FAQs

The answer is almost surely yes. At Apple Heating & Cooling we have installed ductless mini-split air conditioners in homes throughout the area. They are quiet, energy-efficient and because they don’t require ductwork, provide a lot of installation flexibility. Ductless Split Air Conditioning Systems

We have geothermal systems that make hot water. But they are best matched with low temperature heating like radiant floors. The reason geothermal is usually not a good fit for homes with existing hot water radiators is because those radiators were designed to operate with water temperatures of 180 or 190 degrees. Geothermal Hydronic systems have a maximum temperature of 140 degrees. To heat a room or home that had radiators designed for 180 degree water would require adding many more radiators to provide comfort at the lower water temperatures. In most cases adding the additional radiators is not practical.

For many, the real question is what system has the lowest operating cost. Natural gas and LP gas heating systems can be as high as 98% efficiency rated. Ground source and air source heat pumps are not measured the same way as gas furnaces. Heat pump efficiency is measures as a COP or Coefficient of Performance. Heat pump COP can be as high as 5.0 for a geothermal heating system.
With current cost for natural gas, electricity, LP gas and fuel oil, geothermal systems are hands down the most efficient and have the lowest operating cost. For those who have natural gas available a high efficiency gas furnace or boiler will be a good choice. For those homeowners who do not have natural gas available, the most common choices are LP gas, fuel oil, and electric. All electric homes with a heat pump – either air source or ground source (geothermal) will have the lowest operating cost, and will have central air conditioning as well.

You will have to consider a lot of different factors when picking out the right heating system for your home. The size and dimensions of your house will figure into the equation, as well as what types of fuel sources are available to you, what type of system you had in place before and what the particular heating needs of your family are.
This is a lot to get a handle on and can get to be pretty overwhelming, particularly if you‘ve never had to purchase a new heating system before. In this type of situation, it can be helpful to get some professional advice and guidance so that you can get a better idea of what your options really are. A heating specialist can assist you by walking you through the selection process.

If you‘ve been looking at various types of furnaces, you‘ve probably noticed that they all have what‘s referred to as an AFUE rating. This number is a reflection of the energy efficiency of the furnace, and will typically be between 80 and 98. The higher the number, the more energy efficient the furnace is.
Although you should always take the AFUE rating into account when you‘re purchasing a furnace, that doesn‘t mean that you should necessarily go with the model that has the highest efficiency rating. Depending on your heating needs, an 80 AFUE furnace may be able to get the job done just fine without forcing you to incur the greater costs that come with the higher efficiency models.

The amount of time you can expect your heating system to last will depend on what type of system it is. In general, though, it‘s safe to say that a new heating system you purchase today will last you 10 to 15 years. Some types of systems, like electric furnaces, can be expected to last a bit longer, but that will largely depend on the type and model of your system. In any case, keeping up with regular maintenance is one way to extend the life of your home heating system.

We can perform maintenance and repair services on just about any type of heating system you have. No matter who put in your existing system or how old it is, we‘ll be happy to take care of it for you.

There are actually several situations in which you should consider replacing your current air conditioning system. For instance, if you have to call for repairs for your current system repeatedly, your system probably doesn't have many good years left. And even if the repairs are relatively minor, they're still costing you money every time you have someone come out.
Rather than continuing to dump money into a system that probably isn't working all that efficiently to begin with, it makes much more sense to simply invest in a new system now. You'll start saving right away on your energy bills and you won't have to worry about whether or not your air conditioner is going to work on any given day.
You many even want to consider replacing an older air conditioning system that's still working fine because newer models are so much more energy efficient than even those installed 10 years ago. Since you'll likely have to replace your AC in a few years anyway, you're better of investing in a new system now so that you can start saving on your energy bills right away.

