Wednesday call, the following Tuesday test: the Ultimate Comfort System install, hour by hour in Marsh Creek
The flagship system is bought by people who want the house to be quiet, dry and even from room to room, and who want it done once. Here is what the week looks like.
Wednesday: the call from Marsh Creek
A homeowner on the golf course side of Anastasia Island calls about a fourteen-year-old system that has been repaired three times. They are not shopping for the cheapest replacement; they want the house quiet, the upstairs the same temperature as the downstairs, and the humidity under control when they are away for the summer. That is the customer the Ultimate Comfort System is built for, and the week runs like this.
Thursday: what changed before this system was designed
Two rule changes shaped the current flagship. In 2023 the industry moved to SEER2 efficiency testing, which measures equipment against realistic duct resistance; the top Lennox tier was redesigned around it. In 2025 new equipment moved off R-410A to lower-global-warming refrigerants, which changed the compressors, the line-set handling and the service tools. The Ultimate Comfort System you buy now has both baked in: variable-capacity compressors that can run at a small fraction of full output, a variable-speed blower that matches them, and communicating controls that let every piece talk to the thermostat instead of to a relay.
Thursday is the survey. Load calculation room by room, duct inspection, electrical check, and a look at where the outdoor unit can sit on a lot that gets salt air off the Matanzas River.
Friday: what the top tier actually buys now
- A variable-capacity heat pump or air conditioner that runs long and low most of the day, which in a mid-70s dew point is what dries the house.
- A variable-speed air handler (or variable furnace, for the rare gas house) matched to it.
- A whole-home purifier at the air handler for particles, odors and the chemical smell of new finishes.
- Zoning with motorized dampers so upstairs and downstairs run on their own thermostats.
- A communicating smart thermostat that coordinates all of it and shows the house to an owner in another state.
Friday is the proposal, with the FPL rebate eligibility worked out for the specific equipment. Current rebate amounts: [[CONFIRM WITH JERRY]]. Financing with monthly payments is available on this tier like any other.
Monday: install day, in order
Morning: refrigerant recovered from the old system, old outdoor unit and air handler out, line set evaluated and replaced if the new refrigerant calls for it. Midday: new air handler set on an elevated platform if the address is in the flood zone, drain and float switches installed, zoning dampers fitted into the supply trunks. Afternoon: outdoor unit set on a stand with coated-coil protection for the island, electrical and disconnect, system evacuated and charged. Evening: the house is cooling. A full zoned install with purification usually runs into a second morning.
Tuesday: the test before we leave
Each zone is run through a cooling call and a heating call. Supply temperatures and humidity readings are taken at registers upstairs and down. The communicating thermostat is programmed with the owner’s schedule and connected to their phone. The purifier and dampers are checked for operation and sound. The permit inspection is scheduled. Then we walk the owner through the filter schedule and the salt-rinse routine, and leave the house quieter than we found it.
Ultimate Comfort System questions, St. Augustine
Is the Ultimate Comfort System worth it for a 1,700 square foot Marsh Creek villa?
If the owner wants variable-capacity quiet and humidity control, yes; the house size does not change what the equipment does. If the goal is the lowest invoice that cools the house, a two-stage system does that and we will quote it instead. The flagship is a comfort decision more than a payback decision.
Does the communicating thermostat need internet in a house we leave empty all summer?
It runs the system without internet. Internet is what lets you see the house from out of state, get an alert if humidity climbs, and change the setpoint before you fly in. For a second home on Anastasia Island that remote view is most of the reason to have it.
What is different about the new refrigerant for a homeowner?
Nothing you operate. Equipment sold now uses lower-global-warming refrigerant blends in place of R-410A, with slightly different handling rules for the technician. For you it means the system you buy today is the one parts and refrigerant will be available for over its life.
Can the system's zoning cover a bonus room added over the garage?
Yes, if a duct can reach it; the zoning dampers give that room its own thermostat. If no duct can reach it, a ductless head tied into the same control is the cleaner answer, and we quote whichever the house allows.
Want the top of the line, done in a week?
Free estimates. We'll tell you if a lower tier gets you there for less.