Lennox Solar?

[54regcab]

I clicked the banner ad at the top of the page for "Lennox Solar". What makes the Lennox solar equipment different?

[HVACTechNC]

Solar panels are installed to provide some of the energy to power the HVAC equipment. The concept is that it decreases the need for power from the electric grid to heat and cool your home.

[amd]

It's just a marketing gimmick - good installation/service practices and energy efficiency upgrades can save far more energy than some dinky solar panels produce, at a fraction of the cost.

[HVACTechNC]

But large panels of photo-voltaic cells on your roof are so sexy from the road as you drive by.... That is BY FAR their biggest selling point.

[SkyHeating]

But large panels of photo-voltaic cells on your roof are so sexy from the road as you drive by.... That is BY FAR their biggest selling point.

Not to mention how they are only capturing about 25% of the energy hitting them unlike solar water heating which can capture about 3 times the energy.

[Kevin O'Neill]

It all depends on your electric rate. In my area, electricity is too cheap for a payback over the panel life. Your area may be different. They can provide nearly all of the power required for the heat pump or AC, but if you have a power failure the inverters shut down.

There is a 30% federal tax credit with no cap for the solar part of the job. There may be state tax credits as well.

[amd]

They can provide nearly all of the power required for the heat pump or AC, but if you have a power failure the inverters shut down.

What happens when there's no call for heating or cooling? Does the electricity get dumped back into the grid?

[beenthere]

What happens when there's no call for heating or cooling? Does the electricity get dumped back into the grid?

Yes. the panels supply electric weather or not your HVAC equipment is running.

If you produce more then 1 mega watt a year, many power companies are require to pay you for it then.

[54regcab]

So the "solar cooling" is pure marketing gimmick, no different than a conventional A/C with and solar panels installed on the house?

[beenthere]

So the "solar cooling" is pure marketing gimmick, no different than a conventional A/C with and solar panels installed on the house?

Other then the lennox upper end are designed to have the Solar connected through them, no.

[mayguy]

Didn't I read that this power only ran the fan on the unit, not the compressor?

[t527ed]

Didn't I read that this power only ran the fan on the unit, not the compressor?

that was the older unit with 1 panel.

the new units can take up to 15 panels and will backfeed into the house if the a/c is not running.

[ClaytonZ]

Wouldn't it be better to put a stand alone PV system on the house, rather than something tied to the HVAC system? If the HVAC system needs to be replaced, would you need to retrofit the PV panels to work stand alone, or are they already set up that way, just marketed by Lennox as part of their system?