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5 HVAC Trends From the 2014 Air Conditioning Season

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Economic AC Pricing, News.

The Effects of 5 HVAC Trends On Home and Office Air Conditioning

New and advancing trends in the HVAC manufacturing processes and the efficiency of digital A/C controls can’t be ignored. Whether replacing, upgrading or installing a new heating and cooling system in your Arizona home, you cannot afford to ignore the modern changes in air conditioning technology. For some homeowners, buying a new heat pump or A/C condensing unit means seeking the best deal from a cut-rate discount center. But conscientious quality-focused homeowners know the value of learning about:

New developments in heating and cooling technology
Identifying the best HVAC fit for your home
Avoiding obsolete and ineffective systems
AND better understanding the top HVAC trends from 2014.

American Cooling and Heating Discusses 5 HVAC Trends Worth Reviewing

1) HVAC Trends in Economic Growth

Seems strange that economic growth should be listed as an HVAC trend for 2014, but as was predicted by ACHR News back in January of 2014, seventy percent of the surveyed HVAC/R manufacturers had visions of increased growth in demands for more efficient A/C equipment. And let’s face: Even with a staggering economy, the overall increase in available jobs, stable banking, and low interest rates has moved many people to reach out for the advantages associated with energy-efficient HVAC equipment – even if merely as a retrofit solution. It’s a good year to take advantage of current HVAC trends.

Hey, growth in the construction market means growth in the HVAC/R market. Housing startups are coming back. New homes require new air conditioning equipment. Competition pushes heating and cooling manufacturing firms to present value-added services and equipment. Contractors strive for your business. Some offer bottom-dollar pricing with minimal support. Quality HVAC contractors offer good pricing, reliable support, and guaranteed workmanship. When fitting a new home with heating and cooling, meticulous buyers tend to make quality service and support a top decision-making priority.

2) HVAC Trends in Digital Technology

Even if you haven’t had opportunity to experience the benefits of “smart” air conditioning technology inside your Arizona home, you have most likely reaped traces from the stores and malls that you visit outside the home. Programmable thermostats come in a host of formats and styles, and the efficiency increase associated with managed heating and cooling continues to attract homeowners as well as business owners. The quality of the units improves year by year. Wi-Fi and wireless models present homeowners with user-friendly management of home heating and cooling equipment, and even now, many companies continue to offer rebates on the HVAC digital technology for the home.

3) HVAC Trends in Data Management

Promised efficiency does not always translate into realized air conditioning effectiveness. Thus to ensure effective use of the advanced features in modern A/C equipment, the industry had to introduce new HVAC trends in data management. Many digital thermostats now include “smart meters” that enable homeowners and business owners to better track and measure effectual HVAC equipment efficiency. Top off home equipment with advancements in mobile applications that make energy monitoring and thermostat management a full-time option, and home heating and cooling efficiency leaps into a new age of performance and effectiveness.

4) HVAC Trends in Green Technology

Partly due to pressure from the government and partly due to respect for the eco-system, sustainability remains a primary focal point in HVAC/R trends. From Carrier to Trane and all the brand names in between, A/C manufacturing companies are committed to provide better, more energy-efficient systems for home, office and industry.

5) HVAC Trends – Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF)

Already dominant in China, Japan, and other countries, VRF has finally taken a foothold in the US. System design in a VRF unit enables an outdoor A/C condensing unit to link to multiple indoor fan coil systems. It’s energy efficient, effective, and driven by the commercial segment of the HVAC/R industry. But remember: Every thing that happens in the commercial industry eventually affects home lifestyles.

American Cooling and Heating Helping To Set Arizona HVAC Trends in 2014

Thus far, 2014 has been an exciting year for ACH, Arizona homeowners, and the heating and cooling industry as a whole. The above listed 5 HVAC trends affect every A/C vendor, manufacturer, and sales/service center. But give a call, and we will let you know how you can benefit from the current trends in HVAC/R equipment and technology.

