HVAC Reviews Criteria & Ratings

How We Rate Products

High Performance HVAC reviews and rates HVAC Products along with other related home products available on the market that consume energy. Energy and how we use it is a big subject these days and High Performance HVAC wants to help you make the right decisions when purchasing HVAC equipment. High Performance HVAC applies our knowledge to rate the equipment and products we review. We give you a technical review cutting through the sales embellishments made by manufacturers to attract you to purchase their product. Of course any review has an opinion but we take a technical approach to reviewing these products and unmask the hype. We give you the pluses and minuses for purchasing these energy consuming products. Sometimes we will be brash when describing something a manufacturer claims because some claims they make is simply silly and uses true hype. We counter the hype giving you a technical but fun review. It is our hope that all manufacturers are accountable when describing their products so the consumer isn't lead astray by the hype. When we find a claim that is so outrageous we will issue a Caution Alert for that particular manufacturer. Currently there is only one manufacturer with a Caution Alert tag.

When we find a product where the manufacturer makes outrageous claims we will issue a Caution Alert tag until they either prove the outrageous claim or issue a press release showing where they erred in their test procedures and that they are reassessing the efficiency rating on the equipment or product. A Caution Alert means you need to ask the representative to explain the claims made in the sales literature from that manufacturer they are representing for that particular product. Basically, a Caution Alert is telling you the claims made do not make logical sense and the test used to determine this claim is flawed or the test was not conducted under normal and fair conditions that you, the consumer, would experience after this product is installed in your residence or business.

Currently all manufacturers of Two-Stage gas and oil furnaces and boilers need to retest all the Two-Stage gas and oil furnaces and boilers in their inventory because the current DOE test for rating efficiency for gas furnaces (AFUE) is a test released by DOE in 1993 for single-stage conventional gas furnaces. As of this writing the National Institute of Standards has recommended to the DOE that they accept this new test procedure for Two-Stage gas and oil furnaces and boilers to make the test credible for Two-Stage gas and oil furnaces and boilers. As we develop the site we will include more information about efficiency ratings because energy consumption has become a very important factor in many peoples' decision to purchase equipment. We simply want to make sure the end consumer is educated about purchasing products and the credibility of the claims made by manufacturers in rating their products. We encourage users of High Performance HVAC reviews to ask sales representatives about this when they make the sales pitch for you to to purchase one of their Two-Stage gas or oil products.

All we ask of you is that you give us a review of the HVAC equipment you own. Please be fair and honest in your review and remember there are many very good HVAC and home products available out there for purchase. It is highly recommended you get a good contractor to install the equipment. An article in a recent trade magazine claimed approximately 50% of HVAC equipment is installed incorrectly leading to problems with the equipment, poor or improper air flow or water flow, and the poor installation results in a reduction in the rated efficiency of the equipment. Installation is important so make sure you hire a professional to install the equipment. A professional contractor will do the job right and save you lots of money in energy costs and add life to the equipment itself. Before you make negative a review you need to answer these basic questions:

• Was the equipment inspected by a third party agency? In other words was a permit pulled for the new installation so the new installation could be inspected by local authorities for safety and proper installation according to the code applicable to the installation.
• Did the equipment recieve proper start-up by a qualified technician? After new equipment is installed it should be started-up by a qualified technician for final check-out and tuning before the contractor says the job is complete.
• If you had a forced air system installed was the ductwork replaced or did it have a major overhaul? Many old outdated duct systems leak and are inefficient. A big problem with old duct is that it may not be the proper size for the new installation. This is very important for the proper operation of the new forced air system and the efficiency of the new equipment.
• Was a proper load calculation done to determine the true size of the equipment necessary to handle the load? There are many systems out there that are undersized and oversized. Both oversizing and undersizing will decrease the efficiency of the equipment and cause problems with comfort.

In many of the review sites I have been to and read the negative reviews I can almost bet the house that 50% or more of the people who gave the negative review cannot answer the above questions with a positive, confident answer.