by Unico Marketing Team | Sep 28, 2023 | Custom Homes, Energy Effeciency, Older Homes
Did you know that in 2022 the price of electricity across the United States went up roughly 14%? With utility costs being subject to sudden shifts and increases, many homeowners are looking for ways to be more energy efficient. One of the best ways to achieve that goal in custom or older homes is by helping core appliances, like an HVAC system, use less energy.
While this might seem like a challenging problem to solve, there are proven ways to help your HVAC system be more energy efficient. Join the experts at The Unico System as we share five energy- saving tips for HVAC systems.
1. Use Fans to Help Circulate Air
In the summer, warm air rises and can get caught in a room. And in the winter, hot air often collects in the attic and near the upper floor ceilings, where no one is able to enjoy the comfort it should provide. Whether it’s hot or cold outside, using a fan to circulate air in your home will help move warm air throughout the space. This process helps create a more even temperature, which means your HVAC system doesn’t need to work as hard.
2. Be Sure to Change Your Air Filters
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, regularly changing the filter is one of the most important energy-saving tips for HVAC systems. In fact, replacing a dirty filter that is clogged with debris can make your unit 5% to 15% more energy efficient. Why is this the case? As dust, pet hair, pollen and other particles get caught in the filter, there comes a point where air can’t travel through it as effectively.
HVAC system filters should be checked at least once a month and replaced around every six months. You’ll also want to clean vents to prevent any accumulated dust finding its way to the filter.
3. Double Check Your Windows and Doors
Other than making sure your windows and doors are closed when your HVAC system is running, it’s important these access points have tight seals. Perform a quick test by running your hand through the seams of a door or window. If you feel any significant rushes of air coming through, it’s a sign that a tighter seal is needed. If air is leaking outside of the conditioned space, your HVAC unit needs to stay on longer to make up the
difference.
4. Add Insulation to Your Attic, Basement and Crawl Space
The process of checking your home for drafts should also include the attic, basement and crawl space. Take a look at the current insulation and see if there are any gaps that need to be sealed with additional material. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated that you can save roughly 15% of your HVAC energy costs by adding insulation to these core areas. Some common trouble areas usually include the rim joists in the basement and where support beams meet in the attic.
5. Keep Up with Routine HVAC Maintenance
All the energy-saving tips for HVAC systems we outlined above won’t be as effective without regular maintenance. Almost every HVAC system comes with instructions from the manufacturer on the steps you can take to keep up with regular maintenance that should be done roughly every six months. Some checklist items you can expect to find are often:
• Cleaning the drain lines of the unit and removing any clogs.
• Check the drain pans and be sure to get rid of any standing water.
• Make sure your thermostat accurately controls the HVAC unit.
• Get the system’s condenser and evaporator coils cleaned.
Save on Energy Costs with The Unico System
The Unico System is engineered for simplicity and air tightness within the ductwork to help your home become more energy efficient. With ducts that are one-third the surface area of traditional ductwork, you’ll see one-third less thermal loss. In fact, testing showed that The Unico System loses less than 5% of the air it delivers to rooms.
If you want optimal comfort for your home while saving on energy bills, The Unico System is the best choice.
Find a Unico contractor near you to get started today.
by Unico Marketing Team | Sep 27, 2023 | News, Press Releases
ST. LOUIS (September 1, 2023)— Unico, Inc., the market leader in small-duct central heating and air conditioning systems, announced they will distribute Chiltrix air-to-water heat pumps throughout North America. “This joint venture will bring our customers the very best in indoor comfort and energy efficiency,” said Unico brand marketing manager Ashton Gavelek.
Chiltrix produces the CX35 and CX50 series of smart heat pumps, providing optimized heating performance and capacities ranging from 2.0 – 3.5 tons cooling, and 3.4 – 4.8 tons heating, making them ideally sized for residential applications. While traditional condensing units measure efficiency in SEER, air-to-water heat pumps measure efficiency using IPLV (Integrated Part Load Value), measuring equipment operating efficiency at various capacities. The CX35 has an IPLV of 23.27, and the CX50 has an IPLV of 21.2, ranking these units as the most efficient hydronic units available today.
Pairing Unico’s unique small duct system with a Chiltrix air-to-water heat pump will provide an unparalleled indoor comfort system for homes, pushing the boundaries of HVAC technology, comfort and efficiency. “For years our customers – HVAC distributors, contractors, and designers, builders, and owners of older or custom homes – have been looking for the best way to match the Unico System with the high efficiency of air-to-water heat pumps. There is no better hydronic match up than these Energy Star-awarded Chiltrix models,” adds Ms. Gavelek.
Unico provides design services to HVAC contractors, building professionals and homeowners, including plans and material lists for heating, air conditioning, ventilation, underfloor heating, domestic hot water, and radiant cooling. Unico also supports all installing contractors with comprehensive installation and operational training.
States Ms. Gavelek, “In the pursuit of Net Zero energy and the advancement of ‘Electric Home’ HVAC systems, our collaboration with Chiltrix takes residential HVAC comfort and efficiency to the next level and continues our commitment to provide the very best indoor comfort solutions on the market.”
