ESA blog

Save up to $1100 by acting now!

2011-05-18T15:54:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder - If you're thinking of replacing your heating and cooling system this year, manufacturer rebates will expire June 30, 2011.

Save up to $1100 by acting now!

Call us at (410) 381-7991 for more information.

How do I find out the size of my air conditioning system?

2011-04-07T10:54:00.001-04:00

If you are thinking of replacing your air conditioning system, one piece of information to be aware of is the "size" of your existing equipment. Contractors will quote a price with the size measured in tons—for example, a 3 ton or a 3 1/2 ton system.

Air conditioning systems are sized according to the BTUs per hour of cooling they can produce. One "ton" of cooling equals 12,000 BTUs/hour. This is the amount of power it takes to melt one ton of ice in 24 hours.

So, the size or "tonnage" of an air conditioning system is always expressed as a multiple of twelve. One ton is 12,000 BTUs/hr, two tons is 24,000 BTUs/hr, two and a half tons is 30,000 BTUs/hr, three tons is 36,000 BTUs/hr, and so on.

To find the size of your system, look at the model number on your condensing unit and look for a multiple of 12. The tonnage is almost always included in shorthand such as "****030" for a 2 1/2 ton unit or "****036" for a 3 ton unit.

—Mike

Federal Energy Tax Credits--Extension for 2011

2011-04-05T10:19:00.000-04:00

Good News. . .The Federal energy tax credits have been extended for 2011—but with modifications.

The 2011 credit is reduced from 30% to 10% of the installed cost of a high efficiency heat pump, gas furnace or central air conditioner, up to a maximum of $500.

To qualify for the credit, a central ac must be 16 SEER, a heat pump must be 15 SEER and a gas furnace must be 95 AFUE.

ALSO, don't forget that the Empower Maryland rebates are still available.

Call our office at (410) 381-7991 and ask for Caitlin for more information!

Welcome!

2011-03-31T15:23:00.002-04:00

Every day we get questions from homeowners like you. We've tried to answer many of them in this website, but we simply can't cover them all in a timely manner. We hope that you'll find specific answers to your questions in the posts that will come over the next months. If you don't find what you're looking for here, we also welcome your phone calls and emails. Until the next post - Stay comfortable and efficient!