{"id":5310,"date":"2024-02-10T12:23:09","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T18:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/?p=5310"},"modified":"2025-09-23T02:18:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T06:18:44","slug":"seer-rating-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/seer-rating-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio Rating (SEER) and Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When shopping for your next HVAC system\u2014whether it\u2019s a ductless mini-split<\/a> or a whole-house central air conditioning system<\/a>\u2014you\u00a0will\u00a0inevitably\u00a0be confronted by the term \u201cSEER rating.\u201d It is essential that you understand this rating and what it means for your overall energy costs. Here is a quick rundown on what \u201cSEER\u201d means and what else you need to know:<\/p>\n

What Does SEER Mean?<\/h2>\n

The term\u00a0<\/strong>\u201c<\/strong>SEER\u201d is an acronym for \u201cseasonal energy efficiency ratio.\u201d The numbers range anywhere from 7 to 20 and beyond. The average HVAC unit typically runs at about 13 SEER, but units from as few as 5 years ago have SEERs as low as 8! This number refers to an AC unit\u2019s ability to cool and output a given amount of air during a typical cooling season, divided by the total energy needed to do so during the same period. The ratio is the unit\u2019s SEER.<\/p>\n

The SEER ratings are overseen by the US Department of Energy<\/a> and seem to get a little stricter every year. Currently, the minimum SEER for new air conditioning installations<\/a> in Pennsylvania and New Jersey is 13. These standards\u00a0take into account regional differences when determining what the minimum for a region should be. For more detailed information on this aspect of SEER, a homeowner should consult with an experienced HVAC installation company.<\/p>\n

What Should I Know About SEER Ratings?<\/h2>\n

What else does the savvy homeowner really need to know? On a practical note, the higher an HVAC unit\u2019s SEER rating, the more energy efficient it is. While high-efficiency HVAC systems\u2014those with high\u00a0SEERs\u2014are more expensive than less efficient ones, they have some decided and significant advantages.<\/p>\n

In particular, high-SEER units are far more cost-effective to operate and can even pay for themselves in just a few years\u2019 time through lowered monthly operating costs. The cost-benefit analysis is fairly easy to do and any good HVAC installation company will probably already have it mapped out for you. In other words, it can actually pay you to increase the comfort level of your home. While you are at it, you will also be helping the environment and the nation\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t believe us? Think about this: an HVAC unit with a 23 SEER operates at about 50 percent the cost of a unit with a 13 SEER. All those savings pile up, and will pay for the new unit in no time.<\/p>\n

Install an HVAC Unit with a Higher SEER for Lower Energy Bills<\/h2>\n

So, do yourself, your community, and the world at\u00a0large a small\u2014or large!\u2014favor and install a high-SEER HVAC unit. For more information on SEER ratings or on HVAC issues in general in the Greater Lehigh Valley\/Allentown, PA area, please contact us online<\/a>, or you can phone us directly at [site_info_phone_number]. Our certified techs and experienced in-house staff are ready to answer any of your HVAC-related questions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When shopping for your next HVAC system\u2014whether it\u2019s a ductless mini-split or a whole-house central air conditioning system\u2014you\u00a0will\u00a0inevitably\u00a0be confronted by the term \u201cSEER rating.\u201d It is essential that you understand this rating and what it means for your overall energy costs. Here is a quick rundown on what \u201cSEER\u201d means and what else you need […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[13,101,102],"class_list":["post-5310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-conditioning-service","tag-air-conditioning","tag-go-green","tag-tax-credits-rebates"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5310"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5530,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5310\/revisions\/5530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}