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AC Unit & Heat Pump Replacement in Sandy, UT and Nearby Areas

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Air Conditioning and Heat Pump System Replacement and Installation in Sandy

What Are the Benefits of a Dual Fuel System?

The benefits to a Dual Fuel System are mostly found in the unprecedented rebates available. This year (2023) has brought a unique opportunity to save a lot of money on a new heating and cooling system. Congress just passed the "Inflation Reduction Act" which ear-marked billions of dollars in incentives to promote residential high efficiency heating and cooling systems among other home energy upgrades. The specific dollar amounts are listed in the section below.

Energy Efficiency:
As you probably know, your heating and cooling systems consume roughly half of all the energy you use in your home. Generally we are using fossil fuels (natural gas, coal, propane, etc) which create air pollution. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, the vast majority of our electricity is created with a coal or natural gas power plant (solar and wind make up about 6-7% of our energy production). When we burn that fuel it creates air pollution, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide, but there are other air pollutants that we signs of in the nasty brown haze that forms during an inversion. The hope is that eventually, most of our electricity production will be from cleaner forms of energy. For now, the best thing we can do to help clean up the air in the Salt Lake valley is to install higher efficiency heating and cooling systems. The most efficient system that we can install today is a dual fuel heat pump system.

Rising Utility Prices:
Historically, Utah has had inexpensive gas prices that have kept heating costs low. However, as gas prices rise, it may become more cost effective to heat your home with electricity when possible. Installing a heat pump gives you that option! Because Dual Fuel systems use both gas and electricity, you can choose the most cost effective utility to heat your home. When gas prices are low, you can continue to heat your home with your furnace like you always have, but if the prices rise and it becomes more cost efficient to run your electric heat pump, you will have that option! Whatever the future holds, a dual fuel system will put in the best position to save money!
Snow on AC

What is a Heat Pump?

A heat pump looks and operates just like your central air conditioner in the summer. What makes it unique, is that a heat pump can also reverse the refrigeration cycle and very efficiently produce heat in the fall and spring. High efficiency heat pumps can heat your home for less energy dollars than a high efficiency gas furnace when the outdoor temperature is about 40 degrees and above. Below 40 degrees, the gas furnace will be more efficient than the heat pump, so the system automatically switches to the furnace when the temperature outside is colder. If you think about it, most of the spring, fall and even in the middle of the daytime on many winter days, the outdoor temperature is 40 or above. Traditionally, we haven’t used heat pumps in Utah because we have some of the lowest natural gas costs in the country and the heat pumps aren’t as efficient at cold temperatures outside. In warmer climates (California, Arizona, Florida, Texas type climates) it rarely gets below freezing and heat pumps have been the preferred heating source for about 40 years; so, the technology is proven and reliable.

UNPRECEDENTED REBATES ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE INSTALLATION OF HIGH EFFICIENCY DUAL FUEL SYSTEMS IN 2023!

Taking advantage of rebates for the best possible system can save you more than $5,500 in rebates! 
Rocky Mountain Power's Wattsmart program will currently give you up to $1,800 (this is likely being reduced in March of 2023). Dominion Energy's Thermwise program will give you up to $1,200 in rebates with the installation of a new high efficiency "dual fuel (also called a "hybrid") heating and cooling system. As part of the Inflation Reduction Act (the I.R.A.), there is a $2,000 tax credit for high efficiency heat pumps and a $600 tax credit for a high efficiency furnace (AFUE must be greater than 97%). That's a total of $5,600 for a high efficiency heat pump! A breakdown of the available rebates in Salt Lake City, UT are listed below. In order to get all of the rebates, Dominion Energy and Rocky Mountain Power must be your service providers.

Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Federal Tax Credits Available for High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems:
Split System Heat Pump: $2,000
Ductless System Heat Pump: $2,000
Split System Central AC: $600
Natural Gas or Propane Furnace: $600

Wattsmart (Rocky Mountain Power) Rebates available for High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems:

90% Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 1: $1,400
90% Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 2: $1,600
90% Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 3: $1,800
80% Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 1: $1,400
80% Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 2: $1,600
Smart Thermostat: $50

Thermwise (Dominion Energy) Rebates available for High Efficiency Heating and Cooling Systems:

Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 1: $1,000
Dual Fuel Ducted Heat Pump Tier 2: $1,200
95% High Efficiency Gas Furnace: $300
97.5% High Efficiency Gas Furnace: $350
Smart Thermostat: $75

man inspecting a furnace

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT REFRIGERANT R-22, R-410A, AND THE FUTURE:

The refrigerant (often referred to as Freon) we have used for air conditioners for the past 50 years or so has been determined to be harmful to the atmosphere, specifically the ozone layer.

