Air Conditioning

Ductless Air Conditioning: Is it the Future?

Written by Kevin on September 30, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, Ductless. No Comments on Ductless Air Conditioning: Is it the Future?

The Science of Being Cool

Even with summer coming to a gradual close, air conditioning is still an important part of keeping your home comfortable throughout the year. According to the American census, 65.9 percent of homes had some form of central air conditioning in 2011.

One of the more recent improvements to the modern air conditioning system is ductless air conditioning. The popularity of this new system is growing and it’s easy to see how ductless may replace traditional air conditioning. Let’s take a closer look at ductless air conditioning.

Before we go further, let’s take a step back and look at the science that goes into air conditioners. Air conditioning takes advantage of one very basic law of physics. When a liquid turns into a gas—a process known as evaporation—it absorbs heat. You can feel this when you wipe some cold water on your arm. It feels cool because of evaporation. Air conditioners essentially force chemical refrigerants to turn from liquid to gas and back again over and over through a system of closed coils.

The refrigerant moves through a series of indoor and outdoor coils. When hot air flows over the indoor coils, they absorb the heat and collect the humidity from your home. The heat travels thru pipes to the outdoor coils where the fan on the a/c unit pulls cooler air across the coils and takes the heat away, as the refrigerant cools it returns to a liquid again and travels back inside the home to pick up more heat. Fortunately, refrigerants are designed to change their molecular state (liquid to gas to liquid again) at fairly low temperatures. The compressor, like our heart, continually pumps the refrigerant through this process, which efficiently removes heat from your home and exchanges it outside.

Keeping It Traditional

Traditional central air conditioning is a split system consisting of an indoor coil usually installed above the furnace and a compressor unit located somewhere outside the home. When you turn your air conditioner on, the compressor springs to life and pumps the chemical refrigerant into the system inside the house, supplying you with all that chill air, which travels through ducts to cool your entire home. As the indoor unit transfers the heat into the refrigerant, it travels to the compressor and coils outside, which release the heat into the air.

For apartments and smaller homes, you may have a window unit. Unlike central air systems, window units combine the coils and the compressor into the single unit, but they work in the same general way. Heat is removed from your home and transferred through the compressor and radiates from the coils into the outside air—the part sticking out of the window.

Hey, Where’s the Duct?

Ductless air conditioning still uses the same basic methods as a traditional system—evaporation, compression, and condensation. Ductless systems are also split with the compressor outside and the cooling parts inside. The big difference is, unsurprisingly, the lack of ducts.

No ducts means no air conditioning vents, so how is heat removed out of the home? Indoor air-handling units, called heads or cassettes, make this happen right within the room itself. The heads are linked by a refrigerant line that connects them to the compressor outside.

Why Ductless?

Ductless systems provide a lot of advantages over the traditional system. The system is zonal, which means you can place heads in different rooms to create several zones with different temperatures. In other words, you can make a completely comfortable home that adjusts to your own needs. For example, you could keep your bedroom a cool 67 degrees while keeping your kitchen a comfortable 75 degrees. Alternately, you can turn on heads in sunny parts of the house and leave those in shaded areas off saving you money.

Ductless systems also present a ton in savings. Installation can be easier and cost effective as you don’t have to worry about installing a whole network of ducts into your home. It’s a matter of mounting the indoor units, making a few electrical connections and hooking up the refrigerant lines to the outdoor unit. Ductless air conditioning is also more efficient than traditional systems. Much of that is attributed to the lack of ducts, which are prone to leaks of up to 35% in the average home and can gain heat from the attic. Ductless heads remove heat and provide cool air directly in the room itself instead of sending air all the way to a central location of the home to be cooled and back again.

If you’re considering installing ductless air conditioning in your home, contact a professional ductless air conditioning specialist like Bob Jenson A/C today to learn which system can work for your home and comforts needs.

Infographic: The History Of Air Conditioning

Written by Kevin on September 23, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning. No Comments on Infographic: The History Of Air Conditioning

We’re so used to having cool air at the push of a button we may forget there was a time when that wasn’t a reality. It’s fun to know where things came from and how we got where we are today. So while your enjoying your perfectly cooled office or home, check out “The History of Air Conditioning” infographic we’ve come up with, for a little nod to those who’ve made it possible.

Home Energy: Utility Bill Breakdown

Written by Kevin on September 9, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, Energy. No Comments on Home Energy: Utility Bill Breakdown

Why Is My Energy Bill So High?