Carrier Commercial HVAC Model Numbers – An Introduction

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Carrier Air Conditioning Arizona, Commercial HVAC.

Carrier Commercial HVAC Products Designed For Commercial Building Applications

The Carrier commercial HVAC line of building applications includes product solutions, control solutions and ready access to parts and supplies. From air handlers to water-cooled chillers and from indoor self-contained units to rooftop systems, American Cooling and Heating is equipped, trained and prepared to handle your requirements for Arizona commercial building applications. The following list identifies common HVAC model numbers associated with the Carrier commercial equipment ACH sells, installs and services.

Carrier Commercial HVAC Model Numbers

Carrier AERO® Air Handlers

The Carrier line of commercial air handlers feature advanced technology focused on delivery of quality indoor air. Installation is quick and easy but typically requires the skills of an HVAC professional. Both the indoor and the outdoor line of Carrier AERO® Air Handlers meet the specs for installation in commercial, institutional or industrial facilities. Furthermore, if retrofit is required, the Aero units fit the bill. From clean rooms to high tech processing area, Carrier commercial HVAC air handler solutions can provide the flexibility you need. Some popular model lines include the:

39M – With airflow Cfm of 1,500 to 60,500 and custom double wall design. The Carrier commercial 39M is fully adaptable to both indoor and outdoor needs.
39L – Featuring 1,800 to 15,000 air flow Cfm, a custom compact single/double wall, and uniquely fitted for indoor use.
39S – Including 400 to 8,500 airflow Cfm, a single/double wall, compact, and suited for indoor or outdoor applications.
AND 39CC – Runs at 1,000 to 300,000 plus airflow Cfm, with a full custom double wall design and fitted for both indoor and outdoor applications.

Aqua Series Air-Cooled Chillers

Save money on installation and operating costs; the Carrier Aqua air-colled chillers are designed for quick install by a recognized HVAC professional. Furthermore, the series supports balanced full and part load performance efficiency. The Aqua product line ships in two base configurations: 1) The AquaForce® based on HFC-134a single chassis with full and part load performance that exceeds the ASHRAE 90 1 requirement, 2) The •AquaSnap® with Puron® refrigerant, a chiller that utilizes a compact base, excellent part load performance, and that effectively meets the ASHRAE 90.1 minimum energy efficiency standards. Some associated Carrier HVAC model numbers include the:

30RAP – Featuring a Scroll compressor, 10 to 150 ton capacity, and using Puron® (R-410A) refrigerant.
30RB – Loaded with a Scroll compressor, running 60-390 ton capacity, this unit also uses Puron® (R-410A) refrigerant.
30XA – Featuring a Screw compressor with 80 to 500 tons capacity, the 30XA uses R-134a refrigerant.
30XA Greenspeed-Enhanced – This high-performance Carrier 20XA commercial air-cooled chiller features a Screw compressor with capacities of 140 to 350 tons running on R-134a refrigerant.

This list is designed merely to introduce you to the line of HVAC model numbers associated with Carrier commercial HVAC products. American Cooling and Heating offers in-depth reading and visuals concerning Carrier A/C equipment. Visit our primary Carrier A/C commercial resource page at Carrier Commercial HVAC Sales and Service in Arizona. The list of HVAC model numbers and products discussed includes:

Carrier WeatherMaker, WeatherMaster, And Centurion Light Commercial Rooftop Units. When you need access to the full range of light commercial packaged rooftop units, including Carrier heat pumps, gas/electric, and cooling only, ACH installs according to your designs and applications.
Carrier Gemini Commercial Air Conditioning Split Systems. The Carrier line includes 38AU condensing units, 40RU air handlers, and all in a variety of configurations designed to meet the specs of any application. Whether installing a 38AU single compressor model condensing unit with superior part load performance or one of the other compressor models, American Cooling and Heating assures that you get right-sizing for lasting reliability and energy efficient operation.
Carrier WeatherExpert And Weather Series Large Commercial Rooftop Packaged Units with capacity of 75 to 150 tons, is design built to provide a cost effective solution for initial installation, ease of maintenance, and energy efficient operation, the new design makes it suitable for a wide range of applications
AND More.

