How energy efficient a heating or cooling system is matters a lot. A high-efficiency system will lower your household’s carbon footprint. It will also decrease your monthly and long-term costs and may make you eligible for energy incentives for new AC and heater installations. Let’s explore a range of systems that the industry uses to measure efficiency.
1. Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency
Many U.S. households rely on a fuel-burning system for heat, including furnaces and boilers. The industry uses Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) to measure the efficiency of those systems. All heating systems lose heat, such as through their exhaust systems, and AFUE indicates how much. The minimum for gas furnaces is AFUE 80. That means a furnace loses the heat from 20% of the fuel it burns. The higher the rating, the less fuel waste and the lower the operating costs. The most efficient type of furnace or boiler has a condensing system to avoid exhaust heat losses. Those models can have an AFUE rating as high as 98.5.
2. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is one of the rating systems the industry uses to gauge the cooling efficiency of air conditioners and heat pumps. Cooling demand and the energy used can fluctuate sharply over a summer. What’s interesting about SEER is that it estimates efficiency over an entire season. That provides a better reflection of what the cooling will cost you.
SEER2 is a new version of the rating system that better accounts for air leakage in ducts. When shopping for ductless ACs and heat pumps, you can use either SEER or SEER2. When shopping central systems, SEER2 is better because it’s more accurate. In the future, SEER2 will replace SEER, and the Department of Energy will deprecate the older system.
3. Heating Seasonal Performance Factor
Heat pumps are basically air conditioners that have a reversing valve. That valve lets them run the refrigeration cycle in reverse to deliver heat. Furnaces and boilers produce heat. Heat pumps, on the other hand, transfer it. You can’t use AFUE to measure them. Instead, you must use HSPF. HSPF is similar in concept to SEER but measures heating performance over a whole winter. The DOE has also introduced HSPF2 for more accurate estimates for central heat pump systems.
4. Energy Efficiency Ratio
SEER measures cooling performance over an entire theoretical season. EER measures it at a particular temperature and humidity. SEER is more useful for the average homeowner because it better reflects the seasonal changes you’ll experience. In very hot climates, EER can paint a more accurate picture. It lets you know how the system will regularly deal with 95 degrees Fahrenheit. As with SEER and HSPF, there’s an EER2 rating for ducted systems.
5. Seasonal Coefficient of Performance
Coefficient of Performance (COP) is one of the earliest rating systems used to measure heat pump heating. COP is an outright measure of performance under static conditions, and it isn’t useful for consumers without additional information. That’s where Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP) comes into play. SCOP is like SEER and HSPF in that the goal is to measure efficiency over an entire season. The difference is that SCOP accounts for heating and cooling together rather than separately.
6. EnergyGuide Label
The DOE requires a yellow EnergyGuide label on any major appliance. This label will provide you with all the information you need, such as SEER or AFUE. It will also give you estimated energy usage and operating costs. This is particularly useful, for instance, for an electric furnace. Electric furnaces have an AFUE at or near 100, but that isn’t useful information. The real concern is how much electricity they use. With the label, you can estimate your costs or even determine a more accurate number based on rates in your area.
7. ENERGY STAR Certification
ENERGY STAR is a joint effort of the DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA sets high efficiency standards. They aren’t a legal requirement, but products that meet them get the ENERGY STAR label. Certification is a requirement for most rebates and tax credits.
Efficient HVAC Solutions in Gilbert and Tucson
Hicken Air has served homeowners in the Gilbert and Tucson, AZ areas since 2009. We are a proud Lennox Premier Dealer but service and install all brands and models of air conditioners and heating systems. That includes furnaces, heat pumps, hybrid heating, central AC, and ductless systems. Our team also specializes in indoor air quality. You can count on us for IAQ testing, duct cleaning, air purifiers, UV lamps, and much more.
Call today or contact us online to learn more about these options.
971 N Gilbert Rd, Suite #203