Category Archives: Residential

Why ENERGY STAR Ratings are Important for Your Home

This entry was posted in Residential 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 The typical outdated AC unit will lose 24% of its energy due to duct leakage, low refrigerant levels, and incorrect equipment sizing.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.

We’re Grateful to Our Loyal Customers on Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving has been an American tradition since 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Native American people shared their first autumn harvest in the New World. The feast lasted three days, and as recalled by the Governor of Plymouth Colony, was attended by 90 Wampanoag and 53 Pilgrims. Amid the Civil War in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. A day to be thankful for one’s blessings and holding feasts to celebrate the harvest with family, friends, and neighbors.

We Thank Our Customers

On this Thanksgiving, we, at Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating, are thankful for all our customers. We truly appreciate your continued support of our locally owned business. Our hardworking, dedicated team of skilled technicians has enjoyed getting to know you when servicing, repairing, and installing HVAC equipment. We value our relationship with you and look forward to the opportunity to continue serving you in 2022.

We’re thankful too for all the support and positive reviews we’ve received from our loyal customers this past year. From “I highly recommend this company of hard-working people!” to “Excellent technician and the overall service response was great” followed by five stars.

Remo T. wrote “We hired Bruce’s for an emergency repair on our A/C system. Fast response time and great customer service.” Linda A. said “Amazing honest, professional service. It’s hard to find an AC/Heating company that doesn’t try to scam people. The service is excellent.” Christina B. wrote “They were able to send a tech out the same day after calling 10 (other AC companies) that didn’t have an opening for days.” Josh C. said “On time and quick to respond. Showed up DAYS earlier than any other company. Work was completed quickly, and cost hundreds less than what other AC repair companies quoted for the same work.”

Your reviews are heartfelt, and we’re truly thankful for you sharing why you like doing business with us. On this Thanksgiving, we have many blessings to count and customers like you to thank. We’re thinking of you during this holiday season and look forward to serving you for many years.

We hope you have a wonderful day celebrating this festive holiday with all your family and friends. We wish you a day filled with food, love, laughter, and gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving!

Need Holiday HVAC Service? Call Bruce’s

Finally, if you need HVAC repairs or servicing, call us at 480-968-5652. Our expert technicians are here for you 24/7, even on Thanksgiving.

Halloween Safety

This entry was posted in Residential on by .


Your home’s interior is decorated. Your porch has spooky ghosts and goblins, and you have plenty of candy on hand for the kids to trick-or-treat. Are you really ready for Halloween? Spooky issues may be brewing in your HVAC system that can lead to costly repairs. Here are common HVAC scares to be aware of this Halloween and beyond.

Blocked Vents

Your HVAC system air vents require proper airflow to send clean air throughout your house. Blocking any of your HVAC vents with decorations, knickknacks, lamps, or furniture may cause decreased airflow as the system has to work that much harder to make up for diminished airflow. This directly impacts your HVAC system performance, resulting in higher utility bills.

Dirty Filter

Halloween is a great time to check and replace your HVAC system air filter. A clogged air filter will result in dust, lint, mite debris, mold spores, and animal dander not effectively being trapped. A dirty air filter causes your fan motor to run longer and consume more energy. The strain on your HVAC system can result in the motor burning out causing your system to overheat and fail. A costly problem.

Malfunctioning HVAC

You shouldn’t spruce up your outdoor HVAC unit with Halloween or other holiday decorations. Placing items too close to the unit can negatively impact its performance. Smaller decorations may get stuck inside the unit and cause it to malfunction.

Candle Caution

While candles can create the perfect spooky Halloween atmosphere, you should be very cautious that you don’t place them too close to your HVAC unit. You should also keep candles away from flammable objects or appliances that generate heat. If you want to place candles close to any of these items, opt for battery-operated candles or lights.

Safe Lighting

Decorative lights add fun to your festive Halloween celebration when the sun goes down. It’s important though to be cautious when using any decorative lighting. You should always use UL (Underwriters Laboratory) safety-approved lights and extension cords when decorating outside. Using safe lighting and approved extension cords can help prevent fires or other electrical hazards.