Carrier Commercial HVAC Installation Services

Complete commercial services must include commercial HVAC installation. American Cooling and Heating has the skill, the resources and the know-how to met your need for Arizona commercial and industrial HVAC services, including services for:

Arizona Liebert CRAC Precision Cooling Units
Data Centers
Telecommunications
Industrial Facilities
Hospitals
Municipalities
Federal Organizations
Retail Centers
Business Centers
Churches
Restaurants
Banks
Civil Centers.

From commercial heating and cooling product retrofit to full Carrier A/C installation services or HVAC replacement, ACH offers timely and emergency response to your Carrier commercial HVAC needs. We guarantee the quality of our HVAC installation workmanship for the life of your new ACH-installed HVAC system.

Trane Commercial HVAC Systems – Dedicated Energy-Efficient Air Conditioning Equipment

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Climate Change, Commercial HVAC, News.

Ingersoll Rand / Trane Commercial HVAC Climate commitment

As a company that fully understands the pressing challenges associated with global warming, Ingersoll Rand, including the Trane Commercial HVAC division, has openly declared a global commitment to help resolve some of the world’s existing and future climate change problems (1). Although Ingersoll’s Trane commercial AC departments cannot address every cause and effect of climate change, they can and do address issues pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions and the unsustainable demand for energy resources within the heating and cooling industry.

According to Ingersoll’s Trane commercial air conditioning website, the company is committed to increasing energy efficiency in HVAC equipment while simultaneously crafting that equipment to reduce the associated air conditioning and refrigeration emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) components. According to the September 22, 2014 press release, current efforts toward that goal include:

A fifty-percent decrease in the GHG refrigerant footprint of Trane air conditioning and refrigeration products by the year 2020
The modification of equipment for use of alternative refrigerant components in all Trane A/C products across the board by the year 2030
A five-year Company commitment to research and development. The $500-million investment is designed to help Trane created an HVAC-related long-term reduction in GHG emissions
An internal shift in operations designed to reduce the functional in-house greenhouse gas footprint by thirty-five percent by the year 2020
AND more.

Ingersoll Rand Parent To Trane Commercial HVAC and More

As a $12 billion global business, Ingersoll Rand receives income by manufacturing and selling energy-efficient manufacturing environmental controls and comfort-sustainable living and working environments. The Ingersoll family of brands includes:

Club Car®
Ingersoll Rand®
Thermo King®
AND Trane®.

The Trane Commercial Air Conditioning Division

The Trane division of Ingersoll Rand sprang out of La Crosse, Wis. in 1885 when James Trane and son, Reuben, developed and introduced a new design for low-pressure steam heating. Then the company grew, introducing Trane commercial AC systems and other large building chiller units. By 1984, Trane was a national know provider of residential and energy management heating and cooling equipment. In June of 2008, the Ingersoll Rand Company acquired all rights to the Trane HVAC Company.

Commercial HVAC products include:

Chillers – Air-cooled, water-cooled, and even absorption liquid systems
Unitary Systems — From self-contained to split systems, including options for water source heat pumps
Air Handlers – With stock units for air cleaning options, blower coil units, make-up air gas heat systems, and other performance air handlers
Terminal Devices – Ranging from Fan coil components to ventilation fans, and a host of options for variable air volume
Ductless Systems – Noted for using Advantage VRF (Variable Refrigerant Volume) efficiency.

Furthermore, the Trane commercial HVAC product line includes the Trane dedicated outdoor air solution system. The unit makes use of 100-percent outdoor air, thus providing better indoor air quality (IAQ), efficient control of relative humidity, and an effective decrease in the work load of existing internal HVAC equipment.

And then… Sometimes you need coils replaced. The Trane commercial AC SureFit Coils operation can satisfy that requirement. The SureFit division produces 90% of all Trane coils. Availability is within 1 to 3 days. But what really makes it nice… American Cooling and Heating can take care of all the fine details. You don’t have to fret the time frame or the process of what to order.

