DIY Network

Keeping It Cool: The Basics of Air Conditioning From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-108

Host Jeff Wilson discusses cooling your new home in this week's episode of Blueprint for Home Building.

The home heating, ventilation and cooling system (HVAC) consumes about 40 to 50 percent of all the electrical power in a house, so the efficiency of the HVAC system is extremely important to the overall power draw of the home.

What Is HVAC?

HVAC is an acronym for your indoor air quality, what you breathe, how you feel, temperature, humidity -- basically everything you sense as you live in your house. So remember that when you hear the term "HVAC" your builder or subcontractor is talking about the entire air system of your home.

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Figure A

In this episode of Blueprint for Home Building, host Jeff Wilson will concentrate on "cooling" the air in your home, but next week's episode will delve into the heating of your house.

Air Conditioning Units

AC units can be compared on a multitude of dimensions. Certainly efficiency is one of the main drivers, and given what's happened lately with the cost of gas and electricity, efficiency has become extremely important.

In general, there are three factors to be aware of when selecting an air conditioning system for your home:

1. Efficiency -- Buy the most efficient air conditioning unit that you can, especially in the desert Southwest. Efficiency refers to how much energy your system will require to do its job. HVAC specialists use what are called "S.E.E.R" (figure A) numbers to rate and compare different cooling systems. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. This is a standardized test, and the higher the seer number, the more efficient the air conditioning unit is. Now the minimum efficiency, the builder's model, is rated a 10 and they go all the way up to 18. So make sure your air conditioning unit has a rating of 10 or higher.

2. Regional Climate -- What's important to know in the region that you're trying to design a home is, in fact, what are the external factors that you're trying to solve. In the desert southwest, it's one of high summer heat. In the northwest, it may be one of damp, cold winter weather. In the northeast it's most likely frost in the winter and high humidity in the summer.

3. How Noisy Is the System? -- Internal sound is just as important as the sound coming externally from an air conditioning unit that's installed outside the kitchen window or living room window. Be sure to purchase a unit that's quiet as possible.

With all three of these areas, your builder and air conditioning distributor can help point you in the right direction.

Figure B

Addition to Your Home Building Team

The next person to join your home building team is a HVAC contractor, and your builder will hire him. Not only will he oversee the installation process (figure B), he or she will also make sure that one of the important elements of a good AC system, its ability to create sufficient air movement throughout the house, is included.

Note: Having proper return air and supply air is 100-percent dependent upon the installing contractor. So having a good, qualified HVAC contractor is the first and primary concern when installing your HVAC system.

"The first thing about being on the job site and being in charge is to make sure that everything goes in safely," Gary Ostler, President of Four Season Heating & A.C., Inc., said. "After that is to make sure that everything gets done properly and upon completion, that it works properly."

Although your builder or architect will be able to recommend an HVAC contractor that they've worked with before, there are a few other ways to find one:

• A referral from a friend or neighbor is the best way.

• Phone book.

• Websites and other research options.

The HVAC contractor should come in as soon as the plans are drawn so that they can site the equipment, leave room for ducting and let the contractor know the requirements for plumbing and electrical.

Now that you've learned the basics of HVAC as they relate to your air condition, and you've met the next member of your home building team, in the next segment Wilson will look into one of the most common problems associated with installing a cooling system -- sizing!

GUESTS :

Eric Newhouse
Systems Integration Designer
IBACOS
Website: www.ibacos.com

Dave Meyers
Vice President, National Accounts
Carrier Corp.,br> 7310 W. Morris St.
Indianapolis, IN 46220
E-mail: david.Meyers@carrier.litc.com

Bob Balzar
Director
Nevada Power Co.
6226 W. Sahara
E-mail: bbalzar@nevp.com

Richard Waite
Vice President
Sierra Air and Silverado Mechanical
816 Roaring Falls Ave.
Henderson, NV 89052
E-mail: rwaite@lvcm.com

Paul Raymer
President
Tamarack Technologies
PO Box 490
W. Wareham, MA 02576
E-mail: praymer@tamtech.com