Home Live City Services Utilities Ways to Save Home$ave Rebate Program High-Efficiency Central AC Units High-Efficiency Central AC Units According to ENERGYSTAR®, your home’s central heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is responsible for nearly 50 percent of the energy consumed in your home. If your home's central air conditioning unit is not working properly or is 10 - 15 years old and you are shopping for a new model, Danville Utilities Home$ave is offering big rebates to make purchasing a more efficient central AC system easier. Residential electric customers are eligible for a $145 or $250 mail-in rebate, depending on the SEER and EER ratings for each High-Efficiency Central Air Conditioner purchased by submitting a Rebate Application with required proof of purchase and equipment specifications. ENERGY STAR qualified central air conditioners have higher SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) and EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) ratings than today’s standard models.

SEER is the most commonly used measurement of efficiency for air conditioners. It measures how efficiently a cooling system will operate over an entire season. EER measures how efficiently a cooling system will operate when the outdoor temperature is at a specific level (95 degrees F). Rebates are available for qualifying central air conditioners, split systems or single package units (including gas/electric package units).air conditioning unit not heating Equipment Eligibility & Rebate Level:air conditioning units for hot water heat homes Units must have a cooling capacity of ≥ 18,000 BTU/h. Tier 1 High-Efficiency Central Split System Air Conditioners must meet or exceed 15 SEER and 12 EER and Tier 1 High Efficiency Single Package equipment (including gas/electric package units) must meet or exceed 15 SEER and 11 EER as determined by Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Standard 210/240 (formerly ARI Standard 210/240). home air conditioning repair costs

Equipment must be a newly purchased and installed air-source split or packaged unitary air conditioner. Split system equipment must include a new matched condensing unit and a new evaporator coil. To be eligible for a rebate, the installation must be a properly matched, complete system recognized by AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute) and have an official AHRI rating. Systems that do not have an AHRI rating will not qualify for the rebate since the efficiency cannot be verified by a standardized method. Both split systems and package systems are eligible. Room Air Conditioners and Central Air Conditioners that use a third party (or independent) coil, three-phase equipment, and products rated above 65,000 Btu/hr are not eligible for rebates. The rebate for Tier 1 High-Efficiency Central Air Conditioners is $145 per unit. Units must have a cooling capacity of ≥ 18,000 BTU/h. Tier 2 High-Efficiency Central Air Conditioners must meet or exceed 16 SEER and 12 EER as determined by Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Standard 210/240 (formerly ARI Standard 210/240).

The rebate for Tier 2 High-Efficiency Central Air Conditioners is $250 per unit. High-efficiency central AC units that replace an existing unit as well as new construction or first time installations are eligible for a rebate through a post-purchase application process. Home$ave rebate applications are valid for 90 days after product purchase. After 90 days, the equipment is no longer eligible for rebates from Danville Utilities. Download Home$ave Rebate Application Dated and detailed sales receipt or invoice, a copy of a properly sized calculated cooling load for your home (contact a participating HVAC contractor for this information) Model number and serial number of air conditioner unit Participating in Danville Utilities Home$ave in no way excludes you from receiving more rebates and incentives on the same qualifying products from other sources. Look for additional rebates, tax credits and manufacturer's incentives to make improving your home's energy efficiency an even better deal!

At some point during their ownership, many homeowners may have to replace their central air-conditioning systems. The average life span of central air-conditioning system is 12- to 15- years if it is properly installed and maintained. Heat pumps have about the same life-span — about 14 years — when recommended maintenance is followed. Newer units manufactured in recent years are expected to last even longer. However, when the system starts giving you more problems than seem cost-effective to fix, it may be time to consider purchasing a new system. When faced with major repair or replace decisions, you may wish to consult HVAC contractors for their recommendations. It is important to know that split air-conditioning or heat pump systems — the most common types used in US homes — consist of two parts: an indoor (coil) unit and an outdoor (condensing) unit. These two components are specifically designed to work together as a coordinated “team” to provide top performance and maximum efficiency and comfort.

