Variable Capacity Systems Meet Comfort, Efficiency and Service Challenges

The new Champion Momentum Variable Capacity Residential Systems from Johnson Controls incorporate advanced technologies, including built-in charge monitoring to meet comfort, efficiency and service challenges.

The new high-efficiency system includes built-in advanced monitoring. Charge Guard monitoring on air conditioners and heat pumps helps ensure units are charged correctly when installed—all without disconnecting or attaching any gauges, sensors or accessories to the unit. A digital screen on the corner of the unit quickly displays refrigerant and temperatures necessary to evaluate the system charge, ensuring faster, more accurate installations and annual maintenance service, maximized service life and added peace of mind for homeowners.

Owners can also count on improved comfort thanks to inverter-driven variable capacity technology, which dynamically adjusts capacity and airflow, unlike conventional systems that simply turn on or off. Air circulates more precisely and quietly, maximizing comfort while reducing energy consumption.

In fact, the systems’ ENERGY STAR Most Efficient qualified, up to 20 SEER AL21 air conditioners and HL20 heat pumps can reduce energy costs by as much as 50 percent compared to older 10 SEER units, and may qualify for utility rebates. Efficiency is enhanced by matched and communicating indoor equipment, coils and air handlers seamlessly integrated with the Wi-Fi-enabled Champion Momentum Hx Thermostat. The easy-to-use touch-screen thermostat allows owners to precisely control and monitor their home comfort systems anywhere they have internet access. In addition, communicating indoor and outdoor units enable a self-monitoring feature that allows a contractor to quickly identify and diagnose system issues—potential or immediate—and minimize interruptions to comfort.

Several additional Champion technologies further enhance comfort. ShadowDrive incorporates a sound-reducing swept-wing fan blade, composite base pan and sound containment cloak to reduce typical outdoor operating sound levels, while Climate Mark enables contractors to set up systems faster and more accurately, by selecting from one of three preconfigured operating profiles—humid, dry or normal—based on climate and homeowners’ specific needs.

A third system—EnviroTrak—allows further fine-tuning of the blower operation for specific applications, whether to compensate for arid environments or maximize the use of additional air quality accessories. Contractors can offer improved indoor air quality with a variety of devices, including system-matched humidifiers, germ-killing UVC lights and high-efficiency MERV 16-rated filtration, for reduced dust and contaminants.

Champion Momentum Variable Capacity Residential Systems also appeal to contractors with features that include a swing open electrical box that provides full corner access to the inside of the unit for easy installation and maintenance. Additionally, contractors can access systems remotely, when granted permission by the homeowner, to evaluate system operation before leaving for the jobsite, and with diagnostics being available at the outdoor unit and thermostat eliminate having to walk between the thermostat inside and the outdoor unit.

Designed, engineered and assembled in the U.S., system components are backed by the manufacturing expertise of Fortune 100 parent company Johnson Controls and an unmatched limited one-year labor warranty, lifetime compressor and 10-year parts limited warranties on registered products. Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) facilities aid in the systematic testing of components, including more than 20 years of accelerated operation testing for weather, humidity and temperatures as high as 125 F and as low as -10 F to ensure lasting performance and world-class quality.

In addition, full system testing is performed to Department of Energy (DOE) and CSA standard requirements. Units are also tested under the stresses found in shipping units by truck.

Offering competitive energy efficiency, products are rated in accordance with AHRI Standards 200/240 and 340/360 at AHRI conditions and meet relevant ASHRAE 90.1, ENERGY STAR and EPACT 2005 standards. In addition to ENERGY STAR efficiency, models have earned Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval accolades.