High-rated Air Conditioners: Upgrading and Buying


According to EERE, a typical home air conditioner consumes more than 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which may mean a production of more than 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and 31 pounds of sulfur dioxide per year - undoubtedly a huge reason to look for alternatives.

But if you can’t dispense a central air-conditioning, buy high-rated equipment, with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER): a SEER of 15 is 50% more efficient than an air conditioner with a SEER of 10. In other words, you will save 50% of energy...

See: SEER and Air Conditioning Ratings

Central Air Conditioners vs Heat pumps

A geothermal heat pump is an excellent environmental and economical alternative to central air conditioning. The initial investment is higher than that required by air conditioning, but you will have huge savings in your electrical bills.

The switching from an existing old air conditioning to a heat pump system is usually simple and direct, unless your system has smaller ducts than those required by heat pump systems.

See, for details: Heat Pumps vs Central Air Conditioning.

Upgrading Central Air Conditioner equipment

If your air conditioner is 10 years old, you may save 20%, 30% or 40% of your cooling bills if you replace it with a modern model with an high SEE. And savings may amount 50% or more if your air conditioner is around 20 years old... That is: a very good reason to replace an old air conditioning system.

When replacing an old central air conditioner, you might only replace the outdoor compressor (properly matched to the indoor unit), or the entire unit. The first option is obviously cheaper, but not necessarily the best. Changes in refrigerants and other air conditioning components may turn the replacement of the entire system a better option.

SEER

Today's central air conditioners are rated in terms of Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). A high SEER means that the energy needed to provide a specific cooling output is low. Ancient systems have SEER ratings of 6 and less, but today’s minimum in most countries is 13, which means that these systems consume less than half the energy consumed by older models.

Some high-efficient modern central air conditioners models have SEERs of 20 and more.
 

High-rated air-conditioners

To easily get high standards and high energy performance in air conditioning, look for qualified products. The UE eco-labelling (for European countries) or the Energy Star ratings for USA, Canada or New Zealand and Australia are the best references.
 

Sizing and location of air conditioners

Look for the advice and work of a good professional to locate, insulate and install the ducts and the air conditioning unit. Also study a proper sizing to get an high air conditioning efficiency. A too large or a too small unit will have a significant negative impact. See: Sizing air conditioners.

Central air conditioners: installing procedures

An improper installation can diminish your air conditioner efficiency significantly. Modern energy-efficient AC units can perform almost as poorly as older and non-efficient units if the installation is a deficient one. And to avoid that, make sure that…

- the ducts are properly sized;
- the supply and return air registers are enough to deliver cool air or carry warm house air back into the AC;
- the ducts work within the conditioned space, whenever possible, and are properly sealed and insulated, namely in the case of attic ducts;
 - the flow of air in the condensing unit is not blocked by nearby objects or walls, and is located in a shady spot;
- there is adequate indoor space for the maintenance and repair and an access door to clean the evaporator coil;
- the AC has the proper refrigerant charge and air flow rate;
- the thermostat is located away from heat sources (windows, supply registers..).

Buying an air conditioner

When buying an air conditioner prefer a unit with…

- a high SEER and also a high-temperature rating (EER) (for high-efficiency in very hot weather);
- a variable speed air handler;
- an equipment that operates quietly;
- a unit with a fan-only switch (to allow you to use just the fan, for nighttime ventilation);
- a filter check light (to remind you to check the filter when necessary);
- a automatic-delay fan switch, in order to automatically turn off the fan.

Use of air conditioners

To save energy and money, besides buying an energy-efficient air conditioner, you should also reduce the air conditioner's energy use. To attain that, you may pay attention to some non-cost or very low cost measures and procedures:

- adjust the air conditioning settings according with seasons. You may get huge savings or wastes for each degree the thermostat is raised or lowered;
- adjust the use of air conditioning to the presence or non-presence of people in the house;
- use the fan-only option during the night;
- replace old filters or clean them every month or two months in cooling season;
- prevent solar entry and air-conditioning losses during the summer; to get it, use shades, awnings, blinds, window films (or trees in the outdoors…);
- to prevent heating losses in winter, pay attention to air leaks (caulk and seal them) and insulation deficits; a proper insulation is often the main single element to get low air conditioning bills.
- perform regular maintenance: you can save up to 30% of fan energy or up to 10% of space conditioning energy;
- in high humidity days, set the AC fan speed on low;
- think in low-cost solutions as ceiling fans, attic fans or whole house fans;
- ask to an air conditioning professional to install timers or switches to shut the air conditioning off when not needed.

See also:
Alternatives to Air Conditioning
Room AC
Air conditioners vs Heat Pumps
Ductless AC
Basics on Heat Pumps









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