Merritt Island Air & Heat, Inc.

Lennox SunSource – Cool New Energy System

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:33:17 +0000

The new SunSource Home Energy System from Lennox Industries harnesses solar power to reduce the energy used by a residential heat pump or air conditioner, and operate other devices in the home, like lighting and electrical appliances, when the heating and cooling system is not being used.

What’s more, if the system generates more power than the home uses, it can be sent back to the utility company, potentially entitling the homeowner to money off their electricity bill.

“Lennox is the first heating and air-conditioning manufacturer to use solar energy for central heating, cooling and beyond,” says the firm’s Vice President for Product Management, John Hurst.

The SunSource Home Energy System includes:

A solar-ready, high efficiency Lennox air conditioner or heat pump
A Lennox solar subpanel

One to 15 roof-mounted solar modules which harness clean, sustainable energy from the sun and use it to run the home’s central heating and cooling systems as well as other appliances
A communications system allowing homeowners to assess each solar module’s operation and energy production online, as well as other environmental benefits such as the amount of carbon offset

Hurst adds: “Our most efficient air conditioners and heat pumps will automatically come ‘solar ready.’ Consumers who buy these systems will have the option to integrate a solar package at installation or later on. And because the system is expandable, homeowners can start small with a couple of solar modules and add more in the future, for a total of up to 15 solar modules per outdoor unit and added energy savings.”

Why Solar

It’s a choice with many benefits

Homeowners across the globe are seeing the solar light. The reasons vary for each person, though they mainly come down to the following:

It’s free.

Solar-energy systems allow you to capture free sunlight and convert it into usable power in your home.

It’s clean.

Solar energy can be used to heat and cool your home, but it has almost no impact on the global climate. By comparison, electricity generated by power plants produces carbon dioxide emissions that scientists say pose serious threats to the environment.

It’s infinitely renewable.

While nonrenewable energy sources like oil, gas and coal are becoming increasingly scarce, the sun’s energy is limitless. Wherever sunlight shines, electricity can be generated.

It can reduce your utility costs.

Having a system that creates solar energy means you use less electricity from your utility company, and that can contribute to lower heating and cooling costs. This is significant, especially when you consider 56% of energy use in a typical U.S. home comes from heating and cooling*. To find out how much you can save by harnessing energy from the sun, use our solar calculator.

It comes with incentives.

The U.S. federal government and some states provide tax credits for renewable-energy systems. Depending on where you live, you may also be eligible for incentives through your utility company. To find out what incentives are available in your area, visit dsireusa.org.

It increases your energy self-reliance.

The more sunlight harnessed by the system, the less electricity you need from your utility supplier.

It can also increase your home’s value.

An investment in a solar-energy system may improve the value of your home. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have shown that, for every $1000 saved per year, $20,000 may be added to a home’s value.

It’s extremely reliable.

The sun has been around for billions of years and is likely to burn on for billions more to come. And when you consider how a trusted name like Lennox is putting it to economical use in the home, it’s easy to see solar energy’s future is bright.

Lennox 2010 Summer Door Crasher

admin — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:26:28 +0000

HVAC Rebates and Financing Offers

The Perfect Savings Opportunity

Rebates or financing options plus tax credits plus potential utility incentives equals the ideal time to invest in a new high-efficiency home comfort system from Lennox. Add to that money saved each month in the form of lower utility bills, and you have the perfect solution for staying cool this spring and summer—and for many seasons to come.

For a limited time, receive up to a $1,000 Rebate from Lennox when you purchase a complete home comfort system, including:

Air conditioner or heat pump
Gas or oil furnace
Choice of air cleaners or other indoor air quality systems
icomfort Touch™ or ComfortSense™ thermostat

Plus, receive up to $1,500 in energy tax credits**

Many Lennox® home comfort systems meet the requirements for federal tax credits listed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. They may also be eligible for state and local tax credits, as well as rebate programs from local utility companies. For a list of eligible products, visit our Energy Tax Credits page for details.

Or, take advantage of special financing and take comfort knowing there are options to meet your personal budget needs.

The Mis-Match Saga Continues

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:31:20 +0000

VINDICATION is Sweet! I have been railing for months that changing an outdoor unit to a 13- seer while leaving a 10-seer air handler was a mean, awful, nasty, unethical thing to do. I didn’t have the “run test” data to back up such a claim, just the number crunching of the engineering data. That was then.

