What Is My AC’s S.E.E.R. and What Does It Mean to Our Budget?

Find Your Air Conditioner’s S.E.E.R.

The chart below traces the history of the S.E.E.R. for residential air conditioners:

The History of S.E.E.R. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating
Before 1980	6 or less
1980 to 1985	7 or less
1986 to 1991	8 or less
1992 to 2005	10 to 12
2006 to 2014	13 or more
2015 to present	14* or more

**Minimum U.S. allowable for Southeast Region including Delaware (DE) and Maryland (MD) effective January 1, 2015.
NOTE: If you’re not sure when yours was installed, find the model number on the nameplate of your unit, and give us a call at 800-227-8667. 

As the number increases, your energy use for the same level of cooling decreases proportionally. That means that today’s minimum allowable standard 14 S.E.E.R. unit installed today will use half the energy of a 7 S.E.E.R. unit installed in the 1980s. A new 16 S.E.E.R. unit installed today will be 60% more efficient than a 10 S.E.E.R. system from the early 1990s.

Find Your Savings.

This next chart illustrates the savings owners can expect from a high efficiency replacement in a typical 2,000 sq. ft. Delaware, Maryland or Pennsylvania home.

Estimated Seasonal Energy Savings When Upgrading Your Cooling System
Your Current AC	8 S.E.E.R.	10 S.E.E.R.	12 S.E.E.R..
Estimated Seasonal Cost with An Aging AC or Heat Pump	$629	$503	$419
14 S.E.E.R.	$360 estimated annual energy cost for cooling.
Your Seasonal Savings	$269 43%	$143 28%	$59 14%
15 S.E.E.R.	$336 estimated annual energy cost for cooling.
Your Seasonal Savings	$303 48%	$167 33%	$83 20%
16 S.E.E.R.	$315 estimated annual energy cost for cooling.
Your Seasonal Savings	$315 50%	$188 37%	$104 25%
18 S.E.E.R.	$280 estimated annual energy cost for cooling.
Your Seasonal Savings	$349 55%	$223 44%	$139 33%
Source: PECO Energy (www.peco.com) based on costs of cooling a typical 2,000 sq. ft. home to 70°F from May through early September at June 2015 rate of $0.09 per kWh. Based on 30 year average weather in greater Philadelphia area.

In fact, your real savings are actually likely to be even higher than these estimates. Here’s why:

The estimates assume:

• That the system you are replacing was installed properly. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that “nearly half of all heating and cooling in the U.S. never performs to its advertised capacity due to incorrect installation.”
• That it has been maintained regularly. A neglected system typically loses between 3% and 10% efficiency per year.
• That your ductwork is properly designed and not leaking due to poor installation, aging seals or foundation settlement. The U.S. Department of Energy warns that such leaks rather than the equipment itself are “the real source of (energy efficiency) problems.”