American Cooling And Heating provides Trane Commercial HVAC Sales and Service

You expect quality service from your Arizona commercial A/C installation and service center. American Cooling and Heating provides Trane commercial AC maintenance, service and installation. So remember: Trane products may rank among the best in the commercial HVAC industry, but it takes installation workmanship to reap the highest margin of Trane commercial air conditioning efficiency.

Contact the American Cooling and Heating commercial HVAC sales center now.

1) http://investor.shareholder.com/ir/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=871992

Greenhouse Gases Catch 22, Obama Administration Confronts HFCs

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in Climate Change, News.

Next Step Obama Administration Effort To Reduce Greenhouse Gases Catch 22 Problems

Greenhouse gases Catch 22, what are the issues? The battle to reduce climate change has caused many complications in the way Americans and the world perceive the costs of owning and operating air conditioning and refrigerant equipment. And when the efforts to reduce greenhouse gases result in fixes that need fixing, some might question the need for any kind of fix.

I’m not taking sides in the arguments for or against global warming. That’s a different subject. But I do want to point out a simple Catch 22 that climate change experts and the White House rule makers should keep in mind when evoking new laws that force major expenses on homeowners, business owners and the heating and cooling industry as a whole. Replacing a home air conditioning system can be expensive. And no one wants to to hear about HFCs problems three years after the installation..

Obama Administration and the EPA Battleground

On September 16, 2014 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved into the next phase of the Obama Administrations commitment toward curbing greenhouse gases. Tagged as a “fresh” approach in the ongoing battle to reduce hydroflourocarbons (HFCs), the White House has set focus on a handful of global industries. The goal is twofold:

Educate the private sector concerning the risk of HFCs associated usage in modern refrigerators and air conditioners
Develop and deploy alternative technologies for heating and cooling resources.

Typically defined as stronger than CO2 by as much as 10,000 times, HFCs greenhouse gases are considered a major contributor to worldwide climate change. The products come about in a sort of control greenhouse gases Catch 22 arrangement wherein HFCs chemicals were introduced as a replacement for refrigerant and air-conditioning freon back in the 1990s.

The Catch: Although HFCs products cause no harm to the Earth’s ozone layer they are yet major contributors to climate change. So it’s a solution wherein we fix one thing with something that also ends up needing a fix. But what drives the efforts?

According to the 2013 Climate Analytics reports, not curbing greenhouse gases associated with HFC emission will result in a related climate change problem tripled in size by 2030 (1). On the other hand, corrective reduction in HFC gases bears the hope of decreasing global temperature by ½ degree before 2050. Seems a long wait and lots of work for ½ degree. One can only hope that this fix does not result in yet another threat from a different angle.

In seeking to illustrate the expected result-to-action goals, the Obama Administration confronts HFCs by providing industry and public with the following examples:

A reduction in HFC related greenhouse gases such as R-134a as used in refrigerant and air conditioning equipment could produce a 1.5% decrease from greenhouse gases as measured in 2010.
Increased management and leak control in supermarkets could eliminate 27-million metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is a per year reduction that can reduce processing costs as well as climate-changing gas emissions.

Greenhouse Gases Catch 22

As defined by Merriam-Webster, the term “Catch 22” pertains to a difficult situation wherein there can be uncovered no simple, easy or possible solution. It’s a “problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem. (2)” Furthermore, any efforts to resolve the problem tend to result in an opposite effect of what is intended.

While I don’t deny the need to address global warming, climate change, and the need for curbing greenhouse gases, I wonder if we are once again getting ready to take on another climate change Catch 22? As in past efforts to management climate control, the answer to that question may be a while in coming. Right now, the EPA plans to publish a new list of approved fluorinated and non-fluorinated chemicals to be used in heating, cooling, refrigerant and other related HFCs dependent industries. So once again the nation will invest in workshops, equipment and upgrades to help the industry move away from HFCs.

