Central Air Conditioners SEER Ratings=Savings
Today’s best air conditioners use 30% to 50% less energy to produce the same amount of cooling as air conditioners made in the mid 1970s. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you may save 20% to 40% of your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model.
Each air conditioner has an energy-efficiency rating that lists how many BTU per hour are removed for each watt of power it draws. For central air conditioners, it is the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, or SEER. These ratings are posted on an Energy Guide Label, which must be conspicuously attached to all new air conditioners. Many air conditioner manufacturers are participants in the voluntary EnergyStar labeling program. In general, new air conditioners with higher SEERs sport higher price tags. However, the higher initial cost of an energy-efficient model will be repaid to you several times during its life span. Your utility company may encourage the purchase of a more efficient air conditioner by rebating some or all of the price difference.
Central Air Conditioners–SEER
2012 National minimum standards for central air conditioners require a SEER of 13 for single-package and split-systems. But you do not need to settle for the minimum standard-there is a wide selection of units with SEERs reaching 20. Seer ratings are increasing from year to year as well as the regulated minimum standards.