating and cooling your house. So, it just makes sense to search for ways to increase your HVAC system’s efficiency. With summer approaching, here are some cool ways to increase the energy efficiency of your air conditioning.

Keep the Outdoor Unit Clean

Start by keeping the area around your outside unit clean. Restricted air flow forces the fan motor to work harder, which will lead to increased unit energy consumption. Plus, by removing any debris that may obstruct airflow to the unit, you’ll be prolonging the lifespan of your HVAC system. Bruce’s is here to provide a thorough cleaning during a twice-yearly maintenance visit, too.

Change Air Filters

When air filters are clogged, a number of issues can occur. The fan motors will be forced to work harder to push air through the filters. If you find that your air filters are getting dirty very quickly, you may need to have your local HVAC technicians look at your indoor air quality. There may be issues that should be investigated to help your indoor air quality as well as AC efficiency.

Insulate Air Ducts

You can immediately improve the efficiency of your system by insulating exposed ducts. You can also seal all holes and gaps that may be leaking cool air, leading to reduced energy efficiency. If your ductwork is not adequately sealed and insulated, you may need to call your local HVAC professionals to perform an energy audit prior to insulating ductwork.

Keep Window Coverings Closed During the Day

Your AC will work extra hard to cool your house down during daytime hours when window coverings are kept open and exposed to direct sunlight. Even though this will make only a small difference on overall bills for cooling your home, every little bit counts when you keep blinds, shades, and drapes closed during the day. These tips will add up to big savings when combined with other energy conservation measures.

Call Bruce’s for AC Efficiency

These tips will help get you started on trimming back your monthly energy costs. Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating professionals have even more ideas that can help save you money and energy. Call our experts today at 480-968-5652 to schedule your service appointment. We’re available for our customers 24/7/365.

Using Your AC to Reduce Indoor Allergens

Spring in Arizona is the time of year that dormant trees, shrubs, and grasses bounce back to life and start releasing pollen to fertilize other plants. These tiny grains are usually carried by the wind, and they end up in the outdoor and indoor areas we frequent. This makes it likely that you’ll inhale them, and some people’s bodies react strongly to this pollen invasion. The immune system defenses trigger allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes. Let’s take a look at how your AC unit can help out.

Contaminants That Live under Your Nose

There are many factors that can play a role in the overall peak operating condition of your air conditioning unit. While pollen is the primary springtime allergy-inducing culprit, there are other pollutants living inside your home. When combined with pollen, they may result in your allergies flaring up.

Indoor contaminants include dust, pet hair and dander, mold, mildew, and pest excretion. Volatile organic compounds like chemical fumes from paint and household cleaning products can cause hay fever-like symptoms. So how do you remove pollutants from the air you breathe? That’s where spring HVAC maintenance from your local Valley of the Sun HVAC company will ensure that your system keeps performing at peak levels and keeps your indoor air quality sparkling clean.

Keep Your HVAC System in Top Shape

While spring HVAC maintenance is best left to the technicians, there are a few DIY tasks you can do to help your HVAC unit function efficiently and remove pollutants. One of the top issues that can impact the effectiveness of your HVAC system is something as seemingly simple as the air filter. A dirty and clogged air filter can drive up energy usage by up to 15%. Check and change your air filter every month if it’s dirty with a high-efficiency filter with a MERV rating of at least 13. Keep in mind, the more contaminants the air filter pulls out of the air, the dirtier it will get. This minor investment in time and money will help increase your overall comfort and health.

Then, dust your registers and air vents as they trap a lot of contaminants that may circulate in the air. Finally, check around the outdoor unit to make certain the area surrounding it is clear of debris, tree limbs, and dirt.

Call Bruce’s for Maintenance

It’s never too late to adjust your HVAC system to help you and your family avoid the worst of seasonal allergy symptoms. Contact your locally owned experts at Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating today at 480-968-5652 to schedule a servicing appointment. Our professionals are available 24/7/365.

How to Select the Right HVAC Air Filter

How to Select the Right HVAC Air Filter

This entry was posted in HVAC on by .

According to the American Lung Association, Phoenix is rated among the top five cities with the worst ozone levels, rated eighth for year-round particle pollution, and ranked 11th for worst, short-term particle pollution.

What does this mean for your home’s HVAC system?

It’s important to maintain consistent indoor air quality as your home’s HVAC system is essential for circulating fresh air. One of the biggest maintenance tasks to keep your indoor air clean is to pay close attention to your HVAC air filters. Here’s what you need to know.

MERV, MPR, and FPR Performance Ratings

Each air filter rating system between MERV, MPR, and FPR use different values to specify the filter’s ability to capture micron sized air particles and pollutants.

  • MERV ratings were established by the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers). MERV ratings are based on the ability of the filter to trap both microscopic and macroscopic air particles.
  • MPR air filters are exclusively designed by 3M and labeled as the Filtrete brand. MPR ratings only grade an air filter based on its capacity to remove air particles ranging from 0.3 to 1 micron in size.
  • FPR air filters are sold at Home Depot under the Honeywell brand, and the filter performance rating is based on a number scale from 4 to 10 along with a color-coding system.

Which Filter Should You Buy?

Determining the best rated air filter to use for your HVAC system depends on what you’re wanting to filter out of your home’s indoor air.

  • MERV 8, FPR 4-5, 6-7, and MPR 600 and 1000 air filters are best for removing lint, household dust, dust mite debris, mold spores, pet dander, and smoke. About 90% of airborne particles.
  • MERV 11, FPR 8-9, and MPR 1500 and 1550 filters can also remove cough and sneeze particles, bacteria, and viruses. About 95% of airborne particles.
  • MERV 13, MPR 1500-2800, and FPR 10 will remove candle soot, nebulizer dust, exhaust particles, and ultrafine particles. These filters block approximately 98% of airborne particles.

Call Bruce’s

The key to cleaner indoor air is to install air filter replacements frequently to capture pollutants, decrease your monthly energy bills, and reduce airborne related allergy, asthma, and COPD indoor air triggers. Call Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating professionals today at 480-968-5652 to learn more about what filter may be best for your HVAC system and to schedule service at your home. We’re your locally owned HVAC experts!