In the last few years, manufacturers have introduced a flurry of green products to the market, that is, products that help the end user save energy, lower emissions, reduce waste, etc. Nowhere does that make more sense than in the HVAC industry, where high-efficiency heating, cooling, and ventilation products are in great demand by home and building owners looking to cut energy costs and lessen their impact on the environment.

This plethora of green products is coming at a good time, as many consumers are willing to pay a premium to ensure they’re using the cleanest, most energy-efficient equipment available. A few of these green offerings are listed below.

Advanced Energy Products Corp.’s (www.advancedenergyproducts.com) NightBreeze™ ventilation cooling systems integrate ventilation cooling and fresh air ventilation with conventional heating and air conditioning using intelligent controls. The result is reduced energy use and improved IAQ and comfort. Developed under California Energy Commission research grants, studies have shown that NightBreeze can reduce cooling energy costs by about 30-40 percent in California Central Valley climates and can eliminate the need for air conditioning in coastal climates. Unlike whole-house fans, NightBreeze filters outdoor air and does not require windows to be open. The system is easy to use and fully automatic. According to company president, Mark Berman, “NightBreeze presents the opportunity to serve large, previously underserved markets, offering reduced cooling costs; improved comfort, indoor air quality, security, and environmental sensitivity in a single product.”

Bryant Heating and Cooling Systems (www.bryant.com) recently introduced the Hybrid Heat™ system, which includes a gas furnace paired with a heat pump. The system lets dealers offer homeowners an ultraefficient system that uses gas or electricity, whichever is more economical for the weather and fuel cost conditions in their area. This new technology from Bryant helps homeowners save money on utility bills in a time of unpredictable fuel costs. The system is a more energy-efficient variation of the traditional heating and cooling split system because it enables greater control over which fuel is used for heating. The inclusion of a heat pump allows the option of electricity-fueled heating and cooling, in addition to gas furnace heat. The energy-saving duo capitalizes on less expensive electricity to heat the home in milder weather, switching to more effective gas heating in colder weather.

Carrier Corp. (www.carrier.com) launched a new line of energy-efficient chilled beam cooling products, which are designed for use in commercial applications with high cooling load and/or rooms that require individual temperature control. A chilled beam system cools using chilled water passing through a ceiling mounted unit. Supply air beams (also known as active chilled beams) operate with induction, where incoming primary air induces room air through the coil in the beam. This system is ideal for classrooms and auditoriums, hotels, office spaces, open floor plans, or laboratories, where outside air might be considered a contaminant. Chilled beams circulate air without the noise and expense of ductwork. These new chilled beam products provide commercial customers greater flexibility in improving IAQ in their buildings along with increased efficiency, reduced expenses, and very low noise.

Hallowell International (www.gotohallowell.com) recently introduced its Acadia™ heat pump, which is a single system engineered to comfortably and efficiently heat and cool homes no matter what the weather outside, making it both economical and environmentally friendly. The patented new system is all-electric, eliminating the need for expensive and pollutant fossil fuels, and the company says the system outperforms conventional heating systems by 200 percent. Traditional heat pumps lose efficiency when temperatures outside drop below freezing, requiring additional, expensive resistance heaters to keep homes warm. The Acadia utilizes the patented Opti-Cycle booster, which enables the system to run efficiently in temperatures as cold as -30°F. The savings are even greater when compared to fossil fuels.

Nordyne’s (www.nordyne.com) iQ Drive is an ultraefficient air conditioning system that includes outdoor air conditioner, controller, and iQ Drive air handler or iQ Drive-ready furnaces with indoor coil. iQ Drive-ready furnaces currently include new 80 and 95.1 AFUE two-stage variable speed, upflow/horizontal and downflow applications. The iQ Drive system’s inverter technology continuously adjusts to the cooling requirement to provide efficient, quiet operation. The system continuously monitors and modulates capacity to match the cooling requirements and provides comfort, quick response, lowest noise, and an industry leading 23 SEER operating efficiency. The company said, iQ Drive provides the highest level of efficiency available to a consumer in a split-system air conditioner as well as unprecedented humidity control and the industry’s lowest noise levels, for total home comfort.

WaterFurnace’s (www.waterfurnace.com) Envision™ Series comfort system can save homeowners up to 70 percent of their home energy heating and cooling costs. The units range in size from 0.75 to 25 tons and use the Earth’s ability to store heat energy in order to provide high efficiency heating and cooling. Using advanced technology, WaterFurnace systems tap into that stored energy to provide year-round comfort. Heat energy is collected and transferred through an earth loop - an underground piping system. The ground absorbs about 47 percent of the sun’s energy that reaches the Earth. WaterFurnace systems harness that free, renewable energy and provide an environmentally friendly way to heat and cool. Installing a WaterFurnace system is the environmental equivalent of planting 750 trees or removing two cars from the road. And the WaterFurnace system doesn’t burn fossil fuels, which means no emissions or harmful greenhouse gases are released into the air.

Publication date: 06/23/2008