erikkl2000

Can someone give me a dummy version of what SEER ratings really mean?

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TK03

Basically, the lower the S.E.E.R. rating, the more energy (electricity) is required to produce the desired effect.

EXAMPLE:
S.E.E.R. OF "6"
(6 is a very common rating for older units produced prior to the 1990's, when energy was relatively inexpensive)
Produces about 6 BTU/hr of cooling, per watt of electricity

S.E.E.R. OF "12" (12 is very common for newer high-efficiency units)
Produces about 12 BTU/hr of cooling per watt of electricity
This would be about double the cooling effect of a 6 S.E.E.R. unit
I have a good link to a paper that explains it but I have not made 15 posts so I cannot post it here.

Remco Air

SEER = [Total Cooling Output Over the Cooling Season] / [Total Electrical Energy Input Over the Cooling Season],the higher the seer rating typically means the more efficient the system will operate, or in other words a much lower energy cost to cool the space. Older air conditioning systems are likely to have a lower SEER (perhaps 5 or 6) than a newer more efficient system (perhaps SEER=12). The higher the seer rating the more likely a system will lower a customers electrical bill considering all else is good, ex. building insulation, location, duct system,etc.