What's a Good SEER Rating and Why Is It Important?

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When you’re purchasing a temperature control system for your home, there are many important acronyms to know and understand. One of the most vital acronyms you’ll come across is SEER. The SEER rating will give insight into how much your heating or cooling system will cost you on your energy bills and how environmentally friendly your home is. To learn how to understand SEER ratings, continue reading.

SEER stands for “seasonal energy efficiency ratio.” Essentially, a SEER rating divides the average heating or cooling output of a temperature control system by the average energy the unit consumes in terms of Watts per hour over a cooling season. Essentially, the SEER on an HVAC system will help you determine how energy-efficient the unit is.

Now that you know what SEER stands for, it’s important to learn how to understand SEER ratings in order to determine what a good rating is and to make an informed HVAC purchasing decision. Essentially, the higher SEER rating a HVAC system has, the more energy-efficient it typically is. As such, people in search of a highly efficient system should opt for a unit with a higher SEER rating.

Most HVAC systems currently on the market have a SEER rating ranging from 13 to 23. According to recent laws, a HVAC system must have a SEER rating of at least 13. However, if your home has a HVAC system that’s over a decade old, the unit may have a SEER rating as low as 9 or 10. In such a case, it’s highly beneficial to invest in a new system with a higher SEER rating. Because heating and cooling units often consume the largest amount of energy in a home, switching to a unit with a higher SEER unit can greatly lower your energy bill.

All HVAC systems have a SEER rating (Seasonal energy efficiency ratio) that shows how efficient they are. The higher the SEER rating, the more energy efficient a unit is. A SEER rating is based on the output a system has, over a heating or cooling season, divided by the total electric energy input.

Other standards include EER and COP, which are not used as much as the SEER rating. EER or COP is used with HVAC systems but not displayed on mini split units as much as the SEER rating. Find the SEER rating number when looking for the most efficient mini split system. The higher the number, the more efficient the system is. Many traditional HVAC systems have a 10–16 SEER rating, with 14–16 SEER often installed on many new homes. Mini split systems commonly range from 17–38 SEER depending on the unit.

 

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