Thursday, October 21, 2010

Honeywell Web-enabled Controllers

Why not? Nowadays, you can control everything from your garage door to your TV to your home's lights - courtesy of your computer or smart phone.

Honeywell recently announced the addition of web-enabled controllers to their already stellar suite of products. Not only will these controllers be convenient for home and business owners, but they will also help save money on their heating and cooling bills.

Read more on the Honeywell site at http://beyondinnovation.honeywell.com/reference_materials/web602/NR_WEB-602+WEB-202_Controllers.pdf

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

HVAC Training or....Death?

Which would you choose? Um yeah, we'd go with HVAC training as well - trust us, it's not that bad!

http://www.achrnews.com/HTML/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000918818

Link courtesy of ACHRNews - http://www.achrnews.com

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Story of AZ-20® (R-410A)

Many people wonder about the advantages of the refrigerant R-410A and what is the background. Thanks to Honeywell, you can read all about it on their web site by clicking here or reading the following transcript taken from the Honeywell web site.


In response to the need to replace ozone-depleting chemicals, Honeywell embarked on a research program to develop environmentally friendlier refrigerants in the late 1980's. In 1991 Honeywell (then known as AlliedSignal) announced its solution, a remarkably efficient refrigerant which we called AZ-20® refrigerant, and which was later assigned the generic name R-410A. After years of effort, and a cooperative development program with the air conditioner manufacturer Carrier Corporation, the first air conditioners using R-410A were launched in 1995 under the name PURON®. In 1996, both companies were presented the Award for Stratospheric Ozone Protection by the EPA. Over time, additional manufacturers have developed their own products using R-410A.

This refrigerant is composed of two chemicals which are blended in the right proportion and act nearly as one within an air conditioning system. This is important because when a technician charges your air conditioning system with refrigerant, he or she needs to be sure that the first drop that goes in is the same as the last drop. Many other possible R-22 replacement refrigerants were invented, but had to be ruled out for this very reason.

R-410A offers some wonderful advantages, but it required the manufacturers of air conditioners to redesign their products to take advantage of the properties of the refrigerant. The reason why a refrigerant works is because it captures the heat from one place, and then releases the heat somewhere else. R-410A captures heat and then releases it better than R-22 did, so manufacturers have found that they need less refrigerant in an R-410A air conditioner than they needed in an R-22 air conditioner. Because there's less refrigerant, they need less copper tubing, and often can use a smaller compressor. The bad news was that R-410A couldn't be used in air conditioners that were made to use R-22, but the advantages for new air conditioners were too great to pass up. Honeywell works closely with manufacturers today to continue to optimize air conditioning systems to make them less expensive, more efficient, and more reliable.

At Honeywell, we're proud of our employees who worked so hard to find a solution to this problem. Believe it or not, your local supermarket or convenience store likely also uses the ozone depleting refrigerant R-22 to keep your food cold on their shelves. Of course, R-22 can only affect the environment if the refrigerant leaks out of the refrigeration system and most supermarkets work very hard to make sure that doesn't happen. Even so, Honeywell also introduced a non-ozone depleting refrigerant called AZ-50® refrigerant that many supermarkets are now using instead of R-22. Because AZ-50® refrigerant is as much as 6% more energy efficient that R-22, this product not only helps to protect the environment, but it saves supermarkets on their electricity costs. Now that's a winning solution for everybody!

I guess this is one way to stay cool...

Who Needs Air Conditioning When You’ve Got Ice-Cold Water Running Through Your Shirt?

http://ecomodder.com/blog/who-needs-air-conditioning-when-youve-got-ice-cold-water-running-through-your-shirt/

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Oh No, Not Another One!

Don't be like this guy! Let an actual professional do the job for you!!

redneck air conditioner

Call AC Designs Today!

End of the Summer Blues

OK, so we all know that summer's in Florida usually last until October - at least the heat does! Although I must admit, I'll be sad once winter hits but it will be a nice change in the weather for almost everyone!

That being said, change in the weather/seasons can mean a lot of things for everyone. Sending the kids back to school, allergy attacks, fall cleaning, etc. One thing that most people don't remember to do is to have their heating units thoroughly inspected before the cold months really hit! Not only can that be an uncomfortable situation when your heater doesn't properly work, but it also can play a major factor in your family's health.

I've known too many people who've had their heaters stop working. In the middle of the night. On a night when it was 30 degrees. Luckily, many companies out there have 24 hour emergency services - including us at AC Designs - but no one wants that to happen. I wouldn't even wish that upon my worst enemy!

This is why I cannot stress how important it is to have your unit inspected before those really cold months hit. Let's face it, when it's cold, your heater works on overtime. I always say, "If you're good to your heater, it will be good to you!" Period.

If you are interested in having your unit checked out, send me an email and I'll be happy to speak to you more about it! greggm@acdesignsinc.net

Happy-Soon-To-Be-Fall Everyone!