Your New A/C: In Addition To The SEER Rating, Check Out These 6 Features

Your New A/C: In Addition To The SEER Rating, Check Out These 6 Features

Are you considering upgrading your air conditioner for a more efficient model? Newer A/C units use up to 50 percent less energy than older models, and those savings can be even greater if you select the best system for your needs.

The first step is to properly calculate your heating and cooling load. Then look at the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The SEER rating tells you how efficiently the A/C converts the energy it consumes into cooling power for your air over the course of a typical year. The SEER rating should be at least 13.

Once you’ve performed load calculations and checked SEER ratings, there are still six more features you need to compare:

  • Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) – EER is similar to SEER but it tells you efficiency at the highest temperatures when the A/C is at full operation. It is very useful for projecting summer savings and should be at least 11.6.
  • Quiet operation – Quiet operation is a sign of quality equipment and usually means there aren’t internal problems.
  • Variable-speed air handler – Single-speed air handlers do not control humidity nearly as well as variable-speed models. The air handler needs to be able to change speeds to reach the proper levels of humidity while the fan is operating.
  • Fan-only mode – At night it’s usually comfortable to run the fan without running the entire system. You’ll be comfortable without paying for the energy to run the full A/C.
  • Auto-delay fan – The fan should not turn off as soon as the compressor does because the newly-cooled air is not circulated. Auto-delay systems run the fan for a few minutes after the rest of the system is off.
  • Filter-check light – Dirty filters make your system work up to 15 percent harder than it should. It is highly useful to have equipment that reminds you when to clean or replace the filter.

For professional advice on finding the best A/C for your needs, contact Air-Tro. With over 40 years of serving greater Pasadena, we have the expertise to help you make the best decision for your comfort and your savings.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about SEER ratings and other HVAC topics, visit our website.

Air-Tro Inc. services the greater Los Angeles area as well as the metro areas of Riverside and San Bernardino County. 

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