UNDERWRITERS LABATORIES

UL is an independent, not-for-profit product-safety testing and certification organization. UL has developed more than 800 Standards for Safety. The Standards for Safety are essential to helping ensure public safety and confidence, reduce costs, improve quality and market products and services.

Manufacturers of HVAC/R equipment can take advantage of UL's portfolio of performance/efficiency services and safety conformity assessment solutions. UL also offers one-stop safety, efficiency, and sanitation certification services for manufacturers of refrigeration equipment.

Distributors of HVAC/R equipment also depend on UL for safety. We at Action Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., depend on UL ratings.

VARIABLE SPEED AIR HANDLER

Variable speed air handlers are not only quieter than conventional units, they are more efficient. Variable speed air handlers operate continuously at a wide range of speeds, whereas conventional single speed air handlers operate at only one speed and cycle on and off throughout the day. Variable speed air handlers provide more uniform heating and cooling because they constantly circulate the air in your home. This constant circulation also greatly reduces humidity levels during air conditioning season. Because the blower motor operates at lower speeds, it's quieter and consumes less energy

Efficient

Variable speed air handlers are more efficient. Since variable speed units typically operate at lower speeds than constant speed air handlers, they use less energy, and lower your heating and cooling bills. In fact, a typical variable speed unit uses 80 percent less electricity to run the fan than a similar constant speed blower.

Quiet

Variable speed air handlers are quieter than constant speed units for two reasons: First, variable speed units don't cycle off and on continually, as with constant speed air handlers; this reducing both duct and fan noise. Second, the lower fan speeds of the variable speed units are inherently quieter than the higher speeds used in constant speed air handlers

Uniform Temperatures

Variable speed air handlers provide more uniform heating and cooling. Variable speed units continually circulate the air in your home. This prevents uncomfortable hot spots and cold spots.

Remove Humidity

When used for air conditioning, variable speed air handlers are much more efficient at removing humidity from the air. This greatly increases comfort in summer months.

Cleaner Air

Variable speed systems can produce cleaner air. Because variable speed units constantly circulate and filter the air, the air in your home is cleaner.

R-22 REFRIGERANT

Information update on R-22 Refrigerant: R-22 Price May Be Volatile

Since January of 2003, the price of R-22 in the U.S. market has increased by more than 500%, and the supply reductions created by ongoing regulations are likely to continue to influence R-22 price in the future.

If you have an R-22 system and are having problems, you really should analyze the cost of repairs vs. replacement.

EPA INFORMATION

EPA approves three hydrocarbon alternatives.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added isobutane (R600a), propane (R290) and the R-441A blend (of ethane, propane, butane and isobutane) as acceptable hydrocarbon alternatives in household and small commercial refrigerators and freezers.
The newly-approved refrigerants can be used to replace ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12 and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)-22 in household refrigerators, freezers, combination refrigerator-freezers, and commercial stand-alone units.

HOW HEAT PUMPS ACHIEVE ENERGY SAVINGS and CO2 EMMISSIONS REDUCTION: an introduction

The following information was obtained from IEA Heat Pump Centre and we found it very interesting and wanted to share it with our readers.

This section gives a brief introduction to heat pumps. Based on six basic facts about heat supply the value of heat pumps is discussed. It is argued that heat pumps are very energy efficient, and therefore environmentally benign.

An efficient technology

Heat pumps offer the most energy-efficient way to provide heating and cooling in many applications, as they can use renewable heat sources in our surroundings. Even at temperatures we consider to be cold, air, ground and water contain useful heat that's continuously replenished by the sun. By applying a little more energy, a heat pump can raise the temperature of this heat energy to the level needed. Similarly, heat pumps can also use waste heat sources, such as from industrial processes, cooling equipment or ventilation air extracted from buildings. A typical electrical heat pump will just need 100 kWh of power to turn 200 kWh of freely available environmental or waste heat into 300 kWh of useful heat.

Six basic facts about heating

Through this unique ability, heat pumps can radically improve the energy efficiency and environmental value of any heating system that is driven by primary energy resources such as fuel or power. The following six facts should be considered when any heat supply system is designed:

1. direct combustion to generate heat is never the most efficient use of fuel;
2. heat pumps are more efficient because they use renewable energy in the form of low-temperature heat;
3. if the fuel used by conventional boilers were redirected to supply power for electric heat pumps, about 35-50% less fuel would be needed, resulting in 35-50% less emissions;
4. around 50% savings are made when electric heat pumps are driven by CHP (combined heat and power or cogeneration) systems;
5. whether fossil fuels, nuclear energy, or renewable power is used to generate electricity, electric heat pumps make far better use of these resources than do resistance heaters;
6. the fuel consumption, and consequently the emissions rate, of an absorption or gas-engine heat pump is about 35-50% less than that of a conventional boiler.

