The 1990 Clean Air Act mandated the gradual phase-out of R-22 refrigerant, an ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). The older refrigerant continues to be available for the maintenance of older equipment, but production levels continue to fall as prices steadily rise. In just the first quarter of 2012, its price more than tripled. As the phase-out has continued, more increases have followed -- now nearly 4X its 2010 price.

Lincoln's recommendations:

• Service your equipment every season (ACs once and heat pumps twice a year). Always a good idea for maximum comfort and efficiency, our precision tune-up will detect leaks early preventing expensive re-charges not to mention damage to the environment.
• Schedule a no-pressure no-obligation consultation. Lincoln will help you select the right replacement for your comfort goals and for your budget. You'll learn just what you can expect in savings with today's higher efficiency environmentally-friendly replacements. You'll know just how soon you can expect your new system to pay for itself, what impact today's higher efficiencies will have on your electric bills, and what you may gain in family comfort.
  
  We will collect the refrigerant from your old unit and send it to a recycler. Unfortunately some disreputable contractors will release these harmful chemicals into the environment.

The generators we install are always on stand-by for any emergency -- whether you're home or not. Powered by clean reliable natural gas or propane, they are always on-call. They self-test weekly and are engineered for low maintenance.

Balanced HVAC's Lincoln Stubbs will help you pick the right unit for your needs and for your budget -- whether you wish to back up every circuit or just selected ones like kitchen, sump pump, freezer, telephone, router, heating/cooling, entertainment centers, etc.

Homeowners often attempt to improve air quality by purchasing “high efficiency” filters from home centers and hardware stores. These fill fast and WILL OBSTRUCT THE AIRFLOW so critical to your comfort and to your system’s energy-efficiency. Worse, this obstructed air flow puts extra strain on fan motors and compressors leading to expensive repairs and pre-mature equipment failure.

NO CHANGE SHOULD EVER BE MADE TO YOUR HEATING COOLING SYSTEM without first consulting a contractor certified and equipped in air balancing diagnostics.

When it comes to clean air, here’s what we recommend:

Standard 1” blue fiberglass filters stop only the largest of particles. They’re designed to protect equipment but do little to reduce household dust and pollutants. White pleated electrostatic filters are somewhat more effective, but MUST BE CHECKED REGULARLY AND CHANGED WHEN DIRTY. That’s why we send monthly email reminders to all of our friends and customers.

The most cost-effective and energy-efficient way to clean your home’s air is with an ultra-efficient air filter incorporated into your heating and cooling system. We offer air quality solutions that effectively remove pollutants as small as 0.01 microns.  Ours are engineered to have a minimal impact on airflow with filters that need changing only two to three times a year.