The way we can understand how efficiently an air conditioner will operate is to look at its Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio or SEER rating. The rating tells us how much cool air is produced compared to the amount of energy it uses to accomplish this task. If your air conditioner is 20 years old or so the SEER rating could be as low as 6 or 8, unless the person who put it in wanted a very efficient unit, then it might have a SEER rating of 10 or more. Now there are regions of the United States where the minimum SEER that may be installed is mandated. In 2024, a SEER rating of 14 or 15 is the typical starting point for new air conditioning systems. When evaluating how high you want to go—consider this rule of thumb: for every 2-point increase in SEER rating, there is about a 13% increase in savings/efficiency. There are systems that have ratings as high as 25—but that is not necessary for most of us. Wondering what to consider when weighing how much to spend, how high to bump up your SEER? If money is not an issue and your priority is a super-efficient system, a SEER rating of 20 or more is great. If you’d like to spend less but still benefit from what today’s technology can offer and do what you can to consume less energy and save money on your utility bill—go for a SEER rating of 16 to 18.

Another option for cooling your home is the relatively new technology of multi-stage air conditioners that use a compressor that can vary its operating status. Older air conditioners were either on or off—when they were on, they were on high. Now there are units that operate on high and low, and others that incorporate even more variations, including a dehumidification only status—which has a cooling effect without blowing chilled air. These systems offer a steadier temperature level blowing air that is closer to the temperature setting to be reached rather than much cooler air. They tend to run longer at a much less intense level and even though they are on for longer periods of time the operation is less noticeable since the system isn’t working nearly as hard.

Consider installing a heat pump, replacing two significant investments (a furnace for heating and an air conditioner for cooling) for your home with just one. Heat pumps, like air conditioners, are assigned a SEER rating. Heat pumps can improve the efficiency of meeting both your heating and cooling needs. A type of heat pump that has grown in popularity are “mini splits”. These are small units that can be used in a single room, or a set of small units that are used together to heat or cool part of or an entire home. A particular advantage of mini splits is they are installed without the need for duct work in the walls and ceiling. Mini splits have grown in popularity for a number of reasons, including their energy efficiency, that they are very quiet when operating, they are relatively easy to install and maintain, they do not use ducts that can get dusty impacting air quality, and they can be even more environmentally friendly and cost effective if you only need to cool or heat portions of the home much of the time.
There are several things to consider when selecting how you will replace an aging cooling and/or heating system.

Various topics were touched on here and we’ve given you a head start by introducing you to important things to consider and ask your local installer about. More extreme weather is coming— save resources (both energy and financial), be more comfortable in your home, and feel good about taking steps to reduce energy consumption!