How HVAC System Components Impact Each Other

At first glance, your home’s HVAC systems may seem to be a bunch of appliances that have little to do with each other. In reality, though, each component of your HVAC system can impact the efficiency of many others. Here’s a brief look at how these systems work and interact.

Your Thermostat

In many ways, your home thermostat is the brain of your HVAC system. When the thermometer senses that your home isn’t at its set target temperature, it sends a command to your heating and cooling systems (such as a heat pump or furnace and air conditioner) to bring the temperature back in line.

The Furnace and Air Conditioner

If you have a central forced-air furnace and air conditioner, or a central heat pump, they’ll function as the heart of your system: they’re the reason air circulates through your home, unless you have a standalone ventilation system. Their fans bring air into the furnace, A/C, or heat pump, where the air is warmed or cooled. Then they circulate the air through the ducts of your home.

As the air passes through the system, it’s cleaned by the furnace air filter. If the air filter should become clogged, it will slow down airflow through your entire house – as well as putting more strain on your furnace fan’s motor.

Ductwork

Ducts are your home’s arteries. They carry air throughout your home to regulate its temperature. The design of your ductwork will determine how comfortable different areas of your home are. A home zoning system will use specialized dampers in your ducts to allow you to heat and cool different areas of your home differently. Leaky ductwork can let conditioned air into crawl spaces and other non-habitable areas, which costs you energy efficiency.

UV lights and electrostatic air cleaners can also be installed inside your ductwork.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues — especially HVAC and plumbing issues — so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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