Terms & Glossary

HCA: Home Comfort Agreement: annual agreement to inspect, clean and maintain the furnace in the fall and the air conditioner in the spring.  Manufacturer's recommend annual maintenance to keep all warranties valid.  Annual maintenance ensures proper operation, efficiency and lengthen life expectancy of the equipment.  It may also expedite any factory generated warranty bulletins.

SEER: seasonal energy efficiency rating: A measure of the air conditioner's cooling efficiency. The higher the SEER the more efficient the product. The government has established the minimum SEER rating for Air Conditioners manufactured after 1/2006 as 13. Many air conditioners now get as high as 16 or 18 SEER and some even up to 21.

BTU: British Thermal Unit: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 lb of water 1 degrees Fahrenheit.

AFUE: Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency: the higher the AFUE the more efficient the product. The governments minimum rating for a furnace is 78%. It takes a minimum of 95% efficiency to qualify for Laclede Gas Rebates and Federal Tax Credits.

MERV rating:

R-22 refrigerant

410A refrigerant

Humidity

Heat pump vs. Condensing Unit

Natural Gas heat

Electric Heat

Geo Thermal