A large and worldwide potential

If it is further considered that heat pumps can meet space heating, hot water heating, and cooling needs in all types of buildings, as well as many industrial heating requirements, it is clear that heat pumps have a large and worldwide potential.

Of the global CO2 emissions that amounted to 22 billion metric tons in 1997, heating in building causes 30% and industrial activities cause 35%. The potential CO2 emissions reduction with heat pumps is calculated as follows:

 6.6 billion metric tons of CO2 come from heating buildings (30% of total emissions).
 1.0 billion metric tons can be saved by residential and commercial heat pumps, assuming that they can provide 30% of the heating for buildings, with an emission reduction of 50%.
 A minimum of 0.2 billion metric tons can be saved by industrial heat pumps (estimation based on a study by Annex 21).

The total CO2 reduction potential of 1.2 billion metric tons about 6% of the global emissions! This is one of the largest that a single technology can offer, and this technology is already available in the marketplace. And with higher efficiencies in power plants as well as for the heat pump itself, the future global emissions saving potential is even 16%.

In some regions of the world, heat pumps already play an important role in energy systems. But if this technology is to achieve more widespread use, a decisive effort is needed to stimulate heat pump markets and to further optimize the technology. It is encouraging that a number of governments and utilities are strongly supporting heat pumps. In all cases it is important to ensure that both heat pump applications and policies are based on a careful assessment of the facts, drawn from as wide an experience base as possible. The IEA Heat Pump Centre sees it as one of its key roles to ensure that these facts are available to a wide audience, including policy makers, utilities, market parties and heat pump users.

WE ARE SPOILED -- GET A GENERATOR

Imagine this. All is quiet in the house, kids are asleep, you are winding down by reading a book, and oops, the light flickers and then everything is dark. POWER OUTAGE!!! Don’t be caught without power. It can be very costly, unhealthy, and aggravating. Consider purchasing a whole-house generator.

HOW TO CHOOSE A GENERATOR

First let's go over the different types that are out there. Home generators for power outages can be portable or stationary (standby). They run on a variety of fuels, such as gasoline, diesel, natural gas (NG), and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Each type has its pros and cons. Portable gas models are relatively cheap.

For example, you can buy a 4000W set for under $300. However, such devices have short run time: you would need to refill their tank several times a day if you run them continuously at rated load. In addition to this, they are not suitable as a long-term power backup since gas pumps may not work during a wide spread blackout. For a long term emergency consider standby sets. They can provide continuous power for the home because they are hooked up to an external fuel source, such as NG line. Some portable devices can also be fueled from an external source and can therefore provide extended run time too. The main differences between them and stationary models are in their connection and activation. A portable device has to be rolled out from the storage, filled with fuel or hooked up to a fuel line, manually started, and connected to your loads. A fixed standby generator by contrast is already connected to both the house wiring and the fuel source. Therefore it can start immediately either by a push of a button or automatically. Automatic systems have an auto transfer switch. It can sense a power outage, isolate your electrical wiring or designated emergency circuits from the grid, and start the genset. When grid voltage is restored, such a system will connect you back to the utility lines and will turn itself off. You don't even have to be at home to activate it. Note that the typical transfer time of an automatic system is 10-30 seconds. Therefore, if you run important computer applications, you may still need a UPS. It can prevent data loss during the transfer time. Note that even though permanently installed natural gas powered gensets can provide practically unlimited run time, you still need to periodically shut them down to change the motor oil. With some engines you will need to do it as often as every 50-100 hours of operation. This is another reason why a UPS will be useful.

In addition to the convenience of an auto starting option and practically infinite run time, permanently connected standby systems offer power levels higher than portables. Their rating ranges anywhere from 5 kilowatt up into hundreds of kW. All this makes them the best whole house generators for power outages, especially for the long-lasting ones. Of course, they are more expensive than portables and require professional installation, which are their main disadvantages. Note however, such systems do increase the value of the house.

So, what to look for when you are choosing a generator for the home? My advice is: aside from wattage and cost, the main things to consider are the duration of time you may need emergency power, fuel availability, and convenience of use.

SELECTING THE FUEL

If you go for a stationary type, your choice of fuel should be determined primarily by the source you already use for the home's heating or by the fuels available in your area. Note that most residential generators are bi-fuel and can run on both natural gas and LPG (casually called propane). You will normally need a simple field adjustment to convert from one fuel to the other. If like most homes your house is already supplied with gas, or if LPG is readily available in your area, a bi-fuel NG/propane genset is your logical choice. See our detailed standby genset review for ratings and characteristics of various systems. Among major brands, the Generac's Guardian® and Briggs & Stratton IntelliGen models probably have the lowest cost per kW. In my view they are the best buys. You just need to pick the right size. Kohler and GE are a bit more expensive, but they offer a longer warranty. As a rule of thumb, an average house with up to 5-ton central air conditioner typically needs a system rated between 15kW and 17kW.

Give us a call to talk to the experts.