Do you mind the bad puns in the post titles? The label at left was attached to a new room air conditioner. SEER, or Seasonal Energy Effiiciency Rating, is an industry standard meant to help you compare appliances, specifically air conditioners, as to energy efficiency. A low number means lower efficiency, a higher number means greater efficiency and better performance for less energy.
This Wiki link explains the higher math, but you can get it this way. SEER, in reference to AC units, is the raw number of btu you get from investing one watt for one hour. If you, like me, pay almost 20 cents per thousand (kilo-) watt hours, a SEER 0f 10.5 means you get back 10,500 btu for every kilowatt hour you invest in running the unit. That capacity matches a small room air conditioner, so you can figure you spend between 20 and 30 cents per hour to run your window air conditioner at that SEER. Run it day and night for a week, you've spent perhaps $40 US on average to air condition that room or space. Boring? Only until the power bill shows up.
So the numbers matter as much as the price when you go to the big box store to shop for AC units. You might pay $50 less for a cheaper unit, but how long will that $50 last when a window unit of 9.8 (minimum) EER (category for room/window units) costs 30% more to run than a better one with an EER of 13? The payback on the difference can be measured in weeks, or perhaps a New York minute.
If you install a central (ducted, noisy parts outside, air comes out of holes in floor or ceiling) system, the minimum SEER permitted in CT is 13. And you can spend some more money and get SEER ratings of up to 23. Yes. Almost twice as efficient. And almost twice as expensive. Equipment rated SEER 16 is more reasonable in price, and the energy savings will pay you back rather quickly for your initial investment in better equipment.
If you have large, open spaces in your house (no, I don't mean missing walls and doors, silly), you might opt for a Ductless Split System, in which a single blower unit hangs on a wall and the noisy condenser sits outside. There is no hidden ductwork in the basement and you can control the unit with a handy remote. SEER can range from 13 to 16, and total system cost can be half the amount you pay for a central system. The ductwork I and my colleagues install is efficient and equity-enhancing, but expensive.
Numbers can be so boring unless dollar (or Euro) signs are attached. When you invest in air conditioners, don't wait until it's hot and you're miserable and don't have much money in your pocket. If you can help it. Get a grip, take along a calculator, crunch some simple numbers, tax the salesperson with hard questions about efficiency and capacity, and get more for your money---- not just today, but for as long as you own the equipment. We'll talk more about the different systems in the next post.
This Wiki link explains the higher math, but you can get it this way. SEER, in reference to AC units, is the raw number of btu you get from investing one watt for one hour. If you, like me, pay almost 20 cents per thousand (kilo-) watt hours, a SEER 0f 10.5 means you get back 10,500 btu for every kilowatt hour you invest in running the unit. That capacity matches a small room air conditioner, so you can figure you spend between 20 and 30 cents per hour to run your window air conditioner at that SEER. Run it day and night for a week, you've spent perhaps $40 US on average to air condition that room or space. Boring? Only until the power bill shows up.
So the numbers matter as much as the price when you go to the big box store to shop for AC units. You might pay $50 less for a cheaper unit, but how long will that $50 last when a window unit of 9.8 (minimum) EER (category for room/window units) costs 30% more to run than a better one with an EER of 13? The payback on the difference can be measured in weeks, or perhaps a New York minute.
If you install a central (ducted, noisy parts outside, air comes out of holes in floor or ceiling) system, the minimum SEER permitted in CT is 13. And you can spend some more money and get SEER ratings of up to 23. Yes. Almost twice as efficient. And almost twice as expensive. Equipment rated SEER 16 is more reasonable in price, and the energy savings will pay you back rather quickly for your initial investment in better equipment.
If you have large, open spaces in your house (no, I don't mean missing walls and doors, silly), you might opt for a Ductless Split System, in which a single blower unit hangs on a wall and the noisy condenser sits outside. There is no hidden ductwork in the basement and you can control the unit with a handy remote. SEER can range from 13 to 16, and total system cost can be half the amount you pay for a central system. The ductwork I and my colleagues install is efficient and equity-enhancing, but expensive.
Numbers can be so boring unless dollar (or Euro) signs are attached. When you invest in air conditioners, don't wait until it's hot and you're miserable and don't have much money in your pocket. If you can help it. Get a grip, take along a calculator, crunch some simple numbers, tax the salesperson with hard questions about efficiency and capacity, and get more for your money---- not just today, but for as long as you own the equipment. We'll talk more about the different systems in the next post.
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