High efficiency comes with a price that’s higher than normal efficiency (whatever that is), and because of that higher price, high efficiency is now a subjective term that is open to broad interpretation, and perhaps even reinvention.
Lochinvar is touring the U.S. and Canada in 2013 with its new product showcase truck, which will offer a first-hand look at the company’s latest innovations.
As the Portland, Ore. housing market headed toward all-time lows in 2007, Sky Heating & Air Conditioning had to make major changes to survive. The end result, a total transformation into a growing company focused almost entirely on selling high-end, high-efficiency products like 16 SEER heat pump and geothermal heat pump systems.
Webster Engineering offers a high efficiency burner for heating and small process applications. It includes a high swirl combustion head for high turndown (10:1), a high efficiency air louver box, and linkage controls.
The new residential boiler efficiency standards just went into effect in September, with gas-fired hot water boilers now having to be a minimum of 82 percent AFUE. Many in the industry note that sales of higher efficiency boilers have been trending up, so homeowners are already expressing interest in better efficiency.
With residential new construction barely a blip on the radar these days, most contractors have shifted gears toward educating customers about the benefits of retrofitting older HVAC units with new high-efficiency equipment. In the northeast U.S., where hydronic systems are very popular, that often involves replacing older boilers.
Redesigned and featuring 15:1 turndown for energy efficiency and low NOx emissions, the Benchmark 6000 (BMK6000) is a 6 million-Btuh condensing hydronic boiler. It has an operating efficiency of 92.5 percent. The unit measures 79 (h) by 34 (w) by 109 (d) inches.
3M, through its New Ventures business, announced that it has invested in 7AC Technologies Inc., a Woburn, Mass.-based developer of high-efficiency commercial HVAC systems that use liquid desiccant technology to remove humidity from the air. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
High efficiency is a high priority on everyone’s list, especially homeowners, who can save a lot of energy with high-efficiency HVAC equipment. The winners of The NEWS’ ninth annual Dealer Design Awards in the HVAC High-Efficiency Residential Equipment category placed high on the judges’ list for ease of installation and service and maintenance, too.
Many in the industry are still lamenting the loss of the federal tax credits for higher efficiency HVAC systems; however, most manufacturers believe that customers remain willing to pay a premium for better equipment.