Is it just another greenhouse gases Catch 22? Thoughts, views and opinions are welcome.

1) Climate Analytics, All Publications, 09/17/2014

2) Merriam-Webster, Catch 22, noun, often in caps

Arizona Home Maintenance – Installing a Trane Air Conditioning System

Written by Rm Harrington on . Posted in AC Service, Home Maintenance.

Being an Arizona Home Maintenance Expert Doesn’t Make Me an Air Conditioning Technician

Arizona home maintenance is time consuming and sometimes difficult but it can also be rewarding and even therapeutic. However, taking on a home handyman job that is outside my comfort zone leaves me feeling frustrated and overworked. Success in such home ventures is about knowing when to act on your own versus when to hire a professional. Sometimes the line gets blurred and I end up tackling a home repair or home upgrade project that exceeds my desire for personal involvement. Installing HVAC equipment falls into the category of no can do and no want to do.

Perhaps you too are the do-it-yourself type. Or maybe you just know a great local handyman. You’re thinking pickup a great deal on a scratch-n-dent heat pump system from the local salvage yard and get it installed for near to nothing. The local Arizona home maintenance man even has experience installing an air handler – did it once for his brother-in-law. But more than likely he is also operating without insurance, adequate bonded funds, or even an Arizona HVAC service license.

Here’s the big scoop on handyman services and A/C installation: If your next home improvement project involves the installation of a Trane Air Conditioning system or any other type of heating and cooling equipment, think long and hard before you eliminate the value of hiring an Arizona HVAC professional installation team. Don’t risk a voided Trane AC warranty, sloppy work, or a future house fire.

Home Maintenance Is One Thing; Installing AC Is Another

Avoiding the trained air conditioning service dealers in Arizona is a bad decision. I’m no stranger to handyman work, plumbing installation, electrical projects or any other construction task. When working in areas in which I lack experience, I know how to do the homework that enables safe, reliable and efficient project management and project completion. I can install and wire a new in-wall oven, a security system, and even an outdoor whirlpool. I can add insulation to the walls, lay brick, and even remove, resize and replace windows and doors.

However, when it comes to heat pumps, furnace systems and air handlers, I am lost. If the work only involved the mechanics and the electronics of the task, installing a new Trane Air Conditioning system would be a project I can handle. But:

What about the problem of right sizing the unit to fit my home floor plan and square footage?
Where should I locate the registers and is the existing ductwork sufficient for use with new and improved air-conditioning components?
What if mold is already present? How do I work with it?
Can I mix and match old and new HVAC equipment or should I do a full upgrade?

And what about the model and brand choices? Even if I decide to go Trane on all equipment, which unit or combination of units will most efficiently and effectively fit the exact needs of my home? The options seem endless. For example: Do I go with a:

Trane XR95 with a 95% energy efficient furnace rating at 60,000 btu and with a Trane cased aluminum indoor coil. And a Trane XR13 2.5 ton air conditioner
Trane XV95 with a 97% efficiency 2-stage furnace and a variable speed blower that pumps out 60,000 / 40,000 btu. With a Trane XR15 2.5 ton 15-SEER air conditioner for cooling.
Or does either of the above options even apply to my 2500 square foot, 2-story home?

Even if I had the equipment to perform the right load test and make certain I get the right A/C system for my Arizona home, I still have to consider what options need to be included. Looking at things such as added safety controls, advanced thermostat efficiency, and extended Trane Air Conditioning warranty options seems to make the demand for research endless. I want energy efficient heating and cooling equipment that is sufficient but not wasteful. As such, I buy Trane because of the Trane history for quality and service. But I also pay attention to support and warranty coverage.

If while handling my own home maintenance, I short-circuit the air handler, will the Trane warranty cover the A/C installation errors of a home handyman? No? I think installing a Trane Air Conditioning system is better if left in the hands of an insured, bonded and licensed Arizona HVAC professional.

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5 HVAC Trends From the 2014 Air Conditioning Season

The Effects of 5 HVAC Trends On Home and Office Air Conditioning