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Environmental
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Residential Air Conditioning & Heating
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Carrier Infinity® Series
High-Efficiency Heat Pump
Puron® is Carrier Corporation's class R-410a refrigerant. It does not contribute to ozone depletion.
Homeowner Tip:
Heat pumps and air conditioners made after Jan., 2006 will be required to have a SEER rating of at least 13%, making them much more efficient than models produced only a few years ago. For more information see:
2007 13 SEER EPA MandateServices:
- System Replacement
- Converting to Gas
- Maintenance
- System Repair
- Seasonal Tips
- Choosing a Contractor
- Product Brochures
About ESA:
Advanced Technology for Advanced Comfort.
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Heat Pumps and Air Conditioners
What's the Difference?
Factors to Consider Before Purchase
What's the Difference between a Heat Pump and an Air Conditioner?
Imagine for a moment that you have a window unit air conditioner mounted in a window of your house. When the unit is running it blows cool air on the inside of the house while exhausting warm air on the outside. If you turned the unit around in the window so that the warm air blows inside the house, you could heat with the unit.
A heat pump is simply a reversible air conditioner. It has a reversing valve that allows the flow of refrigerant to change direction when the thermostat shifts from "Heat" to "Air Conditioning" and vice versa.
A heat pump system has several other components not found in air conditioning systems. It has electric heating coils inside to provide supplemental heat during the coldest weather when the heat pump alone is not able to supply enough heat for the house. It also has a defrost thermostat on the outdoor unit to control the defrost cycle of the unit when the system is operating in the heating mode. During the winter, the system reverses itself every 90 minutes to release warmth to the outside and melt any frost or ice that may have formed on the unit.
Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a New Unit.
Shopping for a new heat pump or air conditioner? There are several factors to consider before making your choice.
- Efficiency
Heat pump and air conditioning systems are rated by the American Refrigeration Institute (AIR) on a standardized scale so consumers can compare the operating efficiency of various equipment. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ration (SEER) is a measure of how much electricity is used by a system to provide a unit of cooling. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the system is in converting electricity to cooling. It is important to remember that the SEER is not a measure of cooling ability, but solely of energy used.
Since January 23, 2006, the minimum SEER unit that can be produced has risen from 10 SEER to 13 SEER. This regulation comes from the U.S. Department of Energy and has brought about some changes in the way systems are sold. For those customers looking to replace all or part of an existing system with a SEER of less than 13, it is no longer an option to replace only the outdoor section of a heat pump or air conditioning system. Both the indoor air handler and the outdoor condensing unit have to be replaced in order to meet the new regulations.
- Refrigerant
The EPA has mandated a phase-out of R22 refrigerant (commonly called FREON) due to its ozone depleting characteristics. Manufacturers have already begun producing systems that use the new replacement refrigerant, R410A. By 2010, R22 will no longer be produced. Manufacturers have already started reducing their production of R22 and consumers can expect significant price increases as supplies get lower. R410A is a safe, reliable alternative to R22 and has been in use in residential systems for almost ten years. - Advanced Features
Features such as variable-speed indoor fans, two-speed outdoor units, and controls that measure and regulate both temperature and humidity can increase the comfort level in your home will costing you less in electricity.