In the past, homeowners could sometimes replace part of their system, such as the outdoor condensing unit, to extend its useful life. However, air-conditioning and heat pump systems manufactured today must have a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) of 13 or higher. The federal government sets the minimum efficiency standards for central air-conditioners and heat pumps. For these new, high-efficiency systems to work properly and to extend their life, the outdoor unit and indoor unit must be properly matched. So if you install a new high efficiency outdoor unit, but don’t install a new, equally efficient and properly matched indoor unit, the results could be uncomfortable, unreliable, and inefficient. Because newer equipment usually is more energy efficient than older central air-conditioning or heat-pump systems, you will likely see reduced utility bills Ask your neighbors or friends for recommendations for HVAC contractors they have worked with and trust. You should talk to a few different contractors and obtain more than one quote to compare.

Another way to increase your chances of obtaining a quality installation is selecting a contractor that employs technicians who have been certified by North American Technician Excellence (NATE). To become NATE-certified, technicians have to pass a nationally recognized test to demonstrate they have the knowledge to properly size, install, and repair today’s increasingly sophisticated heating and cooling systems. To find contractors who employ NATE-certified technicians, go to HVACR Advice and type in your zip code to pull a list of certified technicians in your area. Homeowners should ask their air-conditioning technician to size the equipment to meet the specific needs of their homes. If a system is undersized, it may run nearly continuously, but without ever properly cooling your home. If oversized, the system could cycle on and off too frequently, greatly reducing its ability to control humidity, and will also will be less efficient than a system that is appropriately sized.

To properly size a system for a home, trained technicians will use an equation (a “load calculation”) that factors the home’s age, the number and quality of its windows, how well it is insulated, how many stories it has, its total square footage, and other relevant factors. Homeowners should ask their technicians to perform a Manual J load calculation, the industry’s term for the standardized equation used to properly size an air-conditioning system. Your technician will specify the cooling capacity of the system in either Btu/h (British thermal units of heat removed per hour) or refrigeration tons (one ton being equal to 12,000 Btu/h). Air-conditioning and heat pump manufacturers are required by law to evaluate and rate their equipments energy efficiency. This standard rating for measuring central air-conditioners and heat pump cooling efficiency is its Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). When heat pumps are heating your home, the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF) is used to determine its efficiency at performing this function.

The higher the SEER/HSPF, the more efficient the equipment The Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is also sometimes used to assess performance of residential air-conditioners during hot outdoor temperatures. Many manufacturers voluntarily submit their products for testing by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) to assure consumers their energy efficiency claims have been verified by an independent, third-party laboratory. For split systems, AHRI tests combinations of indoor and outdoor units to verify the system’s performance claims. It is important for consumers to double check the indoor and outdoor units are a certified match by asking their technician for an AHRI Certified Reference Number (formerly ARI Reference Number) or an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings (formerly Certificate of Certified Product Performance) that can be downloaded from the CEE Directory. You can verify your split system is a properly matched by asking your HVAC technician to provide you with an AHRI Certified Reference Number (formerly ARI Reference Number) or an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings (formerly Certificate of Certified Product Performance).

The reference number can be entered into the CEE Directory to verify that you have a matched system and to obtain a Certificate of Certified Product Performance. For higher efficiency systems, the certificate may be used to support an application for either a federal tax credit or a rebate or incentive from your local utility or municipality. If you do not have an AHRI Certified Reference Number (formerly ARI Reference Number) or an AHRI Certificate of Product Ratings (formerly Certificate of Certified Product Performance) to locate your air-conditioning equipment in the CEE Directory, you will need the manufacturer’s name, model name, and model numbers for both the indoor and outdoor units. Your contractor is the best source to obtain the AHRI Certified Reference Number. Obtain a Quality Installation. Make sure your contractors installs your new equipment according to the ANSI Quality Installation Standard. Properly seal and insulate your ducts. Sealing and insulating can reduce your total energy use by more than 20 percent.