About Unico Inc.
The Unico System is a small-duct central heating and air conditioning system manufactured by Unico Inc. Ideal for custom and new home construction, older home retrofits and historic preservation, as well as commercial applications, The Unico System takes less than one-third the space of a traditional HVAC system. Unico is an active member of the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit www.unicosystem.com.
To learn more about Chiltrix air-to-water heat pumps, visit the Chiltrix by Unico resource page HERE.
by Unico Marketing Team | Sep 21, 2023 | Custom Homes, Design Flexibility, Design Services, Limited Space
In the new home market, there’s an increasing demand for energy efficiency. This trend is pushing more custom homes to have HVAC ducts in conditioned spaces (where heated or cool air flows through). The ducts you commonly see in attics or crawl spaces are technically outside the building’s thermal boundary. In fact, these ducts often lose about 15% to 20% of the air going through them.
The process of building ducts inside the conditioned space has led many projects to use ductless systems as the solution. What if there was a better way? Join us as we dive into why The Unico System is the best option for building ducts in conditioned spaces.
Why You Should Choose The Unico System Over Ductless Options
While ductless systems may seem like a great option for keeping ducts inside the home, they come with one big disadvantage—altering the aesthetics. Ductless units are hung on walls indoors. This sticks out and clashes with the design of the home. Many homeowners say that these units look bulky, especially when surrounded by the modern look of a custom home.
The Unico System is virtually unnoticeable while providing optimal comfort. By being 33% the size of traditional ductwork, Unico ducts can be threaded through tight spaces. You’ll even have the option of running ductwork through hallways for super short runs into every room. Homeowners can also get customized soffits to match the paint color or floor material.
Having Ducts in Conditioned Spaces Gives You Higher HVAC Quality
With ducts in conditioned spaces, you’ll have greater visibility of the HVAC system. If the system is in the attic or crawl space, they are out of sight, making it easier for problems to arise without the homeowner knowing. When ducts are built inside the conditioned space of the home, everything is visible and can be easily accessed in the floor joist space.
The process of getting ducts in conditioned spaces is much easier when it’s started during the design phase of custom home construction. Unico’s Design Services is a free resource that uses your project plans to calculate the right number of ducts each room needs. Given the compact size and high speed of Unico ducts, you’ll have more freedom with outlets that are only five inches in diameter.
The Unico System Has Smaller Ducts with High Velocity
In most cases, traditional ductwork is around six inches in diameter. The size of these ducts often makes it challenging to run them throughout the inside of home without running into other essential parts of the infrastructure. The Unico System has small ductwork that is only two inches in diameter. That means you’ll have much more flexibility in how the home is conditioned.
This small-duct high-velocity system can deliver up to nine tons of conditioned air without compromising the design of a new home. With The Unico System, it’s easier to optimize the HVAC energy efficiency of a home. Smaller high-velocity ducts are a great option to get efficiency credits that many local utilities and governments offer for new home construction.
The Unico System Offers Draft-free, Even Temperatures
The Unico System also creates efficiency by ensuring each room is conditioned with draft-free, even temperatures, which is accomplished in two ways:
1. The supply tubing used in The Unico System is wrapped in insulation and an outer vapor barrier to keep more thermal energy within the ducts. Ducts that are run through the home will have less thermal loss.
2. The Unico System uses a principle called aspiration to create a gentle suction around itself that draws the room air into its stream of cooled air. This delivers draft-free, even cooling, from room to room, floor to floor, and floor to ceiling.
The Unico System is the Best Choice for Building with Ducts Inside
The Unico System makes the HVAC system more efficient for custom home projects. Get draft-free, even temperatures for each room and create more effective duct runs. If you’re interested in seeing the benefits small ducts can offer your project, be sure to reach out to our Design Services team.
by Unico Marketing Team | Sep 14, 2023 | Custom Homes, Older Homes, Reduced Humidity
Aside from making a home less comfortable, did you know that high humidity increases the risk of mold and mildew buildup? It’s one of the reasons why lowering home humidity levels is becoming one of the top concerns for homeowners in warm climates. While accomplishing this might seem challenging at first, the Unico small-duct high-velocity (SDHV) system removes 30% more humidity than other HVAC solutions.
Keep reading to discover three benefits The Unico System offers homes by lowering the humidity level.
1. Expect Better Comfort with The Unico System
Have you ever been inside your house and felt overheated even when the AC is on full blast? This is most often caused by high humidity. While traditional HVAC systems focus on setting the right temperature, The Unico System also pays attention to humidity levels. The air handler in the system takes advantage of lower airflow and has larger cooling coils. This means that the air spends more time on the cooling coils, allowing moisture to be removed more efficiently and creating a more comfortable level by reducing temperature and humidity.
With a traditional AC system, cool air is dumped into a room until it hits the temperature set on the thermostat. Once it hits that level, the system shuts off and the humidity level slowly increases and makes the living space uncomfortable. The Unico System is equipped with relative humidity control to help prevent this situation from happening, so homeowners can expect better comfort.
2. Improved Indoor Air Quality
Partly fueled by the growth in remote work positions, people are paying more attention to the indoor air quality inside their homes. While traditional AC systems circulate air, they often struggle with larger particles, like dust, pet dander and more. Plus, high indoor humidity also makes it more likely for harmful bacteria to grow. In fact, the EPA states that indoor air quality can be two to five times worse than outdoor air.
The good news is that The Unico System addresses both issues. Results from testing conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center found that an SDHV system offers 31% lower relative humidity inside the home. To help catch smaller particles in the air, The Unico System uses MERV 7 filters, which can even capture mold spores. For hot and humid climates, Unico has one of the best systems to help keep the inside of homes comfortable and filled with clean air.
3. Lower Home Humidity While Preserving Architectural Features
Many older homes are often caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to humidity. Without any form of AC, wood doors, floors and window frames can swell during the summer, causing damage to the home. On the other hand, putting in traditional AC ducts often requires tearing down and replacing walls, woodwork and other beloved features. With The Unico System, homeowners don’t need to choose between comfort and preserving their home’s unique charm.
The small and flexible ducts can easily be installed without tearing up walls and floors. You can preserve the aesthetic by feeding ducts through tight spaces that wouldn’t be possible for traditional AC systems. For even more added value, you can choose air outlet covers to match the finish of almost any floor, ceiling or wall. Instead of reconfiguring your home to match the needs of an HVAC system, Unico adapts to provide reliable comfort without major renovations.
Our Design Services Team Makes Home Humidity Reduction Easier
Whether you’re building a custom home or doing work on an older one, Unico is here to help do some of the heavy lifting. Our free design services team is ready to lend a hand with putting together a Unico System design and estimated materials list. All you need to do is submit your project plans, and our team will be in touch with next steps.
by Unico Marketing Team | Sep 7, 2023 | Custom Homes, Energy Effeciency
When many people buy a car, one of the first questions they ask is about energy efficiency. The same is true for HVAC systems. Ideally, you want an HVAC system that strikes the perfect balance between being energy efficient and providing the right level of comfort for the home. In the HVAC industry, the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) is used to help determine the efficiency of the system.
While SEER ratings are important, they don’t tell the whole story. Join us as we break down SEER ratings and other important factors that impact HVAC systems.
What an HVAC’s SEER Rating Means
The SEER rating is one of the important indicators for an HVAC system’s efficiency. Usually, the higher SEER rating an HVAC unit has, the more energy efficient it is. The rating itself is a ratio that divides the average output of cooling used by the amount of energy that session took. It’s important to note that the SEER rating signifies the highest level of efficiency the unit can reach, not necessarily its average efficiency rating.
For example, a unit with a SEER rating of 18 will only achieve an 18 when everything is running perfectly. That’s why many HVAC experts think of SEER ratings as a guide principle instead of a hard rule. Any SEER rating you see also isn’t guaranteed. There will always be other factors like a home’s ductwork that can influence an HVAC system’s performance and the length of the run between the AC unit and the air handler.
Why SEER Ratings Are Important
SEER ratings provide a guideline for not only managing energy costs, but also for finding an ideal level of comfort inside your home. Most air conditioning systems have a SEER rating that falls between 14 and 21. Part of why SEER ratings are important is because they can help you identify other factors that could be making the HVAC system less effective.
In theory, the higher the rating, the lower your energy bill should be. While a higher SEER rating usually makes the unit cost more up front, it’s expected to save homeowners money in the long run by using less energy. If your HVAC system is using more energy despite having the right SEER rating, it could be a sign that your ductwork or home insulation need to be looked at. Think of each rating as a starting point to help you find the best HVAC system for your home or project.
Going Beyond HVAC SEER Ratings
While SEER ratings are an important guideline, energy-efficient HVAC systems need to address other factors as well. Have you ever thought about ductwork having its own efficiency? With traditional HVAC systems, heat or cold air can leak through the walls of the duct, often making the system work harder to meet the desired temperature when conditioned air reaches a room.
The smaller ducts in The Unico System are wrapped with insulation and an outer vapor barrier. It’s a large part of the reason why third-party testing showed that The Unico System loses less than 5% of the air volume the unit puts out, compared to the 25% in traditional systems.
Another factor that plays a direct role in energy efficiency is lowering humidity. Traditional HVAC systems dump air into a room, creating uneven temperatures. Once the system shuts off, the humidity level starts to rise and causes the system to turn on more frequently to compensate for it.
The Unico System removes 30% more humidity thanks to the efficient design of the cooling coils. This means you can set the thermostat higher, and still enjoy the same level of comfort, since the space feels like it’s a lower temperature. With a higher set temperature, the system takes less energy to run, saving you money. To get the highest level of efficiency, The Unico System can work in tandem with a high-SEER-rated HVAC unit.
Make Your Home or Project More Energy Efficient with Unico
At Unico, we’re dedicated to helping make custom and older homes more energy efficient. If you have a project that could benefit from The Unico System, our design services team is here for support. Let us do the hard part by building out an HVAC system design. Contact our design services team today to get started.