We tend to take our utility power for granted until it goes out and then we realize how much electricity is involved in our daily lives. What we can’t stand is getting those hugh bills and realizing we are overpaying the utility company with are hard earned dollars. We breakdown the utility bill and reveal where you might be able to save your cash to spend on what you want!

Updating your biggest appliances

Obviously your heating and cooling system can dominate your yearly power expenses. Updating these power hungry machines can save you hundreds of dollars and start to pay off the investment. If your not ready for that kind of cost, you might look into insulating your attic to lower the time your system has to run during the year. We give free estimates on both, so call us or contact us today and we’ll help you reduce those utility bills while increasing your comfort.

When is it Time to Break Up With Your Air Conditioner?

Written by Kevin on July 8, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, San Diego. No Comments on When is it Time to Break Up With Your Air Conditioner?

Your Air Conditioning Not Treating You Right?

It can be a difficult thing to tell your air conditioner, well…it’s over. It may object, but your quick to remind your a/c that it’s never there when your need it and it spends all your money, enough is enough! So when is it time to let go of your old a/c unit? Here’s a fun infographic to help you know:

What to look for in a great Air Conditioner?

Energy Efficiency
Great Warranty
Brand Quality
Professional Installation
Don’t buy the Cheapest!

Of course there are many other details to understand when choosing your next A/C system for your home. We have years of experience in helping customers find the right one just for them, call or contact Bob Jenson A/C for free in-home advice!

5 Free Ways to Help Your A/C Perform It’s Best

Written by Kevin on July 1, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, Maintenance. No Comments on 5 Free Ways to Help Your A/C Perform It’s Best

5 Free Things You Can Do to Increase the Efficiency of your Air Conditioner

#1 – Remove Plant Overgrowth

Weeds, vines and bushes surrounding your air conditioner will choke off airflow to the outdoor coils and directly effect your indoor cooling and efficiency. Take a minute and trim back any of this growth a couple of feet around the sides of the unit and clear the unit itself of hitchhiking vines.

Piling junk on your a/c unit will hurt its efficiency

#2 – Clear Out The Storage

Setting things on or around your A/C may seem convenient at the time but it can increase your energy bills and overheat your A/C unit. Clear out the stuff and let your a/c breath again. And never cover your air conditioner with plastic, it’s meant to be outdoors!

Pet hair lowers the efficiency of any a/c unit

#3 – Clean Off Animal Hair

We love pets as much as you do but these furry friends tend to shed a lot before or during summer. Because your air conditioner is pulling air in thru it’s sides and out off the top, all that hair clogs up the coils pretty quickly and kills performance. Clean the hair of the sides of the unit and think about moving outdoor pets to another part of the yard or block their access right up next to the unit.

Dryer lint clogs your a/c unit and kills performance

#4 – Filter Dryer Vents

Dryer Lint is so damaging to A/C units that the California building code says not place a/c units anywhere near them. Dryer lint will fully clog up your a/c coils and will continue to decrease cooling, and strain the compressor to the point of it seizing up. If you have an existing dryer vent nearby, put a filter on the end to capture the lint. Even an old pair of nylons are better than nothing. Make sure to clean the lint of the sides of the unit and spray it down with a garden hose if needed. This can save you thousands of dollars in replacement costs down the road.

#5 – Avoid Direct Sunlight

While you may not have a choice in the matter, if you are placing a new unit, choosing a shady location over a sunny one can increase the lifespan and efficiency of any unit.

If you have difficulty with any of these tasks or you realize it’s a bigger project than you thought, we are always here to help you get your unit back to performing it’s best. Feel free to call or contact Bob Jenson A/C and learn more about our maintenance plans.

Comparing The Different Home Cooling Systems

Written by Kevin on June 24, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, Installation. No Comments on Comparing The Different Home Cooling Systems

Home Cooling System Comparison

Summer is heating up, and as the sun beats down on the cracked concrete, your home slowly but surely turns from comfortable hovel to sweltering sauna. Fortunately, instead of melting into a puddle, you have a wide range of cooling systems to choose from. The real trick is figuring out what’s right for you. Let’s take a look at the different home cooling systems at your disposal.

Ceiling Fan

Simply turn your ceiling fan on in a forward—often counter-clockwise—motion and you’re greeted with cool air. The spinning blades force air down. The downward movement of air improves circulation in the room and creates a wind chill effect, similar to opening your car window or blowing on some hot soup. The effect makes you feel cooler and accelerates your sweat’s rate of evaporation.

