Home Comfort System Definitions

Central Heating and Cooling Systems

Heating and cooling systems are classified as either central or local. Central heating and cooling systems are defined as a system that produces warm or cool air in one central area and then distributes the air throughout the home. There are many types of systems that work as central systems, from traditional split systems to packaged product systems.

While the idea seems simple enough, getting your home to a perfect temperature requires many moving parts with many different components at play. Aarvaks specializes in the design and installation of efficient home comfort systems. Homeowners throughout Berkeley, Oakland, and the surrounding East Bay area have trusted Aarvaks to install the perfect system since 1929. We offer personalized consultations and estimates for new installations.

Heat Pumps

A heat pump system provides versatile heating, cooling, and humidity control—it moves heat outside your home in the summer and pulls heat into your home in the winter. Heat pumps are one of the most highly adopted and efficient sources of home heating and cooling today. In fact, a study by IESD found that residential heat pumps can reduce heating costs by up to 60% compared to electric resistance heating such as furnaces and baseboard heaters.

High-efficiency heat pumps also dehumidify better than standard central air conditioners, resulting in less energy usage and more cooling comfort in the summer months.

If you’re looking for a more energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and quiet heating and cooling system, a ducted heat pump is the perfect solution. Call us today for a personalized consultation and estimate.

Ductless Mini Splits Systems

As the name implies, a ductless split system does not rely upon air ducts to route treated air through your home or office. Instead, these specialty products are added to a specific room where adding ducts is impractical or challenging. These comfort systems can supply heating, cooling, or both, and are a split system in that the condensing unit sits outside your home while the indoor unit sits unobtrusively on the wall to control and direct the airflow.

Homes in the East Bay often have heating and air conditioning challenges that can be addressed by a well-designed ductless mini split system. Aarvaks professionals can design and install the perfect system to meet your needs. Call us today for a personalized consultation and estimate.

Zoned Systems

Different areas of your home have different climate control needs that can vary throughout the day. A well-planned zone system design gives you the ability to control temperatures in each area according to your actual need. This gives you the ability to have versatile temperature control for each zone thus saving you money by using less energy.

Many aspects must be considered when designing a zoned system. An Aarvaks heating and air conditioning expert will examine environmental influences, current system(s), ductwork capabilities and other factors when designing the perfect zoning system for your home.

Wall Heaters

Wall furnaces are self-contained, high efficiency compact heating units permanently mounted in or on the wall of a building and vented directly through the wall or roof. Because wall heaters are confined to specific spaces, they don't heat more area than they're intended for. They are most commonly used in studio apartments, compact living spaces and smaller offices because they generate a good amount of heat suitable for keeping small areas warm.

Whether a wall unit is your best solution depends on the space and its intended purposes. Our experts will help you determine whether a wall heater is right for you.

Thermostats

Installing the right thermostat is an important part of maintaining the right temperature in your home. There are many options on the market today.

Manual or Non-Programmable Thermostats: Non-programmable thermostats require you to make all the adjustments, from on/off to exact temperature, manually. While inexpensive, they are not much help in reducing energy bills. The advantages are its simplicity, and the convenience of having a central location to adjust temperature.

Programmable Thermostats: These thermostats adjust temperatures automatically based on your preset preferences. Some allow presetting a temperature pattern that repeats daily while others allow different temperature adjustment on different days.

Smart Thermostats: Smart thermostats learn your temperature preferences and adjust the temperature accordingly. They can even sense when no one is home and adjust the temperature to low or off. They work well with remote sensors, so they can adjust the temperatures of each room individually. In addition, many come with a remote app that allows you to send commands directly from your computer, phone or tablet.

Wireless Thermostats: Wireless thermostats give you the ability to adjust temperature from wherever you are and often have additional functionality like humidity detection. These thermostats help you save on energy bills by allowing you to adjust the temperature or shut off the system whenever possible. This can be particularly helpful if you have elderly persons or pets living in your home.

Our experts can explain the pros and cons of each type of thermostat, provide advice on which one would work best with your system and professionally install it so that it provides you with the perfect comfort levels. We’ll also make sure you understand how to use your new thermostat, so it can save you money while providing you with efficient energy savings.