The ins and outs of an HVAC system isn’t the kind of topic that comes up in casual conversation. And it’s not just because people aren’t interested — anyone with an HVAC, which is almost everyone, is likely to want to get the most out of it. If you polled most homeowners, chances are they wouldn’t be able to wax poetic about this essential system simply because it can be tricky to understand.
The two things most people know are what HVAC stands for — heating, ventilation, and air conditioning — and what it does. In basic terms, it’s the system that keeps your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. In some cases, an HVAC system is one self-contained unit that does everything, while in other cases, it’s a combination of different units like a gas furnace, air conditioner, etc. Beyond temperature regulation, HVACs can control humidity levels and help purify the air in your home.
If that’s where your expertise ends, it can be tricky to select the right system for your place. The type of HVAC you should choose depends on your needs and what you want to achieve with the air in your home, says Darcy Lee, Senior Product Manager for Trane Residential, consistently rated as America’s most trusted HVAC brand. “It’s kind of like building blocks. Some people may have an existing furnace and they need cooling, or they may want a system that’s more energy efficient, or they want it to fix problem areas,” she says.
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Speaking of efficiency, Lee says the biggest thing people can do to better manage their HVAC is to change the filter, especially if you have an all-in-one heating and cooling unit. “I know that sounds simple, but when I talk to homeowners, you would be amazed by how many people do not change their filters regularly,” she says. This easy maintenance should be done every three months and when the pollen count is high, every month. “Having a dirty filter can add about 10% more energy usage onto your HVAC,” Lee says.
Once you become an armchair expert, managing your unit in the most efficient and effective way is easy. Here’s a crash course in the most common terms to know to be a savvy, empowered — and temperature regulated — consumer.
Heat Pump
These make it possible to both heat and cool your home, which means that, if you have one, you use a single HVAC system to regulate the temperature. Heat pumps work according to the weather. During the colder months, they take heat from the outdoors and move it through the inside of your home. In warmer months, they remove the hot air in your house in order to cool it. Heat pumps are ideal for homes in milder climates. If you live in a place with colder temperatures, a dual-fuel system is your best bet. It combines a heat pump with a furnace and switches between the two depending on the temperature. By using whichever option is more energy efficient, it cuts both the power used and your utility bills.
HSPF
The Heating Seasonal Performance Factor measures the energy efficiency of a heat pump or furnace’s ability to heat your home. Heat pumps or furnaces with a higher HSPF rating are able to run more efficiently and use less energy, so your utility bills are lower. Because a heat pump can heat and cool a space, it has both an HSPF and a SEER, or a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. SEER measures the energy efficiency of the cooling process.
Gas Furnace
A gas furnace is simply a heating device that generates warmth for your entire home. It burns fuel such as propane or natural gas, to form heat, which is distributed through the house via HVAC ductwork. Because a furnace can only heat your home, a separate air conditioning unit is needed for warmer months to create a complete HVAC system. In some climates, a furnace is still necessary—until newer electric technology is widely available, there will continue to be a need for them.
BTU
A British Thermal Unit is a measurement that shows how much energy your air conditioner uses to remove heat from your home within one hour. This can help you determine the amount of energy needed to cool your home and select the unit that will be most efficient. To determine how many BTUs your air conditioner requires for cooling, keep in mind that each square foot requires about 20 BTUs, and multiply your home’s total square footage by 20.
Ductless HVAC
Also known as a mini-split, a ductless HVAC is a heating and cooling system that doesn’t require ductwork — which are the metal or synthetic tubes used to transport air from heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning throughout a home. Designed to regulate the temperature in just one room rather than the whole home, these systems are ideal for room additions, sunrooms, garages, or any other specific areas that need to be warmer or cooler.
Smart Thermostat
Accessible through an app on your smartphone, a smart thermostat lets you monitor temperature, manage energy usage, and even receive energy reports in the palm of your hand. By setting timers and schedules on your heat pump, gas furnace, air conditioning unit, or whatever makes up your HVAC system, you can save on energy consumption and lower your utility bills. It also pairs with the Trane Home App (a 2022 Good Housekeeping Home Reno Award winner), giving you the ability to monitor and manage your HVAC system from anywhere.
Still have questions? Trane has comfort specialists on hand who can help demystify which system will work best for your home—so don’t be shy about asking.
