Frequently Asked Questions

Heating and cooling your home generally consumes more energy than any other system in your home. You can save a lot on your utility bills by selecting the most efficient home comfort system for your home’s needs. You will want to familiarize yourself with the ENERGY STAR and SEER rating systems to help you make your purchase decision. Higher-efficiency heating and cooling appliances will not only help reduce your annual utility costs, but will also help protect the environment.

The higher efficiency rating a product has, the more energy savings your family can rely on. Each Trane® split system air conditioners and heat pump units with a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) of 14.5 or above, 12 EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio), HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) of 8.2 or above, and all Trane gas furnaces with an AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) of 90% or above meet or exceed minimum requirements by the EPA for ENERGY STAR recognition.

Homeowners can also use these tips to save on their heating and cooling bills:

• Keep the thermostat as low in the winter and as high in the summer as possible to remain comfortable
• Clean or replace air filters on furnaces one a month (or as often as recommended by the manufacturer)
• Maintain your air vents & registers, baseboard heaters and radiators as necessary.  Verify no furniture, accessories or floor coverings block airways or heaters in your home.
• Zone heating and cooling can also impact your annual utility bills.  If there are unused portions of your home, you can take measures to close off these areas and only heat or cool the ares of your home you frequently use.
• Only use ventilation fans in your bathrooms and kitchen when necessary.  These exhaust fans can transfer cool or warm air outside your home impacting your comfort and utility bills.
• Keep window coverings open on south-facing windows in the winter to maximize the sunlight that can enter your home.  Close these at nightfall to reduce heat transfer loss from the cold class.
• Insulate interior door that attach to non-climate controlled areas of your home.
• Insulate electrical sockets and light switches to help keep your home’s comfort level more steady.

To find the most efficient system for your home and your budget, be sure to consider your interior environment.
A) Are any rooms in your home seasonally too hot or too cold?
B) How often does your existing heating and cooling units run?
C) Is your indoor humidity too high in the summer or too dry in winter?
D) What system is best for your home?
You can use the »Trane® Comfort Zone Finder to determine which system best fits your needs.

Did you know that purchasing a more expensive and more efficient heating and cooling system for your new home may only add dollars to your mortgage, but could provide your family with substantial annual savings being more energy efficient than a less expensive system?

There are many factors that contribute to the final cost of a new heating and cooling system for your home. Be sure to consider these:

• The size of your home
• Your home’s construction
• Insulation value and insulated spaces, consider:

windows

doors

walls

roofs

attics

floors

basements

crawl spaces

Other considerations are:

What location and climate you live in

Ventilation and ductwork in your home

Dealer services

Energy efficiency of the system you choose

HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning. This refers to the equipment, and in-home systems and technology which provide indoor comfort. These technologies are based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and refrigeration.

Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) are energy efficiency standards established by the US government in 1992. SEER is the efficiency of centralized air conditioning systems rated by a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). In general, the higher the SEER, the less electricity the system needs to cool your home. This legislation established a minimum seasonal energy efficiency standard for units manufactured in the United States at 10 SEER. This minimum was later increased in 2006 to 13 SEER. Many of today’s Heating and Cooling appliances carry the ENERGY STAR® label which specifies at least the minimum SEER rating of 14.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The ENERGY STAR program helps consumers save money and protect the environment by knowing the energy efficiency of products and HVAC appliances we purchase for our homes.