Florida House debuts first solar air-conditioning system

Representatives from Tri County Air Conditioning and Heating Inc. joined Sarasota County commissioners and announced today plans to install a Lennox solar-powered air-conditioning system at the Florida House.

The system is the first of its kind in Florida.

The new system could decrease electric bills by as much as 50%. Additionally, when the unit is not operating and the sun is shining, the system will produce energy for other household demands.

The Florida House is a demonstration home and landscape featuring readily available, environmentally friendly materials and methods for new and existing Florida homes and yards.

“When we learned in December of 2009 that Lennox was developing an air-conditioning system that runs on solar power, we thought the Florida House would be the perfect place to introduce it to the public," ” said Bill Swanson, president of Tri County Air Conditioning and Heating Inc.

Lennox just started production of the new unit. Tri County Air Conditioning and Heating also will install indoor air quality products and a separate photovoltaic system that will provide energy needed to operate the rest of the house. The total retail value of the material and labor donation to install the products is about $65,000 — the single largest donation to the Florida House renovation project by any local business.

The Florida House is scheduled to re-open this fall.

“We’re very excited about the cooperation we’ve received updating the Florida House,” said Nan Summers, executive director of The Florida House. “It has been a community project and we’re looking forward to sharing the results of the efforts of our partners with the public.”

For information, contact 861-5000.

Contact Loren Mayo at [email protected].