However, ceiling fans aren’t the best cooling option. Although ceiling fans improve circulation and cool your skin, they don’t actually lower the temperature in your room, and they don’t reduce humidity. Running a ceiling fan when no one is around wastes electricity and causes a mild rise in temperature from the fan’s motors. Furthermore, not many homes these days come with ceiling fans, stylish as they may be. It’s not worth the trouble to install a ceiling fan for such minimal gain.

Portable Fan

The cheap and easy solution, portable fans certainly get the job done in milder temperatures. Much like a ceiling fan, portable fans improve circulation and create a wind chill. The great thing about portable fans is their mobility, so you can be more strategic with the placement of your fans. For example, place one fan at your open door and another pointing out a window across your home to get a breeze moving through your home.

Once you get into hotter temperatures, a single fan isn’t much help. They don’t have the size or power of ceiling fans and aren’t as good at cooling as more robust systems.

Evaporative Cooler

Evaporative coolers, or swamp coolers, are technically air conditioners in that they condition air via cooling, but where your average A/C unit cools air using metal coils, a swamp cooler works through evaporation of water. Air passes through a series of damp pads in an evaporative cooler. The water on these damp pads evaporates into the air, which is then pumped into your home, pushing warm air away.

As effective as they are, evaporative coolers do have their downsides. Operating via evaporation means putting water into the air. While that’s fine if you live in a dry climate, more humidity in any other climate will make you feel miserable. Although evaporative coolers generally use less energy than your average air conditioner, they require a regular supply of water. Water conservation is just as pervasive an issue as electricity use.

Air Conditioner

The air conditioner is the crème de la crème of home cooling systems, the greatest respite for boiling, sweaty days. An estimated two-thirds of homes in the United States have air conditioners.

Air conditioning systems work by transferring heat from your home’s interiors to its surrounding environment while pumping cool air into the home. Air is cooled as it passes over an evaporator, a series of metal coils filled with refrigerant, while hot air is released outside via a condenser.

Air conditioners appear in several varying types, including:

Central: Central air conditioning systems circulate cool air through a series of ducts in your home or business, dispensed through vents in floors, ceilings, and walls. As the cooled air gets warmer over time, it flows back to the central unit, where it is cooled and re-dispersed through your building.
Room: Window or room air conditioners are the more compact version of central air units and are designed to cool individual rooms. When used properly, room air units are less expensive than central air.
Ductless: Ductless systems consist of an outdoor unit—containing the compressor and refrigerant—and an indoor component that delivers the cooled air into the home. Ductless units are incredibly flexible and can be installed in homes, businesses, apartments, and room additions where adding ductwork might be too difficult. Ductless systems offer the best balance of value, cooling power, and efficiency.

Air conditioning systems offer optimal cooling and climate control. They keep you and your home cool and take some of the humidity out of the air. The main concern with air conditioning is energy efficiency, but improvements in technology have led to more efficient, eco-friendly units. Air conditioners are an all-around great solution for staying cool, and with the variety of different systems and retrofits, you shouldn’t have trouble finding a unit that works for your personal budget and lifestyle.

Air conditioners come out on top, but if you have any questions about cooling systems, don’t hesitate to call or contact Bob Jenson A/C for more information.

5 Reasons to Replace Your Air Conditioning System

Written by Kevin on June 10, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, Installation. No Comments on 5 Reasons to Replace Your Air Conditioning System

Why you may want to give your old A/C the boot

Is your A/C still running or is it barely walking at this point? Your air conditioning system is the single largest appliance in your home and uses around 40% of your annual energy consumption in the home. If your still trying to get thru summer with an air conditioner that’s over 10 years old you may want to consider a few reasons why upgrading might not be such a bad idea:

How can I upgrade my a/c without overpaying?

First get at least 3 estimates from reputable contractors you trust. Never pay for an estimate, a quality contractor will offer a in-home consultation for free with no obligation to buy. Then while most hvac contractors should be experienced enough to give you a few options based on the needs of home and your family beware of someone pushing just one expensive system and not explaining why. Ask your trusted contractor about efficiency rebates, factory equipment rebates and tax credits. You can even see if the contractor is running specials on Yelp or Angie’s List if your a member. All of these can add up to a few thousand dollars in savings. Systems can still be costly and so don’t forget to ask about current financing offers that may work for you.

Upgrading your old air conditioning system can be a great decision especially when it will result in increased comfort, flexiblity and energy savings for the next decade! If and when you’d like to get more information call or contact Bob Jenson A/C and we’ll set up a free visit at your convenience.

