On January 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) new minimum efficiency standards for residential split A/C systems went into effect. These new regulations are part of the DOE’s ongoing initiative to reduce overall energy consumption in the United States. Additionally, the DOE test procedures have evolved to be more representative of real-world installations in today’s residences and will now be used to rate the level of energy efficiency.
For decades, the HVAC industry has used the term “Seer” to reflect the energy efficiency rating of an A/C system. Moving forward, the new term will be “Seer2”.
As we all can imagine, there are countless details we can get immersed in when reviewing DOE standards and A/C technologies. The purpose here is to provide a high-level summary of the main impact that Seer2 ratings will have on us as consumers in the South Florida marketplace.
What key changes does the Seer2 rating bring to the table?
As it relates to the Seer2 initiative, there are 3 U.S. Regions – North, Southeast, and Southwest. Obviously, South Florida, Boca Raton and Delray Air Conditioning Companies are part of the Southeast Region. The DOE’s stated objective in the Southeast was to drive a 7-10% energy efficiency increase with residential split A/C systems.
With the “classic” Seer ratings that were in place before 2023, there was a minimum Seer level requirement of 14.0 Seer for all split A/C residential systems. Using the same pre-2023 “classic” Seer rating, the new baseline requirement starting in 2023 is 15.0 Seer. The conversion of Seer level to new Seer2 level is 15.0 to 14.3. Stated otherwise, 15.0 Seer equals 14.3 Seer2.
An additional consideration for the new Seer2 rating requirements is the fact that they are dependent on the size of the A/C system. For a residential split A/C system of size smaller than 4 tons, the minimum Seer2 requirement is 14.3. For a residential split A/C system of size 4 tons or larger, the minimum Seer2 rating requirement is 13.8.
FPL offers a $150 Rebate towards the purchase of a new A/C System, what is the minimum Seer2 requirement?
FPL requires a Seer2 rating of 15.2 to qualify for their energy efficiency Rebate Program. The 15.2 Seer2 requirement applies to systems of all sizes in order to qualify for the FPL Rebate.
As a consumer, what’s my net-net with the new Seer2 rating?
More than anything, it’s an awareness of the new Seer2 term and the fact that the rating scale is different. 15.2 Seer2 is now the previous 16.0 Seer. 14.3 Seer2 is now the previous 15.0 Seer. Classic “Seer” equipment is not allowed by law to be sold into the marketplace now. Seer2 rated residential split A/C systems are the only option you will have as we move forward. A/C equipment already installed with the “classic” Seer ratings are unaffected by the new Seer2 requirements and will still be supported over their operational life by Quality First Air Conditioning (Boca Raton, Delray) as well as the manufacturer.
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