SEER rating

[EvilMonkey]

In brand you guys install;

1.What is the top SEER rating?
2.What is the SEER rating you install the most?

Thanks

[Admin]

In my area we have around 400 cooling hours so investing in a AC with a high SEER rating will never pay you back what you spend to upgrade.

I mostly install 13 SEER for retail clients or 14.5 SEER units for Energy Star builders.

Some clients will want a 14.5 or 15 SEER unit if they are applying for Ontario Power Authority Rebates.  Even with a $400 rebate I still don't think the hydro savings on a 15 SEER vs 13 SEER unit would cover the additional cost even over a 15 year period.

It's simple to calculate just how much you could be saving by upgrading your existing air conditioner to a more energy efficient model:

Annual $ savings = A - B

Where:

A = spend per year with your old system
B = spend per year with the new system

A and B are calculated in the same way and as follows:

A or B = (BTU size of the air conditioner)/(SEER rating) ÷ 1,000 x (electricity price per kWh) x (number of hours the air conditioner is used per year)

Note: 1 ton = 12,000 BTU

Example: How much could you save by switching from a 2 ton 13 SEER air conditioner to a 2 ton energy efficient air conditioner at 21 SEER if your electricity cost is $0.10/kWh and the air conditioner gets used 400 hours per year?

Therefore, A = 24,000BTU/13 SEER ÷ 1000 x $0.10/kWh x 400 hrs = $73

B = 24,000BTU/21 SEER ÷ 1000 x $0.10/kWh x 400 hrs = $45

Annual $ savings = $73 - $45 = $28

It gets tricky when you have On Peak and Off Peak hydro rates, but using the above example of a 13 SEER vs 21 SEER AC, we would save $420 over 15 years.

You may want to use 700 hours a year in the Toronto area, in which case you would save $735 over a 15 year period.

[EvilMonkey]

Yes you guys have cheap power and gas, so investment doesn't pay back fast.

[Admin]

Here's a good Energy Calculator to use for calculating AC and Furnace savings,

http://www.lennox.com/resources/energycalculator.asp