Now, the good folks at a local power company have done the research that has been so desperately needed to show the actual effect of this MIS-Match situation, and I applaud them for it.

Up to 40% reduced capacity in cooling which means system may not be able to keep up with the thermostat.
Up to 48% reduced capacity in heating resulting in heat strip coming on earlier.
Up to 40% reduced efficiency in cooling resulting in higher power bills. Not only is it going to run longer, but also dollar per cooling will be more as well.
Up to 60% reduced efficiency in heating resulting in higher power bills.
System charging becomes critical since the charge might seem correct for one season but not another.
TXV will not solve the charge problem for all cases since the Super Heat and Sub Cooling can change dramatically with condition.

All of these situations will result in numerous service calls and most likely the only way to resolve it is to replace the indoor coil with a larger coil anyway.

In Florida the Energy TAC has produced a “DEC” statement that requires install at or above the SEER from the last time the system was inspected when changing component parts. The data shows that unless both indoor and outdoor pieces or changed, it is a violation of the Florida Energy Code.

The real problem is that our state only has so much electrical energy available. Since several hundred thousand of these change outs per year are being installed there will be a significant impact on peak energy consumption. The amount of power required to run all these new units will dramatically increase and possible surpass that which the power companies are capable of supplying.

Governor Charlie Crist has recently issued and Executive Order that makes bold statements requiring significant mandatory increases in energy efficiency in new construction houses, and the appliances in them. This is a positive move, though the change-out market of A/C dwarfs the size of the new construction market. All the efforts in new construction would be squandered if these inefficient mis-matched installations continue to be allowed in the market 12 + million existing systems that will most likely need replacement over the next ten years and not just new construction.

The hidden problem is that these mis-matched systems will require refrigerant charge modification twice per year. In the Power Company scenario, that was the removal of approximately four plus pounds of refrigerant to allow the unit to operate in heating, only to have it reinstalled in the cooling mode. The test results also clearly show that the application of a TXV does not eliminate the problem.

Written by Bob Cochell, a FRACCA Board member and member of the Energy Technical Advisory Committee of the Florida Building Commission

Why it’s important for your ductwork to match the size of your system

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:04:13 +0000

Year after year, manufactures produce “higher efficiency equipment”, but will these new products truly deliver the savings you are looking for? The short answer is “yes”, but it’s not only about the equipment. In my experience, when customers are looking to purchase an HVAC system, they’re fixated on just the equipment and what SEER rating it delivers. However, what they don’t realize is that when an HVAC contractor does a Manual J heat load on the house to determine the size of the system for the house, the ductwork must match the size of the system. So if you need a 3-Ton unit for your house, you will need a duct system that delivers 1200 CFM, which is the amount of air a 3-Ton unit delivers. If not, you could be wasting money on that new, expensive high efficiency unit you’re thinking of buying. An inadequate duct system can cost you up to 40 % of the system’s efficiency.

I like to use the straw analogy. Take a straw from McDonalds. If you ever grab a straw from McDonalds and blow through it, you’ll notice that there is no resistance. You probably didn’t have to work very hard to feel air come out the other end. Now take a coffee straw and blow through it. I’ll bet you’re huffing and puffing to notice a little bit of air coming out the other end. It’s the same concept with your air conditioner and duct system. You’re the air conditioner and the straw is the duct system. It has to work harder to produce the amount of air it is moving… which, in return, means higher electric bills, possible repair problems, and performance issues because it’s unable to deliver the air it needs to cool your house.

The key is to make sure you ask your contractor about the ductwork, how big your duct system is, and if the air conditioning system he is proposing will match your duct system. Remember, when most people change out their heating and cooling systems, they have a low efficiency unit and are looking to upgrade to a higher efficiency unit. Don’t spend thousands of dollars for a high efficiency unit if your ductwork isn’t correct. If it’s not in the budget to do both, then go with a lower efficiency unit and get the ductwork fixed. You’ll be much happier with your system from an energy and comfort standpoint.

Amount Of Air Put Out By Each System Size:

1.5 Ton system delivers 600 CFMs of air
2.0 Ton system delivers 800 CFMs of air
2.5 Ton system delivers 1000 CFMs of air
3.0 Ton system delivers 1200 CFMs of air
3.5 Ton system delivers 1400 CFMs of air
4.0 Ton system delivers 1600 CFMs of air
5.0 Ton system delivers 2000 CFMs of air

Bigger Is Not Always Better With HVAC Systems

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:39:08 +0000

Determining the correct size of residential heating and cooling equipment is key to achieving comfortable interior conditions – temperature and humidity – and saving on initial and operating costs. The size of cooling systems is particularly critical for optimal energy efficiency and comfort. When equipment is oversized, initial costs are higher, efficiency is reduced, energy costs increase and comfort may be compromised. One Florida study showed a typical 9 percent usage for units that were oversized by 50 percent or more.

