Brought to you by:
The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA)
and Hermes Service & Sales, Inc.
PO Box 3304
Bloomington, IL 61702-3304 tel: (309) 828-8111 fax: (309) 827-3121 www.hermesservice.com Contact: Stuart Nerby
THE TOTAL COMFORT SYSTEM STORY
Choosing
a home heating and cooling system is one of the most important
decisions a homeowner can make.
Choosing a good system will lead to complete indoor comfort
year round, as well as contribute to family health and energy
efficiency. Choosing the wrong system can lead to an uncomfortable
home environment, which can have an adverse effect on
the family's happiness.
However, because the heating and cooling system is unseen,
this important decision is often overlooked. This document
will help you understand the major types
of heating and cooling systems in common use today, it will also help identify
a quality Total Comfort System contractor, and ensure that
you and your family are provided the comfort you deserve.
Should a Home Comfort System
do More than Heat and Cool?
Good heating and cooling, with the right type of system, is more important than the average homebuyer
realizes. No matter how perfect the home, convenient the layout, or magnificent the view, all will be
useless if you are not completely comfortable.
Good heating and cooling not only brings you proper and complete indoor comfort year round,
but it also contributes to family health and reasonable housekeeping maintenance costs.
Since a good heating and cooling system is quite thoroughly hidden, it is too frequently
forgotten or not considered as carefully as it deserves.
The question is whether a heating and cooling system should do more than heat and cool?
The answer is that it certainly should! Fire from the fireplace kept past generations from freezing,
but it certainly didn't create total comfort, which you should expect from a modern system.
The concept of total comfort has many facets, which contribute to your family's
long-term enjoyment of its home.
This document has been developed to help you understand the major types of heating and cooling
systems in common use today, which will ensure that your house is equipped with the
type of system that will provide you and your family with the comfort you desire.
As a result you should be better prepared to identify a quality "Total Comfort System,"
as well as choose a reliable "Total Comfort System" contractor.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Total Comfort System
1. Temperature Control (Zoning) - A number of different zoning
options are available. In most cases, it is recommended that the blower
run constantly.
Multiple Systems - More than one heating/cooling system
Zone-damper Systems - Consists of multiple ducts and thermostats
located throughout the house
Programmable Thermostats
2. Humidification and Dehumidification - A Total Comfort System
that provides proper humidification and dehumidification offers the
following benefits:
Healthier Environment - Reduces occurrences of sore throats, dry
skin, nose bleeds and other health-related problems
Helps Efficiency - System can be set lower because body feels warmer
Lessons Static Electricity
Helps Preserve Furniture and Wood (i.e., doors, floors, millwork)
Proper Humidification Control - Adjusts to outside temperature
3. Clean Air (Indoor Air Quality) - The Total Comfort System
should include components that ensure clean, fresh air. Some of these
options are:
Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) and Energy Recovery Ventilation
(ERV)
Electronic Air Cleaners
Media Air Cleaners
Electro-Static Air Cleaners
Ultra-Violet Treatment
Periodic Duct Cleaning
4. Efficiency - The Total Comfort System should provide maximum
energy efficiency. Some of the options for providing an energy-efficient
system are:
Energy Efficient Equipment
Variable-speed System
Two-speed System
Programmable Thermostat
Properly Designed and Installed Sheet Metal Ductwork System
Proper Duct Sealing
Multi-Stage System
5. Noise Control - If a Total Comfort System is properly designed
and installed using good quality components, its operation will be extremely
quiet. To ensure optimum noise control, the system may include:
Vibration Isolation
Insulated Compartments
Acoustic Lining
Proper Location of Equipment
Variable Speed Equipment
6. User-friendly - A user-friendly "Total Comfort System"
will include:
Easy-to-operate Thermostats and Controls
Clear Maintenance Instructions
Long-term Maintenance agreement
Total Comfort Systems Blowers should Run Constantly!
In the Total Comfort System, the blower should run constantly -- all
the time -- it should never shut off. Supply outlets are sized and located
so that the discharging air stream should not strike a person directly.
In many ducted forced warm air systems, blowers are adjusted to run
intermittently, only when the heating and cooling element is on. This
is ineffective in any ducted air handling system. It should never happen
in the Total Comfort System.
When a blower runs intermittently -- on and off -- as frequently as
the heating element starts and stops, you will first get a blast of
hot air and then everything will shut off. Floors will get cold/hot
and room temperatures will become unbalanced. Basement or lower level
rooms cool rapidly and upstairs rooms are apt to overheat. No ducted
air handling system can produce total indoor comfort unless the blower
runs all the time.
In most well-engineered, big commercial ducted central air handling
systems, you will usually find that the blowers run constantly. There
are sound reasons for this.
Cleansed, conditioned air moves through the duct system when -- and
only when -- the blower is operating. As this air enters the rooms through
the perimeter diffusers, it draws room air into the supply air stream,
setting all the air in the room into gentle, even motion. You would
not sense this movement of the room air in terms of its motion; rather
you will sense that the air surrounding you is constantly renewed and
that the atmosphere is pleasing and fresh. If the air is not moving,
you may soon feel that the air seems to "hang heavily" around
you and that the atmosphere is oppressive.
Note: While in most instances it is recommended that the blower
runs constantly, in some geographical areas, where humidity is a problem,
running the blower constantly could lead to more humidity and the problems
that could result from it. Consult your local Total Comfort System contractor
to determine what is best for your local environment.
