Testimonials
Projects & Services
Featured Projects
- Rio Washingtonian Center
- Harvey Hottel, Inc. recently completed the replacement of a 1000 ton cooling tower on the roof of the parking garage at the Rio Washingtonian Center in Gaithersburg, MD.
- Rockville Cooling Tower
- Harvey Hottel, Inc. based in Gaithersburg, Md. one of the Washington DC area's largest HVAC companies just finished the installation of a new cooling tower...
- Winchester Welcome Center
- Environmentally friendly Geothermal Heating and Cooling system on the brand new Winchester Safety Rest Area & Welcome Center off Route 81 in Winchester, Virginia.
Featured Services
- LEED Certified Green Building Designs
- Eventually, green buildings and construction plans will be the industry standard. The team at Harvey W. Hottel refuses to skip a beat. We are the Premier LEED Certified Green Building contractor...
- Tailored Maintenance Solutions
- We recognize that everyone's requirements are not the same so beyond our standard service agreements we offer agreements "tailored specifically to your needs and requirements".
Useful Links
We are a proud member and support the following Associations and Business Groups:
- Geoexchange
Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium - www.geoexchange.org
- International Ground Source Heat Pump Association
- www.igshpa.okstate.edu/index.htm
- Radiant Panel Association
- www.radiantpanelassociation.org
- Association of Energy Engineers
- www.aeecenter.org
- Air Conditioning Contractors of America
- www.acca.org
- Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.
- www.abc.org
- Better Business Bureau
- www.dc-easternpa.bbb.org
- Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce
- www.ggchamber.org
- Salvation Army — Montgomery County, MD
- www.montgomery.salarmydc.org
- Virginia Department of Transportation
- www.virginiadot.org
- Trane Commercial and Residential Air Solutions
- www.trane.com
- Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems
- www.bryant.com
- FHP Manufacturing
- www.fhp-mfg.com
- Water Furnace Geothermal Comfort Systems
- www.waterfurnace.com
- Tekmar Control Systems
- www.tekmarcontrols.com
- Lennox
- www.lennox.com
- Honeywell
- www.honeywell.com
- KMC Controls
- www.kmccontrols.com
- ECR Technologies
- www.earthlinked.com
- Earthlinked Technologies (ECR)
- www.earthlinked.com
- HI Solutions
- hisolutions.net
- Horizon Builders
- www.horizonbuildersinc.net
- Fairfax County Public Schools
- www.fcps.edu
- Prince William County Historical Preservation
- www.pwconserve.org
- City of Gaithersburg, MD
- www.gaithersburgmd.gov
- City of Falls Church VA
- www.fallschurchva.gov
- Prince Georges County
- Montgomery College
- www.montgomerycollege.edu
- Maryland Environmental Service
- www.menv.com
Resources
Which Kind of Air Conditioning System is Right for You?
Homeowners in the Washington, DC-Maryland-Northern Virginia area often ask us what the differences are between a central air conditioning system and a room air conditioner. You came to the right place. Here at Harvey Hottel we know a thing or two about air conditioning.
The two most important things to consider are the size of the area you want to cool and dehumidify and the size of your budget. These considerations, in hand with other factors, will determine the type of air conditioning that's best for you.
The Room Air Conditioner
A room air conditioner most commonly fits into a window, though there are models that can be installed into an exterior wall. It's called a "room" unit because it really can't cool much more than that. Whether mounted in a window or wall, this type of air conditioner plugs into a standard electrical outlet and doesn't need special wiring. A larger wall unit requires its own circuit, however, and thus entails hiring an electrician as well as a contractor or handyman for the installation.
A room air conditioner pulls hot air in from the outside and cools it with a fairly complicated process that involves a refrigerant gas, compression, heat absorption, condensation, coils and a fan that blows the cooled air into the room. It's essential to determine the size of the area you want to cool: If you buy too small a unit, it will keep running, increasing your utility bills without making you feel much cooler. If the unit is too large for the space, it will cool but very inefficiently with humidity build-up, leaving you feeling cold and clammy.
The air conditioner's power is measured in British thermal units. The more BTUs, the higher the price. The smallest units are typically 5,000 BTUs, while the biggest are around 20,000 BTUs. A 5,000-BTU unit won't cool more than about 150 square feet, or a 10-by-15-foot room. A 20,000 BTU unit will handle more than 1,100 square feet.
To get the right size, calculate the area of your room (length times width), adding 10 percent for very high ceilings or a particularly sunny room. You can also call us for an estimate on determining the right BTUs for your room.
Some features you may want to consider include a thermostat built into the fan; an integrated timer so the unit can turn on before you get home from work; and an easily accessible filter for frequent cleaning.
The Central Air Conditioner
A central air conditioner cools your entire house at once using a condenser (usually located outside) and a fan-and-coil system and ductwork that brings the cooled air to each room and returns the air for cooling again. It usually works in tandem with a forced-air furnace and its related ducting; for lack of that type of furnace, the cooling coils and fan will be in the attic, with ductwork coming from it to deliver the cooled air.
Similar to the window unit, the central unit's strength is measured in BTUs per hour, but you'll sometimes encounter the term "tonnage." We will calculate your home's specific heat gain based on insulation; the number, type and exposure of windows and doors; how the sun hits your house; and other factors.
Which Is Better?
The type of air conditioning you should choose depends on your situation. If you're renting or want to cool only one room to sleep in, for example, the window unit is clearly your best bet. If your budget is limited and you can't manage the cash outlay for a central system, a combination of window units may work for you.
On the other hand, if you own your home and have a forced-air furnace and ductwork, but you're sweating through the summer or coordinating window units, taking the central-air plunge might be best for you. Once installed, central units are virtually maintenance-free, quiet and effective, and in the long run, they can save you money. Programmable thermostats can also help you save on utility bills by cooling the house just before you get home or raising the temperature a few degrees during the day or night according to your preferences.