Malloy, the former president of CSS, relayed some of the challenges he faces as the new head of Carrier’s residential sector.

“One of the big challenges, certainly with the Carrier and Bryant brands, is to reaffirm the connection with our key program dealers,” he said. “These are the folks that are most loyal to Carrier and Bryant. They are the people that have been with us for a long time. And these are the people that have the greatest expectations about how we are going to fulfill our end of the partnership.”

More Use of R-410A

In residential product announcements, Carrier said its WeatherMaker® two-speed Model 38TDB air conditioning units and Model 38YDB heat pumps are now available with Puron® refrigerant.

“Now consumers can add the advantages of Puron refrigerant to the long list of product benefits,” said Craig Kersten, Carrier senior product manager, who noted that the two-stage heating and cooling technology allows the units to operate on low speed/low capacity about 80% of the time.

The company also noted it expanded its high-efficiency, premium small-packaged product line to include Puron. Now offering the non-ozone depleting refrigerant are the new 50JZ heat pump, the 50GL air conditioner, and the Model 48GP (gas heating/electric cooling).

Andrea Dopp, Carrier senior product manager, pointed out that as HCFCs are phased out and the price of R-22 rises, these conditions make Puron equipment a “sound, long-term hvac investment for home and building owners.”

Responding to consumer feedback, Carrier also introduced an external filter media cabinet available as standard equipment on its deluxe and premium gas furnaces. According to Melissa Ray, Carrier senior product manager, the furnace media cabinet allows consumers to change their filters without going inside the furnace.

“Market research indicates that this is a highly desired feature,” she said. “In fact, poor filter access is the number one consumer complaint about gas furnaces industry-wide.”

Designed for its own air filters, the cabinets also accommodate filters of standard dimensions, which can be purchased at many retail outlets.

“Experts recommend that homeowners frequently inspect and regularly change their furnace filters to improve the indoor air quality of their homes. The convenience of these new media cabinets will promote this practice,” said Ray.

Commercially Speaking

From the commercial side, Carrier said it plans to launch its Aquasnap™ air-cooled chiller in North America this year. These chillers have been sold elsewhere up until now. In Europe, the manufacturer said more than 4,500 units are in service.

According to CSS senior product manager Brian Key, the air-cooled chiller features a compact, all-in-one hydronic package unit design. Aquasnap’s pump, tank, and piping are prebuilt into the unit.

“All it takes is a single wrench for the water piping and a screwdriver for the three-wire power connection, and the Aquasnap is ready to go,” said Key.

In improvements, Carrier said its Evergreen™ chiller is now available with a vfd “that reduces power consumption and delivers impressive results at part-load conditions.”

Sidebar: Alliance Urges Improvements

WASHINGTON, DC — The Alliance to Save Energy, based here, says that homeowners should wrap energy efficiency improvements into home mortgage refinancing in order to lower energy bills.

David Nemtzow, Alliance president said, “As energy costs rise and demand exceeds supply, this is a great time for consumers to improve the energy-efficiency of their home and obtain tax advantages of tax deductible interest on these upgrades.”

Benefits to such upgrades to consumers are also benefits to the environment, according to the energy Alliance. Some of the benefits include decreased home energy bills and energy use, increased home comfort, and decreased pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

“To make the greatest differ-ence, we advise homeowners to first look at their heating and air conditioning systems and thermostats which control them (consider a programmable thermostat), and then the shell of the home to take care of energy leaks (caulking, weather stripping, insulation, and windows), refrigerators, and other appliances, hot water heaters, and home electronics.”

For all of these, the energy Alliance suggests that consumers ask for products with the “Energy Star” label, the symbol of energy-efficiency, to reduce related energy expenses by upwards of 30% in each category.

For more information, visit www.ase.org (website).

Publication date: 02/19/2001