Correctly sized equipment is especially important in humid climates, where short cycling of air conditioning equipment can lead to poor humidity control. Similar to an automobile in stop-and-go-traffic, the overall efficiency of an air conditioner, furnace, or heat pump is reduced by excessive cycling. More starts and stops accelerate wear and tear on the equipment.

Oversized systems also use more fan power for the blower and often exhibit more duct leakage due to high operating duct pressure. Finally, oversized air conditioners and heat pumps greatly aggravate the summer utility peak demand on hot days, In the Florida study cited above, a 13 percent higher summer peak electrical demand was correlated to oversized units.

Use The Best Guide

Beware of casual sizing estimates based on home floor area or contractor “experience.” The residential equipment sizing procedures recommended for use in the United States are found in Manual J, produced buy the Air Conditioning Contractors Association of America (ACCA). Computer programs are available to simplify the load calculations specified by Manual J. Once the heating and cooling loads are known, we can then select compatible equipment.

Unfortunately, ACCA approved sizing methods are often not used and oversizing is very common. In one large-scale survey, nearly 40 percent of contractors indicated that they purposefully over-sized equipment, citing reasons such as “to reduce call backs”, “to allow for future expansion”, or “customers demanded it”. Those contractors who claimed to size in accordance with Manual J were heavily out-numbered by those who did not.

Sizing And Efficiency Go Hand In Hand

Manual J procedures determine the design and heating and cooling loads based on the amount of wall, ceiling, window and floor area, their insulation value, and the building envelope and duct leakage. Building orientation, roof surface color and occupancy can also make a difference. The sizing calculations for new construction should take into account the various efficiency measures incorporated in the home. As a home’s efficiency is improved, the recommended size of the HVAC system should be reduced.

How To Determine “Just The Right Size”

Insist that documented sizing calculations be performed on your home using the ACCA Manual J procedure. ACCA methods have sufficient built-in safety factors to accommodate most air conditioning needs. Therefore, it is important to follow all instructions in Manual J using precise area measurements and other specific data.
Be aware that exaggerating temperatures for indoor heating and cooling set points can have large impacts on required equipment sizing. Generally, Manual J recommends 75 degrees for cooling and 70 degrees for heating.
Select a programmable thermostat so that your home can be conditioned before you arrive, thus avoiding the temptation to over-size equipment for rapid cool-downs or warm-ups. This will improve sizing-related performance and potentially save energy associated with more reliable thermostats.
Select variable speed air handlers to gain important advantages for both hot, humid and hot, dry climates. In humid climates, many variable speed systems “ramp up” blowers slowly, providing energy savings and improved dehumidification.

Excerpted From The Department of Energy

8 Ways To Help Keep Your Home Cool & Save On Energy Costs

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 17:01:55 +0000

Do you forget to adjust your thermostat before you leave home? Check into programmable thermostats, as they do the work for you. When properly installed and set, you can save up to $180 per year in energy costs.
Closing off unused rooms can actually cost you more in comfort and energy savings. It’s best to keep doors and air vents open so that air can circulate freely throughout your home.
When your A/C is on, close your doors and windows tightly. Save even more by turning off kitchen and bath exhaust fans.
Set your thermostat fan switch to “auto” and you could save up to $25 a month in energy usage. Leaving your thermostat in the “on” position keeps the air running constantly.
Block the sun from overheating your home through the use of shades, blinds and drapes indoors. Outside, use awnings, trees, and add shrubs.
Maintenance! Operational issues can cause extremely high energy bills. Keep both your indoor and outdoor coils clean by performing routine maintenance. You’ll want a special evaporator coil cleaner for your interior unit and a solution of water and non-toxic, non-acidic cleaner on the exterior coil. Merritt Island Air & Heat can perform this on a one-time or routine basis.
Raise your thermostat. You can save 10% of your cooling costs for each degree your thermostat is set above 78.
Be sure to replace your filters. If you’re not sure what type is best for your home, check with us and we’ll gladly advise you.