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Residential Air Conditioner
Source: CUSTOM HOME Magazine
Publication date: March 1, 2006
By Stephani L. Miller
As of Jan. 23, residential air conditioner manufacturers were no longer allowed to produce air conditioning units with a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) less than 13. By all accounts, the tougher standard is the biggest and most dramatic change the air conditioning industry has had to make since 1992, when efficiency requirements were raised from 8 to 10 SEER.
The new minimum standard is a 30 percent increase from the previous level and has raised the price tag of a minimum-efficiency system by about the same percentage. When 13-SEER units become the majority of sales, however, prices will come down, predicts Andy Armstrong, director of marketing for York International.
The differences between a 10-SEER and a 13-SEER air conditioner boil down to components that use less electricity. To meet the new requirement manufacturers added expansion valves to better regulate refrigerant flow, increased the coil surface area to speed the cooling process, and upgraded indoor air handler motors to manage air flow.
Systems with ratings higher than 13—ranging from 14 to 20.5—have been available for a few years and can cost anywhere from 40 percent to 100 percent more than an entry-level system. These higher ratings are achieved by highly efficient components and the addition of two-stage or dual compressors, improved fan-blade designs that move air more efficiently.