Unlike a lot of “HVAC experts” on the internet, this channel actually gives good information

Nothing said about "cost of ownership" over 20 years. The more complicated equipment has a higher failure rate and cost of repair over the life of the equipment.

Built my home in 2013 with foam insulation in the walls and under the roof decking. A/c company installed two Carrier infinity units. Condenser fan ecm motors replaced approximately every two years at about 1k each. After about 6 years both air handlers had to be replaced at about 3k each. One air handler had to have a txv replaced twice. Part covered under warranty but had to pay the labor cost…around $500.00 each time. Compressor went out on the two ton unit and had to replace the condenser unit. Went with two stage and installed a dehumidifier. This was around 7k. The variable speed system/ comfort is great with the high efficiency only when it works. It’s my belief that it’s best to keep it simple and install a dehumidifier to control the humidity for comfort. As someone already mentioned, the original cost is not the only consideration but rather the cost of repairs/ maintenance. I will never go with a high efficiency unit and will never purchase another Carrier brand. I know someone will say something about proper installation. I read the manual with all of the specifications and had a second opinion and the installation was by the book. Simply put, the a/c units are not built well and do not last. I don’t think I could work in this industry and look the customer in the eyes knowing what junk is being built.

A lot of good information on sizing properly, de-humidification (it's amazing how much water is actually in the air), the Fast-Stat products, & VRF systems. These are all topics that I can bring up in my HVAC class as we go forward.

Super High efficiency systems cost more money to maintain than they save in energy.

Retired home owner here, have done my own HVAC maintenance over the past decades. I am always reading, watching videos to learn more. the VRF Inverter systems really intrigue my Guru mentality. my situation is different than most, a 4 ton Rheem single stage, years old Cooling system, Natural Gas heat. I installed a Honeywell WiFi controlled Thermostat many years ago because my Electric Utility gives me a discount when they need to turn OFF my Cooling system. Love your channel, I learn a lot, my knowledge base is 1990s and older, you help me a lot.

Great presentation!

Great info. Love your videos

Seeing a lot of carrier 38 mura heat pumps here in northern michigan. The rebates the customer gets for it are insane

Good video Zack

Had no idea about the other Faststat modules! I've used the "common maker" a few times, and a few times just couldn't get it to work, but the others are great. Thanks for that tip. An intermediate thing for efficiency is also just zoning dampers for the house and a thermostat with zone sensors. Yes there's a lot of "it depends" but even with multistage, you're still running the whole house system to just condition the 1 part of the house you're in. As for "too many bells and whistles" what is absolutely true is that computers are more sensitive. They're sensitive to power spikes, sensitive to line noise, adverse weather/bugs, sensitive to "internet bullcrap" (bad updates, misconfiguration with apps, hackers, etc) and sensitive to tech supply chains. I can get universal contactors, capacitors, maybe even motors, but only the manufacturer makes that 1 board. Doesn't make it bad, just something the customer needs to be aware of. The fancier it is, the more failure points it has. Good video.

With their inflated cost some people will never recoup the price, then constant maintenance is needed adding to an extra cost, (very few do maintenance) IF it lasts past warranty period good luck on very expensive parts and availability. A lot more delicate parts to go wrong.

Spot on my friend!

Haven’t needed the electric heat yet on a GE Connect variable speed system here in PA in he two years I’ve had it. The GE Connect works well, but had some issues with some of the components at initial install. Unfortunately it was installed as a retrofit to an existing system, and the installer did not verify ducting and sizing, so mine uses an incredible amount of electric in the winter and doesn’t do a great job of dehumidifying in the summer, despite putting it in the lower capacity mode and slowing the air down.

Keep healthy mr zack

Interesting video Zac, my Daikin 5.8Kw A/C R/C handles the summer and winter temperatures nicely where i live 100 kms south of Sydney 👍 Au

Interesting ,Thanks for video

Id argue that noise level is a form of comfort though

I’d rather save on equipment & its repairs v. electricity. I can plant shrubs around the noisier cheaper unit to cut down on its noise.

Nice video and great explanation. I have a daikin vrv with refnet for multiple indoor units I like it but I have a few problems, some of the ev coils does not shut off when it reaches the temp set and it keeps running a whole time sometimes it’s with 3-4 degrees lower then set point and becomes freezing til I just press the bottom with one set point higher. It’s daikin life VRV

Solid points

Depends on what part of the country you live in too. You live in a climate that sees vary humid summers like the southeast. Then an air conditioner with an efficiency rating of 15 seer for a 3.5 ton unit, would be more worth the cost. A 4 ton unit you can go slightly lower.

