Quality Installation of Your Heating & Cooling System Can Save Hundreds!

green energy efficient cooling heating systems

During 2009 and 2010, Navigant, an Independent third party measurement, evaluation and results, (MER) contractor, measured the energy consumption of AC units receiving quality installation through the APS AC Rebate Program, and compared it to the energy consumption of AC units not receiving a quality installation.

The results were dramatic; AC units receiving a quality installation by an APS Participating Contractor resulted in:

  • 20% annual cooling energy savings for a typical year
  • 13% cooling utility peak demand savings for a typical year
  • In a climate like Arizona it can save up to $180 per year

When compared to other quality installation programs around the country, APS and the Participating Contractors in its program generated both higher participation and higher savings for the customer.

The equipment that received a quality installation generated these savings in two ways:

· Lower power draw. AC units receiving a quality installation had a lower power draw compared to AC units that did not receive a quality installation, when normalizing for size and efficiency. This is primarily due to proper refrigerant charging reducing the pressure difference between the high and low pressure sides of the system.

· Higher cooling capacity and lower runtime. AC units receiving a quality installation delivered a larger fraction of their rated capacity, which showed up in our study as lower runtime, shown in the figure below. This is caused by both improved airflow and better refrigerant charging.

Figure 1: Average Summer Hourly Runtime for Quality-Installed Residential AC

Overall, quality installations of AC equipment in 2010 saved APS and its customers over 11 million kWh and 5,000 kW of peak demand.