338 McKee St.
Batavia, IL 60510
Phone: 630.761.9007
Fax: 800.219.2218
Email: beth@confidentaire.com
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Air Balancing
The thermostat is roughly 20 cubic inches in size and is the only place in your several thousand cubic foot home where the furnace knows what the temperature is. When seasons change, so does the way the sun moves through the sky. Most homes have dampers in every heat duct in the basement. These dampers can be labeled as to which rooms they serve. They can also be marked with summer and winter positions. This allows for a ten minute adjustment twice a year to ensure comfort in every room. This saves us money too, because we sometimes compensate for temperature differences by turning the thermostat up or down.
Air Cleaners (Filtration)
An air cleaner removes large to medium sized airborne dust particles from the air. Air purifiers remove the ultra fine particles that get deep into the lung and are discussed in another article (see air purifiers). While an air cleaner will only bring moderate relief to those with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory ailments- it will do a great job of keeping dirt from accumulating in the furnace and indoor evaporator coil section of the air conditioner. When this dirt accumulated it increases utility bills and causes unnecessary repairs.
Many consumers are led astray by the marketing posted on pleated filters that are only one inch thick. It is obvious that these will catch more dust and last up to three months. What you do not find on the package is how the dust they accumulate diminishes airflow and drives up utility bills. Restricted airflow, just like in a dirty coil, also leads to costly repairs.
The air cleaners we recommend are four or more inches thick and utilize a pleated filter design. This thickness increases the surface area dramatically so as dust is collected the air still has somewhere to flow around it.
Electronic Air Cleaners
Air cleaners use electricity to statically charge particles, both positive and negative, and are called electronic air cleaners. These devices catch much smaller particles and do bring relief to asthma and allergy sufferers. Some of them even catch and kill airborne viruses and germs. When you select your air cleaner consider the cost of replacement filters over time. Some electronic air cleaners can simply be cleaned so no large paper filters go into the landfill!
Air Purifiers
Cleaning the air of dust and actually purifying it are two totally different concepts. An air purifier mounts in the central duct system and produces ions that travel with the air to each room and do the following: neutralize odors, remove VOC�s, kill airborne viruses and bacteria, and cause ultra-fine dust particles to cling to one another so they fall to the floor or get trapped in the air cleaner. It is important to choose a device that emits almost no ozone in the process, which is why we went out of our way to discover the very best products available.
Visit our Ideal Home Comfort Showroom for more information!
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Air Conditioners
The government has set the minimum SEER rating for air conditioners at 13. They go as high as 21 SEER. But first, what is SEER? Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a complicated way of determining how much air conditioning goes into your home for every kilowatt of electricity you pay for. Basically, the higher the SEER rating the lower your bills will be. But many would argue that in the Midwest 21 SEER is overkill, with an upfront cost that can never be recovered here.
The fact of the matter is that for every family the right air conditioner is a different answer. Some will run the machine from May until October, while others only for a few weeks on and off when the weather is unbearable. In Chicago, you should purchase the most efficient furnace money can buy, and the air conditioner that best matches your usage pattern. Certainly, it would be foolish to steer families toward the least efficient model when the most important variable, the cost of energy, is subject to change at any time. What else then could be important factors in the decision?
The first is refrigerant, R-22 will no longer be available in machines produced after Jan 1, 2010 because this refrigerant, when handled improperly, depletes the ozone layer. As this refrigerant is phased out the cost for each pound needed later will escalate exponentially. R-410A is environmentally friendly and readily available for many years to come. While many contractors have resisted the change to the �new� refrigerant, Confident Aire�s technicians have been certified and actively installing these units for ten years.
The second is staging, the summer day temperatures here can hit 95 degrees and cool off to 65 degrees at night. That is a daily range as high as 30 degrees! It stands to reason then that a much larger unit is needed at noon than at midnight, especially when you consider that the unit large enough at noon will run very short cycles at midnight. Short cycles do not effectively remove humidity, leaving people feeling cool and sticky at bedtime after paying for the unit to run all day while they are at work. A two-staged unit runs at full speed the few days you need it or when you have many guests in the house and at roughly half that capacity when the temperature is lower or the sun goes down. The end result is less electrical consumption and more comfort, because our clients are dry and comfortable at higher temperatures. Many clients have joked that we may have saved their marriage!
Visit our Ideal Home Comfort Showroom for more information!
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Air Duct Rejuvenation
It starts during construction. Too many bends, sloppy connections, rushed installations. First come the field mice, apple cores, saw dust, etc. Then the builder runs your new furnace to dry the drywall mud. Your new furnace and dust system already look ten years old inside. Then people move in, and with them come the pet hair, the dead skin, and the dust mites.
