What Does SEER Mean to A/C Performance? | Stack Heating, Cooling

Your air conditioner is one of the most important investments you’ll make in your home. It affects everything from how comfortable you are when you’re home to how much money you spend on monthly energy bills. As with any important investment, you need to do some homework before you make your decision, which means you need to understand the ins-and-outs of SEER ratings.

The seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) explains how well the air conditioner converts fuel into cooling power over the course of a typical year. The rating is given as a single number between 10 and 23, with the value corresponding to the number of BTUs produced for every watt-hour of electricity consumed. A model must be rated SEER-16 or higher to be considered efficient, with SEER-13 being the lowest rating allowed for standard models since 2006.

In simpler terms, the highly-efficient A/C model is 23 percent more efficient than a standard SEER-13 model. The increase in efficiency can be even greater if you opt for a model rated higher than SEER-16.

Because of the increased efficiency, it pays to invest in a new model with a SEER rating of at least 16 for the following reasons:

• Energy savings – Consider that conditioning the air in your home consumes nearly half of your household energy usage. That should give you a good idea of the money you could save by cutting 20 percent or more off your A/C consumption.
• Lower repair costs – Highly-efficient models are able to operate more efficiently because, in part, they are well-manufactured with quality materials. More efficient A/C performance is therefore indicative of a quality manufacturing, which means fewer problems and repairs.
• Environmental benefits – Not only will you save money and have peace of mind, you’ll also help the environment. Efficient air conditioners uses less energy, reduce emissions and decrease the amount of waste going to landfills.

SEER is the main indicator of A/C performance, but there are other important features which should also be considered. To make sure you select the perfect model for your home, contact Stack Heating & Cooling. We’ve provided expert service to Northeast Ohio for over 35 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about A/C performance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Stack Heating services Cleveland, Ohio and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!