If you are in the market for a new home-comfort system, the first thing you need to do is become familiar with efficiency ratings. HVAC equipment is a big investment, but your investment can pay off fairly quickly if your new system significantly lowers your utility bills. The best assurance of this is a high efficiency rating.  

For A/C units
The air conditioners you look at will have seasonal energy efficiency ratio ratings. All central air conditioners must have a SEER of at least 13, but you can find units that are rated as high as 23. The higher the SEER, the higher the energy efficiency. 

For furnaces
Furnaces have annual fuel-utilization efficiency ratings. AFUE, like SEER, is the amount of energy the machine produces for every unit of energy that it consumes. It doesn't include the energy that is lost through ducts and other system weaknesses, but it is very useful for comparing how well the furnace turns fuel into heat. Mid-efficiency furnaces have an AFUE of 80 to 83 percent. High-efficiency furnaces have an AFUE of 90 to 97 percent.  

Heat pumps
Air-source heat pumps have SEER ratings, just like A/C units, but they also have a heating seasonal performance factor to measure operating efficiency during the colder months. In greater Cincinnati, that is an important rating, because we get plenty of cold weather. A quality heat pump will have a minimum HSPF of 7.7, and that number can be higher than 9.0 for the most efficient units.

To get maximum efficiency from your new heating and cooling system, make sure your ductwork is free of tears and loose connections. Bad ductwork can cause you to lose as much as 30 percent of your conditioned air. Also make sure that your equipment has the Energy Star logo.

You will quickly see that systems with high efficiency ratings are generally more expensive than system with lower ratings. Although you may be reluctant to pay more, a high-efficiency unit can save you significantly in operating costs over the years.  

To get professional advice about efficiency ratings, contact Tri-County Heating & Cooling. We have the expertise you need to help you choose the equipment that's right for your home.