Is your aging air conditioner struggling, and leading you to wonder if it’s time to replace the system? Or perhaps you’re wondering if your current system is performing as efficiently as possible. Either way, it’s never a bad idea to learn about AC SEER ratings.
A SEER rating is the energy efficiency ratio of your air conditioner or heat pump, and this rating can guide your cooling system choices now and in the future. Read on to learn more!
What Is Seer?
SEER is an abbreviation for seasonal energy efficiency rating and is the percentage defined by the cooling output of your air conditioner during a typical cooling season, divided by the overall electrical energy input during the same period.
In layman’s terms: It’s the ratio of energy consumed versus the cooling output provided by your AC system.
A cooling system that consumed a lot of energy but isn’t very powerful will have a low SEER while a powerful and highly efficient system will have a high SEER rating.
“Why Does This Matter?”
Because, it can be used by homeowners to determine what air conditioner to choose for installation. If you have the budget for a highly efficient system upfront, then it could be best to go with a higher SEER rating. This will save you in utility bills too.
If you have a smaller budget upfront then you may consider going with a lower SEER rating, as this will definitely impact the cost of your system. This said, there’s no need to worry about getting a completely inefficient air conditioner when you work with a licensed professional. The reason being, there’s a minimum SEER rating we’re allowed to install in the state of New Mexico, which is 14-SEER.
It’s important that you know all this so you can be an informed consumer when it comes time to have a new air conditioner installed in your home.
An amateur may try to sell you something lower than 14-SEER, while promising low equipment costs, but this is only going to leave you with an extremely inefficient air conditioner and higher energy bills to reflect that. This is the biggest reason you should work with a reputable, reliable team for whatever your air conditioning service needs are.
“Is There Anything I Can Do To Improve My Efficiency Rating?”
No, not necessarily. Whatever SEER rating your air conditioner comes with is the SEER rating it has throughout its lifespan. What you can do, however, is take steps to boost and maintain that efficiency. This includes staying on top of your routine maintenance sessions.
A standard air conditioner should receive a professional tune-up once a year–and a heat pump twice a year–to maintain it’s efficacy and efficiency. An ill-maintained air conditioner will lose 5% of its efficiency every year while a well-maintained system should be able to retain 95% of its original efficiency rating throughout its lifespan.
To schedule your next Santa Fe air conditioning tune-up or to learn more about HVAC efficiency ratings, contact Roadrunner Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration today!