Our powerful equipment comes right into the house for maximum suction. No long vacuum hoses from outside means your door stays closed too. The special sanitizer neutralizes any germs and bacteria as the debris is removed. Breathe easy; we have it in the bag!
Attic Tents
The builder is thoughtful enough to leave a piece of drywall to cover the access to your attic. The insulator puts a few pieces of scrap insulation on top of it. The insulation falls off the first time somebody opens the hatch and usually lays there next to the hatch for the next several years. Each year approximately $150.00 worth of heating and cooling leak into the attic, along with humidity that causes mold. Triple those effects if you have a pull down stair case.
An Attic Tent� is an insulated cover that zips closed above the attic hatch. This cover stops air, humidity, and energy from escaping to the attic. Payback is only two years with energy savings, as little as one year if your have the pull down stair. The mold prevention is then free!
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Battery Backup Sump Pumps
As with regular sump pumps (and water heaters) the cost of these devices is the same before your basement floods as afterwards. Only you can decide when is the appropriate time to remove the builder model devices and choose a really well built model for yourself. Most of us look back after the flood and remember a noise or an event that told us in our gut that we needed to take action: humming, growling, or klunking perhaps. Don�t be the person who wishes that had acted preventively, instead of after the disaster.
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Carbon Monoxide Detectors
The sensor in CO detectors is what is responsible for saving your life (lives). The warranty stated on the package is directly related to the longevity of the sensor. Contractor models are warranted for 7 years. Furthermore, our technicians use a specialized test gas to check your CO detectors every year as part of our preventive maintenance program (ESA- Energy Savings Agreement). Our technicians are passionate about you owning two or more detectors, because roughly 40% of the units we test on people�s walls do not work. Remember, your detectors belong by your bedroom so you can hear it if you have already been exposed to CO.
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Custom Metal Work
Have a vision that involves copper or stainless steel? Need a duct moved out of the way? Need a pan for your rabbit cage? Our fabrication facility can handle that! Stop in with a sketch or a picture, we really embrace these breaks from the normal job description! We also move a lot of heat runs every year for people that want to finish their basement and improve the ceiling height.
Dryer Vent Cleaning
Just search �dryer fires� on the web. Every fire fighter organization strongly advises this being part of your regular preventive maintenance. A family of four needs this service every year. They are also kind enough to include photos of the results of neglect. Think about where your dryer is in relation to bedrooms. Better yet, do you ever turn it on and leave the house�go to bed? Schedule today.
Duct Sealing
Ever wonder why in the summer time the second floor is several degrees warmer than the first floor? Or why the basement is so cold when the A/C is on? The US Dept. of Energy, Energy Star, and he EPA will be happy to answer those questions for you. Check their websites and read how the average residential duct system leaks 20 � 40% of it�s air/energy into the ceilings, walls, and basement of your home.
You would expect the Dept of Energy and Energy Star to cover this topic, but why the EPA? Because these same leaks are responsible for construction dust and insulation fibers being pulled into our homes- into the air we breathe. Larger return air duct leaks in the basement can also create a negative pressure.
When the basement is negative air flows backward down flue pipes and radon is pulled in through the sump pump drain system. The bottom line: SEAL YOUR DUCTWORK! Your energy bills go down 20-40% that day- and your air quality goes up. The average payback in a 2400 square foot home is two years, unless the cost of energy goes up!
Energy Recovery Ventilation
Tighter windows, better doors, densely packed insulation, etc. are great ways to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint. To encourage this, our government even gives energy tax credits. But what about AC/H (Air Changes per Hour)? Air Changes per Hour speaks to how much fresh air replaces stale contaminated air in our home each hour. The better a home is built or renovated the fewer air changes that take place. The results of too few AC/H can be sickening. Literally.
Carbon dioxide from exhaling and gas appliances; VOC�s (Volatile Organic Compounds) from cleaners, furnishings, hygiene products, etc.; and humidity, build to levels that are both unhealthy and unsafe. So do we open a window in our energy efficient homes? That kind of defeats the purpose at 0% efficient.
There is a machine that uses a fan, a filter, and a heat exchanger to expel stale air from the home and bring in fresh air from outside. The ventilator can be run constantly at a low speed or on high if needed to remove strong odors. The fan moves the air, the filter cleans the fresh air coming in, and the heat exchanger takes nearly 80% of the energy you paid for out of the stale air and puts it back into the fresh air coming in. Brilliant!
