No matter what your HVAC questions are, the pros at Rescue Heating & Air in Alice have answers. Whether you have questions about picking new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we can assist. Our online FAQs answers provide a rapid response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 361-603-4784.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for normal tune-ups, such as oil changes or inspecting potential problems, your home comfort system should get the same kind of attention. Routine maintenance by a trained technician provides various benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems perform efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost can fluctuate depending on the equipment size and different features, so we suggest contacting Rescue Heating & Air at 361-603-4784 to obtain a quote.
Two-stage heating enables the furnace to heat at two levels of output: high for cold winter days and low for mild ones. Around 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 run for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also provide more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, better air filtration and energy efficiency.
Rescue Heating & Air 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, functioning similar to cruise control to make tiny adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Give us a call at 361-603-4784 to learn more about the technology we offer.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a host 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 crafted to operate with other high-efficiency HVAC products, such as air conditioners. The air conditioner blowers offer 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 lessen 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 made after Jan. 1, 2015, since heating and cooling contributes significantly to a homes total energy usage. The requirements vary by region, so call Rescue Heating & Air for the efficiency standards for Alice.
Rescue Heating & Air offers a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help lower the amount of energy they require to run. Aside from choosing 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 expert 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 aren’t using.
  • Having 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 want when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on energy bills.
Rescue Heating & Air is well-known in the Alice area and you can depend on them to provide quality home comfort products. We carry a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to providing customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the appropriate solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home filled with air pollutants floating around. So, to enhance 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 getting rid of 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 recommend that you meet with one of the experts at Rescue Heating & Air and have them evaluate your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you decide which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Many homeowners believe that air conditioners make it cooler in your house, but it actually removes the heat from your home, moving the hot air outside. That hot air moves across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing the hot air outside. This cycle continues until the indoor temperature reaches the temperature you set on your thermostat.
Due to the increasing 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 based on region and carry varying requirements based on your location. Rescue Heating & Air can answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re searching for a replacement system.
These numbers can be found 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 at the top of the sticker. M/N signifies model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a handful of ways to determine what size system is right for your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size system is by having your local Rescue Heating & Air technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a number of other factors.
The short answer is Yes, because dirt and other debris can inhibit 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 that type of weather.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is in its hottest weeks, the high setting kicks in, and when its cooler or more mild, the low setting gets the job done. Usually, the lower setting can take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting starts up, you may not realize it because it can maintain such even temperatures for your comfort. This also means a quieter cooling system, greater efficiency and better humidity control.
When your cooling unit freezes up, there are a variety of reasons why it could be doing so. The most common reasons include: dirty filters, low refrigerant, a dirty evaporative coil and a faulty blower motor or relay. A dirty filter is something you can take care of as a homeowner, but the others need to be fixed by a professional like those at Rescue Heating & Air. Contact them at 361-603-4784 with any additional questions.
Identifying the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot to think about. Thats why its nice to have such a great variety of choices from Rescue Heating & Air. 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 select from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the pros at Rescue Heating & Air will be able to help determine what options fit your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a tad confusing due to their name, but they actually take care of both your heating and cooling needs year-round. When its hot outside it operates like an air conditioner in that it removes heat from your home, but when it cools off, the process gets reversed 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 piece as a whole system, efficiency may suffer.
      • 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 advances most importantly include improved 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 consist of outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than newer models. Adding 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 may send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You may visit this website to learn more about the system’s status, energy production and environmental benefits. The site also shows carbon offsets as it happens.
In most locations, rain will naturally clean the solar modules. If you are located in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water can help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to wash solar modules.
The right thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Rescue Heating & Air has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help enhance the efficiency of your HVAC systems. View our available products or contact us at 361-603-4784 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a significant amount of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Rescue Heating & Air can help decrease these costs. If you’re shopping 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 higher 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 run more efficiently after regular maintenance checks.
      2. Could your home use a zoning system? If there are areas 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. Have you installed a programmable or smart thermostat? According to the U.S. Department of Energy, programmable thermostats may decrease your heating costs by up to 35 percent, and your cooling costs by up to 25 percent.

Zoning equipment gives you the ability to section off parts of your house and control the air differently in each room. Zoning tends to be ideal for when you have parts of your house that are infrequently used or when you and your family are constantly in disagreement of the perfect temperature for the house. Zoning systems are nearly silent and efficient, enabling you to have more control over the comfort of your home. Discover more about the equipment available from Rescue Heating & Air.