What Does SEER Mean in Air Conditioning?
Whether you're considering upgrading your old air conditioning system or you're ready to purchase your very first, there are many decisions to make. One of the most common features that you may see has to deal with SEER ratings. It's vital that you understand what a SEER rating is so that you can pick the right one for your home.
What is a SEER rating?
SEER simply stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio or Rating. This rating is determined by taking the cooling output of an air conditioning system and dividing it by the amount of energy it uses in watt-hours. When using this calculation, the numbers utilized are over an entire cooling season. The higher the air conditioning rating is, the more cooling output you're getting per unit of fuel. This means that it's best to get a unit with a high SEER rating.
Common SEER ratings
Air conditioners have a SEER rating between 13 and 21. Energy Star appliances must have a SEER rating of at least 14.5. It's important to note that a system's SEER rating can change depending on the environmental factors in a home. Therefore, just because a system is marked at 21 SEER, that doesn't mean it will always perform at 21.
Benefits of a higher SEER rating
When you're either looking for a new HVAC system or upgrading your existing system, you should opt for purchasing a unit with a high SEER rating as it can provide many benefits for your family. For example, when your system is operating at a high SEER rating, it's more energy-efficient. This means that it can save you money on fuel and electricity.
Systems with a higher SEER rating tend to be offered in either variable-speed or two-stage systems. These systems help prevent the constant kicking on and off of your air conditioning system over the summertime. Traditionally, single-stage home cooling systems constantly have uneven temperatures during mild weather. This is because they continuously kick on and off. With a two-stage or variable centralized cooling system, your air conditioner will run long enough to remove the humidity from the air and make your home feel cooler.
Call Us Today
While getting a unit with a high SEER rating is a great way to take advantage of some of the benefits that we went over above, it's only one feature out of many that you'll need to consider. Therefore, it's a good idea to contact our experienced HVAC professionals to assist you with determining the ideal centralized air conditioning system for your home. They'll work with you to determine what mix of features will fit both your needs and your budget.
