Installing a New System: It's All About the Design
It’s time to replace your heating and/or air conditioning system. We want to help you understand the services you should expect from your heating and air conditioning contractor at change-out time. Take a look at your current home environment and identify your comfort needs. Start by answering the following questions:

Do your heating and air conditioning bills seem too high?
Are any of your current HVAC system units too noisy?
Do you have a problem with humidity in the summer?
Dry air in the winter?
Are there rooms that are always too hot or too cold?
Do you have pets or do any family members suffer from allergies?
Do cooking odors linger?
Do you want more control over when and how your system runs?
Do you want a system that’s easy to maintain?
Is your current system still covered by a warranty?

A quality installation begins with a professional design
Unfortunately, some contractors merely size a new system based on the old system’s capacity rather than completing a professional design. What if your home’s heating and cooling needs have changed since the last system was installed many years ago? What if the original system was not sized properly to begin with?

It takes time and expertise to complete a professional load calculation and system design. Quality design is important in virtually every product we use including heating and air conditioning systems.

The Load Calculation is where it all begins
Year-round, comfort is the goal. In the summer, your air conditioning system not only cools your home’s air (sensible cooling), it removes moisture (latent cooling). In the winter, your heating system must keep you comfortable without causing high utility bills.

We uses the Manual J® residential load calculation procedure. Manual J is the official standard for residential load calculation and is required by many building codes around the country. We will carefully measure your home and evaluate its levels of insulation. Windows’ sizes and quantity will be noted, levels of infiltration will be estimated and internal loads including lighting and kitchen appliances will be taken into consideration. A computerized analysis will be completed that indicates just how much heating and/or cooling capacity your new system should provide. After the installation of your new system is completed, you will receive a copy of the computerized load calculation for your records.

Selecting the right equipment
Heating and air conditioning equipment comes in many capacities, configurations and efficiencies. Utilizing our expertise as a Trane Certified Comfort Specialist to select the right equipment that will be compatible with your home’s heating and cooling needs.

Buying a new heating and/or air conditioning system is a major decision – ranking just behind paying for your home, your cars and your children’s college education. Selecting the right contractor to design and install your new system is essential. After all, homeowners only buy new heating and air conditioning systems once every ten or twenty years…maybe longer. Making sure your new system is designed and installed professionally is crucial to ensuring your home’s comfort for many years to come is our goal as Trane Certified Comfort Specialist.

The professionals at Island Air can explain the advantages of different types of systems for your home or region of the country, as well as select the right products to meet your personal comfort needs. We can also discuss the benefits of higher efficiency, variable-speed airflow, the revolutionary Trane CleanEffects whole-house air cleaner, programmable thermostats, two-stage heating and air conditioning, and other reliable, durable products.

A matched system is important for a variety of reasons. One is comfort. When all your components are properly sized to your home, you can control exactly how much heating or cooling you need so you can relax. Also, a properly sized matched system enables every component to perform as designed, meaning proper cycle times are maintained, humidity is controlled, and system sound is minimized. Another reason matched systems are important is efficiency. Most systems people buy are too large for their homes, meaning they pay to heat and cool space that isn’t even there. A matched system outlined by a dealer who has completed a load calculation for your home provides just the right amount of heating and cooling you need so you get the most value for your utility dollar. . See how matched systems come together.

Increased efficiency, reliability, and control of your home's indoor environment are the main reasons for choosing a new Trane heating and air conditioning system. Our split system air conditioning units and heat pumps all have fully louvered panels to protect the outdoor coil from damage, as well as powder paint finishes and weather-resistant screws. We are the only manufacturer to offer all-aluminum outdoor coils, the patented Spine Fin™ coil. Our Spine Fin outdoor coils provide greater heat-transfer capabilities, thus resulting in higher efficiencies and greater resistance to corrosion than traditional copper/aluminum coils. Our XL19i model is among the highest SEER ratings (cooling efficiency) systems in the industry. (*ARI Directory listings for XL19i)

Trane's gas furnaces feature self-diagnostic controls, a heavy steel 40"-high, insulated cabinet, hot surface igniter, multi-port in-shot burners, one-piece heat exchangers with no welds, durable pre-painted finish, and some of the highest efficiencies in the industry, making Trane an obvious choice.

We are also the variable-speed airflow experts. Our variable-speed furnaces and air handlers can do things other manufacturer's products can't, such as superb humidity control with Comfort-R Enhanced Mode. This feature allows the coil to get cold faster and the furnace blower to slowly ramp up and down, or to operate at 50 percent of cooling speed in the FAN ON position. This provides greater air circulation and filtration, even temperature distribution, humidity control, and quiet performance. Variable-speed motors are the most efficient motors as well, increasing the overall efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system.

And when it comes to cleaner air, our revolutionary Trane CleanEffects is the industry's most effective whole-home air filtration system, capable of removing up to 99.98% of the allergens and harmful particles from your family's air.