Ozone is present in the upper atmosphere and protects the earth from the harmful UV rays of the sun. You have probably heard about the hole in the ozone layer that has appeared over Antartica. Scientists have determined that the chlorine that is present in many refrigerant chemicals makes its way up into the upper atmosphere and when chlorine atoms come in contact with ozone (O3) and a new molecule forms called chlorine dioxide (ClO2). This reduces the amount of ozone present in the atmosphere and allows more harmful UV rays to enter our environment. This also contributes to global warming and the additional UV rays can be harmful to the earth and its inhabitants (increases skin cancer for example).
Whether we agree with the science or not, the United States has entered into an international treaty that regulates the use of refrigerants and over time, eliminates the use of any refrigerants that contain chlorine. Since the early 1990s, scientists have developed new, non-chlorinated refrigerants that do no harm to the ozone layer. These new refrigerants have been commonly available since the late 1990s and Refrigerant 22 (R-22) is now being phased out over the next few years due to federal law. R-410A is the most common new refrigerant for air conditioning applications and since 2000 has been chosen as the refrigerant of choice by all major manufacturers. But R410A has also had unintended consequences.

As we have worked to phase out R22 and replace it with R410A, scientists have now labeled R410A as a "greenhouse gas." Greenhouse gasses trap heat in the earths atmosphere causing the climate to warm over time. Once again, the industry has been asked to redesign our heating and air conditioning systems with a new refrigerant, and although we do not yet have a universal replacement for R-410A, government regulations have already began to limit production of the refrigerant.

Key Dates for R22:

2010—the production of new refrigerant, R22 has been reduced by 65%. This has caused less supply to be available, and in the past few years, R22 has more than tripled in price in just 2 years (as of summer 2013).

2015—the production of new refrigerant, R22 has reduced by 90%! This will likely cause a severe shortage of R-22 and the price will likely rise even more dramatically.

2020—the production of new refrigerant, R22 has been reduced by 99.5%, effectively eliminating its availability. At this point, recycled refrigerant or replacement refrigerants will be the only options and the price of recycled R22 will go even higher due to lack of supply.

2030—the production and use of R22 will be completely banned.

Due to the above schedule in accordance with federal law, we feel it is irresponsible for any contractor to sell any new or replacement air conditioning unit today that uses R22. They are still available today but will become largely obsolete by 2015, surely so by 2020. Whenever any customer has a major repair that requires the addition of any significant amount of refrigerant or replacement of the refrigerant, we strongly recommend considering replacement of the unit with a new unit that uses chlorine free R410A, especially if that unit is over 15 years old (the average life of a residential AC unit in the US). In the long run, it is a better value for the customer and it's better for the environment.

What are the Best Air Conditioner Brands for Replacement?

We offer a choice among the top HVAC system manufacturers: American Standard, Carrier, Bosch, Goodman, and Amana. These air conditioning systems are factory assembled, wired, and tested for dependability, economy, and comfort.

Although, we give you the options and can install any brand that you want, we do primarily install Amana products for a number of reasons. First, Amana has the best warranty in the industry. They offer a lifetime replacement warranty on heat exchangers and compressors for most of the equipment that we install! Clearly, Amana has a lot of confidence in their products, or they would not offer such a great warranty. Second, in our experience, Amana has had the best parts availability. We installed Lennox equipment for more than 40 years, because Lennox made great equipment! However, we moved away from Lennox for their parts availability. When you replace your system, it should last a minimum of 15 years before you have to think about replacing your system. But Lennox has had several products, where they stopped producing replacement parts and instead push people to replace systems. We do not think it's ethical to install equipment that will be impossible to repair. Home owners should have the option to repair or replace, which is why we have been happy with Amana's parts availability. Third, Unlike most manufacturing, Amana air conditioners are made in the USA!

A traditional home comfort system has two parts: an indoor unit, such as a furnace or air handler, and an outdoor unit. An air conditioner is the outdoor unit that cools air and sends it to the indoor unit for circulation through your home. Indoor and outdoor units are designed to work together. When the air conditioner is properly matched with a furnace or air handler, you get maximum efficiency and longer system life. And when you let us help you choose the right air conditioner and install it in your home, you can trust that it will perform the way we say it will!

We know this because we start with an inspection of your home or business, and your current air conditioning system. Our comprehensive assessment will provide you with a variety of products and options to fit every budget. While we are there, ask us about SEER ratings for the air conditioners we install. The efficiency of air conditioners is often rated by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). A higher SEER rating indicates a more efficient air conditioner - the higher the efficiency the lower the energy costs.We know how busy you are and go to great lengths to keep inconvenience to a minimum while the project is completed. We will clean up after ourselves and we'll leave the work area cleaner than we found it.Give us a call today to learn more about the air conditioner that's right for your home. We offer free quotes and information - call today!

GET YOUR FREE ESTIMATE TODAY!
(801) 571-1149 • OR • SCHEDULE ONLINE

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