CE hosted several homebuilders from throughout Florida to a ductless product meeting at the UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings in Palm Beach Gardens on November 5, 2018. Florida CE Regional Business Development Manager Jessica Meir, Mid-Size Builder Relationship Manager Felicia Reynolds, Regional Sales Manager Jason Willis and Florida Regional Director, VRF/Ductless and Engineered Systems Support, Dave Lucas were joined by Carrier National Account Manager Mike Ackerman in welcoming the builders and sharing information on ductless applications in new construction. Tim Smith, Chief Building Scientist at energy and electrical experts 15 lightyears offered information on energy compliance testing, energy performance ratings and code compliance.

The presentations began with a review of United Technologies’ varied divisions, Carrier, Collins Aerospace, Pratt and Whitney and Otis Elevators and how they benefit from each other’s manufacturing processes, R & D and the common culture of excellence they all share.

Jessica discussed new construction benefits of using ductless products, beginning with increased floor space provided by eliminating the conventional air handlers. She also cited the possibility of reducing the number of condensers needed and the flexibility in building design that higher SEER ratings provide when meeting energy efficiency standards.

Dave provided an overview of residential ductless applications and how they achieve superior comfort and energy savings compared to traditional ducted systems. He illustrated using ductless to solve specific hot/cold-spot issues, two-story home and load-shifting applications and whole-home zoning. “An added benefit of the low energy consumption demands of ductless systems is they enable the use of lower capacity stand-by generators for homes where electrical back-up is desired or required,” he stated.

Lunch and a tour of the UTC facility concluded the meeting. Features of buildings that are normally hidden, such as air conditioners, chillers and the inner workings of elevators, are on display along with interactive stations where clients and visitors can explore the different technologies.

Located at 13995 Pasteur Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, the 224,000 square-foot UTC Center for Intelligent Buildings is a state-of-the-art innovation and technology experience center. An environmentally sustainable building designed to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Platinum standards, it is also a modern and connected work space for 500 employees. The building serves as the global headquarters for UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a leading provider of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems, building controls and automation, and fire and security systems, and a unit of United Technologies Corp.