By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
For more than 25 years, Southeast Quality HVAC has been helping the people of North Alabama and Southern Tennessee stay warm or cool, depending on the weather and the season. And, they have been committed to helping their customers slash their heating and cooling costs through various programs offered by TVA.
For the sake of this article, Southeast is spotlighting an Amana product that has been called the “Inverterizer,” and it was a joy to see Randy Ricketts be so enthusiastic and confident about how he and his crew can meet heating and cooling needs at a whole new level. “This thing is selling like hotcakes,” said Randy.
What is this “thing”? It is a unit that can actually be hung vertically on an outside wall, and is part of Amana’s S-series. Randy particularly likes what is called the 17 SEER 2 for a number of reasons. The first is the quality of the product. About 8 ½ years ago he purchased the “grandfather” of this unit in order to meet two needs: the first is that he needed to replace the unit at his own home, and the second was that he wanted to see how well it worked so he could speak to potential customers from the standpoint of experience. He was in a position to swap out the HVAC unit if it didn’t meet his standards, and the Amana is pretty much the only one he recommends. “It has been wonderful, and the only thing I have had to do is clean it,” said Randy. He added, “It pretty much sells itself.”
TVA likes it as well, and has brought back their swap out and new construction rebates. “There are lots of finance options,” Randy said, and right now one of the perks of getting the “Inverterizer” is that they are offering a free “smart” thermostat, which is valued at over six hundred dollars. Randy showed it to me, and it looks like an IPhone. TVA has 10-year finance plans, and the rebates go up to $1,000. They also have a 10-year warranty plan that can be added to a unit purchase. Recently Greenbrier restaurant participated in the “swap-out” program, and Southeast did the installation. “I could hardly believe the difference in the way the restaurant felt, and you could smell the food all through the place, which is how it should be,” Randy said.
When Southeast Quality HVAC does an installation, TVA has an independent inspector come and sign off on the work. “We have been Quality Contractors with TVA’s Energy Right program for 20 years, and we have to perform above industry standards in order to keep that title,” Randy said. He also mentioned that with the recent ice and snow that had us locked down for nearly a week, the Amana S-Series inverter units that have been sold and installed by Southeast Quality “went right on through,” and added, “They’ll do what you want.”
Another aspect of getting through weather challenges is having properly installed insulation, particularly spray foam installation. Spray foam insulation helps keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. When installed correctly, spray foam insulation can deliver comfort and energy savings especially during the hottest and coldest months of the year. Sealing leaks and spray foam insulation can improve the overall comfort of your home and fix many of the common issues:
• Reduce noise from outside the home
• Less pollen, dust, and insects (pests) entering the home
• Better humidity control
• More even temperature distribution throughout the home, reduced hot and cold rooms
• Reduces large temperature changes inside home due to hot summer days (>93⁰F) and very cold winter days (<10⁰F)
• Spray foam has flame suppression added to help promote fire safety
• Spray foam will not shrink or settle
• Can be applied to wood surface as open-cell or metal surface as closed-cell spray foam
If you want to live in a very energy efficient home, let Southeast Quality and TVA help you get “inverterized” by Amana. Then make sure your home is insulated and air sealed with spray polyurethane foam. The cost to apply the foam is minimal compared to the energy efficiency improvement of the home, and the average return on investment is 8 to 10 years.
Call Southeast Quality HVAC today at 245-232-2077 to get a free quote. “We will also design and install your heating and cooling system, ductwork, and gas service to your home, and remember, we are long-standing Quality Contractors in the TVA Energy Right Program!”
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner