If you are in the market for a new air conditioner, you have probably realized that there is a wide range of choices available. While all may do the same basic job of keeping your home or business cool during our Cleveland summers, there can be big differences in how they accomplish that task, and especially in how much electricity they use while doing it. And while high-efficiency air conditioning systems may initially appear to be more expensive than basic systems, that is not always the case when you take a closer look.
First off, when comparing air conditioners, it is important to consider their SEER rating. SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, is one of several ways to compare air conditioning efficiency, and is usually considered the most practical measure because it considers electricity use over the entire cooling season. A higher SEER number indicates that the air conditioner is more efficient, using less electricity to produce the same cooling output. Basic new systems have a SEER of 13, but high efficiency air conditioning systems can have ratings as high as 21.
That can make a big difference in your electricity consumption. Even making the relatively small change from 13 to 14.5 SEER reduces your cooling bill by about 10 percent. You can get a rough idea of how much high-efficiency air conditioning can save you over the life of the system by utilizing this free Excel worksheet from Energy Star, or you can contact us for a more specific estimate based on the particulars of your Cleveland-area home.
Besides the energy savings, high efficiency air conditioning can often qualify you for tax credits or other rebates. Plus, when you consider that 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions come from home energy use, including electricity production, the benefits of higher efficiency go beyond mere dollars and cents.
To see whether high efficiency air conditioning would make sense for your Cleveland-area home or business, contact the experts at your local Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing office. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Geisel Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing services Western Cleveland. To get started, check out our website.
