High-efficiency cooling and heating systems have an advantage over lower-efficiency models. These high-efficiency systems conserve energy, lower utility costs, and heat and cool your Tuskegee, Alabama, home more effectively. Discover how high SEER and AFUE ratings, multi-stage heating, proper sizing, and other factors contribute to increased HVAC system efficiency.
High SEER, AFUE, and HSPF Ratings
When considering an energy-efficient cooling or heating system, look at energy ratings. You’ll find a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, SEER, for air conditioners and an Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, AFUE, rating for furnaces. Higher ratings indicate that the machine uses less energy to heat and cool your home. Heat pumps can come with both a SEER rating and a Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, HSPF, which measures heating efficiency.
Age of the Unit
Models that are 20 years or older are likely to be less energy efficient. In addition, heating and cooling systems lose their efficiency over time. The average lifespan of these systems is about 15 to 20 years.
If you’ve had your air conditioner or furnace for more than 10 years, think about the cost effectiveness of maintenance on an older system. Making repairs might improve its efficiency and offer some benefits, but what happens in the long term? Keep in mind that no amount of repairs will extend the life of an older system, especially with significant damage or wear and tear.
Multi-Stage vs. Single-Stage
Multi-stage heating and cooling systems conserve energy by adapting to different temperature needs in the home. The word stage refers to the level of power the machine uses to heat and cool your home. A single-stage unit provides only one level of heating and cooling regardless of temperature needs. In other words, the unit will cool your home with the same level of power regardless of how hot it is. This scenario isn’t always the best use of energy, and generally results in higher utility bills.
Multi-stage units save energy by alternating power settings to conserve energy and run on low power settings most of the time. Under more extreme conditions, the units switch to higher modes of power.
Variable Speed Blowers
Variable speed blowers use the same principle as multi-stage units. They can switch to variable power settings to conserve energy. Variable speed blowers, however, refer to a unit’s fan motors — not the unit itself. The motors control how much air flows through your home.
While a variable speed blower provides an important boost in efficiency, the power setting of the air conditioner or furnace still matters. A variable speed blower doesn’t offer as much energy savings if the unit itself uses an excessive amount of energy to do its job.
Electric Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are among the most energy-efficient options since they don’t depend on fuel. Instead, these units run on electricity and move heat from one place to the next to both heat and cool, using a refrigeration process. Air-source heat pumps work by moving air, while geothermal heat pumps source heat from the ground.
Proper Size and Installation
The size of your air conditioner, furnace, or heat pump are significant factors that will impact energy efficiency over time. An air conditioner that is too small for your home will continually struggle to meet temperature demands. Meanwhile, an oversized AC will cool the home quickly but not necessarily evenly. It will also cycle on and off repeatedly and ultimately waste energy.
High-efficiency systems bring greater value to your heating and cooling investments. These systems save money, conserve more energy, and offer better results.
If you are looking for a more efficient cooling and heating solution for your home, the service professionals at Air Conditioning by Luquire can help you to find the unit that meets your needs. Call us today at 334-230-5870 to learn more about efficiency ratings. We can help you to select the right systems for your home or business.
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