Free 2nd opinion on equipment replacement and get $250 off a complete system. Follow Us View on Facebook SEER Ratings – What Do They Mean? Here we will discuss how by knowing what type of SEER unit to buy, will help make your decision on a new air conditioning unit much easier and could possibly save you money in the long run. What does SEER stand for? The word SEER is an acronym for Season Energy Efficiency Ratio. What is a SEER rating? The SEER rating of an air conditioning unit is the cooling output during a typical cooling season divided by the total electric energy input during the same period. SEER is simply a formula that is described by the outcome of the following: Divide the system’s rated BTU’s (what ton the unit is, ex: 5 ton), by it’s stated SEER rating to determine how many watts it consumes per hour. Why is knowing this information important? This is one of the most frequently asked questions by a customer when they are deciding on what type of SEER air conditioning unit they should buy.

There are numerous reasons why the customer should know what kind of SEER unit they need to buy. One of the main reasons a customer needs to concern themselves with is the operating cost annually of the unit. Everyone is always looking to save money and as a homeowner, you should know that the main source of your electric bill is your air conditioning unit; so why wouldn’t you want to save the most money possible right? Here in the next section, I’ll teach you the annual cost of different types of SEER units, so you can determine which unit best fits your budget. In this section, I will teach you how to find the annual cost of a hypothetical air conditioning unit. The information we need to get started will be the size and SEER of the current air conditioning unit. For this example, we will use a 5 ton, 15 seer unit. First, 1 Ton is the equivalent to 12,000 BTU’s (British Thermal Unit). So what we will do is take12,000 BTU’s and multiply that by 5 (that’s what Ton our unit is) and we will get 60,000 BTU’stotal.

Now that we have the total number of BTU’s for our 5 ton unit, we will take 60,000 and divide that by 15 (that’s the SEER rating of our unit), you can find the information on what ton and SEER rating your air conditioning system is, by going outside and looking at the nameplate on your air conditioning unit. Digressing back to our formula, we will take 60,000 BTU’s and divide that by 15to get 4,000. The value 4,000 represents the number of Watts our air conditioning unit uses per hour of operation. Second, we need to convert our Watts into KWH (Kilo Watts per Hour). The reason we need to do this is so that we can determine how many KWH our air conditioner uses per hour. By taking a look at your energy bill, you will see you are billed by KWH and not Watts. Going back to our equation, we will take 4,000 and divide that by 1,000 (1 Kilowatt = 1,000 Watts) and we will get 4. The number 4 represents the number of KWH our AC unit uses per hour of operation., the average Houstonian uses 1,262 kwh a month and15,144 kwh yearly.

Click Here for charts and graphs of this data. For the sake of arguments and keeping things simple, let’s just say the average person in Houston uses their AC unit 8 hours a day. insulate ac window unit8 hours multiplied by 30 (I just used an average of 30 days in a single month) and we get 240 hours used in a single month. plug in car ac unitNext, we will take the 240 hours we just received and multiply that by 12 (the number of months in a year) and we get 2,880. ac blower motor replacement costThis new number (2,880) represents the number of operation hours our hypothetical AC unit uses annually. Finally, we will take 2,880 and multiply that by 4 (remember this number? It was the number of KWH our air conditioning unit uses per hour of operation) and we will get 11,520 kwh.

This new number (11,520) represents the number of KWH our air conditioning system uses annually. Lastly, now that we have the number of kwh our AC unit uses annually (11,520), we will take that number and multiply it by the dollar amount our energy companies charge us per kwh. For the sake of keeping things simple once again, we will just say our energy company charges us 10 cents per kwh. So, we will take 11,520  and multiply that by 10 cents and we will get 1,152 or in other words,$1,152.00 annually for the cost of operation for a 5 ton 15 SEER unit. Now remember, this is all hypothetical. I just wanted to give you a foundation and a platform to work with. Now you can take all this information here and input your own data and see how this applies to you. Below are some charts displaying how different SEER units can save you money and energy. Trusted heating, ventilation & AC service! Champion Forest Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc 2 Ton 14 SEER R-410A Horizontal or Down Flow Package A/C and Gas

4 Ton 14 SEER R-410A Horizontal or Downflow Package A/C and GasIn general, the cost of a new central AC ranges from $4,500 to $8,800 for an average-sized home in Florida. But it can cost much more or less than that. The price depends on many different factors. The best way to get an exact price for your home, is to schedule a free in-home quote with us. Until then, here are a few of the biggest factors that affect the cost of a central AC replacement. The size of an air conditioner is measured in tons. Most homes in Florida need an AC from 3 to 5 tons. While bigger air conditioner provide more cooling, they’re also more expensive. And when it comes to your AC’s size, bigger does not mean better. You’ll want an air conditioner that’s perfectly sized for your home. And that’s only something a professional can do for you. Read more about AC sizing: Air conditioners’ energy efficiency is measured in SEER. Think of it like MPG for your car: the higher it is the more energy efficient it will be.

Higher SEER air conditioners are usually more expensive. But they’ll also cost less to run. Related: SEER: 3 Free Tools That Show You How Much You’ll Save with a New AC Your old air conditioner is likely just a single-speed, which means it’s either on or off. These types of air conditioners are called single-stage ACs. And you can still get this technology in low-end models. But you can now get air conditioners that can adjust their speeds using variable-speed compressors. These compressors let them run at low speeds when you don’t need much cooling and still have a higher speed for really hot days. Of course, these air conditioners are more expensive, but they also produce:Learn more: The Difference Between Single-Stage and Variable-Speed ACs All air conditioners can cool your home. But some can also reverse their process in the winter to heat your home. These air conditioners are called heat pumps. While more expensive to install initially, heat pumps are more energy efficient because they move heat instead of creating it like other forms of electric heat.

How is that possible? Find out in our article What is a Heat Pump? Different air conditioning companies may charge different amounts, even when installing the same air conditioner.Well one reason is that training installers properly is costly. So some companies don’t do it and are able to charge less. Others (like us at Cool Today) value doing great work and getting things right the first time. So we spend a lot hiring, keeping and training great installers. And that comes at a cost, which makes us more expensive than some. So when looking for an AC installer, don’t make price your only determining factor. (After all, you often get what you pay for.) You should also look for a company that has:Related: How to Choose the Right Contractor to Work at Your Home Live in the Sarasota area and need a price on a new AC? Get a free in-home quote from Cool Today. Cool Today provides award-winning air conditioning service to Sarasota, Florida and the surrounding areas like Bradenton, Tampa and Port Charlotte.