Heating & Air Conditioning Services for Delaware, OH

Delaware, Ohio, is home to Ohio Wesleyan University, and the birthplace of President Rutherford B. Hayes. Historic Downtown Delaware teems with great restaurants and a farmers’ market. Not far from downtown is an extensive park district featuring 24 parks, 20 miles of trails, an urban forest with 15,000 trees, and, of course, the Little Brown Jug, the third jewel of racing's Triple Crown.

Fire & Ice has been taking care of Delaware residents’ HVAC needs for nearly 20 years, and we’re proud to serve such a vibrant community.

We’ve installed, repaired, and tuned up thousands of air conditioners and furnaces, and we have employees who call Delaware their home.

We want to be your trusted HVAC company. To achieve that, we adhere to several industry-best practices that provide the most value for you, our neighbors and our customers.

This article will give you an idea of the services we provide for Delaware and the rest of Central Ohio.

Air Conditioner Installation in Delaware, Ohio

If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner, it’s best to have some insider knowledge. Without that, you’re at the mercy of an HVAC contractor who might sell you a unit that doesn’t suit your home. It might be undersized, which will run up your energy bill, or oversized, which causes comfort issues throughout the home.

The first step during an interview with a salesperson should be a Manual J Load Calculation, a procedure that is recommended by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America and the US Department of Energy. This is a mathematical formula that takes into account some basic information about your home, including square footage, number of occupants, number and size of windows, the amount and quality of insulation, and more.

Beware of any contractor who looks at your existing air conditioner and simply recommends the same size unit for a new one. That’s lazy and is a key reason why almost half of all installations are mis-sized.

Read more: What's The Right Size of Air Conditioner for Your Home?

Air Conditioner Features and Prices

In addition to coming in multiple “sizes” (measured in how much airflow the unit moves), ACs have other features that can raise or lower the cost.

The number of stages is a key differential.

A single-stage unit, which is the cheapest option, is either on at 100% of its capacity, or it’s off. A two-stage AC can run at 100% and a second speed - around 60%. This helps with humidity control, energy cost, and comfort.

A variable-speed air conditioner is the most expensive option and offers hundreds of speeds. It is the best at cooling and humidity control.

The factors that can affect the price of your air conditioner replacement include:

• Capacity/power of the system
• Efficiency
• Modifications to your existing system, such as ductwork
• Line set protection
• Installation costs
• Tax credits and rebates

Read more: Cost of an Air Conditioner Replacement, a Complete Breakdown

Furnace Installation in Delaware, Ohio

The Proper Way to Install a Gas Furnace:

1. Do a Manual J load calculation of the home, taking into account things such as insulation; number, size, and quality of the windows; the presence of an attic or basement; and other factors that affect how powerful the furnace should be.
2. Check to make sure the ductwork is properly sized to facilitate the airflow of a new system. This includes the supply from the furnace to air ducts and the return air supply that goes through the air filter and feeds back into the furnace’s blower motor.
3. Measure the physical area where the new furnace will be installed to make sure it can fit. Furnaces come in different sizes.
4. Check gas lines and electrical wiring to ensure that they’re set up properly for the installation. And your electrical box may need an upgrade to accommodate a new unit.
5. Depending on the furnace chosen, a new chimney flue liner or PVC drain line may need to be installed. Measurements will be taken to account for these possibilities.

All of these are critical because they can all lead to huge problems if they’re not checked.

Read more: Furnace Installation Process From Start to Finish 

Like air conditioners, furnaces can have fan speeds from the very basic - on and off only - to the variable speed, or “modulating.” As you might expect, the basic furnaces are the cheapest and may be perfectly suited for homeowners who are on a budget and have no major comfort concerns.

A modulating furnace’s blower can spin at a multitude of speeds, heating just a little when that’s all that is needed. Of course, it can run at full blast during the very coldest days in Delaware. But you’ll discover that when the furnace isn’t working at 100%, the air quality will be better, the warm air will mix better with the cold, and your energy bill will shrink.

In homes where natural gas or propane is not available, an electric furnace or air handler is used to heat the home.

An electric furnace consists of a cabinet with a blower motor and heating coils attached to it. The heating coils are also referred to as a “heat package” or heat strips.

When a call for heat comes from the thermostat, an electric current runs through the heating coils, making them glow red. They get extremely hot. As the blower motor inside the furnace pushes air over the heating coils, the air warms up and circulates throughout the duct system.

Read more: The Complete Guide to Home Furnaces

How Is an Electric Furnace Different From a Gas Furnace?

An electric furnace is able to use 100% of the energy put into it. Gas furnaces can’t match that number. A gas furnace’s efficiency is measured by an AFUE rating. It can convert 80-96% of its fuel towards heat.  An 80% AFUE rating means that up to 80% of the fuel goes towards heating the home and the other 20% is exhausted as waste.

If you live in colder climates, such as here in Central Ohio, electric furnaces can get expensive very quickly due to the high cost of electricity. The price of natural gas is significantly less, though energy prices are always in flux.

Read more: How Much Does a New Furnace Replacement Cost?

Furnace and Air Conditioner Maintenance in Delaware, OH

We believe that our 17-point furnace and air conditioner tune-ups are the best in the industry. During every service visit, we’ll ensure that your equipment is in peak condition and that we’ve identified any potential problem areas so that we prevent larger, costly issues down the road.

What’s included in these visits? Among other items specific to your home and equipment, we include the following:

• Lubricate all moving parts
• Clean and inspect all parts
• Check pressure levels throughout the system and adjust as necessary
• Check for carbon monoxide levels and gas or combustion leaks
• Clean parts and equipment to remove harmful dirt, dust, and other debris
• Check the air filter and replace it as needed
• Check refrigerant levels and pressures
• Test system performance against established installation benchmarks
• Test all wires and connections
• Inform customers of equipment conditions

Fire & Ice Customer Review: Delaware, OH

Throughout the area, we love hearing from our customers. Hear what Jeff from Delaware had to say about his experience with Fire & Ice:

“Simply the best...from installation to bi-annual tune-ups, Fire and Ice are professionals from owner, front office to technicians. I would recommend this caring and efficient company to anyone that’s either looking to replace your heating and air conditioning or looking to change your existing service. With Fire and Ice as your experts, you’ll be glad they are your heating and air conditioning service reps.”- Jeff U.

Choosing the Right HVAC Company in Delaware, Ohio

Choosing the right HVAC contractor to work with can be a dizzying prospect. There are more than 200 listed on the web. Some have been around for over 100 years; others just a year or two.

If you want to hold your HVAC company accountable: Make a list of each of these things to look for and make sure the company you choose is handling each of them. If not, you might get a bid at a lower cost than Fire & Ice, but it will also be at the expense of your system and your peace of mind with your new HVAC system.

Cost is part of the overall equation, but the quality of a company you choose can save time, money, and hassle in the long run. Make sure you’re looking at the whole picture to make the best decision for you and your home. Choosing the wrong one could result in:

• Improper equipment (a unit that’s too big or too small for your home)
• Poor installation (a great unit installed badly will require constant repairs and poor efficiency)
• Problematic air quality (air that’s either too humid or too dry; excessive dust and mold, etc.)

If you live in Delaware, Ohio, or anywhere else in Central Ohio, fill in your zip code in the form below to start the process to get a free, in-home estimate. We hope to hear from you soon.