How Do You Ensure Your Total Comfort System Is Good?
Having a properly designed and installed Total Comfort System will ensure
that your family enjoys year-round indoor comfort for years. The following
steps are recommended for the homeowner who wants to be certain that
the ducted central system he or she purchases will be the Total Comfort
System -- with all of its features and benefits -- this document has
described.
1. Select your installing contractor carefully - The installing
contractor is actually the manufacturer of your Total Comfort System.
It is the skill, experience and care with which this contractor selects
quality components and assembles them into an engineered system to fit
your home that makes the difference between good and poor comfort results.
Check your contractor's reputation. Ask for the names of customers whom
he or she has served and contact them about the contractor's performance
- both the effectiveness of the system and the quality of service that
was provided before, during and after the installation. (Refer to the
Characteristics of a Quality "Total Comfort System Contractor"
on the next page.)
2. Recognize that quality may require significant investment - If you want the Total Comfort System benefits and advantages described
in this document, don't expect to buy them at discount prices. The adage
that "you get what you pay for" holds true in this instance.
3. Specify what you want in terms of Comfort Performance when you
buy - You are not a heating or air conditioning engineer. You generally
will have no trained way of personally determining whether your system
has been designed and is being installed correctly. However, there is
a way that you can definitely protect yourself and get the Total Comfort
System you want. Specify the Comfort Performance you want your system
to deliver. Your contractor should be willing and able to work with
you to make sure that all your comfort needs are met.
Characteristics of a Quality "Total Comfort
System" Contractor
While choosing the right Total Comfort System and the necessary components
is essential in ensuring a comfortable home environment, it is equally
important to choose a qualified contractor to install the system.
The following checklist has been provided to assist you in finding
the ideal Total Comfort System contractor.
Maintains a Superior Trained Workforce - This contractor provides continuing education and training for the
company's "Total Comfort System" installers and service
technicians. These workers have received multi-year apprenticeship
training, which includes extensive classroom and supervised on-the-job
training. The contractor's insured workforce complies with local and
national codes, and also receives continuing education, including
regular safety and manufacturer training.
National Support System (Local and National
Trade Association) - In addition to being included in a network
of thousands of HVAC contractors, this contractor has access to hundreds
of local and national educational resources, including programs, publications
and videos. Additionally, this contractor is involved in the development
of nationally recognized technical standards, and has priority access
to expert technical assistance. Access to the latest industry trends
enables this contractor to utilize the latest in technology and equipment
in servicing its customers.
In-house Design and Fabrication - By having
in-house design and fabrication capabilities, this contractor has
the ability and resources to customize any job. This ensures a properly
balanced, well-performing system.
Twenty-four Hour Service - A quality "Total
Comfort System" contractor will have technical assistance available
around-the-clock, every day of the year, including holidays, to solve
heating and air conditioning emergencies. Often times, the technician
will be able to help the customer determine if the problem actually
warrants a potentially expensive service call.
Guarantees Comfort - A quality contractor
will take the time and effort required to evaluate individual comfort
needs with the homeowner. Subsequently, the system will be designed
and installed to meet those specific needs.
Environmentally Concerned - A quality
contractor only uses refrigerants meeting EPA requirements, and
employs EPA certified technicians.
Long-term Maintenance Program - A quality
contractor will offer a regular maintenance program for the life of
the system. Among the services the contractor will offer are annual
maintenance and service agreements, extended warranties, technical
tips, and 24-hour support for customer questions and concerns.
Located in headquarters outside Washington, D.C., the Sheet Metal and
Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) is an international
association of union contractors located primarily in the United States
and Canada. SMACNA's mission is to provide products, services, and representation
to enhance members' businesses, markets, and profitability.
Association Goal
SMACNA exists to address issues common to member firms that impact the
industry nationally and internationally. It serves members' needs to
improve their business environment through industry education, labor
relations, standards, industry representation and business studies.
Member Profile
SMACNA members perform work in industrial, commercial, institutional
and residential markets. They specialize in heating, ventilating and
air conditioning; architectural sheet metal; industrial sheet metal;
kitchen equipment; specialty stainless steel work; manufacturing; siding
and decking; testing and balancing; service; and energy management and
maintenance.
Technical Manuals and Standards
The voluntary technical standards and manuals developed by SMACNA Contractors
have found worldwide acceptance by the construction community, as well
as foreign government agencies. ANSI, the American National Standards
Institute, has accredited SMACNA as a standards-setting organization.
SMACNA does not seek to enforce its standards or provide accreditation
for compliance.
SMACNA standards and manuals address all facets of the sheet metal
industry, from duct construction and installation to air pollution control,
from energy recovery to roofing. SMACNA's Technical Resources Department
fields several thousand technical questions annually from architects,
engineers, manufacturers and government personnel.
Good heating and cooling, with the right type of system, is more important than the average homebuyer
realizes. No matter how perfect the home, convenient the layout, or magnificent the view, all will be
useless if you are not completely comfortable.
Having a properly designed and installed Total Comfort System will ensure
that your family enjoys year-round indoor comfort for years. The following
steps are recommended for the homeowner who wants to be certain that
the ducted central system he or she purchases will be the Total Comfort
System -- with all of its features and benefits -- this document has
described. 
