A broken a/c unit does you no good in this climate. What if a simple cleaning is all it takes to keep your a/c working? Hector Contreras shows you how dirty condenser coils are the culprit when it comes to low a/c efficiency (and higher energy costs).

Absolute Comfort technician Hector Contreras shows you how a simple inspection can protect you and your family this wintery season.

When summer hits Houston, the only question is how to keep cool? An air-conditioning unit works great at keeping you cool…until it doesn’t. Your a/c needs to stay healthy. What better way to keep in check than with a check-up? Mark Shelton shows you how regular inspections can help you beat the heat. There’s even a few things you can check yourself throughout the year.

Schedule your 19-point evaluation now

We focus on keeping cool here in Texas. But, when temperatures dip it’s a bad time to find out your furnace needs service. That’s why it makes sense to get an annual system checkup. Watch what happens when Absolute Comfort comes to inspect a typical home furnace.

Schedule your 19-point evaluation now

Absolute Comfort’s technicians are available 24-hours a day, weekends, and holidays to repair any heating & cooling problem you may be experiencing.

Because we provide on going service and repair training for all our technicians, Absolute Comfort can service, maintain, and repair all air conditioning, a/c , ac systems, and heat pumps for commercial and residential systems up to 25 tons.

Because each technician works a little differently, the time needed to perform jobs can vary. That’s why Absolute Comfort’s technicians work on a flat rate pricing guideline. Upon arrival the technician will examine your system and diagnose the problem before providing a firm quote for your approval. Only once you approve the quote does the work begin.

If your air conditioning system isn’t properly balanced, you could be spending more money to run it. A system run out of balance will also need service sooner. Here’s why:

• Less than two percent of heating and air conditioning equipment service agreements include the duct system?
• That a poorly operating duct system could reduce your comfort and efficiency by up to 50 percent?
• In many cases, your 3-ton cooling system may only be supplying 1 1/2 tons of cooling capacity, even in newer homes?

Take the balanced system quiz

Answering yes to three or more questions means your system is out of balance.

• Is one room in your home always a different temperature from the others?
• Are your utility bills higher than they should be?
• Is your home getting dusty within two days?
• Does your air conditioning or heating system run continuously, never quite getting the job done?
• Is your heating or air conditioning system noisy?
• Do you have “thermostat wars” in your home trying to stay comfortable?
• Do you feel the quality of the air in your home or building could use some improvement?

Getting in balance is easy with Absolute Comfort

Our technicians perform a complete diagnostic of your system, developing a plan which can increase the comfort in your home, reduce your energy costs, help in reducing indoor air quality problems and help your system to achieve its designed performance.

During our diagnostic evaluation of your building we can show you where and how your system is not functioning as intended and make recommendations on how to correct the problems. If our diagnostics show your system is only operating at 50 or 60 percent efficiency, our information begins paying for itself once you have the system corrected. Best of all, the savings continue year after year.

Click here to schedule your evaluation now

When your HVAC system breaks down, you have a choice: repair or replace. Knowing when to do which is a financial balancing act between pouring money into what you have, or investing in a new, and probably more efficient, system.

While new systems mean higher profits for the installer, our stand at Absolute Comfort is to protect your HVAC investment. Only when repair makes no sense do we recommend replacement.

Here are some tips to consider regardless of who you call to look at your HVAC system:

• No absolute right or wrong answer exists. Repairs on a unit may be the least expensive immediate option, but may cost the customer more in the long run.
• Installing a new, energy efficient system can pay for itself over time. However, at times simple repairs can sufficiently prolong the life of an air conditioner so an immediate replacement of the unit is not the most sensible option.
• Environmental laws can determine the course of action a technician must take when faced with malfunctioning equipment.
• If the evaporator coil has numerous leaks or is severely corroded, it’s time to replace the unit.

Efficiency Ratings

In general, the more efficient the unit, the larger initial cost. However, the more efficient, more expensive unit will actually save you money over time as it requires less fuel to cool your home.

If you are concerned about efficiency, watch for the Energy Star Label. Cooling efficiency for air conditioners is indicated by a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating). The SEER rating tells you how efficiently a unit uses electricity: the higher the number, the greater the efficiency.

The typical SEER rating of units manufactured prior to 1992 is about 6.0. In 1992, the government established a minimum cooling efficiency standard for units installed in new homes at 10.0 SEER. High efficiency units have a rating of at least 12.0 SEER.

