HVAC
HVAC Upgrades in Kansas City, MO

Modern HVAC technologies make it easy to efficiently and effectively heat and cool your home in an eco-friendly fashion. It is important to know which recent developments are worth your investment, though. Homeowners should look closely at the following eco-friendly options when upgrading or replacing an HVAC.

Designs With High-Efficiency Ratings

There are three types of efficiency ratings. SEER covers AC efficiency, HSPF covers heat pumps, and AFUE covers gas furnaces and similar fossil fuel-based systems.

The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) indicates how efficient a cooling system is. The 2025 EPA standard requires a SEER of at least 14 for Kansas. A unit is generally considered efficient at 16 SEER or above, and high-efficiency options push past 25 SEER.

For reference, you should expect about an 8% improvement in efficiency for every SEER point. Many older AC systems have ratings of 10 or below, so there’s a good chance that upgrading to a new model will yield a major efficiency improvement, even if you opt for a standard system.

HSPF, the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, tells you the efficiency of a heat pump. 8.2 HSPF is the minimum standard, and high efficiency starts at 9.0 to 10.0. Some models go above 13. Higher ratings generally indicate better performance in extremely low temperatures.

Finally, Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) will tell you about the efficiency and eco-friendliness of furnaces and other heating units that use natural gas or other fossil fuels. AFUE indicates how much fuel ends up heating your house, with the remainder ending up as heat waste. It is easy to find heating systems with AFUE ratings above 90%. Some models use condenser technologies to capture waste heat, offering 95% or more AFUE.

Eco-Friendly Refrigerants

Of all the elements of an HVAC that can do considerable harm, the refrigerants from AC units and heat pumps are some of the worst. This is especially the case with older units that use high levels of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is phasing HFCs out, with a mandate to reduce HFC use in the HVAC industry by 85% by 2036.

R-410A is the current refrigerant targeted for replacement. Newer refrigerants like R-32 and R-454B have a quarter to one-third the global warming potential of R-410A. Look for ACs and heat pumps that use these refrigerants.

Carbon dioxide and ammonia are emerging options in commercial refrigerant uses. They have yet to enter the residential market as serious contenders, but watch for them as pressure mounts to eliminate HFCs in the coming decades.

Variable-Speed Technologies

Standard HVAC systems tend to operate either fully in “on or off” conditions. In other words, your AC or heater maxes out performance until it reaches the target temperature. This is inefficient and far from the most eco-friendly solution.

Variable-speed technologies can control the aggressiveness of fans, blower motors, and refrigerant lines in HVACs. This allows the HVAC to finely control temperature and humidity levels. Variable-speed systems can hover close to the target temperature and then reduce their aggressiveness to maintain your comfort level longer. Because these systems don’t waste lots of energy ramping up at the start of multiple cycles, they consume significantly less electricity or fuel.

The best variable-speed designs use inverters and compressors together to yield major savings. The best units can reduce energy consumption and your carbon footprint by as much as 50%.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are one of the more interesting ways to have an eco-friendly HVAC. A heat pump serves the role of both a heating system and an air conditioner. It accomplishes this with refrigerant technology that’s very similar to what you see in air conditioning. However, a heat pump has a reversible switch that allows it to extract latent heat even from cold air.

Heat pumps can achieve efficiency rates in the 300 to 400% range. This is possible because a heat pump transfers heat rather than generating it. Consequently, heat pumps are astonishingly efficient in mild conditions. Homeowners may see efficiency improvements as high as 60% with the right setup.

Ductless Mini-Split ACs

A ductless mini-split AC achieves greater efficiency and eco-friendliness by eliminating common sources of waste. Foremost, a mini-split doesn’t have HVAC ducts. Traditional ducted ACs often lose cooled air through air leaks and the simple distance between the central unit and the target room.

A ductless mini-split links target rooms to a single outdoor unit. The unit sends refrigerant directly to a small subunit that’s usually installed in a wall or ceiling. The refrigerant retains temperatures much better than cooled air itself does, so the net effect is greater efficiency.

Secondly, ductless mini-splits can target as many or as few rooms as you’d like. If you don’t want to spend money cooling a spare bedroom, then simply don’t connect it. You always have the option to expand cooling later to that room, too.

Programmable and Smart Thermostats

If you choose just one upgrade listed here to add to an existing system, make it a programmable or smart thermostat. For the cost, it’s best to go all the way to a smart thermostat, which usually has a payback period of 18 or fewer months. Programmable and smart thermostats allow you to automate temperature control, and some systems also automate humidity control.

The best smart thermostats can monitor the current weather, your home’s occupancy, how far away you are, and even energy prices. This data allows the smart thermostat to optimize your HVAC when it runs. This maximizes efficiency and allows your system to be more eco-friendly.

Zoned HVAC

HVAC zoning uses fans, dampers, blower motors, and other control systems to target specific parts of your home with heating and cooling. You can create zones to target the upstairs and downstairs or the sunny and shady sides of your house, for example. Individualized zones are also possible.

Insulation and Supplemental Heat

Improving your home’s insulation is a great way to retain more of the heated and cooled air you are paying for. With less heat going to waste through walls and the roof, your setup will run less often and be more eco-friendly.

Modern high-efficiency fireplaces also serve as excellent supplemental heat sources. Fireplaces can provide targeted heat. If you want a toasty living room during the winter, a fireplace is a great way to get it since it doesn’t typically warm all other areas of the home.

MVP Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing & Electric is the source for heating and cooling options for anyone who lives in the Greater Kansas City Metro Area. We have NATE-certified technicians, and our business regularly receives awards from Nextdoor. Our high review rating on Google tells you how much our customers think of our work, too. Financing is available upon credit approval for most HVAC installation ideas.

Homeowners in Lenexa, KS, Kansas City, or other nearby communities who want to make their HVACs eco-friendlier with upgrades should contact MVP Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing & Electric right away.

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