No matter what your HVAC questions are, the pros at Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning in Buellton have answers. Whether you have questions about choosing new HVAC equipment to best practices on care and maintenance, we can assist. Our online FAQs answers provide a fast response for your convenience, but if you want to know more on any topic, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 805-242-9638.

Just like you need to take your car in to the shop for routine tune-ups, such as oil changes or checking out potential issues, your home comfort system should be subject to the same kind of attention. Scheduled maintenance by a trained technician provides numerous benefits to your HVAC equipment, which can help your systems operate efficiently and prevent costly breakdowns.
The cost can range depending on the equipment size and different features, so we advise contacting Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning at 805-242-9638 to obtain a quote.
Two-stage heating allows 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 left on the low setting, enabling your two-stage unit to operate for longer periods of time. Two-stage units also provide more even heat distribution, fewer temperature swings, quiet operation, improved air filtration and energy efficiency.
Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning has a variety of brands and models that are more efficient than ever and make it easier to find the right fit for your home. There are innovative systems that make heating or cooling your home more automatic, operating similar to cruise control to make minor adjustments to help meet your comfort demands with energy efficiency. Contact us at 805-242-9638 to learn more about the technology we carry.
Depending on how old your previous furnace was, you could experience a number of differences. Furnaces today are created 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 created to integrate 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 decrease noise associated with operating your equipment and easily meet your family’s airflow needs.

The Department of Energy recently increased 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 Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning for the efficiency standards for Buellton.
Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning carries a number of HVAC products with high-efficiency ratings, which can help reduce the amount of energy they require to work. Aside from choosing products that have received Energy Star® certification or achieved high SEER ratings for air conditioners or AFUE ratings for furnaces, you should consider the following:

  • Making certain that your system receives ongoing maintenance by a trained professional 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 aren’t used.
  • Using 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 desire when you’re home and increase or decrease the temperature while you’re not around, helping you save on energy bills.
Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning is well-known in the Buellton area and you can trust them to provide quality home comfort products. We offer a variety of innovative and high-quality products. We are dedicated to giving customers high-quality service and will make sure you find the right solution for your home.
Improving your home’s indoor air quality starts with four basic strategies:

    • Poor indoor air quality leaves your home with lots of air pollutants floating around. So, to improve 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 good 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 have products that help swap stale air for fresh, filtered outside air.
    • Good ventilation and routine 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 advise that you meet with one of the professionals at Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning and have them assess your home and current indoor comfort system. We can help you choose which equipment will be best suited to meet your needs.

Lots of homeowners believe that air conditioners make the air in your home cooler, but it actually removes the heat from inside your home, directing the hot air outside. That hot air goes across a cold indoor coil where refrigerant in the lines sends the heat to the coil in your outdoor unit, releasing it 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 by region and carry varying requirements based on your location. Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning can help answer any questions you may have regarding these minimum requirements and let you know what choices are available when you’re in the market for a replacement system.
These numbers can be found on a nameplate or sticker that is near your systems service panel. The sticker should be white with black letters and have both of these numbers located at the top of the sticker. M/N stands for model number while S/N is your serial number.
There are a couple ways to determine what size system is the best fit for your home, but the most reliable way to determine the right size system is by having your local Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning technician come out and perform a load calculation. This calculation considers your homes: square footage, insulation value, amount of insulation, and a variety of other factors.
Yes, because dirt and other debris can hinder your systems ability to work efficiently. For heat pumps, it is normal to have frost or ice on them during the winter, but they also feature defrost controls to ensure they work efficiently in those types of conditions.
Two-stage cooling means that your cooling unit has two levels of operation. When summer is its warmest, the high setting is used, and when its cooler or more mild, it operates on the low setting. Usually, the lower setting is able to take care of your cooling needs, but even when the high setting kicks in, 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 improved 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 fix as a homeowner, but the others need to be completed by a professional like those at Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning. Contact them at 805-242-9638 with any additional questions.
Picking the best thermostat for your cooling system comes with a lot of considerations. Thats why its nice to have such a big variety of choices from Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning. Whether you’re searching for a programmable or non-programmable thermostat or want to join the smart home trend, there are various thermostats that you have to choose from. Some thermostats will depend on what type of heating and cooling system you have, but the experts at Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning will be able to help determine what options fit your needs and your budget.
Heat pumps can be a little confusing due to their name, but they actually meet both your heating and cooling needs all year. When its hot outside it runs 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 may 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 unit as a complete system, efficiency might 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 developments most importantly include better heating and cooling efficiency, but also include improved air handling, filtering and noise pollution reduction to name a few.
      • Heating and cooling systems that are more than 10-15 years old usually need to be replaced. Not only do they consist of outdated technology, but they are also less efficient than todays models. Buying a new indoor unit at the same time means you’ll have a matched system to provide you with better comfort and efficiency for years to come.
The communication module on your home energy system could send the system’s performance records for each module to a website. You can 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 areas, rain will be enough to keep the solar modules clean. If you are located in a dusty or industrial area, periodically spraying the modules with water could help improve performance. However, detergents and high-pressure hoses should never be used to rinse solar modules.
The best thermostat for you depends on your heating and cooling equipment. Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning has programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats that can help improve the efficiency of your HVAC systems. View our available products or contact us at 805-242-9638 to learn more.
Heating and cooling can make up a big amount of your utility bill. The innovative and high-efficiency heating and air conditioning products available from Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning can help lower 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 greater the number, the more efficient the product. Besides purchasing a new home comfort system, don’t forget 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. Would you benefit from a zoning system? If there are rooms 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. Does your home have 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 systems give you the ability to section off portions of your home and control the temperature differently in each area. These systems are best for when you have parts of your home that are seldom used or when you and your family are always in disagreement of what the temperature in each area of your home should be. Zoning systems are almost noiseless and efficient, enabling you to have more control over the comfort of your house. Discover more about the zoning systems available from Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning.