Here's Why

0% Leakage

Conventional systems suffer from air leakage of between 20 and 50%. Unico is proven to achieve 0% air leakage in its air delivery system. That means all of the air – and comfort – your system is generating, is being delivered to warm or cool your home.

0% Thermal Loss

Unico is the only product on the market with 0% thermal loss – out of the box. No elaborate sealing and fabrication is required – just make sure your installer follows the installation instructions and you will have the tightest, best insulated air delivery product available – not just in the test lab, but in real world applications.

Full Inverter Technology

Inverter technology, matched inside and out, means that your system is programmed to use only the energy it absolutely requires to deliver the heating or cooling you need at the moment. On a mild day, you may only need 10% of your system’s total capacity to make you comfortable. With The Unico System, the system matches your comfort need – so when you need just 10%, the equipment runs at 10%, making it perfectly energy efficient.

Extensive Use in LEED and zero energy projects

The Unico System is repeatedly used in the most demanding situations – and it should come as no surprise that this product has been used in more LEED Platinum homes than any other heating and cooling product on the market. And the United States government has recognized this product’s unique efficiency by selecting it as the product of choice for its prestigious – and zero energy – DOE Challenge Homes.

Features and Benefits no other HVAC systems have

Our products fit into a tighter space and seamlessly integrate with energy efficient construction; they bring the highest levels of insulation, air filtration and inverter electrical use on the market today. End users experience lower humidity, more even room temperatures, and draft-free operation. And the Unico System has <em>achieved accolades and recommendations from leaders in energy efficient construction.

A company dedicated to advancing green construction

Our company has a dedicated group of professionals supporting the sale of our products into the new construction market. Let our sales people introduce you to the product with a live 15 minute webinar on The Unico System, or feel free to send us the electronic plan of your new home and our design professionals will do a free heating and cooling calculation and design for you.

Products

Our company features two main product lines – The Unico System and Unico iSeries.

The Unico System is a fully modular central HVAC system that includes a blower, heating and/or cooling coils, and our small supply ducts. One-third the size of traditional duct work, our duct work allows our system to fit into a much smaller space than traditional systems. Our duct work has also been third-party tested and has proven to have 0% duct leakage and 0% thermal loss. Our blowers are equipped with fully Electronically Commutated (E.C.) Motors for the highest efficiency possible from our air handlers. This product also allows for unrivalled control of the airflow so only the exact amount of airflow is needed, saving even more energy.

We also introduced the Unico iSeries. This product line features the Unico System, high wall mini-splits and the most important product in this line is an outdoor inverter heat pump which has many benefits, most notably SEER ratings of up to 20. This unit also allows up to four indoor units, Unico System, Unico iSeries high wall mini-splits or both, to be used in conjunction on just one outdoor unit.

Projects

The Unico System is added to Green Projects every day. As word spreads about the incredible sustainability of our product, there is no doubt that we'll be added to more and more.

Here are a few examples of some of the more prominent projects we've been associated with:

Eichler Homes

Eichlers are architect-designed mid-century modern homes built by merchant builder Joe Eichler between 1949 and 1974. These homes typically featured flat top roofs and not much room for air conditioning. This generally meant most of these homes had large, unsightly roof mounted HVAC units.

With the Unico System, our modular units make it possible to mount the units essentially anywhere and run the ductwork on top of the roof, yet be completely out of sight due to the small diameter of our supply tubing. The plenum itself can also be used in a rectangular shape which also keeps it hidden. Many Eichler homes have been retrofitted with the Unico System with fantastic results.

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Resonance House

Built as part of the pilot program for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design residential designation, Resonance House was the first home in Kentucky to receive LEED certification. Located in Lexington, KY, the 4,400-square-foot home features low-e argon windows, high-efficiency lighting fixtures, LED and compact fluorescent bulbs, high-density recycled wool cellulose insulation, programmable thermostats, low VOC paint, recycled fiber carpet, hardwood flooring and FSC-certified woods.

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Efficiency You Can Measure

Unico, Inc. has always been at the forefront of Green Sustainability in the HVAC community. We have been involved in several LEED and sustainable projects all over the country. Our products and services ensure such projects are able to achieve Green and sustainable ratings and performance. These items below explain how:

Third Party Verification

The U.S. Department of Energy funded research of small-duct, high-velocity heating and air conditioning systems in two separate low-load, new construction homes. One is a cold climate home located in Pittsburgh, PA and the other in Fresno, CA, a warm climate. IBACOS Research was the company that conducted the testing.

IBACOS provides building product and material evaluation and development services to leading manufacturers who provide products for high performance homes.

Their research found several interesting items in regards to the Unico System when compared to conventional HVAC systems in new construction homes such as these.

Download the full IBACOS Report

The U.S. DOE found:

  • Duct leakage of the Unico System was measured at just over 1 CFM of leakage over 100 sq. ft. of conditioned space. 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2012) requires duct leakage to meet or be less than 4 CFM per 100 sq ft of conditioned space.
  • With the motor running at low speed, which is normal field operating conditions, the air handler was found to be highly efficient, using only 0.2W per CFM. A marginally inefficient system will operate at approximately .5W per CFM.
  • Whole-house average air temperature stratification is rarely greater than 3°F from floor to ceiling when supply air outlets are properly selected and located to engage the whole volume of room air and appropriate return air strategies are implemented.
  • In these homes, the Unico System duct work only required 4" drop in ceiling height. Bringing conventionally sized duct work into conditioned space represents a significant challenge to conventional production home builders. In fact, 52% of builders polled in this research said that a 12" drop in ceiling height, which is what is required for conventional duct work to be located in the conditioned space, would affect the sales and marketing of their homes.
  • Because of the cost of materials to lower the ceiling, or install bulkheads to accommodate the duct work in a conditioned space, the research showed that the small-duct, high-velocity system costs up to 17% less to install than a traditional ducted system.

Regenerative Network X

The Regenerative Network is the foremost global consortium of the green building industry's leading product manufacturers and service providers. Exclusive Network member companies are hand-selected based on sustainable building leadership, product performance and the ability to boldly interact and add value.

Started by the founder of the United States Green Building Council and the World Green Building Council, David Gottfried, the Network provides integrated sustainable solutions for building owners, developers and project managers. Unico is proud to be a partner in the Regen Network and to be associated with such a forward thinking group of companies. The video below is David's endorsement of the Unico System.

David Gottfried Endorses The Unico System

To learn more about the Regenerative network, please visit http://regen-net.com/.

To view a list of the innovative members of the Regenerative Network, including Unico, visit http://regen-net.com/category/network_members/.

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