Visit our Ideal Home Comfort Showroom for more information!
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Energy Savings Agreement (Preventive Maintenance)
The Confident Aire Energy Savings Agreement (ESA) is the most comprehensive preventive maintenance agreement in the industry. We not only exceed our competitors standards for diagnostic measurements and recording, but we also include several general home safety checks and exterior inspection items to help you protect all that is important to you.
It is common knowledge that those of us that purchase quality the first time, and properly maintain what we have continue getting ahead. Let the professionals at Confident Aire, Inc. be your partner in your safety, health, and prosperity. I am certain that once you review the tremendous value on the pages inside the right thing to do will be obvious.
Download Full ESA Brochure (PDF)
Furnaces
The average American family purchases a comfort system one time in their lives. When that time comes they can be overwhelmed with information on the features and benefits of familiar and unfamiliar product brands. The goal of most HVAC salespersons is to get the consumer so wrapped up in the what(s) that they forget to ask about the who(s) and the how(s). Consumer Reports� spent years publishing that year�s best brand of HVAC equipment, but recently declared that brand plays some importance in the decision, while a Trustworthy and Qualified contractor is the most important factor. Rest assured, Confident Aire offers only the best equipment in the industry from Trane and Carrier.
When a furnace or air conditioner is tested in a laboratory it is subjected to perfect operating conditions. Unfortunately, these engineers did not install the ductwork in your home. In addition, many of the safety related devices such as flue pipes, emergency gas and electric shut-offs, and drain pipes are also as old and unreliable as the appliance itself. It is easy to see why a properly engineered and installed job will cost a little bit more up front.
It is clear as day that when a contractor cuts corners to be the lowest price the consumer pays for what they did not get time and time again in the form of repairs, emergencies, and shortened lifespan. Not to mention the higher utility bills and less comfort they are rewarded with for making a bad decision. The lack of professionalism in the residential sector of our industry is precisely why the owner of Confident Aire started this Business in 1992, to be the contractor families can trust!
The only bit of technical advice offered here is this: the ability to add accessories over the years that will relieve conditions that develop, like asthma, will be directly affected by which air circulation blower is chosen. All the hype is about gas efficiency, which is no to be overlooked, but variable speed blowers use 80% less electricity and run so soft and slow between heat / cool cycles that you will hardly feel or hear them. However, these blowers constantly clean the air and even the temperatures throughout the home. Even though these motors have been around for more than 20 years, most contractors won�t even mention them.
Visit our Ideal Home Comfort Showroom for more information!
We proudly carry:
Garage Heaters
Simply stated, the rooms above the garage are colder in the winter. Projects are put on hold because the work bench is frigid. Really nice vehicles are out in the cold. We can help.
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Heat Pumps
In the furnace and air conditioner description little time was spent on the technical because most consumers have at least a basic understanding of what those devices do. Heat pumps, however, are a bit less understood in our part of the country. This is mostly due to their inability, in days of old, to provide heat when the outdoor temp is below 40 degrees F and the fact that they used to be paired with less efficient electric furnaces.
Today�s heat pumps provide heat down to much lower temperatures and are typically coupled with natural gas furnaces. A heat pump is basically an air conditioner that is capable up pumping backwards. Since a heat pump is powered by electricity owners can more easily choose to use the fuel- gas or electricity, whichever is more affordable at the time. This system is also called a Hybrid system.
Since electricity is more and more commonly being produced through renewable sources that produce no Carbon Dioxide the heat pump is making a strong come back in the market.
Visit our Ideal Home Comfort Showroom for more information!
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Humidifiers
When indoor humidity becomes low in the winter people tend to be uncomfortable. In addition to the dry skin and mucous membranes the air around us sucks the moisture from our bodies, making the surface of our skin feel two degrees cooler.
The addition of humidity through a central duct system is old news, the way in which it is controlled is exciting again! We now install outdoor temperature sensors, some of them wireless, that tell the humidifier when to add more or less humidity. This allows us to be the very comfortable in moderate conditions and protects our windows from rotting when it is really cold outside. Most of the time this is all built into a really nice thermostat, so there is one less ugly control to look at on the dining room wall.
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Solar Attic Ventilation Fans
Besides the obvious, no electrical consumption, the arguments for solar vs. powered attic fans are strong. Strong because of how powerful the electric models are. The fact is that when the attic plane is well insulated, duct leakage is fixed, and the attic hatch is properly sealed there is very little need for additional ventilation of the attic.