This is a Trane dealer of the highest standing who is committed to the best in every aspect of his business, from installation and service, to customer satisfaction and employee training. Many also have NATE (North American Technician Excellence) certified technicians. Not every dealer qualifies as a Trane Comfort Specialist dealer. Each year, independent dealers qualify for Trane Comfort Specialist status by meeting Trane’s stringent standards and demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction and continuing education. By looking for the mark of a Trane Comfort Specialist dealer, you know you’ll be working with a proven dealer the best of the best.

The best thing you can do is to remove as many of the particles from your home's air as you can. That's why we've introduced the revolutionary Trane CleanEffects™ air filtration system. It works as part of your total home comfort system to remove up to an industry-leading 99.98% of the airborne allergens from your home's filtered air. There is no other system you can buy that matches the effectiveness of Trane CleanEffects.

SEER means Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Like its "mpg" counterpart in the automotive industry, the SEER gives an indication of the performance efficiency of the system. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the unit. And, the more efficient the unit, the lower the operating costs.

Experts at the Trane Home Comfort Institute say that by purchasing a system with a high SEER, you'll use less energy to cool your house, resulting in lower electric bills. In many cases, these savings are enough to partially or fully offset the cost of the new equipment within a few years.

The federal government requires all air conditioning and heating equipment to be rated for efficiency. The higher the rating, the more efficient the model.

Gas furnaces are rated for AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency). This defines the amount of heat used to warm your home from the burned fuel. A 90% furnace will use 90% of the available heat to heat your home. 10% of the heat is vented outdoors. Many older gas furnaces are only 60% efficient. The other 40% is vented outdoors. You can see that a new high-efficiency furnace will require much less fuel to heat your home.

For air conditioning, the rating is SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio). This rating is based on general design criteria such as the compressor and outdoor coil. SEER ratings are for comparison purposes only, so that homeowners will know how they can compare different brands of products with similar efficiency ratings. The rating for the outdoor unit will reference a general efficiency range, such as 14 SEER. The actual efficiency rating for a specific system will depend on the combination of the outdoor unit and the indoor coil. These ratings are available from your dealer and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute's Energy Guide. A variable-speed indoor blower unit will increase the efficiency rating of the system, as well.

Heat pumps are rated by SEER for cooling efficiency and by HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) for heating efficiency. As with other ratings, the higher the HSPF, the less energy it will take to warm your home.

All of these ratings can be compared by asking your local independent Trane dealer or utility provider.

Humidity is a problem in many areas. The best way to control excessive humidity is to have a system that runs longer at lower speeds. Variable-speed air-handling equipment runs at very low speeds, which keeps the air circulating against the cooling coil and removes much more moisture than conventional systems. At these low speeds, the variable-speed motor also uses much less electricity than conventional motors. Our two-stage XL19i outdoor air conditioning unit will operate at a low speed, removing more moisture and allowing greater comfort than a single-stage air conditioning unit. Our variable-speed indoor blower units also have Comfort-R™ Enhanced Mode that runs a very cold coil and enables the blower to slowly ramp up and down. This will wring-out extra moisture from the indoor air.

Replacing your home's heating and air conditioning system is a major decision. You have to think more than just about the initial purchase price and factor in how much your system is going to cost to operate and maintain year in and year out. Remember that the higher the efficiency rating, the greater the energy savings. The right Trane matched system can give you better comfort at reduced operating costs

Every homeowner's needs are different. And, for every need, there are many different products, product applications and installation practices available to meet those needs. In general, the installed price of a new system is influenced by the following:

Home construction, Where you are, Interior ductwork, Energy savings

If you don't have ample cash or credit available at the time of purchase, Island Air and Trane has some options that can help. Give us a call or email and ask for all the payment options we have available. Once financing is out of the way, your decision will be a little easier.

Filters should generally be replaced every month when the system is running. Replace filters with the same kind and size as the original filter. If your filter is not disposable, follow the manufacturer instructions for cleaning. If you're using a high-density filter such as an electrostatic filter, check with your local independent Trane dealer, who can raise the external static pressure of your system. If the external static pressure exceeds the design criteria of your system, it can negatively impact the performance and life of your equipment.

Yes. A cover should be placed on your unit to keep out debris. If you live in a snowy climate, a cover will also help keep ice and snow out of your unit.

Air conditioners run better when they receive semi-annual maintenance. Maintenance should be done in the spring and again in the fall. This will help your unit last longer.

There are a few simple routines that you can follow to help ensure that your system runs smoothly.
1) Check the air filter or coil in your until every 3 –4 weeks. A dirty filter will strain your system.
2) Keep your outdoor unit free of debris.
3) Clean drains.
For more information regarding air conditioning repairs, please contact one of our maintenance associates.