photo by awinn233
In 2006 the U.S. Department of Energy increased the energy efficiency rating for air conditioners. It was an effort to reduce energy bills and cut back on pollution. Currently 1/6 of the electric in the U.S. is used to air condition buildings.
Many people do not know how efficient their air conditioner actually is… do you?
The best way to find out is to know your air conditioner’s SEER. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. It’s designed to be easy to understand by all consumers. The higher the SEER the higher the energy efficiency of that air conditioner. If you have a low SEER you’re using more energy to cool your home than someone with a 15 SEER unit.
In 1992, the minimum SEER value was 10. In 2006 it changed to 13. This means that an air conditioner with a SEER of 13 is 30% more efficient than older units.
Of course the higher the SEER, the more money it’s going to cost to purchase and have installed. Likewise, the higher the SEER, the more energy you will save. You would make up the difference in money saved on your electric bills.
This site allows you to calculate your savings by upgrading. We recently installed our system, but we could have saved $251 each and every year by selecting a 15 SEER instead of the 13 SEER we decided on.
It is estimated that by 2030 the energy and SEER laws will be changed again. The energy that would be saved could provide electric for over 20 million homes for a year. (The Department of Energy)
If you would like to have someone help you decide if you could benefit by upgrading please call 866-284-8604 for a Free Energy Analysis. We can also calculate how long it will take you to get back your investment if you decide to install a new unit.