Used to tell customers dont invest in high effecient equipment. Instead, upgrade widows doors and home insulation.Will save you more money and increase comfort level.

Zac you know your stuff very good information I actually wanted to move to Tennessee and learn hvac I’m actually in the process of getting into the trade I’m a maintenance technician

Insightful

Love your channel man I agree variable speed is awesome I have installed a lot of them and repaired some, truth is dc variable is the future but as of today as a Pipefitter /hvac tech I replaced my system and went single speed cause of the price point savings vs energy returns, variable was over double over my wholesale cost on single stage condenser, next if variable breaks 9 out of 10 times you will be on the phone with manufacturer tech support to troubleshoot the inverter boards and sensors ,after that the part will not be in stock locally and will have to be shipped in from manufacturer. This is why I went single I have parts on hand or they are on the shelve locally and I can fix them Saturday or Sunday cause tech support is not open for variable on weekends. Once they become more prevalent and parts are on the shelve and there are more classes on troubleshooting and repair then hands down best way to go. Just hate to have a customer down for a week waiting for a part and tech support to call back when it’s 100 in August .

Great points made. Yes properly sized equipment is the way to go but I'll go a bit further and say that undersized equipment is even better. ESPECIALLY if its variable speed. The only downside to high efficiency equiment is crappy installers and duct sizing. If your ductwork is questionable then fix it or dont geet something super high efficient. My Diakin Fit is great but even at 2.5Tons is oversized IMO. Also at 74* and 45% humidity I'm cold, so as long as the unit is running and its 75 inside then Im good.

Agreeing with the comments below, a lot of times these higher efficiency units they're producing today have components in them that are not time tested and develop problems the company engineers have not encountered yet. Case in point, I have a Carrier Infinity system. Recently the chief tech for the local company installed the latest and greatest thermostat that is also Wi-Fi capable. When we turned on the Wi-Fi it would reboot itself at least a couple times a day shutting the system down as it was rebooting. The Carrier engineers had not encountered that yet according to what I was told. Since I am retired, I don't really need Wi-Fi control, so I turned it off and the system works just fine. Also, when we were talking the tech told me that t/stat alone costs $900. plus $300. labor to install it and program it. Fortunately, mine is still under warranty but I commented when he said that "Good G..". How are ordinary folks supposed to be able to afford these things? There went that year of "high efficiency" savings down the drain with one little T/stat change.

I have had a lot of complaints about vs air handler noise level when aux heat energizes. Variable speed blower motors increase RPM with an increase in external static pressure across the blower. These new high-efficiency systems with their huge indoor coils do not pull the humidity out like the old inefficient systems did. In humid climates, like you said, you need a dehumidifier too. I will never put a unit on a bedroom wall using a bracket.

As with anything - the Simpler , the Better & Cheaper to Repair. Most of the Population Understand that & Want that. You say Get on Board. i've Got No Problem Repairing Complicated Stuff. Been doing it for years. Computer controlled Cascade refrigeration systems since 1980 that interface with Main frame Computers at Hughes aircraft & the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Flouro carbon Liquid based Thermal shock equipment. The Average Homeowner does not Want to " PAY " those costs for A Computer controlled Highly Complex system. The More parts & Pieces. More things to go wrong. Just Like A Car with 25 Circuit boards in it. it's Just not necessary. Like they say - " Kiss " - Keep it Simple s****d.

My AC would run 24/7 if I set my thermostat at 72. My systems are about 10 years old and getting time to replace with something more efficient. My two story Florida house isn't that tight and doesn't have very efficient windows. This is good info for considering my next heat pump.

Hello! I work as an air conditioning installer in Hungary, Europe. We have been using this technology for a long time because of the lower energy consumption. They really consume much less energy because in most cases you don't need 100% operation, so it saves energy. I am very happy about your initiative to use less energy. Congratulations.

Mr. Zac I watched the shorts on this GE AC few hours ago, I wanted to know what is that big cylinder in front of the rotary compressor? Receiver? or another rotary compressor?

