FAQs

Heating efficiency is measured with the Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratings scale, generally abbreviated AFUE. Effectively, this rating tells you how much of the fuel consumed by a heating system is converted into heat for your home. Furnaces with AFUE ratings of 80% use 80% of the fuel they consume to create heat. Every York furnace currently on the market has an AFUE rating of at least 80%. However, York’s highest end furnaces carry AFUE ratings of up to 98%. Yorks’ Affinity line is one of the highest rated in this regard, providing a tremendous opportunity to save a lot of money on monthly home heating costs.

Keep in mind as well that heating systems built today tend to be at least 50% more efficient than those built just 10-15 years ago. So, if you have an existing heating system and you install a replacement, you’ll start to save money almost immediately due to the increased efficiency of your new system.

Because heat pumps do not consume fuel in the same way as a standard furnace, they are measured with a different rating scale – the HSPF scale. Additionally, heat pumps are given a SEER rating to reflect their overall air conditioning efficiency. These numbers will relate directly to how much energy is used by the system each year to produce heating and cooling.

Most heating systems, if they are properly maintained for the entirety of their lifespan, will last for anywhere from 15-25 years. The standard limited warranty provided by York guarantees parts and the heating unit itself for 10-20 years, but most systems will last much longer with proper care from a trusted York dealer and contractor.

With so many options available, it’s hard to know which type of heating system is right for your home. In particular, should you choose a heat pump or a furnace? In most cases, a heat pump is a more energy efficient option that allows you to both heat and cool your home throughout the year. If you don’t already have a heat pump installed and winter temperatures in your climate are generally very low, you may want to consider installing a furnace as a supplement or alternative to your heat pump. However, if you have electricity only and no gas hookup, electric heating is very expensive and will add up quickly as your system ages.

The typical heating system should be serviced by a professional annually. That visit includes a variety of checkups and updates to the system. The furnace filters should be cleaned, as well as the ducts and vents around your home. The indoor heating coils need to be cleaned thoroughly to remove any buildup of dust and debris as well. If you don’t clean your coils regularly, the efficiency of your furnace will decrease substantially over time.

Each York air conditioner comes with a 10 year limited parts and unit warranty. However, you can expect yours to last considerably longer than that with the proper care.

You’ll want to talk with your local York dealer and learn about the annual maintenance tasks they recommend and can perform for you. Annual maintenance generally includes regular cleaning of the evaporator and condenser coils, changing of the filters and checking for debris within the air conditioning unit.

When these tasks are performed regularly, your air conditioner is sure to last the full 10 years and likely much longer.

There are quite a few models of York air conditioners available, so which is the best choice for someone interested in getting the most out of their system? If you’re looking for a compact air conditioner, either the Latitude or LX series are fantastic, while the Affinity offers high level cooling with two stage compression and higher SEER ratings.

There are also packaged options that allow you to both heat and cool your home. Heat pumps and packaged air conditioners offer whole home solutions that provide the best possible energy ratings without costing you a fortune for installation.

If your current air conditioner is more than 10 years old, you can be almost sure that it is less energy efficient than those manufactured today. All of York’s current air conditioners are up to 60% more efficient than the best models available only 10 years ago, and that doesn’t take into account efficiency loss due to age.

So, there are two issues here – the cost of running an air conditioner day after day for the entire summer and the cost of having repairs done and maintenance scheduled more often because you use an older model. The sooner you replace your air conditioner, the sooner you can start saving money and because you’ll use less energy every month, you’ll be offsetting the cost of your new more efficient model.

Heat pumps are unique in that they provide both heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. So if you live in an area where your heat pump can draw enough heating energy from the air outside in the winter, this hybrid option may be best for you. Keep in mind, however, that when the temperature gets too cold outside, heat pumps are often unable to provide the necessary heat to your home on their own.

So, you will either need a packaged system with electric or gas backup, or a separate furnace to supplement your heat pump during the winter. A standalone air conditioner can be a better option if you only need a limited amount of cooling in the summer.

Because your air conditioner will be used throughout the summer, you need a system you can rely on to provide steady cooling. That means it needs to be professionally maintained. Proper maintenance includes regular inspection of your ductwork and cooling coils. It also involves removing the grilles and cleaning out any debris or build up that may gather during regular operation. An air conditioner’s evaporator coils in particular can get very dirty.

Most of this work should be done by a experienced York dealer and contractor – however, you should talk to your contractor and learn what regular tasks you can perform on your own to help keep your system running in between visits.

There are a number types of indoor air quality products on the market today. This can make selecting products confusing and lead you to wonder what exactly you need to effectively maintain a healthy indoor environment. The answer to this question, of course, depends largely on your home’s contaminant levels and the source of those contaminants.

The most common problems (and most likely to affect you) are dust and sediment that enter your furnace and air conditioning systems and ducts. For these types of contaminates, a standard air cleaner with a high MERV rated HEPA filter will remove almost all contaminants – everything down to 0.3 microns.

However, if you have contaminants from outside your home such as exhaust, smoke or fumes from a nearby business or highway, electronic air cleaning is a good supplement to your filter. Electronic air cleaners use ionization technology to electronically remove contaminants from your air.

Finally, there are more advanced options like UV germicidal lights that can even kill mold spores and bacteria. A combination of all three, along with a powerful ventilation system designed to retain humidity and energy levels in your home will ensure you never need to worry about any indoor air quality problems again.

Often you’ll see filters in York air cleaners referred to as HEPA. This form of filter is considered the industry standard for high quality air cleaning and filtration. It stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air and HEPA filters are capable of removing contaminants as small as 0.3 microns from your air. That effectively removes almost all dirt, sediment, dust, and debris including some biological contaminants like mold spores.

These HEPA filters are made with fiberglass and vary in terms of specific dimensions and capacities, but they do all need to be replaced regularly as they can become clogged over time. The only thing HEPA filters are not good for is sub-0.3 micron contamination – which usually includes bacteria and smoke or gas based contaminants.

Most indoor air quality issues are so subtle that you won’t notice them at first or at all. Some gasses for example are invisible and odorless, and yet in high enough concentrations they can be deadly. This is why it’s so important to have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. Have one near your furnace in case of a gas or exhaust leak and another in your living space in case of a separate leak.

Additionally, if anyone starts to show unexplained symptoms that resemble allergies, asthma or a cold or flu, an indoor air quality problem may be the cause. You should consult your doctor to be sure, but if these symptoms don’t get better it can easily be because of high levels of mold, bacteria or other debris in your indoor air.

To find out exactly what indoor air quality issues you face, you should have a dealer perform thorough air testing in your home.

Every indoor air quality system is different, as is each home’s environment. However, there are usually general recommendations provided with you air cleaner or purifier for filter changes. You should always follow at least the minimal recommendations for filter replacement – usually between 90 and 180 days depending on the size and quality of your filter.

In some cases, if your home has a high number of contaminants, you may need to change your filters more often. But with some high efficiency HEPA filters, replacement can be done less often. The best way to be sure is to contact a York dealer or contractor who can check your filters at regular intervals and help you determine how long they last.