5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for the Summer Heat

Written by Kevin on May 20, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, Ductless. No Comments on 5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for the Summer Heat

Top 5 Ways to Prepare your Home for the Heat of Summer

Summer is right around the corner—and with it comes barbecues, long days at the beach, fruity drinks, sunburn, seasonal allergies, heat exhaustion, and sweaty, uncomfortable nights in a humid bedroom.

Instead of being cooked alive by the heat in your own pajamas, take action to keep your family comfortable all summer long. And before you run out and buy the first window unit you can find, consider that other long-term solutions will help you beat the heat more efficiently.

Read on to find out what steps you can take to ensure your home is prepared for the summer’s rising temperatures.

Without modern AC, you may be stuck with those desperate summertime solutions like putting a bowl of ice behind a fan, or taking extra-long gazes into the freezer (it really doesn’t take 5 minutes to find the frozen French fries!). But with central air conditioning or ductless air conditioning, you have a cool, comfortable home for seasons and seasons to come.

Window units are very heavy and very difficult to install. They require lots of storage space in the winter and fall, and they aren’t very efficient in the long run. But with central air, you’ll get efficient cooling that reaches every room in your home, not just one. Granted, these systems still require some maintenance, but it’s nothing that can’t easily be completed by a Bob Jenson Air Conditioning technician! (And it never requires throwing out your back trying to lift a massive window unit.)

Filter Replacements

The most effective of those maintenance chores is replacing the filters. When your central air sits idle for the fall and winter, bugs and dust can build up, reducing the flow of air and wearing out your AC’s components. Moreover, when filters are in use for too long, they also accrue grime and dirt and eventually cease to filter at all.

Replacing these filters keeps the air in your home clean and fresh; which is absolutely necessary if you or your family members suffer from allergies. Plus, filters help maintain a comfortable environment, which makes the cooler air feel natural.

Insulation

When most people think about installing insulation in their home, they assume it will keep their home warmer in the winter. Well, they are correct. But insulation also keeps your home cooler in the summer.

Without insulation, heat is free to move through the floors and walls of your home, including your roof. In the summer, this means that the heat outside will constantly move into your home, making it much more difficult to keep cool. It’s exactly like trying to pour water into a bucket riddled with holes.

Insulation prevents this free movement of heat. Without heat trying to invade your home, your AC unit can more easily maintain comfortable levels, which is cheaper and less burdensome on your electrical system’s circuit breakers.

Circuit Breakers

If you’re having an air conditioning unit upgraded or installed, you may need to have your breaker box upgraded to better handle the higher electrical load your home will experience. This bill can run as high as several hundred dollars, but it definitely beats after-the-fact repairs from a blown breaker box.

Our technicians will recognize when your home needs upgrades in vital areas. Trust our experts for the most honest assessments and estimates of what it will take to make your home cool again.

Practicing Reduction

Reduce energy consumption by cutting back on the amount of things you plug in on a daily basis. Don’t run all your appliances at one time, especially when there’s no reason to. Doing so can create heat, and it will increase your bills. Keep lights low and don’t put your AC on the most frigid setting; increase your system’s longevity by practicing moderation.

Even if your AC unit is working at acceptable levels, it’s worthwhile to get a professional inspection from our skillful technicians. We can spot problem areas before they occur, preventing that horrible experience of having your AC cut out on you during a major heat wave.

Bob Jenson Air Conditioning has been helping Southern California residents upgrade their air conditioning and sleep comfortably all summer long, since 1977. Give them a call today, after all, there’s nothing worse than never being able to find the cool side of the pillow.

Does Upgrading your Air Conditioning System Save You Money?

Written by Kevin on April 29, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, San Diego. No Comments on Does Upgrading your Air Conditioning System Save You Money?

Should you Upgrade your Air Conditioning? San Diego Residents Read On!

With the cost of energy ever increasing, many of us are looking for ways to cut down on our utility bills. The biggest use of energy in our homes today is our appliances. Out of all of our appliances our air conditioning system uses the most electricity, up to 40% of our utility bill, especially during summer months. So how do we cut back on the monthly bills without losing our comfort? It may be time to look at the benefits of upgrading your old air conditioning system with something that provides better cooling at a higher efficiency. This info-graphic will show you how efficiency equals savings for years to come!

Tips for saving cash on your next air conditioning system:

A new air conditioning system is certainly an investment into your home, your family and your comfort. That being said who doesn’t want a great deal? There are 3 things that can help offset the cost of a new comfort system:

Manufacturer Rebates

Check with your trusted air conditioning contractor to see if any brands are offering a rebate on high efficiency equipment. Since most top brands have comparable equipment take advantage of the brand that will save you some cash!