Power models exhaust much more air than the eave vents can bring in, so where does the rest of the air come from? Your air conditioned home. Air you paid to cool goes right out the roof. Then the air that was removed has to be replaced. If your house is not too tight (see Energy Recovery Ventilation above) then the hot humid air comes back in around doors and windows. The solar fans only run when the sun is bearing down, and they are not strong enough to overcome the homes attic plane. They also out last power models two to three times in longevity. They are just the right size and a very sound investment.
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Standby Power Generators
The average power outage in the state of Illinois lasts six days, ten days in the United States. Battery powered sump pumps run 7.5 hours. Refrigerators and freezers will keep product for 24 hours if you do not open the doors. Many families do not even have a house key on their person anymore- they click the remote or use the keypad to enter the garage. What about heat, well pumps for water, tankless or direct vented water heaters, and security systems?
Standby Power Generators automatically start and run on engines powered by natural gas within seconds of losing power from the grid. The automatic transfer switch protects against backfeeding into the grid and the electricity produced has less that 5% harmonic distortion, compared to 15% from the grid. If you are lucky enough to be home when the power goes out a small camping type generator will run the sump pump, but will use 400 gallons of gasoline over ten days. If you can, get gasoline, because gas pumps are also powered by electricity. In 2008 3 people in Indiana died from Carbon Monoxide poisoning when their camping generator was left running in the garage overnight.
Trick question- would you rather have money or power? Serious answer- you do not have to choose! This very affordable investment will give you total peace of mind and will increase the value of your home 1.5- 3 times its cost!
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Sump Pumps
When our technicians serve clients that were smart enough to replace their builder model sump pumps before they failed they typically find improperly set float switches that cause the area around the home to hold too much water, concrete or gravel clogging the bottom of the pit, nails, cigarette packs, small rodent skeletons, and other debris from the original construction. When serving distressed homeowners that ignored the warning signs they find all of the above after wading through water that is sometimes up to their waist. Ironically, the pump is usually not broken- it is the builder�s model, inexpensive float switch that has failed.
Not only are our contractor grade pumps made of durable stainless steel, but they all come with a dual float switch and an alarm to let you know when something has malfunctioned or the power is absent (tripped breaker?) The floats are also adjustable to match the construction of the pit and drain system so the most water can be removed in preparation for heavy rains.
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Surge Protectors
Does it really make sense that we protect our $1,000 computer with a surge protector but leave our furnaces, air conditioners, tankless water heaters, and other accessories unprotected? These devices install in under twenty minutes and protect your investments for their lifetime. Each one comes with a guarantee from the manufacturer so if it fails to protect your device they will pay for the damages.
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Thermostats
Today�s contractor grade programmable thermostats have built in A/C compressor protection for power outages, intelligent recovery so it is the temperature you desire at the time you set (instead of starting at that time), and even employ outdoor temperature sensors to automatically adjust the humidity level, protecting the windows, when outdoor temperatures fall below 30F. If these features are not of value to you at least get a cheap model at a local hardware store. Simply setting the temperature back 3-4 degrees for 8 hrs per day lowers the energy bills 10%. Remember, we get several repair calls each year from homeowners that did not install the thermostat properly. Turn the furnace switch off first and follow the instructions carefully!
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UV Lights (Purification)
UV light (s) come in one and two bulb units and are mounted in the supply air plenum, near the air conditioner indoor coil and humidifier. When moisture collects in these dark areas mildew and mold can grow. UV lights are not to be looked at directly, they use the same powerful rays the sun generates to kill any spores, germs, and viruses they come in contact with. They are very useful for those that are allergic to mold and/or mildew.
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Water Damage Protection
From inexpensive water alarms to devices that shut off the water supply to leaking appliances (including dishwashers, washers, icemakers, and water heaters) automatically we have preventive solutions for your home. Some of us have people that live above us, and/ or below us too. 90% of devastating water disasters could have been avoided. Many insurance companies offer generous discounts for preventive devices too.
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Water Heaters
There are times when nothing beats a long hot shower. Adequate hot water is important for not only comfort, but to keep the entire household clean. We carry a wide range of water heating technologies: traditional gas fired tank water heaters, solar water heaters, and ultra-efficient tankless water heaters. Reliability and energy efficiency are the common factors in all the water heating products we install.
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Zone Systems & Strategies
Why would we want to heat and cool the bedrooms all day while we are in the kitchen and family room? Why condition the living areas and basement all night while we are in beds? For that matter, what about the living and dining room we only use twice a year? Our knowledgeable Comfort Consultants can help you develop simple, affordable strategies to reduce your bills. This is also directly related to your carbon footprint.