Last weekend Home-Tech had a special event in our showroom in Bradenton. There were quite a few of our appliance and ac experts on hand to answer questions from customers. I was visiting with customers in our air conditioning educational area in our showroom and happened to overhear a customer ask our salesperson, “What is a Seer?” We understand that for the average customer, much of air conditioning terminology can be a mystery. After all, we aren’t all engineers or ac specialists. So let’s tackle this topic today. What does SEER mean?
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Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio – SEER
This term is a way to rate the efficiency of an air conditioning unit. The higher the number the better. It’s like getting a higher score on a test. Speaking of tests, here’s the math part of the rating. SEER is actually the cooling output during a typical season divided by the total energy input during the same season. Starting in January of 2006 all residential ac units sold in the US had to have a SEER of at least 13. To be qualified as an ENERGY STAR air conditioner the unit had to have a SEER of at least 14. Now there are units with much higher ratings.
The longer your cooling season (ehem – Florida, for example) the more you can justify the cost of installing a higher SEER air conditioning unit because the cost savings on your utility bills will ultimately pay you back for the purchase cost of your new system. One note: it is very important to do the maintenance on your system as the score
will decrease if you don’t. It doesn’t make any sense to spend the money on a high efficiency system so you get a great SEER rating and then not do the minor maintenance to take care of it.
Let Us Do the Equation For You
Call today to set up a complimentary visit from one our air conditioning experts. In just a short visit they can do the calculations and show you what you can save by upgrading your ac system to one with a higher SEER. Want more information about some of the best systems out there today? Check out our BEST Air Conditioning System recommendations.
Since 1981, Home-Tech has been helping our customers get the best air conditioning system possible for their homes. Call today at 800-800-8356. We are always here to help.