Call Bruce’s

Contact Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating for more information regarding how you can ensure your home’s HVAC system is safe this Halloween. Call our professionals today at 480-968-5652.

HVAC Technology Innovations for 2021

This entry was posted in HVAC, Residential on by .

HVAC technology is rapidly advancing to AI (Artificial Intelligence) based heating and cooling systems. Growing demand for clean energy solutions to slow down climate change is leading the way for these exciting innovations. These innovations are already available and can help you improve your home’s efficiency. Let’s look at some of these HVAC advancements!

Ductless HVAC Systems

Used in Europe and Asia for many years, ductless systems differ from traditional home cooling and heating systems. If you live in an older home with no ductwork (baseboard heat or radiators), have expensive monthly electric bills, outdated central heating and cooling systems, or rooms not regularly occupied, a ductless HVAC system may be right for you.

These systems use infrared technology to transmit data to cool and heat your home. They are very efficient, easy to install, and cost effective for Arizona homeowners. For ductless systems, you can set the system to only cool or heat a particular room or area of your house.

Smart HVAC Technology

Adding IoT (Internet of Things) technology can completely automate your home. Your HVAC system can be connected to other smart appliances and automatically heat or cool, based on climate conditions and personal preferences. Let’s say it’s a 100-degree day outside, and you’re away from home. The AC can be programmed to turn on a cool, low fan setting, lower window blinds, and turn on ceiling fans to circulate air and help keep energy costs down. When you’re home, you can use voice commands to trigger your smart HVAC system.

Predictive HVAC Maintenance

We all know HVAC repairs and maintenance can be time consuming and costly. What if you could be alerted using smart HVAC technology to predict the best time for maintenance? This intelligent technology uses information from your HVAC equipment and home air quality to predict when to optimally change an air filter or alert you to a problem before it causes serious system failures. The mobile app can notify you to contact an HVAC professional to run additional diagnostic tests remotely if necessary.

With the global IoT market expected to grow over 21% annually through 2025, the trend for HVAC systems, to sense and automatically make efficient, energy-saving decisions for your home, will help further reduce HVAC system costs and increase the lifespan of your cooling and heating system.

Bruce’s HVAC technicians are deeply knowledgeable about HVAC innovations to provide you with affordable solutions to make your home more comfortable and efficient. Let our certified professionals help you today. Just give us a call at 480-968-5652.

Are These Air Duct Problems Impacting Your Home Comfort?

If you’re like many greater Phoenix area homeowners, you may be unaware that your HVAC system’s air ducts play a very important role in your home’s comfort, as well as its energy efficiency. Although your heater and air conditioner primarily control your indoor air temperature, your system’s ductwork is responsible for circulating the air throughout your home. In other words, an air duct problem can lead to an uncomfortable, energy inefficient home.

The following are the most common air duct problems that can affect your indoor air and HVAC system’s efficiency.

Design Flaws

You may be surprised to learn that many homes are built with a problematic layout of air ductwork. This is commonly seen when air must run through an extended area of attic. This problem can often be corrected by redirecting ducts to a more direct route to increase efficiency.

Poor Airflow

Another frequently seen air duct problem is inadequate airflow. Along with having a direct route for ductwork, it’s also important to have sufficient return for supply ducts. Your HVAC system requires a sufficient supply of air to heat and cool your home.  Without enough air, your system must work harder and can’t produce as much cooled or heated air.

Duct Blockages

Kinks and twists in ductwork can reduce airflow and decrease efficiency. Holes, tears and gaps in air ducts also cause air to leak out. Leaking ducts also lead to contaminants from the attic, crawl space or basement entering into air within ducts that then flows into your home.

Dirty Air Ducts

Indoor air can be 10 to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air. Dirt, pet hair, dust, pollen, smoke and more can get trapped in your home and continuously circulate through ducts. High humidity and hot temperatures can also spawn mold, fungus, spores and dust mites. This is why it’s important for air ducts and air filters to be cleaned on a regular basis.

At Bruce’s Air Conditioning & Heating, we can test your home’s air and determine if pollutants and particulates are circulating in your home and provide guidance on the best options for improving your home’s air quality and function of your HVAC system. We can evaluate your HVAC system, including your ductwork, to optimize your home’s comfort and efficiency.