Results You Can See: Return on Investment Calculations for High Efficiency Air Conditioning Systems

High efficiency air conditioning systems have many benefits for homeowners. The US Department of Energy estimates the average US household spends about $1,000 per year on heating and cooling. Switching to a high efficiency system could save up to 59 percent of these costs. High efficiency air conditioning systems may cost more up front, but for those who live in areas with long cooling seasons, who consistently have high energy bills, or want to protect the environment, a high efficiency system is a good investment (high efficiency models use the environmentally friendly refrigerant R-410A). How much could you save with a high efficiency air conditioner? Action Heating and Air Conditioning has put together a few facts to help educate you.

SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. It’s a ratings system used to estimate the efficiency of HVAC systems, just like MPG rates the efficiency of automobiles. A higher SEER rating means your system gets more cooling delivered per electricity watts. A high SEER means you get better “miles per gallon” out of your system.

Many factors influence how much high efficiency air conditioning systems save. System settings, equipment maintenance, and the system’s design are just a few. For a basic estimate of how much you’ll be able to save take at look at your system’s current SEER rating and your annual cooling costs. Older systems have lower ratings; those installed in 1992 or earlier are usually rated 10 or lower.

Using the average US household’s annual energy costs of $1,000, an 8 SEER system (with very low efficiency) could be spending as little as $410 each year by upgrading to a high-efficiency 19.5 system. That’s a savings of almost 60 percent. A household with a 12 SEER system, spending about $533 annually, could be spending as little as $356 with an 18 SEER system.

High efficiency air conditioning systems cost more up front, but most pay for themselves within several seasons. Visit our website to see a more detailed chart of estimated savings, and if you’re interested in learning more about upgrading to a high efficiency system, call Action Heating and Air Conditioning!