Comfort Features

Some HVAC systems come with additional features that provide greater comfort. Two-speed units can run on low-speed (using about 50 percent of the energy) 80 percent of the time. Consequently, they use fewer on/off cycles and produce fewer drafts and small temperature swings.

Correct size

To achieve comfortable cooling and dehumidification, the system must be correctly sized. The size of central air conditioning is measured in tons. (1 ton = 12,000 BTU/hr).

Typically, you need one ton of cooling for each 500 square feet of living space:

• 800 – 1,000 square feet = 2-ton unit
• 1,000 – 1,200 square feet = 2 1/2-ton unit
• 1,200 – 1,500 square feet = 3-ton unit
• 1,500 – 1,800 square feet = 3 1/2-ton unit
• 1,800 to 2,000 square feet = 4-ton unit
• 2,000 – 2,500 square feet = 5-ton unit

Proper installation

Nothing affects your comfort more than how well your HVAC system is engineered and installed. Installation is the single most important factor. Sizing, balance, returns, and a host of other variables are taken into account when a new system is installed. No two houses are the same, nor are their climate control demands. That’s why choosing an experienced installation contractor is critical.

Feel free to ask about our most recent installations. We’re happy to have you ask our customers about the work we’ve done. That way you can be certain that when you choose us, you get absolute comfort.

Absolute Comfort provides an excellent maintenance and service programs for all commercial applications. We provide custom maintenance agreements for all kinds of businesses and buildings. We provide air conditioning repair, service, and maintenance, on restaurants, convenience stores, retail stores, small businesses, malls, corporations, strip centers, strip malls, and distribution plants, etc.

Get details on a program tailored to your specific needs. Absolute Comfort will perform a free estimate and provide a  commercial service and maintenance program quote. Click here to contact us now.

If it doesn’t flow, your heating and air conditioning system won’t go. Or, it won’t go well. Providing proper air flow, heating and cooling to each room is the goal of a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.

That’s why we set key criteria at Absolute Comfort to describe a quality system, and key design and installation considerations that should be met to achieve this goal.

Your HVAC system is in the flow if:

• It is correctly sized to provide correct air flow, and meet room-by-room calculated heating and cooling loads.
• It is installed so the static air pressure drop across the handler is within manufacturer and design specifications to have the capacity to meet the calculated loads.
• It has sealed supply ductwork that will provide correct air flow.
• It is installed with a return system sized to provide correct return air flow.
• It has sealed return ductwork that will provide adequate air flow to the fan, and avoid air entering the HVAC system from polluted zones (e.g., fumes from autos and stored chemicals, and attic particulates).
• It has balanced air flows between supply and return systems to maintain neutral pressure in the home.
• It minimizes duct air temperature gain or loss between the air handler and room registers, and between return registers and the air handler.
• It is correctly charged with refrigerant.
• It has proper burner operation and draft.

Absolute Comfort’s design and installation standards:

• Determine room-by-room loads and air-flows using ACCA Manual J calculation procedures (or substantially equivalent).
• Layout duct system on floor plan, accounting for the direction of joists, roof hips, fire-walls, and other potential obstructions.
• Determine register locations and types, duct lengths, and connections required to produce layout given construction constraints.
• Size duct system according to ACCA Manual D calculation procedures (or substantially equivalent).
• Size HVAC equipment to sensible load using ACCA Manual S procedures (or substantially equivalent).
• Install equipment and ducts according to design specifications, using installation requirements and procedures from the Uniform Mechanical Code, the Air Diffusion Council, SMACNA, California Residential Energy Efficiency Standards, and manufacturers’ specifications (Title 24); Using these procedures and those in Appendix A, the duct system should be substantially air tight.
• Charge the system appropriately, and verify charge with the evaporator superheat method or sub-cooling method (or substantially equivalent).
• Check for specified furnace burner operation and fire-box drafting.
• Test the system to ensure that it performs correctly by determining (1) that the system is properly sized, (2) it does not leak substantially, and has either (3a) adequate air handler fan flow, and plenum static pressures, or (3b) adequate room and return air flows, and specified plenum static pressures.

Absolute Comfort provides an excellent maintenance and service programs for all commercial applications. We provide custom maintenance agreements for all kinds of businesses and buildings. We provide air conditioning repair, service, and maintenance, on restaurants, convenience stores, retail stores, small businesses, malls, corporations, strip centers, strip malls, and distribution plants, etc.

Get details on a program tailored to your specific needs. Absolute Comfort will perform a free estimate and provide a  commercial service and maintenance program quote. Click here to contact us now.