Whether it’s due to the heat, humidity or allergies, more and more homes in the United States – almost 85 percent of homes today – are using air conditioning.
Keeping American homes cool uses almost 5 percent of all electricity produced, translating to a cost of over $15 billion annually. Emerson Climate Technologies works to find better ways to air condition homes that not only save on energy costs, but also reduce the negative impact on the environment.
In the United States, new central air conditioners sold must meet a minimum Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 13. With Emerson technology, manufacturers are able to achieve SEER ratings of 16 or higher. Sales of these high-end systems nationally are up over 24 percent in 2009, spurred by tax credits and incentives now available to American homeowners.
Emerson’s integrated technology approach is called the UltraTech™ Communicating System. With technologies that can communicate to each other, Emerson’s approach provides manufacturers and homeowners with central air conditioning or geothermal heat pump systems that deliver 16 SEER efficiency, superb indoor comfort control, diagnostic trouble-shooting capabilities and reduced sound levels.
Emerson’s communications technology enables the key elements of a home heating and cooling system – the thermostat, indoor control board, variable-speed blower motor, outside control board and the compressor – to share crucial operating information. This integrated approach enables Emerson-designed systems to precisely maintain indoor temperature and humidity, alerts the homeowner to system problems, help the contractor troubleshoot the system problem and protect the compressor from system-damaging faults.
At the heart of the UltraTech™ system is Emerson’s Copeland Scroll UltraTech™ compressor technology. This two-stage compressor reduces the energy consumed by the air conditioning system by operating at two-thirds capacity most of the time, and running at full capacity only on the hottest days – saving up to 60 percent on energy costs when compared with 13 SEER systems. This approach also maintains a more even indoor temperature and lower relative humidity for improved indoor comfort. The Copeland Scroll UltraTech compressor is designed for use with R-410A refrigerant, which is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.
An UltraTech Communicating System links to an Emerson variable-speed blower motor and indoor and outdoor controls to provide improved efficiency and performance for the cooling system.
The outdoor controls include Emerson’s breakthrough diagnostics module to monitor the compressor’s health. With Emerson’s Comfort Alert® technology, homeowners know exactly what’s going on with their cooling system. The module alerts the homeowner with a “Call for Service” message displayed on the easy-to-use Emerson Blue™ touchscreen thermostat when severe problems are detected such as electrical problems and system-related faults. Contractors have found that Emerson’s indoor and outdoor control boards accurately display problem areas, increasing their diagnostic accuracy by up to 60 percent.
Each element of the Emerson UltraTech technology solution for air conditioning systems delivers high performance for its specific application. When electronically linked, they form the industry’s ultimate solution for energy efficiency and indoor climate control.
Related Information:
Emerson UltraTech Communicating System
Where to buy
Copeland Scroll UltraTech
White-Rodgers Blue™ Thermostats
