Saving Money for Customers, Contractors
Two Manufacturers Tie for Gold in HVAC High-Efficiency Residential Equipment Category
Homeowners want to save money, which often also means saving energy when they purchase HVAC equipment. This leads consumers toward high-efficiency equipment. And, as time is money, as the saying goes, contractors want equipment that will not only satisfy their customers’ comfort needs, but will be easy to install and service, too, which ultimately saves technicians’ time, and the company money, on each job.
Two products — the 7 Series, Model 700A11 by WaterFurnace Intl. Inc., and Evergreen EM, Models 6103E, 6105E, 6107E, 6110E by Genteq, a division of Regal Beloit Corp. — earned the 2013 Dealer Design gold honor for their respective companies in the HVAC High-Efficiency Residential Equipment (16 SEER Plus A/C Equipment, 90 percent AFUE Furnaces) category.
7 Series
The 7 Series 700A11 is a variable-capacity geothermal unit available for homeowners surpassing both 41 EER and 5.3 COP. The unit utilizes a soft-start variable-capacity compressor, in concert with a variable-speed ECM blower and variable-speed loop pump, which allows the unit to scale output to exactly the level needed, the company said. It can ramp down to 20 percent of normal operation for ultra-efficient conditioning or up to 130 percent output using SuperBoost™, for periods when extra cooling is needed. The 7 Series also utilizes Aurora, the next generation of controls, to continuously monitor and optimize operation. Aurora provides a platform of two-way communication between components, robust troubleshooting capabilities, and advanced communication protocols. This includes integration to home automation net-
works and whole-home energy monitoring.
The Aurora Interface Diagnostic (AID) port allows service and diagnosis of the unit without having to open it. It provides easy-to-use troubleshooting features with fault lights, on-board diagnostics, and a hand-held AID Tool.
Bob Brown, vice president of engineering, WaterFurnace Intl. Inc., said of the AID tool, “All temperatures, pressures, timings, and inputs/outputs can be viewed on the tool for ease of configuration and servicing.”
The equipment was specifically crafted with ease and elegance in mind. “The Aurora Control System was developed to simplify this added sophistication, by focusing on the dealer experience in setup and servicing of the product, including as many configurations as we could into the software,” he said.
Installers’ View
What do those who are installing the equipment think? “The installation is a breeze and setup with the AID tool is great. I would highly recommend this product to anybody that takes the installation classes,” said Travis Smith, owner, Sky Heating & Air Conditioning, Portland, Ore.
According to Tony LaFrenier, owner, Precision Air Inc., Nashville, Tenn., the features and benefits make it simple to sell, while “The on-board diagnostics and simple setup makes it easy to install, start up, and service.”
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Evergreen EM
The Evergreen EM 6103E, 6105E, 6107E, 6110E models by Genteq, a division of Regal Beloit Corp., were designed to replace direct-drive blower motors in residential and light commercial indoor furnaces, air handlers, and package systems that were designed with a standard ECM motor, such as an X13 or equivalent competitor model. It features Genteq’s Rotation Sensing Technology to ease installation and reduce SKUs. The motor is pre-programmed with five speeds and is capable of variable-speed operation using a retrofit ECM pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller. The Evergreen EM is available in 1/3-, ½-, ¾-, and 1-hp 115-V models.
According to Paul Selking, HVAC business leader at Regal Beloit Corp., the company got input from others on the product. “Customer feedback via our e-lab contractor training was a driving force in the creation of this product. The Evergreen EM was built and tested in house, and pre-production samples were provided to select partners for evaluation prior to the launch of the product.”
He indicated that the company will continue to get feedback on other products, as well. “Just as the EM is our fourth-generation product in the Evergreen line, Genteq looks to continue to gather contractor feedback, as we have plans to launch several additional products in the future.”
Selking said that the motor has multiple applications. “The Evergreen EM motor can be utilized for alternate use in commercial building series VAV box and packaged heat pump retrofit/upgrade.”
Counter Talk
The product is quite new, but a few distributors weighed in on what they see as installation and service-friendly features of the motor.
“Since this motor is pre-programmed, there is no need to wait for programming. The contractor can also carry the motor in his truck as stock to replace any constant-torque ECM OEM applications. I would highly recommend the Evergreen to any contractor working to reduce truck stock while continuing to keep the efficiency up in the homeowners’ system,” said Mike Kline, product manager, Johnson Supply, Houston.
Eric Wallace, branch manager, Johnstone Supply, Rosedale, Md., said it “takes a complex motor, and makes it simple to replace — plug-and-play if you will.” He predicted that the motor will be “as prevalent as the Masterfit motor in the coming years.”
Doug Cobb, account manager, Johnstone Supply, Raleigh, N.C., said that a contractor does not have to have a wholesaler program to obtain it, which will save time, and it can be stocked on a technician’s truck, which will save time and gas. He described it as “the best thing since sliced bread for the service tech.”
Gold Winners Highlights
WaterFurnace Intl. Inc.
7 Series
www.waterfurnace.com
Genteq, a division of Regal Beloit Corp.
Evergreen EM Models
www.thedealertoolbox.com
Silver Winner
Art Cool™ Premier LS090HYV
The Art Cool™ Premier LS090HYV is a duct-free residential single-zone heat pump system. Updated compressor and fan design allow SEER up to 28. It has a pearlized patterned front panel, honeycomb air-inlet grille across the top of the unit, elegant vane movement, and a discrete LED display on the front-right side. The larger space for piping, drain pump, and tubing behind the unit can leave a clean finish, said the company. Introduction of a three-row hybrid heat exchanger increases indoor unit coil surface area while reducing any loss in capacity by using a smaller tube diameter in the third row of the coil. A single-suction twin-rotary dc inverter compressor improves refrigerant compression efficiency at low speeds and minimizes voltage switch energy loss to achieve 28 SEER.
Silver Winner Highlights
LG Electronics
Art Cool™ Premier
www.lghvac.com
Publication date: 7/22/2013
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