Ductless split and mini split air conditioners are made up of two parts, much like a conventional air conditioning system. However, the outdoor compressor and indoor wall-mounted units are connected to each other only by a refrigerant line rather than the more traditional ductwork. That means that mini-split systems are much easier to install in places that don't already have ductwork or where it wouldn't be practical to try and fit ducts in.
The other main difference between ductless air conditioning units and other types of central air conditioning systems is that the indoor unit mounted on the wall or the ceiling in your room is where the actual cooling takes place. You can adjust the temperature in the room directly from there, giving you a much more refined control over your indoor conditions.
The other main difference between ductless air conditioning units and other types of central air conditioning systems is that the indoor unit mounted on the wall or the ceiling in your room is where the actual cooling takes place. You can adjust the temperature in the room directly from there, giving you a much more refined control over your indoor conditions.

Quite possibly. Mini-splits are a good option for a lot of people, particularly those who don't already have ducts in place in their home. You may also want to look into a mini-split system if you've recently added an addition onto your home and don't want to have to pay to extend the ducts from the rest of your house into the addition.

While the life expectancy of a new air conditioning system can vary a good deal from one brand and model to another, most new systems being installed these days can be expected to last from 10 to 15 years. However, this will still depend on how much you use your system and how well you keep it maintained over the years. In fact, some air conditioners that receive proper maintenance can even exceed their projected lifespan by several years.

Just like most other large pieces of equipment, your air conditioning system requires a tune-up every now and then. This will help to keep it working at peak capacity and reduce the chances that you'll lose any significant amount of energy efficiency over time.
The air conditioning professional who carries out your annual maintenance visit will also be able to check your system thoroughly for any defects or damages. They will also often be able to catch problems before they get out of hand and can greatly reduce the chances that you'll need emergency repairs later on.

In evaluating the viability of switching to geothermal power, you will have to take many different factors into consideration. For instance, you will need to have enough space around your house for the installation to be carried out. You will also need to know how much you currently spend on home cooling and heating costs so that you can get a good sense of how much you stand to save by switching to geothermal.
You can certainly figure out a lot of this on your own, but it can also be helpful to talk to an experienced professional as you try and work through your options. They will likely be able to point out benefits and drawbacks of a geothermal system that you may not have thought of otherwise and can they help you put together a realistic picture of how much you will stand to save by switching to this type of system.

A geothermal heat pump is able to warm your house in the winter by extracting heat from the ground and transferring that heat into your house. In order for this to happen, however, a loop of pipe needs to be installed under the ground around your home. A mixture of water and antifreeze is circulated through this loop of pipe and as it passes through the area surrounded by soil, the liquid absorbs heat.
Once it returns to your house, the heat in the liquid is released and used to heat the air, which can then be circulated throughout your house by a blower and air handler. After it has released its heat, the liquid then cycles back down into the underground portion of pipe loop and begins the process all over again.
In the summer, this cycle can actually be reversed so that the heat is absorbed from inside your house and transferred to the ground just outside. The simple fact that the ground is always cooler than the air in summer and warmer than the air in winter makes all of this possible.

There are many variables in calculating energy savings with a geothermal heat pump. The savings over systems with fuel oil or LP gas can be as much as 70%. The savings versus an air-source heat pump can be as much as 50%. The savings over natural gas systems with central air conditioning vary from 20 to 50%, depending on the efficiency of the existing systems. Learn more about how much you can save here

Probably the most common installations for new construction are horizontal ones. To complete this type of installation, a trench is dug in your property near your house. This trench is usually about 5 feet deep and 100-400 feet long. The number of trenches required depends on your household heating and cooling load. This type of installation usually provides the lowest installed cost for the loop. It is prevalent in new construction because there is no mature lawn and landscaping to disturb.
For retrofit installations – ones where we are replacing an existing system with a geothermal system – the most popular choice is the vertical loop system. A vertical installation of the ground loop consists of several bore holes into which the plastic pipe is installed. These bore holes are usually about 175 feet deep. This type of installation is popular because disturbing of the yard and subsequent repair is minimized, in spite of the added cost.

