Choosing a seer

[littleo]

I am buying / building a house in orlado and have to decide between a 12 and 13.5 seer unit. I have a couple of questions. If I go with the 12 I can get R-22 or Puron what are your recomendations? There is a considerable price jump to go from the 12 to the 13.5 which seems odd as the efficency is not that much more. The 13.5 does come with a variable speed AHU and programable thermostat it just seems like the payback time will be pretty long to me. Or will the added ability of the variable speed AHU to remove humidity here in Florida be where the payoff will come. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated !!

[coolwhip]

Man, if I lived in florida I would definatly have a higher seer unit with a variable drive air handler. Dont people run their a/c all the time down there?

[dash]

Variable speed with a great contol system is well worth it in Florida,add a two speed compressor and you have the best.

Carrier Infinty is a great one,others come close and you will be getting the brand the builder uses.Post the brand and some one will tell you what dehumidification controls to get for that brand.

If you put the upgrade cost on your mortgage,the energy saving may make the extra increase in the payment.But regardless it's your comfort we are talking about,so "what's comfort worth to you?".

Seach Infinity on this site and se what other homeowners say about their comfort.

[Steve Wiggins]

There is no noticeable difference between the 12 and 13.5 efficiency. Stick with R-22 as long as you can. As far as humidity control I would be more concerned about having a TXV refrigerant control than I would VS blower.

[Steve Wiggins]

Originally posted by littleo
There is a considerable price jump to go from the 12 to the 13.5

That is because the builder AND the hvac contractor both have markup in this upgrade.

[Steve Wiggins]

Efficiency comes from source control and keeping equipment clean. When your system is operated during construction your indoor coil (with tight efficient fin spacing) gets dirty. So you might pay for a 12 SEER but move in your house on day 1 with a 10 SEER because your coil is insulated with sheetrock dust.

Then your air filter is not upgraded and it doesn't fit well and its hard to gain access to and it is a funky size etc... So as the years go by more and more dirt insulates your indoor coil which further decreases your efficiency of heat transfer.

Now how bout forgetting about SEER and start thinking air filter and sealing around cracks & gaps in equipment penetrations, ductwork, door panels, etc..

[littleo]

Thanks for all your help so far.

I do actually have a choice of an 18 see unit also which I think is the infinity.

Here are my choices

the Standard is 5 ton Carrier w/ R-22 (don't know model #)
Next is Carrier w/ puron (38EYG) 12 SEER
then Carrier w/ Puron and VS AHU (38SY) 13.5 SEER
and Finally Carrier w/ Puron VS AHU and 2 speed Drive 38YDB (18 SEER) 4k upgrage though =(

Im only planing on staying in house for 5-7 years though and am not user the "big boy" would pay for its self by then.

Thanks again.

[Steve Wiggins]

O man my hopes were so high. We FINALLY found a homeowner building a new home and he has been offered some hvac choices BEFORE constuction...YEAH! Then he goes and tells us he is only living there 5-7 years..... WTF? Damn man why would you even be considering any upgrades at all then?

[littleo]

One more thing I forgot to ask.

The house I am building will not even BEGIN construction Until Mid 06. I have been reading about the the new law which prohibits MFG of less than 13 seer Units. What is the likley hood of there still being some 12 SEER units around when it comes time to actaully install my HVAC equip. I would kick myself I I paid 2k for an upgrade from 12 to 13.5 but in actaully would have gotten an 13 as stadard.

Thanks again

[Steve Wiggins]

I can see I am wasting my breath. I think SEER is about like religion. Somehow is has hypnotized and mezmorized people into a spell that will follow them to their grave.

[littleo]

Sorry Steve,

But I don't plan on selling the house but keeping it and leasing it. So I wouldn't see any of the energy savings once I move out.

[littleo]

Your not waisting your breath Steve. I have heard that in the past and have already decided to add an elec air cleaner.

[Steve Wiggins]

With the way prices of building materials (in general) are rising you might expect to pay 20% more in 6 months than you are quoted today. So the hvac system would be the least of your pricing worries I think.

[thorton]

I agree with what Dash says, and to a certain extent with what Steve Wiggans says too! Myself, have a Carrier 38YZA heat pump and a VS fancoil, I can vouch for how well this system removes humidity. I live in south eastern Ontario Canada, and we only get hot humid weather in late may until early september. Yet I went for the variable speed airhandler for reasons of comfort. It also increase the HSPF of the heat pump when in heating mode too! So I benefit in both modes of the heat pump. Of course, I have the Carrier Thermidistat which controls the VS handler. Nevertheless, if I were you living in Florida, I would go with the variable speed air handler and the thermidistat control, you will be amazed at how well it works and how little it has to run to keep your indoor air dry and cool.
Steve's comments make a lot of sense too. Quite a bit about what he refers to is in the quality of instalation. So it pays to get the right contractor, no easy task as far as I'm concerned. Good luck, and I hope this helps

Thorton