Tax Credits

Tax credits for air conditioning systems are still available for high efficient units. Ask a trusted contractor to see if the equipment your looking at qualifies. You can look at the bottom of this page to see the requirements.

Financing Options

A great financing plan can help you start saving on your electricity bills right away and get the comfort you were missing. This is a great way to offset the upfront cost of a new system. Whether you finance or not ask your trusted contractor what they offer and see what’s best for you!

Get a Free Estimate!

A trusted reputable HVAC company will not charge to sit down and help you decide on the best, energy saving equipment for your home. Make Bob Jenson AC one of your calls for a free estimate on your next air conditioning system, today!

Commercial Air Conditioning: Save Money and Create a Comfortable Workplace

Written by Kevin on April 22, 2013. Posted in Air Conditioning, commercial. No Comments on Commercial Air Conditioning: Save Money and Create a Comfortable Workplace

Commercial Air Conditioning

Remember the days before air conditioning?

Of course not. Commercial air conditioning has changed the way people live—and the way companies do business—for the better. Don’t even think about operating in a professional environment in the vicinity of San Diego without air conditioning — or face a sure mutiny from your employees!

Consider installing a state-of-the-art HVAC system, even if you have a commercial air conditioning system already in place. Upgrading your old equipment can create a more comfortable atmosphere for you and your employees, and it can save you money. After all, isn’t that the bottom line?

Comfort without the Cost

Comfort means a lot of things to a lot of people, but those people definitely know when they are uncomfortable.

A commercial air conditioning system is designed for maximum comfort with the lowest amount of energy expenditure. This is achieved when the HVAC system’s temperature and humidity maintain constant levels regardless of the exterior temperature. Instead of increasing and decreasing the indoor environment to compensate for extreme heat and cold outside, the interior simply remains comfortable.

Take a minute to imagine a radiator heating your office. When that thing comes on, it just keeps putting out heat until everyone nearby is totally uncomfortable. This creates a poor environment, and therefore can decrease productivity among your employees.

Commercial air conditioning systems, though, allow you to set your system to whatever climate you desire. Since it’s totally automated, you won’t need to constantly adjust thermometer controls to make it comfortable. (And your employees will never have to fight over control to that coveted thermometer.)

Perfect For Office Environments

If you’re cooling your office building with window units or some other outdated method, you’re tossing money right out the window. Commercial air conditioning units use roof-mounted or exterior ground compressors, which decrease the noise level (perfect for a quiet office environment) and make maintenance much easier.

Those compressors feed cooled air into the ducts built in your office’s walls and ceilings and enter your workspace through inconspicuous vents. You’ll hardly notice the air conditioning effects at all. In fact, such a comfortable climate is created that your employees won’t notice how nice it was until they step outside into the San Diego summer sun.

Air Quality Control

Achieving an ideal temperature and humidity is obviously the main goal of a commercial air conditioning system. But it does have another function that can improve air quality by removing impurities and contaminants: air filtration.

Everything airborne, from larger pollen and mold spores to bacteria, auto emissions, and even microscopic viruses, can be filtered out of your workplace using specially designed filters. The higher the MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) rating is, the smaller the particles that can be filtered.

That means your interior office climate won’t just be the perfect temperature and humidity, but the air itself will feel cleaner and fresher, and it will be, in fact, much healthier.

Talk about long-term budget implications—if your employees are breathing healthier air, their incidence of acquiring illness in your office can decrease significantly. Ergo, you’ll see a cost-savings in the healthcare budget and less missed work.

Budget Implications In The Future

Not only do you save money on health-related costs, you’ll save money through the ease and efficiency of maintenance as well. The thing about a commercial air conditioner is that it’s not only set up to maintain a controlled environment, but it’s also set up for easy repairs should that environment become unsatisfactory.

Due to years of experience in commercial HVAC, the experts at Bob Jenson Air Conditioning and Heating can arrive quickly, begin repairs quickly, and get your office back to normal. We even offer commercial HVAC maintenance plans that fit into any business’s budget—and it’s a good idea to perform preventative maintenance on a commercial system, especially before the heat of summer.

Talk to the Commercial Air Conditioning Experts!

Call us for a free quote—Bob Jenson Air Conditioning and Heating’s skilled technicians are ready to give you a quote and help answer all your questions about our commercial air conditioning products and installation. Summer is quickly approaching—get your new air conditioning system installed before the summer heat and your employees may just prefer to be at work!