It may very well be. While the truth is that solar power is not an option for everyone, it is quite viable in more areas than you may think. In order to take full advantage of solar power to heat your home or provide you with electricity, you need to have adequate sun exposure on a regular basis and enough space to put up the appropriate number of solar panels on your property.
In general, solar panels are installed on the roof, but they can also be placed at other points on your property if those get the right amount of sun. You should also keep in mind that you do not have to go all solar right away – or ever. Solar hot water heaters are a great addition to any home and are relatively inexpensive to install. However, they will save you quite a bit in the long run and you can always build on that installation to make use of solar power to satisfy more and more of your home energy needs.

Yes, you can. Once you have a solar power system installed for your home, you will pay virtually nothing in terms of energy cost for the systems you are running off of the solar cells. This may consist of only your hot water or it may include all of your electricity needs. Regardless, though, the solar power you can run these systems off of is free and will mean that you simply do not have to pay the power company for the energy you use.
Of course, it is true that having a solar power system installed can cost you quite a bit up front, but you will quickly recoup that cost with the monthly savings you will receive. In terms of the total amount that you will save, that will vary depending on a variety of factors related to your individual situation. To calculate that kind of savings, you will need to sit down and figure out how much you currently spend and what your total energy usage is now and in the future. Each person‘s total savings will vary depending on their particular situation, but the savings will always be there in some form or another.

Solar power systems require very little maintenance, mostly because they do not have many moving parts. There is little opportunity for anything to go wrong with your solar power system simply because it is not particularly complicated to begin with.
However, that does not mean that you can completely disregard maintenance on this system altogether. A solar power system still needs to get some professional attention now and then, and it is also helpful if you can learn to do a few minor things that will help to keep your system in good working order for many years to come.

Solar power systems are actually quite simple and relatively quick to install. Compared to other types of home energy systems, they have very few parts and require little intrusive work to put in place. Of course, the larger your system is, the longer installation will take. But it will generally never take longer to install a solar power system than it would to install any other type of home heating or power system. And solar power is definitely quicker and easier to install than geothermal, which requires substantial excavation on your property.

High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are extremely effective at removing many types of contaminants from your indoor air. In fact, they can reliably remove up to 99.97 of particles measuring 0.3 microns or more in diameter.
This covers many of the common indoor air contaminants you may have a problem with. Most people need to remove both large and small particles from their indoor air, and HEPA filters are certainly a great asset when you‘re trying to accomplish this. While they are not the only type of mechanical filter on the market today, HEPA filters are certainly the most effective. If you‘re going to invest in some type of mechanical filtration, a HEPA filter is really the only one you should go for.

While things like HEPA filters and air ionizers can remove many types of particulate air contaminants, both large and small, they are not often particularly effective against germs like the bacteria and viruses that are routinely floating around your house. UV germicidal lights, on the other hand, can be extremely effective and efficient at killing those germs.
UV germicidal lights are usually used as part of a complete air quality improvement system. They‘re typically placed just past the HEPA filter or other purification device so that they can catch the viruses and bacteria that pass through these other filtration systems. Once they are exposed to the UV radiation produced by the lights, these germs are quickly killed and cannot continue to circulate throughout your house.

There are many factors to consider when you‘re trying to select the right air cleaner for your home. One of the main things to keep in mind is that not all air cleaners are equally as good at removing certain types of particulate contaminants. For instance, some are better at catching larger particles, while others do a better job of trapping small particles and absorbing odors.
Of course, you‘ll also have to take into account the size and dimensions of your home as you make your selection. You want to make sure that the air cleaner you choose is going to be able to handle the volume of air that will pass through it each day, but you don‘t want to go needlessly overboard and spend more than is necessary for something that you didn‘t really need.
You‘ll also need to have some idea about how significant your indoor air quality problem is so that you‘ll know the system you buy can handle that level of contamination. With all of these elements to take into account, it can be pretty tough to sort through all of your options on your own. Professional advice can definitely come in handy.

Each type of filter will probably come with its own recommendations in terms of a replacement timeline. However, it‘s generally a good rule of thumb to change your filter at least once every 90 days. Some super high efficiency filters can go considerably longer without being changed, however, and if you have a very high contaminant load, you may need to change it more often than the manufacturer recommends.