Ask Adam" Adam has been in the HVAC industry for over 40 years. He has been involved in all aspects of the business from service to sales. His main interest is in customer comfort. What Are The Current ASHRAE Standards? Adam Kern, Owner Official Heating & Cooling Fortunately most of the furnaces and air conditioners in our homes keep us comfortable throughout the year. But occasion- ally, we encounter a weather anomaly that throws everything out of kilter. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) standards are based on a 99% design temperature. This means that the outdoor temperature stays above the design criteria (based on geographic regions) for 99% of all the hours in the year based on a 30 year average. The remaining 1% represents the hours where the outside temperatures are cooler than what the furnaces are sized for. The design temperatures for heating in our area is 2° F. When outside temperatures drop below 2° F, then some people may have trouble maintaining their normal thermostat setting. This situation doesn't mean that there is a mechanical problem with the furnace. The reason that they could not reach their de- sired comfort level was because their house was losing the heat faster than the furnace could replenish it. The most lo- gical fix for these situations is to tighten up the envelope of the house with insulation and sealing the areas with the most infiltration. A few helpful tips to keep you warm in sub-zero conditions are: Keep your filter clean. Close curtains and shades at night. Let the sun shine in when possible for free solar heat. Do not turn thermostat down at night. Insulate where possible, attic should have a minimum of R-38 and ideally R-49. Weatherstrip al points of infiltration. If you have any HVAC questions, call me direct at 815-404-4634 or email adam@officialhvac.com ESALE From all of us at Official Best wishes for a Warm, Happy & Healthy New Year! OFFICIAL Heating & Cooling 800-350-HVAC (4822) officialhvac.com EACTORY ALTHORIZED DEALER NATE Carrier BBB 4 Time A Honoree Sunso the eperts Ask Adam" Adam has been in the HVAC industry for over 40 years. He has been involved in all aspects of the business from service to sales. His main interest is in customer comfort. What Are The Current ASHRAE Standards? Adam Kern, Owner Official Heating & Cooling Fortunately most of the furnaces and air conditioners in our homes keep us comfortable throughout the year. But occasion- ally, we encounter a weather anomaly that throws everything out of kilter. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers) standards are based on a 99% design temperature. This means that the outdoor temperature stays above the design criteria (based on geographic regions) for 99% of all the hours in the year based on a 30 year average. The remaining 1% represents the hours where the outside temperatures are cooler than what the furnaces are sized for. The design temperatures for heating in our area is 2° F. When outside temperatures drop below 2° F, then some people may have trouble maintaining their normal thermostat setting. This situation doesn't mean that there is a mechanical problem with the furnace. The reason that they could not reach their de- sired comfort level was because their house was losing the heat faster than the furnace could replenish it. The most lo- gical fix for these situations is to tighten up the envelope of the house with insulation and sealing the areas with the most infiltration. A few helpful tips to keep you warm in sub-zero conditions are: Keep your filter clean. Close curtains and shades at night. Let the sun shine in when possible for free solar heat. Do not turn thermostat down at night. Insulate where possible, attic should have a minimum of R-38 and ideally R-49. Weatherstrip al points of infiltration. If you have any HVAC questions, call me direct at 815-404-4634 or email adam@officialhvac.com ESALE From all of us at Official Best wishes for a Warm, Happy & Healthy New Year! OFFICIAL Heating & Cooling 800-350-HVAC (4822) officialhvac.com EACTORY ALTHORIZED DEALER NATE Carrier BBB 4 Time A Honoree Sunso the eperts