Spring has sprung and on its heels is hot weather. Now is a good time to start thinking about your air conditioner’s efficiency. If you have an old system, you may be considering replacement. If your power bills are higher than you think they should be, you may be thinking about a higher efficiency system.Either way, MTB Heating and Air can help you out with making your decision. Simply go to our website and download our Energy Savings Calculator. This will help you see how much money you can save on energy costs with a new system In addition, it will allow you to compare different new high efficiency systems and their energy savings based on their SEER rating.
First, let me explain what a SEER rating actually is. The more cooling or heating a system puts out for each unit of energy it consumes, the higher its SEER rating is. The higher the SEER rating, the less energy is used. For you, this means lower energy bills and less impact on the environment. In 2006, the federal government mandated that all air conditioners must carry a SEER rating of at least 13. The ratings go up as high as 18. If your system was installed prior to 2006, chances are you have a lower SEER rating than 13.
To give you a practical example of what this means consider this. If a person living in Florida installs a 16SEER air conditioner, they can save $2,070 on energy costs over the lifetime of their system and prevent 30,000 pounds of greenhouse gasses from being released into the environment. This is the equivalent of removing 3 cars from the road per year or planting 4 acres of forest.
If you are considering upgrading your air conditioner or think your monthly power bills are higher than they should be, use the calculator to determine what an upgrade could mean for you. It is also a handy way of comparing SEER ratings to determine the most cost effective option for you. If you have any questions, give MTB Heating and Air a call. We are always happy to help improve your comfort level and save you money.