A new product from Carrier® brought home the gold award in the 2013 Dealer Design Awards’ HVAC Residential Equipment category. Hailed for its improved contractor and homeowner interface, the Infinity® Remote Access Touch Control is considered the brains behind a Greenspeed™ intelligence system. As part of a complete Infinity communicating system, this one control can manage temperatures, humidity, ventilation, airflow, IAQ, and up to eight zones. If the system includes a heat pump and a furnace, then its features can orchestrate Hybrid Heat® system performance.
“As an engineer I have always agreed with the control options and algorithms offered by the Infinity control,” said Sonny Swann, vice president of Climatic Heating and Cooling in Middleburg, Va., who has been installing Carrier systems for more than 20 years. “In my opinion, it is the best in the residential market as far as the back end of controlling multistage equipment. There are lots of residential controls on the market, but this one offers almost everything; a homeowner interface, diagnostics, configuration options, and Internet connectivity.”
Standard installation of the Infinity product is achieved via the four-pin connector labeled ABCD. The control requires a dedicated 24-vac, 40-va, and 60-Hz, via indoor equipment ABCD connector. The isolated transformer is field-supplied and the unit requires standard thermostat wire 18-24 gauge.
Other features include intuitive programming as well as Wi-Fi-enabled remote access when connected to a Wi-Fi network with the included wireless router via Internet and/or Apple® and Android™ smartphone or tablet devices. The full-color touchscreen has photo upload capability, intuitive on-screen prompts, and a local five-day weather forecast. It comes with silver, black, and white faceplate options.
Future Engineering
According to Carrier representatives, Infinity Touch Control is the result of more than three years of collaborative research, performed by the company’s large technical and marketing team.
“It was a complete redesign of the original Infinity control,” said Raj Shah, engineering fellow, Carrier. “The new design utilizes a high-resolution, color touchscreen for easy access to the rich feature set, built-in Wi-Fi technology for remote connectivity via the Internet, and all new control software implementing a number of exciting new features, such as energy usage tracking, while building on and improving existing functionality.”
Catering to the needs of both contractors and homeowners, Shah pointed out that the Infinity system employs self-discovery and configuration. Essentially plug and play, the system automatically discovers the characteristics of a wide range of equipment and configures itself to operate in an optimal manner. The technician does not have to set up the equipment configuration, which helps save time and reduce mistakes and callbacks.
The control also provides the technician easy access to active and historical fault information from each equipment unit, a date and time-stamped systemwide “Last 10 Events” log, and operational status, such as airflow levels, compressor and blower speeds, refrigerant pressure and temperature, and more. Some of the information is also available via Wi-Fi remote access.
While the manufacturer admits this system will be around for some time, future improvements are already being considered. “Based on feedback from dealers and end-users, Infinity will continue to evolve with new and improved capabilities,” explained Shah. “Some areas of interest to dealers are availability to a broader array of service information on remote applications, over-the-air and USB software updates, application of advanced diagnostics to more fault conditions, etc.”
Technical support is provided through a nationwide network of local distributors. Installation and start-up instructions, troubleshooting guide, critical parts list, and wiring diagrams are available.
Gold Winner Highlights
Carrier®
Infinity® Remote Access Touch Control
www.carrier.com
Silver Winner
The Rheem Prestige™ Series Water Heater
The Rheem Prestige™ Series High-Efficiency Condensing Power Direct Vent (PDV) Water Heater is an Energy Star®-qualified unit designed to provide domestic hot water for residential applications in 48- and 38-gallon capacities. The 48-gallon model has a first hour rating (FHR) of 93 gallons, and the 38-gallon model has a FHR of 74 gallons. It comes with a factory-installed exhaust riser that vents at the top of the product. The unit features an integrated, self-diagnostic system, which monitors the water heater’s operations. The system uses an array of six LED lights with different patterns pertaining to approximately 15 error/troubleshooting codes.
Silver Winner Highlights
Rheem Mfg. Co.
Prestige™ Series High-Efficiency Condensing Power Direct Vent (PDV) Water Heater
www.rheem.com
Bronze Winner
Bryant® Evolution® Extreme 280ANV Heat Pump
Bryant’s 280A Evolution® Extreme heat pump provides up to 13 HSPF heating efficiency and up to 20.5 SEER cooling efficiency. This product has been designed and manufactured to meet Energy Star® criteria for energy efficiency when matched with appropriate coil components. It is a variable-speed unit and has intelligent electronics to track system operation. Accessory and system monitors provide text-based messages on the large LED screen letting the homeowner know when it’s time for a filter change, routine maintenance, etc. Optional remote connectivity lets the homeowner monitor, change, and control the system anywhere there is Internet access.
Bronze Winner Highlights
Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems
Evolution® Extreme 280ANV Heat Pump
www.bryant.com
Publication date: 7/22/2013
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