Custom designed HVAC Systems
The primary heating and cooling equipment we install are heat pumps. More specifically, ductless and ducted mini split heat pumps.
We mainly use ducted heat pump equipment because of the measured performance results we get from them. Our goals for heating and cooling systems are as follows
- Good indoor air quality
- Ducted systems allow us to install high MERV filters that filter the air whenever the equipment is running. Our in house mechanical designs allow us to install equipment that is sized perfectly which leads to a longer low wattage run time that gives more filtering of the air.
- 0 duct leakage. Our goal and track record is zero measurable duct leakage. We install systems that don’t leak air in or out of the ducts, which leads to less contaminants entering your home. With the state average at 30% and even new construction laws allowing for 5%, we feel that zero leakage is the best standard for the best reason of all, indoor air quality!
- Comfort
- Heat pumps deliver the best comfort, and we measure this to prove it. Heat pumps don’t emit as high of temperatures as furnaces, which is great news if you like comfort. 90ish degree output is less buoyant than the furnaces 130-160 degree air and allows for ideal temperature mixing throughout the home. We have measured hundreds of systems and room by room temperatures and it is almost impossible to get a high temperature system to mix the air well. Our goal is 3 degrees throughout the home and heat pumps and hydronic air handlers are the only systems that can do this consistently.
- Heat pumps can also be sized according to what the home needs, which means less on-off-on cycling. Oversized systems short cycle and create hot and cold spots throughout the home. A consistent running, with properly sized and located grilles, leads to perfect mixing and very comfortable homes.
- Efficiency
- Efficiency comes easy when you have a great design, installation procedures and proper commissioning of systems. We measure the actual delivered heat output (BTU’s) into the home at the grilles and compare it to the power it took to make the heat. We do this by measuring the airflow with a powered flow hood along with the temperature output (compared to the temperature input ie; the return air). Our goal is to get 90% of the energy the system makes at the tested outdoor temperature into the home. The new construction California average is 48%, based on the latest California Energy Commission’s study.
- Because heat pumps run at a lower temperature, they allow us to bring more energy into the home and lose less to the attic or crawlspace, where most of our housing stock has duct work. With less heat in the distribution system, we don’t have as much of a temperature difference, which leads to less losses.
- Heat pumps also don’t make heat, they transfer it with refrigeration. Heat is transferred from the outside air to the inside, which makes them very efficient. They’re so efficient that they’re ratings are usually over 3 times that of electric resistant heat. That’s over 300% efficient!! A furnace’s highest possible rating would be 100% but once that furnaces hot air is in a duct system, the majority of the heat will be lost due to conductivity to the cold attic or crawlspace. Once again, the efficiency we really care about is how much energy gets into your home and how much energy went into making that heat.
- The main thing to ensure you’re designing and building the best systems is the commissioning and measuring of performance. Once we measure the actual performance of systems, we’re able to bring the results back to the design and installation processes for the next systems we do. We’ve designed and installed over 500 systems and measured their results.
Even though we get great performance out of ducted systems, we still prefer ductless systems for many of our bay area homes. They offer great versatility when architectural and structural elements don’t allow for high performance ducted systems.
Heating and Cooling – The right way and the wrong way
The main systems in the bay area are forced air ducted and a few radiant systems. The main issues, and their solutions, that we find in these existing systems are explained below.
What is an inefficient Heating and Cooling system comprised of?:
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An inefficient Heating System is one with:
- High duct leakage
- Poor or non-existent duct insulation
- Improperly sized ducts (inefficient and very uncomfortable!)
- Oversized heating equipment (Oversized equipment heats the house up too fast and the system cycles on and off too often which creates hot and cold areas)
- Inefficient equipment
- Improperly installed ducts and equipment. Ducts should be ran straight, tight and leak free.
Why is my Heating System uncomfortable?:
- Hot and cold rooms (mainly due to oversized equipment and an unbalanced improperly sized duct system)
- Whole house discomfort (Oversized equipment heats the house up too fast and the system cycles on and off too often)
- Poor air flow (air is blasting out of certain supply registers directly on me and not at all in others)
Oversized Inefficient Furnace
Can my Heating System be supplying bad indoor air quality?
Yes, and here are the things that commonly lead to poor air quality in a system:
- Duct leakage (Duct leakage pulls air in from it’s location (normally the attic or crawlspace) and delivers in to the house. Even supply air ducts pull that air in using the venturi effect.
- Poor filtration (duct system not designed for high filtration filters even though most people replace their filters with high filtration ones which further increases the problems with the system.
- Pressure issues (the system is unbalanced and causes air to be pulled in from the attic and crawlspace
- Building leakage from the crawlspace and the attic
- Building insulation is working poorly in some areas which makes the home difficult to balance the heating and cooling.
A Forced Air Central Heating and Cooling System Should Be:
Comfortable
- Even temperature throughout the home – within 2-3 degrees from floor to ceiling and room to room)
- You shouldn’t be hit directly with any air. The air should be distributed in such a way that is indirect and properly mixes. Properly sized and ordered grilles can throw air across the ceiling or wall on floor registers.
Efficient
- With a properly sized efficient system and engineered, sealed and insulated ducts your heating and cooling bills will be greatly reduced.
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Healthy
- Every job we do has a goal of zero measured duct leakage and most get there or very close. With zero duct leakage, you don’t get the bad attic or crawlspace air getting into your system and home.
- High filtration filters can be installed on a properly sized system without using more energy or creating noise.
Quiet
- Your heating and cooling system should be virtually silent. You shouldn’t hear your system running or hear the air coming out or into your duct grilles.
Our Heating and Cooling Services – What we do different:
a) Our heating and cooling services specialize in solving HVAC problems like the ones listed above and installing new equipment and duct systems that can all be engineered and optimized together.
b) The majority of existing heating and cooling equipment is oversized for old un-insulated homes and way too big for a sealed and insulated home. Over sized equipment increases energy usage due to constant on and off cycling. Constant cycling also leads to hot and cold areas in the house and the inability for the system to ever reach its listed efficiency. It is like a Hummer driving stop and go across the state or a Prius doing it at a steady 65mph.
c) All new heating and cooling equipment we install is sized to fit each house using ACCA Manual J load calculations. This uses a homes dimensions, insulation levels everywhere, building components, air infiltration rates and window performance/orientation to determine the proper equipment size. The systems are designed to provide the right amount of air to create a comfortable, even temperature throughout your home while keeping energy costs to a minimum.
d) We like to keep our ducts out of the harsh environments like the attic and the crawlspace but it isn’t always realistic to bring the ducts into an existing home. When not possible, we keep them very short (by utilize the grille to bring the air to the exterior). We also bury them in insulation when in the attic and in the crawlspace we install a vapor barrier and close off the vents to condition the crawlspace (as a bonus, this resolves moisture issues and cold floor heat loss too!).
We specialize in ducted heat pumps, hydronic air handlers, ductless mini splits, and some radiant systems. We have been installing these systems with great success in the bay area since 2008.
Get in contact:
[dropshadowbox align=”none” effect=”lifted-both” width=”640px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]For more information about heating services, call (925) 363-4498 to speak to a technician or schedule an Energy Assessment. You can also e-mail: info@epbuilders.com[/dropshadowbox]
Read our Testimonials from happy homeowners!
Photos of the variety of Home Performance Services we provide on a weekly basis:
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More Services Below
- Energy Audit / Home Performance Analysis:
- Heating and Cooling
- Duct Systems
- Air Sealing
- Insulation
- Water Heating
- Crawlspace Sealing
- Green Building
- Indoor Air Quality
- Pool Pumps
