The performance of your cooling and heating system is determined largely by how efficient your unit is running. Each unit is given an energy rating, which defines how efficient your unit is designed to operating. This rating is much like the mpg rating you look at when you are purchasing a car.
The more a unit puts out for each unit of energy it consumes will determine the energy rating. This is why a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) is useful in helping you decide how to pick the most energy efficient unit available to you. Higher SEER ratings mean greater efficiency.
LIFETIME AIR CONDITIONING OPERATING COST
Based on performance of the 3 ion air conditioning unit operating for 2100 cooling hours at $0.10h. Actual costs may vary depending on climate conditions, energy rates, and patterns on usage.
LIFE CYCLE POUNDS OF CO2 EMITTED
Based on performance of on 3 ion air conditioning unit operating for 2100 cooling hours at $0.10h. A life cycle of 13 years, and 1.6 lbs of Co2 emissions. Actual costs may vary depending on climate conditions, energy rates, patterns on usage and life span of systems.
AIR CONDITIONING EFFICIENCY-SEER RATING
In 2015 the federal government passed a mandate that required each new central air-cooling unit to have a SEER-14 rating. It is recommended that you install a unit with at least a SEER-16 rating (if you live in a warmer climate this would be especially beneficial). In some cases a SEER-16 unit will save you over $2,000 dollars in cooling cost over the lifetime of the unit. This also would account for about 30,000 pounds of greenhouse gases from being released into the air.
Central air conditioning systems top out around 20 SEER, but today's top mini split systems are getting about DOUBLE that. Check out Gree Sapphire Systems!
SEER can be determined by following a formula: dividing the systems rated BTU by the stated SEER rating to determine how many watts it will consume in an hour. This is known as kilo-watt hours (Kwh).
Using a 3 ton SEER-15 as an example, 36,000 Btu’s (3 ton) divided by SEER-15 = 2400. The 2400 is the amount of watts consumed each operating hour. The SEER rating helps you determine the operating efficiency of your system.
** Disclaimer: There are however some operating situations that you will have to take into consideration that will determine the efficiency output of your system.
Maintaining your unit and regular cleanings are required to ensure the optimum performance levels. By following the simple rules of cooling system maintenance such as replacing your filter and using the right type of filters, your unit reach the SEER rating it was designed for. Owner operation is also very a important factor. The amount of time your unit is left to run will also be a factor in how much energy your unit will consume.
If you have any questions when you are determining which SEER is best for you reach out to our customer service team. We’re always happy to help!
