No matter what your HVAC questions are, the techs at A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal in Grass Valley have answers. Whether you have questions about picking new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we are here to help. Our online FAQs answers provide a fast response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 530-273-1301.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for regular tune-ups, such as oil changes or looking at possible problems, your home comfort system should get the same kind of attention. Scheduled maintenance by a skilled technician provides numerous benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems operate efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost varies depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal at 530-273-1301 to receive a quote.
Two-stage heating allows the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. Approximately 80 percent of the time, your homes heating requirements can be met when the furnace is set on the low setting, allowing your two-stage unit to operate for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also provide more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, improved air filtration and energy efficiency.
A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal has a selection of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the best match for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make tiny adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. You can reach us at 530-273-1301 to learn more about the technology we provide.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a number of differences. Furnaces today are designed to offer more even and efficient heating than ever before. Modern furnaces also better regulate temperature and air flow, moving more air over the heat exchanger than older furnaces.

Additionally, new furnaces are created to operate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers give your heating system an extra boost so it can deliver cool air around your home efficiently. Special features like variable speed motors will also help decrease noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently raised the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal for the efficiency standards for Grass Valley.
A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal offers a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help lower the amount of energy they require to run. Aside from picking products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you can consider the following:

  • Making certain that your system receives ongoing maintenance by a trained technician can keep your system operating at its top performance.
  • Zoning systems enable you to heat or cool only specific areas of your home, so you wont have to pay to heat or cool spaces that you don’t typically utilize.
  • Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature in your home around your schedule. They can be programmed to give you the comfort you desire when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on heating and cooling costs.
A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal is well-known in the Grass Valley area and you can trust them to provide quality home comfort products. We offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to giving customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the best solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home with lots of air pollutants floating around. So, to improve IAQ, the first step is to get rid of as many pollutants as possible. You can easily do this by cleaning and vacuuming at least once a week, frequently washing linens and storing cleaning products safely.
    • Proper insulation is ideal for keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, but it also makes it challenging for airborne pollutants to escape. We carry products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and regular cleaning are a start, but air filters, germicidal lights and purification systems take your IAQ to the next level by capturing microscopic particles, killing germs and eliminating particles while destroying chemical vapors.
    • Programmable thermostats will help control the humidity levels and temperature to help stop particles and germs from building up while also keeping your home comfortable.

We suggest that you meet with one of the technicians at A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal and have them assess your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you determine which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Most homeowners believe that air conditioners make the air in your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from inside your home, directing the hot air outside. That hot air flows across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing it outside. This process continues until the indoor temperature reaches the temperature you set on your thermostat.
Due to the amount of energy used by heating and cooling systems, the Department of Energy (DOE) increased the minimum efficiency levels for air conditioners, heat pumps and packaged units manufactured after January 1, 2015. These levels are determined regionally and carry varying requirements based on your location. A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal can help answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re looking for a replacement system.
You can find these numbers on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker is white with black letters and have both of these numbers located near the top of the sticker. M/N denotes model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a handful of ways to determine what size system is the best fit for your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size system is by having your local A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a variety of other factors.
The short answer is Yes. Dirt and other debris can hinder your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is not unusual to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also include defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in those types of conditions.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is its warmest, the high setting kicks in, and when its cooler or more mild, the low setting handles the duties. Typically, the lower setting is able to take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting kicks in, you may not realize it because it can maintain such even temperatures for your comfort. This can also mean a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and improved humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a couple of reasons why it could be doing so. The most typical reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can fix as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal. Contact them at 530-273-1301 with any further questions you may have.
Choosing the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think about. Thats why its nice to have such a big variety of choices from A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal. Whether you’re in the market for for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are a variety of thermostats that you have to pick from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the experts at A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal will be able to help determine what options meet your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a little confusing due to their name, but they actually meet both your heating and cooling needs throughout the year. When its hot outside it works like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets turned around and it collects heat from outside and brings it inside. Heat pumps are also very efficient, and could produce up to two or three times more heat than the energy it uses.

Of course we think you should also replace your indoor system, but this is why:

      • All outdoor cooling systems have a matching indoor unit that they are created to work with to ensure efficient performance. When they aren’t paired with the other unit as a total system, efficiency can be diminished.
      • As with a lot of products, advancements have brought about newer, more efficient ways of doing things. Heating and cooling systems are no different. These developments most importantly include better heating and cooling efficiency, but also involve improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
      • Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old typically need to be replaced. Not only do they have outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than more recent models. Buying a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with improved comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system could send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You should visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shares carbon offsets as it happens.
In most regions, rain will clean the solar modules off automatically. If you reside in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water could help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to clean solar modules.
The right thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help improve the efficiency of your HVAC systems. Browse our available products or contact us at 530-273-1301 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a large part of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal can help lower these costs. If you’re looking for a new heating or cooling system, look for products with high SEER ratings for air conditioners and AFUE ratings for furnaces. SEER and AFUE are a measure of system efficiency, and the larger the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, think about these additional factors:

      1. Is your system typically maintained? Whether it’s a furnace or air conditioner, HVAC systems will work more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Would you benefit from a zoning system? If there are spaces in your home that are rarely used, a zoning system will allow you to heat or cool only the most used areas of your house.
      3. Are you taking advantage of a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may lower your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning your home allows you the ability to section off parts of your home and control the temperature differently in each part of your home. These systems are best for when you have parts of your residence that are rarely used or when you and your family are constantly in disagreement of what the temperature in each area of your home should be. Zoning systems are almost noiseless and efficient, allowing you more control over the comfort of your family home. Discover more about the equipment available from A&A Air Conditioning, Heating & Sheet Metal.