SEER or EER, That Is the Question

If you are a meticulous customer, who does his research, you may have heard of SEER and EER values. But to the most people, these acronyms are a complete mystery. However, if you want to lower your energy bills, you need to get informed of the meaning of SEER and EER, and pay attention to them while shopping for a new HVAC system. So, before we even reach the moment of dilemma SEER or EER, we need to ask the following question:

First of all, SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, and it represents the most common mode of evaluation. The SEER rating applies only to an air conditioner, as it measures exclusively cooling power. Specifically, it is a measure of the cooling output over a typical cooling season divided by the energy consumed in Watt-Hours. You should bare in mind that SEER is universal measure of efficiency, and that it is calculated regardless of where the person who uses the HVAC lives. For that reason, it can be indefinite and even misleading. However, the SEER rating is not unimportant and peripheral. If you manage to calculate your SEER rating, you can discover how much energy your HVAC spends. Higher SEER rating means that energy expenditure is lower, which, in return, reflects as the lower energy bill.

On the other hand, EER is an equivalent to SEER, but with one important difference. EER stands for Energy Efficiency Ratio and, like SEER, it is used for measuring energy efficiency. However, unlike SEER, EER does not include the factor of seasonal temperature change. It is calculated using a constant outside temperature of 95 degrees, a constant inside temperature of 80 degrees and a humidity level of 50%.

The difference between SEER and EER should be obvious by now: while SEER gives you the insight to the amount of consumed energy over the cooling season, EER values are more of a constant. So, which rating is more objective? The answer will vary depending on the region you live in. For example, if the average summer temperature in your area is around 83 degrees, SEER would be the almost exact measurement of your energy expenses. On the other hand, if you live in Southern California or the South, SEER could be misleading. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to both SEER and EER because these ratings could help you save energy while reducing drastically your energy bills.