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1. Central Air Conditioner efficiency is measured
by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER).
The higher the SEER the more efficient the unit. Units with
a SEER of 12 or above are considered high-efficiency; 17
is the highest available.
2. Furnace efficiency is measured by the Annual
Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating. The
colder the climate and the higher the local utility rates,
the higher the AFUE you should get. Furnaces with AFUE ratings
of 90% percent and above are considered high-efficiency;
96.6% is the highest available.
3. Heat pump cooling efficiency is measured by
a SEER rating; a heat pump's heating efficiency
is measured as the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF).
A heat pump with a SEER of 12 or higher and an HSPF of at
least 8 is considered high-efficiency.
4. Room Air Conditioner efficiency is measured
by the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), which is
the BTU/hr output, divided by the watts of electricity the
unit uses. It basically tells you how much heat you get
out of the unit compared to how much electricity you put
into it. The higher the EER, the less the electricity air
conditioning will use.
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