Newsletter - Summer 2006

When it is time for a new air conditioner, you should be aware of a new Department of Energy ("DOE") mandate. This mandate requires all new air conditioners to meet a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating ("SEER") of 13, superseding a previous mandate that only required a SEER of 10. According to DOE studies, replacing your current air conditioner with one that complies with the new 13 SEER mandate results in up to a 30% savings in your energy costs.
Of course an air conditioner should not be replaced without an assessment of the entire cooling system. The purpose of this assessment, which includes a duct inspection, component matching and comfort survey, is to setup the system to function efficiently with the new 13 SEER air conditioner. Ducts are a major component of the cooling system and are often overlooked when assessing system efficiency. Leaking Ducts affect an air conditioner's cooling load. A supply leak is a direct loss in capacity. A return leak brings superheated air into the system. Differences between supply and return leaks result in increased infiltration requiring the unit to run longer to achieve desired temperatures. Leaking ducts cost you more money to operate your cooling system.
The HVAC industry is in the midst of some major changes. It is important to be informed and better prepared for these changes so you can take advantage of the higher efficiency mandate and be more comfortable saving money and energy.

Ocean Pointe Towers, located on Ocean Ave in Long Branch, NJ, had an inoperative chiller. A chiller cools water to air condition a building. Because one of the two chillers at Ocean Pointe Towers was inoperable, it was inefficient for Ocean Pointe Towers to continue running only one chiller to cool their entire building. Ocean Pointe contracted with IB Miller Inc to replace their inoperative chiller. A 50 ton scroll air cooled highefficiency chiller was placed on the roof and integrated into Ocean Pointe’s HVAC system to achieve maximum cooling efficiency for their building. Efficient chillers are imperative with today’s high energy costs. Today’s new high-efficiency chillers have a fullload efficiency of about 0.50 kW/ton. More importantly, new chillers have higher part-load efficiencies than older chillers, and most chillers operate 95 percent of the time or more under part-load conditions. Improved full-load and part-load operating efficiencies translate into significant energy cost savings. Ocean Pointe Towers is now staying cool and saving money on energy costs, with their new chiller.

Call MillerHVAC today to keep cool this summer. We offer a Safety and Efficiency agreement designed specifically to help you escape mechanical system downtime. When your equipment is maintained and inspected on a regular basis, minor adjustments won’t turn into major repairs.