If you had it your way how far away from the building would you have the condenser. inverter or not

Comfort is king. I'm jealous of the 24/7 circulating setups. If only we had god mode. Whisper quiet, zero dollars to run. Lets call it the invisible blanket system. Very interesting talk. Sizing for the hottest or coldest day sounds logical. The idea of having only full throttle for either cold or heat is very in-efficient. I didn't realize my condensing furnace was two stage and a multi speed blower. I'm throwing it away after 15 years. Goodman, it's been good with no problems. I'll swap it out for another 2 stage aciq. But my AC has got to go, low on R22 and noisy as a 1980's pontiac with a holy exhaust. Its dB rating is 82 or so. I'm going with aciq hyper heat inverter. The big decision for only $200 difference is the hyper heat version. The non hyper heat ones stop producing heat at 5 deg. Capacity starts to drop at 20 deg. The hyper heat at -22 drop to 72%. Then again any of these numbers are theoretical. Even if real, definitely not your exact location. Altitude, moisture in the air etc all do something. I think all systems at a minimum should have 2 stages. 2 fan speed and a few temp readings. An inverter is a decent way to do it. If only the parts start coming down. They will as these things are going into everything. But hearing carrier infinity woes and cost of parts is not good. A variable valve, either furnace gas or refrigerant is a liability. Just fire some solenoids. A few speeds on a air handler would be nice. Thermostats need to get a bit more advance or user friendly for the flexibility. What would you suggest. I have a T9 honeywell and it seems ok. I'm not sure how well it'll work out for this setup.

Nice 😮

better to get a basic unit thats installed very well...people dont care about all the bells and whistles and tbh if its a basic unit i have everything on my work truck to get someone cooling instead of ordering parts because its high end and cant easily get parts.

After all is being said and reading the comments I am of the opinion that less is best. Sure it may run more to operate with the cost of electricity but when you figure the cost of electricity, the equipment cost, installation cost...and the costs that come later, maintenance and repair, only then will you get a true representation of what it cost to operate these units compared to the basic one speed, low SEER units. I am faced now with replacing a bare bones unit that has been in operation for 27 years. Still working but I am faced with a failure at any moment...or who knows it may run for another 5 years or more. I am seriously considering going with the inverter controlled WINDOW units such as the U Shaped Madea that are reasonable in price and efficient. If it breaks simply buy a new one, definitely less expensive than a service call for my central unit. I'll buy 5 and for less than $2,500 my whole house will be covered and if one goes out I am not out of air. Just a thought!

Most homeowners who need replacement equipment are looking at cost. They will usually go with the cheapest option.

In agreement. It’s been here and here to stay. In my area this technology is needed to meet energy requirements and credits for securing a building permit. So, as a builder, accept it, learn it and understand it to better inform clients in their decision making.

High efficiency systems are not what they should be. Let’s put it like this. Your new car has a smaller motor which is supposed to be GAS EFFICIENT, however they don’t last as long as the older cars because they were built to last 350 hP vs 175 HP now. The motors don’t last long and break down a lot. Equipment is not built to last now. We have a lot of issues with 16-20 seer units. Variable speed is ok but not worth it in my opinion. This is coming from a person that has been in the field for 20 plus years and who has HAD a variable speed system. Got rid of it for a 14.3 and I am better off with that. That’s proof in the pudding.

My experience has been that it is not worth the extra money unless it is variable speed. I would sit at the table with a customer and work it out with a breakdown within the first 5 years, the least expensive standard equip. and variable speed win out.

I never recommend to my customers very high-end equipment because in long run it cost way more to fix it and maintain, in the end that unit will cost them more money than single or two stage equipment

HI, I think this guy got everything wrong. ECM motor or X-13 motors can push some air pretty well VS PSC motors are normally starting to slow down as they cant push air more. Has anyone ever tried to close a door on air handler with ECM motor on the system that has undersized ductwork??? That blower motor turns into a jet engine!

👍🏿

High efficiency means it done last long. I’ve found with anything.

I really like your channel and think you are a really good tech, but I’m going to have to disagree with you on your high efficiency recommendation. Like how others have commented, you are going to cancel out what you save on your bill, by how many repairs you are going to on your high efficiency system. I see this same situation in appliances as well, how efficient is it, if you are replacing more frequently than ever before. The old systems and appliances use to last 20 years or more, now that’s high efficiency. This is my opinion, but I still like your channel, even though we disagree.

12:30 holy sales pitch… How much percentage they giving you? FFS

They all cool The same. The only difference is how much electricity they use. There is no return on investment unless the home is 2500 sq ft or larger

Not worth it. Better to make your home more energy efficient