Tips for a More Efficient HVAC System

Make a Lasting Difference in Your Home’s Energy Management

There are plenty of things you can do to make a lasting difference when it comes to home energy management, but unfortunately, it’s easy to end up buying a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that is too large (or too small) for your home, which means you could be paying to heat and cool space that isn’t even there. Heating and cooling your home can often be complex and confusing. With all the acronyms, terminology and choices, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed when trying to find the system that best fits your home’s needs.

Trane believes that “greening” your home shouldn’t be a complicated process and welcomes the opportunity to help your home be more energy efficient all year.

Totally Integrated Home Comfort

Trane offers a portfolio of high-performing and high-quality heating and air conditioning systems for homes. Its high-efficiency products can provide much-needed relief from rising utility bills and energy costs, while also helping you do something positive for your community and the environment.

The average household will pay $2,300 this year on energy costs, with heating alone accounting for almost 45 percent of that total. (Source: Alliance to Save Energy)

Below are some ENERGY STAR Qualified systems to help you with your energy management:

• The Trane XC95 is one of the market’s most efficient gas furnaces and attains up to a 95 percent Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency rating, which is nearly 20 percent higher than the government minimum standard. By installing an efficient furnace, you can save up to 40 percent on home energy consumption.
• The Trane XL20i is among the highest energy efficient air conditioners available today and its Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of up to 20.00 exceeds the minimum efficiency of 13 set by the Department of Energy. A SEER rating of up to 20.00 can mean a savings of up to 60 percent on a family’s annual energy bill, if the system it’s replacing is 10 years or older*.

Have your local Trane dealer perform preventative maintenance before the summer cooling and winter heating seasons begin. Asking a professional to check your system will increase the life of the system, improve energy efficiency, reduce pollutants and save money.

A dirty furnace filter can restrict airflow and increase energy use in your home. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted can save about 5 percent on heating costs. To increase the efficiency of your furnace, replace or clean filters once a month during operating seasons.

Programmable Thermostats

Programmable thermostats, like the Trane XL800, are designed to maximize the performance of your home comfort system with reliable and accurate temperature control. The average annual savings for programmable thermostats is about $100, and they often pay for themselves in two years or less.

Applied Efficiency

Many of Trane's high-efficiency products meet the ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary awareness, communications and marketing campaign developed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992 to promote energy efficiency. Trane has partnered with the EPA to label our high-efficiency systems with the ENERGY STAR logo so homeowners can easily identify those higher-efficiency products that can help reduce pollution problems.

An HVAC unit may be rated as a 20 SEER device in the box; however, when the unit is installed in a home, what the system actually delivers in terms of efficiency may be different due to certain variables in the home. Efficiency can go down due to factors such as improper air flow, mismatched coils and leaking ducts. It’s important to make sure your HVAC system is installed properly so you’re getting the most efficiency possible from your system. Trane Comfort Specialist can help you make sure you get the most from your system.

Rated efficiency applies to HVAC systems that are rated in laboratory conditions assuming the refrigerant charge and system airflow is 100 percent accurate. Applied efficiency is what the system actually delivers once it’s charged and installed in your home in real world conditions.

• Seventy percent of HVAC systems do not have the correct air flow - which impacts energy efficiency (according to the Environmental Protection Agency).
• Almost 74 percent of HVAC systems have an improper amount of refrigerant - which can impact performance by up to 15 percent - resulting in higher energy costs, reduced reliability and faster wear and tear because systems do not operate at maximum efficiency.

Trane’s technology is designed to achieve maximum efficiency, reliability and comfort, delivering the efficiency its ratings promise and customers expect.

Trane has designed a system - called the Trane ComfortLink II Communicating System.- that harnesses the power of digital communication to go far beyond heating and cooling to ensure your system is working as efficiently as possible.

This special technology is built into specific Trane products, allowing them to “communicate” with each other. The interface enables all communicating components in the air conditioning and heating system to be automatically and properly charged, configured and calibrated. The system is designed to run its own self-diagnostics to ensure the proper airflow for heating and cooling modes, as well as the correct heat source configuration, blower timings and humidity control.

*Potential energy use comparing an 8-SEER system to a 20-SEER high-efficiency system. Actual energy savings will vary depending on many factors including your lifestyle, system settings, maintenance, climate and installation.