Trying to keep cool during the hot Nebraska summer can put a significant strain on your finances due to how much your air conditioning has to run. This is especially true if you have an older, inefficient AC that no longer works all that effectively. While upgrading to a new, energy-efficient AC is also fairly costly, it’s a decision that will definitely pay off in the end due to how much you’ll save on your summer electricity bills.
In this article, we’ll look at the importance of focusing on SEER ratings when choosing a new AC unit to install, and explain everything else you need to know about these ratings.
What Are SEER Ratings?
SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio and is the system that the U.S. Department of Energy requires manufacturers to use to express how energy efficient the ACs and heat pumps they produce are. Determining the overall energy efficiency of these cooling units isn’t as simple as you might think, which is why the SEER rating system was developed.
It’s easy to express how energy efficient something like a furnace is, as all you need to do is calculate what percentage of the energy it uses actually goes into heating the building. As long as the furnace is properly maintained and working as effectively as it was designed to, its energy efficiency also remains constant.
The issue with cooling units is that how efficiently they work at any given time depends on how hot and humid it is outside. An AC works most efficiently when the air is fairly dry and the outdoor temperature is no higher than 80-85 degrees. The efficiency then continually decreases the hotter and/or more humid it gets. An AC unit also experiences at least a slight drop in efficiency anytime the sun is shining directly on it.
The amount of electricity an AC uses over a given period of time doesn’t change. For instance, a 1.5-kW AC will always consume 1.5 kilowatts of electricity for every hour it runs. The decrease in efficiency comes from the fact that high heat and humidity result in an AC not cooling as effectively. That means you end up with longer cooling cycles and an overall increase in energy consumption.
The continual fluctuation in the amount of time an AC runs and thus the amount of energy it uses on any given hour or day is the main reason the SEER rating system was developed. Instead of just looking at how efficient an AC is at any given time, its SEER rating expresses how efficiently it works on average and how much total energy it will normally use over the course of an entire summer. The higher the unit’s cooling output is and the less energy it uses over the summer, the higher its SEER rating is.
How Are SEER Ratings Determined?
The only way to calculate how efficiently any AC would work on average is to estimate how much total electricity it would normally use over an average summer. To do this, the unit must be tested in a lab to see how quickly and effectively it cools in different conditions.
This means running it in different temperatures and humidity levels to simulate the various conditions it would normally be subjected to from late spring to fall when people typically have their AC on. You can then calculate its SEER rating by dividing how many BTUs of cooling it puts out by its total average electricity consumption over this period. The higher this ratio is, the more energy efficient the AC is.
Difference Between SEER and SEER2 Ratings
When looking at AC units, you’ll now see that their energy efficiency is expressed using the SEER2 scale instead of the original SEER scale. The SEER2 scale was introduced in 2023 and is now what the Department of Energy requires all AC manufacturers to use.
SEER2 ratings are still just a ratio of cooling output to total energy consumption over one year. The only difference is that the SEER2 scale uses slightly different testing parameters when estimating an AC’s total yearly energy consumption. The reason the change was made is that the parameters used to measure SEER ratings weren’t all that accurate in terms of simulating real-world conditions. SEER2 ratings more accurately measure an AC’s energy efficiency, but they still tell you the same basic thing.
The SEER2 rating of an AC is always going to be slightly lower than its SEER rating would’ve been simply because the new testing requirements are more accurate and more rigorous. Specifically, SEER2 ratings are typically around 4.5% or somewhere between 0.5 and 2 points lower.
What Is Considered a Good SEER Rating?
The Department of Energy sets the standards for how energy efficient new HVAC equipment must be, and these standards vary for different regions of the country. In Nebraska and the rest of the Northern U.S., the current minimum for any new AC or heat pump is 13.4 SEER2, which equates to 14 SEER. Up until 2016, the minimum requirement in our area was only 13 SEER.
If you were to replace an old 13 SEER AC with a new 13.4 SEER2 (14 SEER) unit, your savings would be fairly minimal. On average, you’d be looking at the new unit using around 7% less energy and likely not saving you more than $10-40 a year.
The minimum requirement for an AC to qualify for an ENERGY STAR rating is 15.2 SEER2. If you went with a unit like this, you’re usually looking at saving around 17% a year on your cooling bills compared to what they’d be with an older 13 SEER AC. In fact, your savings would likely be at least slightly higher since the energy efficiency of an AC tends to slowly decrease the older it gets.
When deciding which AC you should install, be aware that you can earn up to a $600 credit on your federal income taxes for installing a higher-efficiency unit. To qualify for the credit, the new AC must be ENERGY STAR rated and have a rating of at least 17 SEER2. In this case, you can expect your cooling bills to be at least 20% lower than they’d be if you went with the minimum 13.2 SEER2 unit. That means you’re looking at saving at least a few hundred dollars over the life of your new AC.
The very best ACs are around 28 SEER2. With a unit that’s this efficient, you can easily cut your cooling bills at least in half. However, installing a unit with a much higher rating isn’t always going to be worth it, as what you’ll save on your energy bills may not cancel out the much higher initial cost.
For unbeatable cooling services in Omaha or Lincoln, NE, choose John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical. We’ve been in business for nearly 30 years and are dedicated to providing top-notch home comfort solutions. As a Lennox Premier Dealer, we offer some of the best, most efficient HVAC equipment you can get.
If you’re struggling to find the right AC for your home, give us a call and let one of our experts help you find the perfect solution for your home.
