New Energy Requirement for Your Air Conditioner



New Energy Requirement for Your Air Conditioner!

Written by: Jennifer Gall, Stephens Heating

Do you know what your SEER rating is? Where is your air conditioner located? Does it need to be replaced?

Your answers to these questions and many others are about to change!

Issued by the Clinton administration in its final weeks in office and mandated by the Department of Energy (DOE), after January 23, 2006, manufacturers will no longer be allowed to build condensing units with efficiencies of less than 13 SEER.

Federal Register: January 22, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 14) “When today’s adopted standards go into effect, they will essentially raise the energy efficiency standards to 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) for new central air conditioners and to 13 SEER/7.7 HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) for new central air conditioning heat pumps.”

The new standard for split-system air conditioners will feature a 30% improvement in efficiency, and heat pumps will feature the same 30% in cooling with a 13% improvement in heating efficiency. This means a savings on electricity for cooling at around $25 per year between 10 SEER (the current standard) and 13 SEER in Oregon’s moderate climate.

Sounds reasonable, right? Why shouldn’t we want to save energy? We should care about the environment! We agree with you on all points. But our job is to care about our customers, the problems we may encounter during selling and installation, and educating you on the not-so-public factors that this update will effect.

[pic]The first concern we have for our customers is the size of these new units. With quieter, more efficient units come size increases. A large 5-ton capacity unit will have a footprint 17% larger than the older units, an average 3-ton will be 98% larger and a smaller 2-ton unit will be an astonishing 224% larger!

Manufacturing costs will rise, due to raw material exports and product outsourcing in America. Packaging will be larger and more expensive, units will require more warehouse space, fewer units can be shipped per truck load, more deliveries from distributors will have to be made each day . . . . One brand of equipment alone will require 6,500 more truckloads annually to transport the same number of units.

[pic]Secondly, large units currently sit on concrete pads outside the home that are 3 feet square. Get ready for a larger concrete pad! Not just that, lot lines may not allow for replacement units to be set in the same spot or for new units to be set in a convenient spot near the furnace for easy connection. Outdoor units may need to be relocated to the back of the house, adding to installation costs.

[pic]Manpower and labor will increase. One person cannot lift or maneuver these units. This causes more required manpower everywhere the unit goes, including the job site. And as we all know, time is money!

[pic]Dizzy yet? Well, consider that the outdoor unit is only one component in this system update. Your existing coil may not accommodate a 13 SEER unit. Costs increase a bit more. And guess what? Your air handler or furnace may not accommodate that coil. Now you’ve bought yourself a whole new HVAC system and your cost has doubled! Not just that; the new and considerably larger air handler may not fit in the same spot that the old furnace was in. The indoor unit may need to be relocated, or worse, the home altered to accommodate the new piece of equipment!

[pic]New construction homes will also be affected by this change. If builders are not educated about the size differences, your house plans may not work for the heating system designed for your home! And if you’re putting off the cost of air conditioning while building, and planning on adding on an outdoor unit later . . . see above!

Never in HVAC history have there been so many changes in our industry. These changes and advancement in technology, however necessary, bring about substantial cost increases to the consumer while reducing variety and choice. As contractors, we deal with customers in all income categories, some of whom appreciate the choice of lower efficiency equipment to save up-front costs.

Is it hopeless? Should you swear off air conditioning? Of course not. 10 and 12 SEER outdoor units are still widely available. Manufacturers cannot produce units below 13 SEER in January of 2006. Though the State of Oregon would like to keep us from doing so, the law doesn’t state that we can’t install lower efficient units as long as they’re stocked in warehouses . . . yet. So our advice would be to get your air conditioner now! This is the year to do it if you’ve been putting it off! If you have a lower efficient system, get ‘em while they’re HOT! Units become scarce during a hot summer, and with this phase-out could become nonexistent before you get around to having estimates done.

If you don’t know the efficiency of your heating and air conditioning system, call your HVAC contractor today and have a general service done on your equipment. Ask the technician what the efficiencies of your unit are. Call their office and have a salesman come give you an estimate on a compatible outdoor unit and ask what the costs would be to upgrade to 13 SEER.

Be pro-active before it costs you!

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