Air Conditioner Efficiency

MOUNTAINWEST HVAC, INC. 801-936-2020 

AIR CONDITIONER EFFICIENCY

CUT YOUR COOLING BILL BY WITH A NEW HIGH- EFFICIENCY AIR CONDITIONER.

It's plain and simple, higher efficiency means lower operating costs for and being environmentally greener.

Call Mountainwest HVAC 801-936-2020 now to see how much you might save with a new high efficiency air conditioner.

ENERGY STAR
Energy Star is a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Products with the Energy Star rating will be efficient and save cost on energy bills.

AIR CONDITIONER EFFICIENCY

SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)
SEER is the measure of efficiency by which air conditioners and heat pumps are rated. The higher the SEER number, the greater the efficiency, and therefore, the greater the energy savings. Today, U.S. regulatory agencies require all new products to have a 13.0 SEER rating or better.

Two important factors to consider when purchasing a new air conditioner.
1.  Is your air conditioner correctly sized?
An oversized air conditioner (one whose capacity is too large) costs substantially more to operate than a correctly sized air conditioner. This is because oversized air conditioners typically cycle on and off more often than correctly sized air conditioners, and cycling on and off is more expensive than running at a steady state.
The only way to know if your air conditioner is correctly sized is for your HVAC contractor to do a load calculation. A load calculation takes into account the size of your house, the insulation value of your windows, the amount of insulation in your walls and roof, and a host of other criteria to determine the appropriate air conditioner capacity.

If you are replacing an old air conditioner (as opposed to buying a air conditioner for a new home you are constructing) some contractors may argue that they chose a air conditioner as big as your last air conditioner. But your old air conditioner is often too large for your house.

2.  Is the efficiency of your air conditioner appropriate for your house?
High efficiency air conditioners typically cost more to install than average and low-efficiency air conditioners. However, they tend to cost less to operate on a month to month basis, as they use less electricity to provide the same amount of cooling. Therefore, after a given payoff period, high efficiency air conditioners tend to cost less than low efficiency air conditioners.

However, high efficiency air conditioners may not always be the most appropriate choice. Your high efficiency air conditioner will cost you more than your low efficiency air conditioner, if you move out of the house within the payoff period.  You need to consider a number of factors such as how long you plan to own your home, and which rebates are available.

Call Mountainwest HVAC, Inc. now at 801-936-2020 for our professional air-conditioning services.