CA strikes again with CARB ACT

[osuallen]

@turbopilot as a professional HVAC engineer for 40 years, I know all of what you posted. None of this is new and earth shattering, it has been described to sound revolutionary. Also a lot of it is talking about improving HP performance in very cold temperatures - which most RVers tend to avoid.

 

[osuallen]

I recently replaced 30 tons of air conditioning in my home (6 units). My previous units where 14 Seer Trane units that where high tech at the time and very efficient. They had 3 stages of power to save energy.

The new units are 24 seer inverter heat pumps that are infinite number of stages as it scrolls up and down (like a CVVT). The interior fans are also infinite stage.

The end result is my power bill was cut drastically (45% in the summer months) comparing the July 2024 to the August 2024 bills. August was actually a hotter month, and I was home for more of the month, whereas I was gone all of July. During July the house was set to 76F, and August spent most of the month at 68F, with daily temperatures over 100F.

The point of all of this is that technology does exist to use less power and provide better cooling. The units on our RVs are about the oldest design possible and have no efficiency. Think about how Newmar has ducted the air. The intake and return are in the same place, separated by just a few inches.

If the return was placed on one side, and air was drawn across the room, it would provide better circulation, and require less run time and save energy.

The whole idea of CARB is to reduce the need for emissions, and by reducing the need for energy we can get there much faster.

I would like to see a bill that would make HVAC perform better and allow me to keep the coach 68F year round, no matter how many times the dog has to go out. And it would be an even better bill if the HVAC ratings specified that I could keep the blinds up to see the scenery.

Yes HVAC equipment has experienced large improvements since the early-mid 90's when your 14.5 SEER units were installed. BTW: heat in = heat out. the improved air circulation by proper designing the supply & return air systems improves human comfort, but has very little effect on system energy consumption unless the original design was very, very, wrong.

 

[turbopilot]

Yes HVAC equipment has experienced large improvements since the early-mid 90's when your 14.5 SEER units were installed. BTW: heat in = heat out. the improved air circulation by proper designing the supply & return air systems improves human comfort, but has very little effect on system energy consumption unless the original design was very, very, wrong.

We are talking about RV systems. I don't think I have ever seen an RV with a central HVAC system for both heating and cooling, much less a high efficiency system. Even if the AC units in the roof have heat pumps they are typically very loud and inefficient. Most RV's cool from old fashioned, inefficient roof mounted AC units and heat form even more inefficient propane fire forced heating systems. The hope for change being pushed by LightShip is a central HVAC with quiet air flow providing efficient heating and cooling. That is what is "revolutionary" change for an RV.

Here is a link to a detailed review of the HVAC system.