The cost to heat and cool your home totals more than half of your utility bills. That’s why it’s so important to search for a system that offers superior comfort in your St. Louis home while still ensuring energy efficient. Better energy efficiency means your system is doing more while using less energy. Whether you are looking into a replacement air conditioner or furnace or looking to upgrade your existing equipment to be more energy efficient, there are some ratings to look out for that will help you during the search. So what exactly do those energy efficiency ratings indicate?
SEER (used to measure cooling efficiency)
SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The SEER rating considers the competence of your unit at different temperatures, or rather, seasonally in St. Louis. A greater SEER rating denotes a greater energy efficiency, which will translate into less expensive utility bills. The Department of Energy requires a minimum 13 SEER-rating for cooler states in the north and a 14 SEER-rating minimum for hotter, southern states. If your home has an mature unit with a lower SEER-rating, you could see drastic energy savings after an upgrade.
AFUE or HSPF (used to measure heating efficiency: gas or electric)
AFUE stands for Annualized Fuel Utilization Efficiency ratio and it measures the percentage of heat produced for every dollar of fuel consumed. You can think of it as the MPG on your car. The greater the AFUE-rating, the less your energy costs. If your furnace has a AFUE rating of 80, that denotes that 80% of the heat generated is used to heat the home, while 20% of the heat is lost through venting.
HSPF stands for the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor and works to keep track of the heating productivity of heat pumps. It is the SEER rating for winter as it only measures your unit’s heating efficiency. Like the others, the higher the number, the extra energy efficient the heat pump.
Morgner Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating in St. Louis offers equipment with the best energy efficiency ratings. If you are uncertain what the energy ratings are of the equipment in your home we would be glad to help you better comprehend to keep your home comfy, while saving money. Give us a call at 314-262-4541 to schedule an appointment with us.