Dual Fuel System 16 SEER 90% Gas furnace

These are pictures of our most recent replacement HVAC system. This was a 4 year old home in Richmond, VA which had a ductboard air distribution system, a 10 SEER AC with 80% gas furnace system. The first floor system failed due to an incorrectly sized ductwork system. We removed all the ductboard ductwork and installed new insulated metal ductwork along with installing a new dual fuel system which consisted of a 16 SEER American Standard 2 stage heat pump, a 90% variable speed 2 stage gas furnace and a Honeywell IAQ thermostat.

New insulated metal ductwork in crawl space
Poor installation before removing fiberous ductboard in attic
Corrected Installation with insulated metal ductwork in attic

Undersized ductboard air distribution system in crawl space
New 90% 2 stage variable speed gas furnace American Standard

New 16 SEER American Standard Heat pump next to 10 SEER AC unit

How big is your Carbon Foot Print?

Carbon Foot Print-what is that you may ask? It is a representation of the effect human activities have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gases produced (measured in units of carbon dioxide). In laymens terms--the amount of carbon dioxide a person or household produces by the use of electricity, fuel oil, natural gas, and gasoline. Some things that contribute to "your" carbon footprint are;

• Driving a vehicle
• Turning on lights
• Using any electrical appliance
• Cooling and heating your home

So, why does the size of your carbon footprint matter to you or anyone else? Well, greenhouse gases are contributing to the changes in our earths atmosphere. Did you notice how warm this past January was, perhaps your children notice there wasn't any snow at all this winter. Maybe you remember how hot last summer was or the increase number of hurricanes over the past couple of years. There are plenty of published scientific reports stating why the climate is changing and just as many saying the climate is not changing. There is a plethara of information on the subject of global warming that one can peruse. Since there has been so much published on global warming and climate change perhaps we should pay attention to our carbon footprint.

Think about it, what could it hurt if we paid attention to our carbon footprint? Nothing, we might actually save some money by not driving as much, keeping our lights turned off when we aren't in room being used, and keeping our thermostats a degree warmer in the summer and a degree cooler in the winter.

Come back for more tips on what you can do to reduce your carbon foot print.