Amana ASZ Heat Pumps Review and Benefits
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The Amana brand stands for quality craftsmanship and is an industry leader in heat pump technology. With so many great quality Amana HVAC units, it is important to take a step back and take a more in-depth look at a couple that is representative of Amana’s highest standards for heating and cooling efficiency.
The ASZ16 and its little brother, the ASZ14, are both midlevel Amana heat pumps, and they are packed with advanced features to help offer you the best comfort and maximum savings that owning an Amana heat pump offers. So what are some of the defining features of these two models?
Common features
Copeland ComfortAlert Diagnostics Module
Amana heat pump ASZ series photo: Amana
The ComfortAlert Diagnostics Module is a brilliant solution to a problem that has nagged heat pump owners, namely, when should you have maintenance done on it?
With the Diagnostics Module, you don’t have to wonder because your HVAC unit will alert your contractor who installed it. With this feature, not only do you not need to worry if there are any problems, but also you can save thousands of dollars by having regular maintenance done as needed instead of having a minor maintenance task become an expensive repair.
A further benefit is that because the contractor monitors the Diagnostics Module, you can have peace of mind that the contractor will let you know of any problems or issues and not leave you wondering.
Smart Shift Technology
Another of the many features the two Amana ASZ models share is the use of Smart Shift Technology. This allows for the Amana heat pumps to defrost quietly and smoothly during transitions and ensures that the device continues to work at its most efficiently, keeping you warm on the coldest days.
Noise reduction
Both the ASZ16 and the ASZ14 come with Amana’s noise reduction technology built-in. Amana heat pumps from the ASZ category are designed to operate with reduced noise by utilizing a high-density sound control blanket that assists in blocking the unwanted noises that come with the operation.
However, this is not the only sound reduction technology Amana built into these units. Both units also utilize the Quiet Condenser Fan Motor. This efficient motor was designed to allow for consistent airflow over the condenser while not enhancing unwanted noises. With the combination of the two, these units are some of the quietest models that Amana makes.
Differences
Efficiency
Although similar in many ways, these two Amana heat pumps are not identical twins, with the ASZ16 featuring some important improvements over the ASZ14. The most striking of these differences is in efficiency. Not surprising, but the more advanced and slightly larger ASZ16 has a higher efficiency rating. With a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio of up to 16 as opposed to the ASZ14 with a SEER rating up to 15, you get a bit more energy savings over the year as well.
Depending on the size of your building, this difference can add up to be quite a bit in the long run. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio or SEER indicates how well a unit operates in the summer while cooling, so the higher the SEER rating, the more energy savings you gain with your heat pump when it operates at peak efficiency. For some models, this may mean pairing it with other Amana products.
Both, however, have an identical HSPF score of 9. A good way to look at it is that a SEER rating applies to how well a unit can cool a given area efficiently, and an HSPF rating indicates how efficiently it can warm a given area.
Warranty
The other major difference between these two Amana ASZ is their warranties. The ASZ16 comes covered with a limited lifetime replacement warranty that the ASZ14 does not. This means that depending on the circumstances if you have the ASZ16, it will be covered for as long as you live in your house, and if it fails, it will be replaced. This level of certitude in the quality of their heat pumps is a defining feature of Amana. The ASZ14, like the ASZ16, does come with a decade-long warranty on parts.
