What You Should Know About Air Handlers

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air handler unit, or AHU, may resemble a furnace in appearance, but its purpose is very different. It conditions and circulates both cool and hot air, depending on what time of year it is.

An air handler works in tandem with your air conditioner or heat pump to help you get the highest efficiency from your HVAC system. As you take in these details on air handlers, our Wm Price Heating Co. professionals are happy to answer any questions you may have.

What Exactly Is an Air Handler?

An air handler looks like a furnace in that it is usually a cased unit, like a furnace. Typically, it is located inside your Girard home and contains a blower, evaporator coil, and many components of your ventilation system, such as a filter and an axillary heat option.

The air handler is the inside component of your HVAC system–working with your split-system air conditioner or heat pump. Air handlers connect to the existing ductwork, distributing the conditioned air through your home and returning it to the air handler. The air handler blows the conditioned air through the air ducts in your home.

Air handlers come in different sizes based on the heating or cooling demand of your home. Air handler units may have an air filter, blower, and a refrigerant coil. These are called terminal units, blower coils, or fan coil units. Your system may also include a humidifier, dehumidifier, energy recovery ventilator (ERV), heat recovery ventilator (HRV), auxiliary electric heat or hot water heating coil, and an air cleaner instead of an air filter.

How Do I Know If I Need One?

If you are in the market for a new HVAC system, and you are considering a conventional gas furnace and air conditioner, you will not need an air handler. On the other hand, if you are considering a new heat pump, have hydronic heating, or want to convert from an oil furnace, an air handler will probably be part of your purchase.

Often air handlers contain electric heat strips to provide additional heating, which cause them to sometimes be mistaken for electric furnaces. True electric furnaces are completely different in workings and purpose than an air handler. The air handler heat strips are only there to assist in providing additional heat when the outdoor temperatures fall below the heat pumps balance point or during a heat defrost cycle.

Determining whether you need to purchase an air handler for your HVAC system depends on where you live, like here in Girard and which type of fuel you use to heat your home. If your home is heated with an electric baseboard or a heat pump, then your home would need an air handler. If your home is heated with a boiler, then most likely you would need an air handler for air conditioning. If your home is heated with an oil furnace, your system can be converted to a split system high efficiency heat pump with an air handler. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that since 2015, separate efficiency standards were set for different heating and cooling systems in both northern and southern regions. An air handler, in combination with a heat pump or air conditioner will determine these efficiencies.

If you live in an area with mild temperatures that see very cold weather occasionally, say in the Midwest, you may already have a heat pump with an air handler, or gas furnace, or an oil furnace. If your gas furnace is not a high efficiency model or uses oil, you can convert your home to a high efficiency electric outdoor heat pump and indoor air handler that can provide both heating and cooling. If you live in the South where you may experience some cooler temperatures but generally see warmer weather than the north or Midwest, you likely already have a heat pump and an air handler. If you live in the North, especially the upper North where cold temperatures are sustained, you likely have a gas or oil heating system. You can add a heat pump to a gas or oil furnace to help increase the system’s efficiency, which is often referred to as dual fuel or hybrid heat. A dual fuel or hybrid heat system would not require a air handler unit. 

We Are Your Air Handler Experts There are many factors to consider when it comes to air handlers. If you have any questions on whether you need an air handler as part of your HVAC system, call 330-545-3722 or request service online to talk to one of our Wm Price Heating Co. experts here in Girard, OH. We are always happy to discuss air handlers.