When you are looking to buy a new air conditioner or replacing an existing one, you will hear the dealer or the air conditioner expert asking about your preferred SEER rating. To most people, this is usually a moment of confusion because they have no idea what a SEER rating is and why it matters for new air conditioning installation.
SEER is an acronym for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and it is simply a measure of the amount of cooling an air conditioner registers for every unit of energy consumed. As such, it implies that the higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the air conditioner is.
It goes without saying that air conditioners will have different SEER ratings since they are built for difference capacities and efficiency. For most applications, the recommended SEER rating is usually 13 SEER, though options of up to 25 SEER are available. Units that have a higher SEER rating are also relatively more expensive than those with lower ratings. But does it mean that going for a higher SEER is better?
Many factors come to play when buying a new air conditioner or when replacing a new one. In as much as you may desire to have a unit with the possible maximum rating, the cost implications may not make that a great choice, and there are also other factors worth considering when making a new purchase. The best approach is to get the help of an air conditioning expert to help you determine the heat-load of your property. This will help you know the amount of heating required, and consequently, it will be easy to choose the most appropriate unit for your needs.
But for most air conditioner replacements, a 13SEER is normally used as a replacement for 8 to 10 SEER units. What you always need to have in mind when you want a higher efficiency for your HVAC, is to ensure that your home has a good thermal rating.
