Building new home in Dallas. Am looking for advice on how much to invest in AC unit, STD with builder is Carrier SEER 14. I know energy cost will be going up is it worth the money for the higher Seer rating. ALready doing simple things on more insulation and radiant barriers etc.

JackT

Living in Dallas I would recommend going with the high SEER unit. Your unit will be running a lot and it will be a good investment. People who live in northern states where they don't run the units much sometimes won't see any big advantages. You need to compare installation prices and electric rates to see if it pays off.

RichardBondMan

I live along the approx same latitude as Dallas and it gets very hot, humind here near NW Florida and it also gets fairly cold down as low as the teens on some winter nights and days and I chose a 12 seer "heat pump" unit over a 10 or 14 not for any particular reason. I just looked at the cost of each, the anticipated savings in energy and decided somewhere in the middle. Looks like I made a good choice about 7 yrs ago, as most anything made by man will everntually need replacing and my unit has had it's share of mechical issues so keep in mind the life expectany of your investment in the HVAC unit. I think it's about 10 or 12 years either before it needs replacing on average. Perhaps there is a HVAC expert who wants to correct me if I am wrong on the life expectancy.

T-Top

Go with the higher SEER it will pay off with the new home. GOOGLE " Doug Rye show". He will tell and show you how and why to do it, and its free info.

NorthernHeat

Read this set of posts, there is some good information in it.
http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/heating...eer-86291.html

sailor612

Here in NW FL...
We sell American Standard...i know people will be commenting "to pricey!". I actually just re-did my home A/C also with what we sell. Honestly, I am extremely pleased by my new system. I have an 18 SEER dual compressor, variable speed. We did pay more for the better system, but with utility prices on a rise, it will pay off SOON!
The way the dual compressor works, is the smaller compressor runs most of the time unless the demand for cool is very high (people coming and going all the time, group gatherings...)then the bigger compressor turns on. **less power usuage
The variable speed is good too. It takes a lot of power just to start a unit, but with variable speed, the blower starts slow and ramps up (makes airflow quieter and doesn't have power on with such high start power *which saves with power used just to start). Also, w/variable speed the blower doesn't always have to run at one speed, if it doesn't need to run at highspeed it won't...it will run at a lower speed (using less power). We added the American Std. Accuclean airfilter to our air handler. Thats a great addition too! The thing is, in order for it to filter to is greatest extent you need to run your blower constantly (to clean the air constantly!!) with variable spd. you can run you blower all day long and it cost about 5cents a day to contantly clean the air.

Think about this too...turning a light bulb on and off constantly is what makes it burn out faster, its the same concept with electrical motors. (its the constant on and off that wears them out faster...not them running

Keep in mind, the initial investment may be high for good efficiency equipment, but the cost of living will be lower!!!

Talk to different consultants and see what will fit YOUR needs!! After you've done your research take a look at HVAC OpCost and just plug in your equipment info and it will help put some of the investment cost into a longer view of cost difference! GREAT WEBSITE for ballpark ranges! (Granted it won't be exact...but it does a good job of breaking it down)

hvac1000

Dual compressor= double trouble= you do not really want to here how much this costs when it need to be replaced!!! Can you say go to the bank and make a loan?

Variable speed motor= 650.00
Variable speed motor end bell electronics=400.00

Finding someone who has the tools to set the dip switches and make the proper settings when installed is almost impossible. If you are using your existing duct work it is a total waste of money to buy all of the above.

Service companies that send there men to attend my recertification classes have a fun time talking about the high efficiency equiptment during break. It has opened up a new road into your wallet and they love it.

Under ideal conditions with new duct sized correctly and a extremely knowledgeable person doing all the work there are some benefits but buying new duct and finding that person is very difficult to do.

Best for you to buy equiptment with the standard 3 speed blower,one compressor, TXV installed with hard start kit, Honeywell digital thermostat for control ( note: there are many different types so you will have to pick out exactly how much control (fancy) you want your stat), quality filtration system (note: I did not say electronic), new copper line set (why keep the old varnished up one. New unit new lines), Proper size return air and tighten up your duct system with mastic made for that purpose,(stops air leaks),.

Get the longest FACTORY warrenty you can get. I said factory not a warrenty that the dealer sells on the side.

Get a minimum of 2 or 3 estimates of EXACTLY what you want done including all the above in writting. Make sure your homeowner insurance covers damage caused by lightning and power surges if not have your utility install a main surge /brown out protection on your meter base.

The up front cost and the eventual repair of higher efficiency equiptment plus the inability to really get the equiptment to perfom as stated by the manufacturer is the reason I would shy away from the super delux stuff being offered.

I have enclosed a small wiring diagram. If your HVAC guy is smart he will know how to do this for you. You can also install a humidstat in this circuit to run the standard 3 speed motor at a slower speed for A/C use. This will strip the moisture out of the air faster than any two speed unit out there. The humidstat senses the high consentration of water in the air and will lower the blower speed to allow more air hang time at the coil allowing for much better humidity control in areas that need it.

Good luck with your decission.

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hvac1000

One more cool diagram to control humidity with 2 stage cool thermostat.

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hvacservicetech_07

Hvac1000 is 100% correct, I just replaced a variable speed on a pulse furnace and the S.O.B cost the customer 750.00 just for the parts , it is a BIG waste of money, you will never recover the cost of the system before you need to start making repairs. mid seer single stage is the way to go.

JackT

I don't know how things are down in Florida but, up here in SC it's had to find a technician who can properly service the basic, simple systems. Finding a GOOD QUALIFIDE service tech who can make repairs without using the "I'll Try This Method" is next to impossible. If you have any extras, send them my way and I'll hire them in the morning...