HVAC Tips & Efficiency Archives - ATC Cooling and Heating

Best Smart Thermostats (And How to Choose the Right One)

A small change with an outsized effect on comfort and bills. What separates the good smart thermostats, and how to match one to your system.

R-22 is gone and R-410A is on the way out. What the refrigerant transition means for your existing system and your next one.

There is a workable range that keeps a house comfortable without punishing bills. Where to set the thermostat, season by season.

Packaged units are everywhere on nice homes, and they are rarely the best choice. Why the alternative is usually worth the change.

Sun, ceilings, and cooking loads mean no two rooms behave the same. How forced air zoning evens out a house that heats unevenly.

A second floor that never cooled properly turned out not to need a bigger unit. A real service call, and what the ductwork was really doing.

New refrigerant rules are changing what equipment is available and what it costs. What the change means and when to time a replacement.

SEER and SEER2 in plain terms, plus a simple formula for working out what your air conditioner actually costs to run each year.

Single stage systems run flat out or not at all. How variable output equipment holds steady temperatures and uses less energy doing it.

Cold rooms and a furnace that never stops are often an insulation problem, not a heating one. How to tell before you replace anything.