No matter what your HVAC questions are, the pros at Better Air in Dundas and Northfield have answers. Whether you have questions about selecting new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we can help. Our online FAQs answers give you a rapid response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 507-663-1208.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for regular tune-ups, such as oil changes or inspecting potential concerns, your home comfort system should be subject to the same kind of attention. Scheduled maintenance by a skilled technician provides various benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems work efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost varies depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting Better Air at 507-663-1208 to obtain a quote.
Two-stage heating enables the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. About 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is set on the low setting, permitting your two-stage unit to run for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also offer more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, increased air filtration and energy efficiency.
Better Air has a variety of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the best match for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make tiny adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Give us a call at 507-663-1208 to learn more about the technology we provide.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a host of differences. Furnaces today are created to provide more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are designed to integrate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers give your heating system an extra lift so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help lessen noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Better Air for the efficiency standards for Dundas and Northfield.
Better Air has a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help reduce the amount of energy they require to work. Aside from choosing products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you might consider the following:

  • Making certain that your system receives routine maintenance by a trained expert can keep your system operating at its top performance.
  • Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only certain areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that you aren’t using.
  • Using a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home around your schedule. They can be programmed to give you the comfort you need when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on heating and cooling costs.
Better Air is well-known in the Dundas and Northfield area and you can trust them to provide quality home comfort products. We offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to providing customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the best solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home full of air pollutants floating around. So, to enhance IAQ, the first step is to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. You can easily do this by cleaning and vacuuming at least one time during the week, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
    • Proper insulation is ideal for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it difficult for airborne pollutants to escape. We offer products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and regular cleaning are a start, but air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems take your IAQ to the next level by capturing microscopic particles, killing germs and removing particles while destroying chemical vapors.
    • Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help stop particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.

We suggest that you meet with one of the professionals at Better Air and have them evaluate your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you determine which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Many homeowners believe that air conditioners make your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from inside your home, moving the hot air outside. That hot air flows across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing the heat outside. This cycle continues until the indoor temperature reaches the desired level that you set on your thermostat.
Due to the amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined by region and carry varying requirements based on your location. Better Air will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re in the market for a replacement system.
These numbers are located on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker is white with black letters and have both of these numbers located around the top of the sticker. M/N denotes model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a few ways to determine what size system is right for your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size system is by having your local Better Air technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a variety of other factors.
The short answer is Yes, because dirt and other debris can impede your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is not unusual to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also are built with defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in those types of conditions.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is its hottest, the high setting starts up, and when its cooler or more mild, it operates on the low setting. Typically, the lower setting will take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting kicks in, you may not realize it because it can maintain such even temperatures for your comfort. This can also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and better humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a variety of reasons why it could be doing so. The most frequent reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can fix as a homeowner, but the others need to be done by a professional like those at Better Air. Contact them at 507-663-1208 with any further questions you may have.
Identifying the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think through. Thats why its nice to have such a great variety of choices from Better Air. Whether you’re looking for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are a number of thermostats that you have to select from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the pros at Better Air will be able to help determine what options meet your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a little confusing due to their name, but they actually meet both your heating and cooling needs throughout the year. When its hot outside it runs like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets reversed and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and could produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we suggest you also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are intended to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other piece as a whole system, efficiency can be diminished.
      • As with a lot of products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These developments most importantly include improved heating and cooling efficiency, but also consist of improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
      • Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old usually need to be replaced. Not only do they have outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than newer models. Getting a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with even more comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system may send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You should visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shows carbon offsets as it happens.
In most regions, rain will clean the solar modules off automatically. If you live in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water may help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to wash solar modules.
The best thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Better Air has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help increase the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Check out our available products or contact us at 507-663-1208 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a big amount of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Better Air can help lower these costs. If you’re searching for a new heating or cooling system, look for products with high SEER ratings for air conditioners and AFUE ratings for furnaces. SEER and AFUE are a measure of system efficiency, and the greater the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, think about these additional factors:

      1. Is your system typically maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will work more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Do you need a zoning system? If there are areas in your home that are rarely used, a zoning system will allow you to heat or cool only the most used areas of your house.
      3. Have you installed a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may reduce your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning equipment gives you the opportunity to divide portions of your house and control the thermostat differently in each part of your home. These systems are good for when you have areas of your home that are infrequently used or when you and your family are constantly in disagreement of how hot or cold it ought to be inside. Zoning systems are nearly silent and efficient, allowing you more control over the comfort of your family home. Find out more about the zoning systems available from Better Air.