Air Conditioner SEER Ratings
As winter fades in the Ottawa Valley and Air Conditioning Season approaches, you may be in the market for a new Air Conditioner. A primary consideration will be the Air Conditioner SEER and EER Ratings.
The EER, stands for Energy Efficiency Ratio, and SEER, stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. Both ratings can be useful when choosing, but the Air Conditioner. SEER is the primary rating generally referred to and used for comparison.
Air Conditioner SEER ratings reflects overall system efficiency over the season. This is much like the AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilisation Efficiency) rating on a furnace. AFUE Rating account for changes in efficiency as weather changes throughout the heating season. The Air Conditioner SEER rating is like the overall miles per gallon under normal driving conditions – The higher the MPG, or SEER Rating in this case, the lower the electricity bill.
The EER Rating reflects the system’s energy efficiency at a specific operating condition. The EER can be looked at as the optimal efficiency, much like the mileage a car would achieve, with cruise control set at a steady speed.
Matching Systems for Air Conditioner SEER Ratings
Understand the Air Conditioner SEER Rating, and what can effect the efficiency in a positive or negative way is important when looking to buy a new Air Conditioner.
The choice of indoor coils, as well as the furnace, can have a significant impact on the actual performance. The actual Air Conditioner SEER efficiency will vary with a number of factors. The outside Air Conditioning unit should be considered as only part of the overall comfort system. The highest efficiency and performance will always be better with matched systems. Proper matches with the indoor coil and furnace offer much better overall performance and efficiency. In addition, these efficiency ratings are certified by AHRI, who perform third party testing and publish the ratings.
Matching components as a system can increase the Air Conditioner SEER rating by as much as 20-30%, and greatly improve the performance of the system as a whole.
For more information, check out our Furnace Repair or Air Conditioning pages.
