In your quest to find the ideal Carrier
system, you will encounter several important
industry-standard efficiency
ratings. The higher efficiency your product, the lower your long-term
energy costs will be. And as always,
Air Design Heating and Cooling can help you choose the heating and cooling products
that are right for you.
SEER
SEER (Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio) is the measure of
efficiency by which the cooling process of air
conditioners and heat pumps is rated. The higher
the SEER number, the greater the efficiency—and
therefore greater energy savings. Today, U.S.
regulatory agencies require all new products to
have a 13.0 SEER rating or better. Carrier's
full line of air conditioners offers SEER
ratings of 13.0 to 21.
AFUE
AFUE
(Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) is the
standard measurement of efficiency for gas and
oil-fired furnaces. Given in percentages, this
number tells you how much of your fuel is used
to heat your home and how much fuel is wasted.
The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the
efficiency. Carrier offers a full line of
furnaces with AFUE ratings ranging from the
minimum industry requirement of 78% to more than
96%.
Cost Savings.
Higher efficiency in heat pumps and air
conditioners usually means higher equipment cost
but lower utility bills. If you live in a warm
and/or humid climate, you will probably see the
higher cost of a high efficiency air conditioner
or heat pump paid back (through lower utility
bills) in a few short years. Ask Warren Heating
and Cooling to help you determine about how long
it would take you to recover the additional cost
in energy savings. Of course, after the payback,
you continue to save on your energy bills.
HSPF
HSPF (Heating
Seasonal Performance Factor) is the efficiency
measurement used to gauge the efficiency of the
heating mode of heat pumps. The higher the
number, the greater the efficiency and
cost-savings. Today's models are required to
have a 6.8 HSPF. Carrier offers heat pumps with
HSPF ratings ranging from 6.8 to 9.5.
Cost Savings. Higher efficiency in heat pumps
and air conditioners usually means higher
equipment cost but lower utility bills. If you
live in a warm and/or humid climate, you will
probably see the higher cost of a high
efficiency air conditioner or heat pump paid
back (through lower utility bills) in a few
short years. Ask us to help you determine about how long it would
take you to recover the additional cost in
energy savings. Of course, after the payback,
you continue to save on your energy bills.
MERV
The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value is the
standard comparison of the efficiency of an air
filter. The MERV scale ranges from 1 (least
efficient) to 16 (most efficient), and measures
a filter's ability remove particles from 3 to 10
microns in size.
Matching Your System for Optimum Efficiency
One additional factor that affects the
efficiency of your air conditioning or heat pump
system is your indoor coil. If your condensing
unit is not matched with the proper indoor coil,
it may not give you the stated SEER and/or HSPF
ratings and could even develop performance
problems. When you replace an existing system,
make sure you replace both units so your new
condensing unit will give you optimal
performance, efficiency and comfort.
