Until now geothermal was the only 'green' heating and air conditioning option. While an environmentally sound choice—geothermal can be cost prohibitive for smaller residential customers. Geothermal remains an excellent choice for very large residences and for commercial properties but now there is an affordable 'green' option for the majority of residential customers.

Through the emergence of leading-edge, high-efficiency Greenspeed™ intelligence heat pump technology—'green' heating and air conditioning is now financially feasible for many more households. This new technology means exceptional ongoing energy savings for customers and expanded long-term system reliability. It is now possible for the majority of homeowners to go 'green' and get a great return on their HVAC investment.

The Carrier® Infinity® heat pump with Greenspeed™ intelligence is a breakthrough product featuring the highest heating efficiency of any split-system air source heat pump. It provides heating efficiencies up to an unprecedented 13.0 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor)—this is 29% higher than any other system in its class. It delivers SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) ratings as high as 20.5.

The Infinity® heat pump with Greenspeed™ intelligence is designed to more precisely match the home's load requirement in both cooling and heating modes. System controls monitor conditions and automatically vary the speed of the unit's compressor based on the outdoor temperature, indoor humidity, and indoor temperature demands.

The Greenspeed™ intelligence system has many advantages:

It operates fluidly between its minimum and maximum capacity and delivers only the heating and cooling required at the specific time. It is able to match the load of the home at much lower outdoor temperatures than standard heat pump systems.

The system has more heating capacity at low outdoor temperatures which results in less need for auxiliary heat such as electric strip heat or gas heating.

It can be upsized for more heating capacity without the summer humidity problems associated with over-sized single-speed units.

The system will match the load in cooling and work to dehumidify the space without the typical problems of short-cycling when the cooling load is low.

It provides increased heat pump run time and less auxiliary heat operation which means more energy savings for homeowners.

It can replace an existing heat pump without any major duct changes and it requires no digging or drilling like geothermal does.

The new Carrier® Infinity® heat pump with Greenspeed™ technology was designed with utility companies, as well as consumers in mind. Utility companies have optional load shedding programs that are in effect only during the cooling season. If a customer chooses to participate in this program, the Utility Saver feature enables the system to interact with a utility relay for load shedding during peak conditions. When the utility company sends the signal—the system reacts by shutting down or running at minimum speed. The system control displays to the customer that utility curtailment is active. Because the customer is informed, there are fewer calls to service technicians when the utility company has shut the system down due to peak demand.

A unique feature of this system compared to others is that it is a soft-starting system. The variable-speed drive gently ramps up the compressor at start up. It does not have the in-rush current of a standard scroll compressor which should minimize light flicker in the home and also be easier on the utility grid.

Greenspeed™ technology eases the strain on the utility infrastructure and is being recognized by utility systems as a positive step in going 'green.' Utilities in the northwest are awarding the highest rebates ever to customers who implement this technology.

Puget Sound Energy, a utility company in western Washington, is currently offering a rebate of $800 to customers who install highly efficient heat pumps with at least a 10.0 HSPF heating efficiency and a 16.0 SEER cooling efficiency as rated by the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) to replace older, less efficient equipment.

Energy expert Dennis Rominger of Puget Sound Energy shared, "This is the highest rebate that Puget Sound Energy has ever offered in the heat pump category. The reason we are offering a rebate of this magnitude is simple—the more energy we can save collectively using energy-efficient products, the less we have to invest in terms of new infrastructure and the energy grid in general."

It is possible that attractive rebates for high efficiency, utility compatible heat pumps such as the Carrier® Infinity® heat pump with Greenspeed™ intelligence will be put in place by utilities in our region in the future.

Those in search of a 'green', affordable, energy-efficient, cost-saving heating and air conditioning system now have a viable option to consider.

Mike Appleton is President of Appleton Campbell, a local, family owned heating, air conditioning, plumbing, and electrical services business. Appleton Campbell has been providing customers throughout the Greater Piedmont Region and Northern Virginia with honesty, integrity, and experience since 1976. You can reach Appleton Campbell at 540.347.0765 or at appletoncamp-bell.com.