
How do you calculate the energy consumption of an air conditioner?
It is calculated by dividing the cooling power provided by an AC per hour by the number of watts of electricity consumed. The measurements obtained during the hottest day of the season are normally used to calculate the EER of an air conditioner.
How do I check the efficiency of my air conditioner?
Check Your Air Conditioner's Efficiency with a Thermometer. With a clean air filter in place, set a thermometer on the supply register that's closest to the inside cooling equipment. Keep it there for five minutes and note the temperature. Do the same thing at the return vent. The air coming out should be 14 to 20 degrees cooler than...
What is air conditioner efficiency?
Air Conditioner Efficiency Air conditioner efficiency is the ratio between heat removed and power (watt) used - EER and SEER Equipment used in cooling systems in residential and small commercial buildings often express the cooling system efficiency in terms like EER - Energy Efficiency Ratio and/or
How do you calculate the EER of an air conditioner?
EER is basically Energy Efficiency Ratio which is given by number of Btus the air conditioner is pulling out per hour divided by watts of power consumed. 6= BTU/ hr 1,000. X=6×1,000=6,000 BTU/ hr. And in this problem we are given the EER as 6 and we need to calculate the number of Btus it is capable of pulling out.

What is a good efficiency rating for an air conditioner?
Higher Energy Efficiency The minimum standard SEER for air conditioners is 13, though most modern air conditioners have a SEER that ranges from 13 to 21. Trane air conditioners range from 14.5 SEER up to 22 SEER. But don't forget — this rating is a maximum.
How do I know if my AC is high efficiency?
Air Conditioner & Heat Pump Efficiency (SEER) Check the user manual or on the AC unit's cabinet for the SEER rating. The higher the number, the better off that you are. The SEER measurement system comes from how efficiently an AC unit converts electricity into cooling power.
Is 12.5 EER good?
Generally, an EER of 12 or above is considered energy efficient, however, when comparing two models, the one with the higher EER is more energy efficient regardless of whether or not it is above 12.
What SEER is considered high efficiency?
Higher SEER numbers indicate higher efficiency. The minimum SEER rating is 13, with a rating above 16 considered high efficiency.
What are 3 ways you can tell if your HVAC unit is energy efficient?
Master these three factors of HVAC efficiency and reap the rewards.HVAC System's Size. Size plays an essential role in HVAC performance. ... HVAC System's Age. If your system is more than 20 years old, then it's probably not efficient anymore. ... Preventive HVAC Maintenance. ... Indoor Air Quality.
Can you calculate EER from SEER?
SEER is a higher value than EER for the same equipment. A more detailed method for converting SEER to EER uses this formula: EER = −0.02 × SEER² + 1.12 × SEER Note that this method is used for benchmark modeling only and is not appropriate for all climate conditions.
How much more efficient is a 20 SEER vs 14 SEER?
In short, 20 SEER AC unit is 43% more energy-efficient than 14 SEER AC unit.
Which is better SEER or EER?
In SEER and EER, the higher the number, the more efficiently the unit uses electricity. SEER numbers are higher than EER numbers for any given model of air conditioner. For example, the Amana AVXC 20 central air conditioner has a SEER rating of 23 and an EER rating of 14.
What makes a high efficiency air conditioner?
Seasonal energy efficiency ratio is the way the efficiency of an air conditioning system is measured. The higher the SEER number, the better the AC is at converting watt-hours of electricity into BTUs of cooling. For an air conditioner to be considered high efficiency, it must have a SEER rating higher than 20.
How much more efficient is a 18 SEER vs 16 SEER?
Having a higher SEER rating will save you money on energy efficiency. An 18 SEER is around 12.5% more efficient than a 16 SEER. That means for every $100 you spend to cool your home with a 18 SEER, you'll save about $12.50 more than the 16 SEER.
What is the difference between a 14 SEER and a 16 SEER?
A 16 SEER unit is about 13% more efficient than a 14 SEER. For every $100 you spend to cool your home with a 14 SEER, you could save $13 on your monthly bill by upgrading to the 16 SEER unit. But just like gas mileage, your ability to meet this maximum efficiency and savings depends on a lot of other factors.
What is the difference between a 13 SEER and a 16 SEER?
Seer stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. 13 Seer is the federal minimum to be sold, is single stage, and cheaper than the higher seer conditioners. A 16 seer air conditioner is high efficiency, 2 stage so it transfers air twice as fast, and is eligible for a tax credit.
What Is AC Efficiency?
Central air conditioners operate by circulating air through a system of ducts connected throughout your home. This air recirculates back through the ducts continuously. A new energy efficient central AC unit can expend 20 to 40% less energy to cool a home than models that are 10 years or older.
How Is AC Efficiency Measured?
SEER ratings measure the cooling power of a central AC system. The ratio of cooling output is measured in BTUs and divided by the Watt hours of energy consumed. The unit’s average energy output is assessed during an average cooling season. The SEER value is available on the Energy Guide tag that is attached to the unit when it’s purchased.
What is the EER for a room air conditioner?
A room air conditioner with an EER of at least 9.0 is recommended for milder climates, whereas in hotter climates an EER over 10 is preferred.
How much energy savings can I make by replacing my air conditioner?
Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you may save 20 to 40 percent of your cooling energy costs by replacing it with a newer, more efficient model. In general, new air conditioners with higher EERs or SEERs have higher price tags.
What is the minimum SEER for a central air conditioner?
National minimum standards for central air conditioners require a SEER of 9.7 and 10.0, for single-package and split-systems, respectively. But you do not need to settle for the minimum standard—there is a wide selection of units with SEERs reaching nearly 17.
How much air conditioning does an old room need?
An old room air conditioner with an EER 6 was replaced by a new air conditioner with an EER of 10.0. The room requires 0.75 tons of air conditioning. Calculate the difference in power consumption between the old and new air conditioner.
EER - Energy Efficiency Ratio
EER is a measure of how efficient a cooling system operates in steady state (over time) when the outdoor temperature is at a specific level (outdoor conditions commonly used are 95 oF (35 oC) ).
SEER - Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio
SEER should be at least 10 - there are units where SEER reach at least 17.
Example - EERpower vs. COP
A cooling unit operates at 1 ton cooling (1 ton/kW) - or 12000 Btu/h .
What is EER in AC?
Since electricity is metered as power consumed, EER can also be expressed as “cooling power”. Energy Efficiency Ratio = Cooling Power of the AC / Power Consumption of the AC. “Cooling Power” can be understood as the heat removed by the aircon every second. Power is measured in Watts (W), and you may come across this term in ...
What does EER mean in HVAC?
Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) This number indicates how much heat the air conditioner removes from the area to be cooled relative to the energy consumed by it . A higher EER means a better air conditioner. Energy is measured in Joules (J).
How are air conditioners rated?
Air conditioners are rated in stars (or ticks) depending on location. A higher star-rated air conditioner consumes lesser energy to provide the same amount of cooling than an aircon with lesser star-rating. The government of a country typically decides the star-rating specifications. A threshold is defined for every rating which is ...
Why are air conditioners important?
Home, office, shopping malls, hospitals, and colleges – all rely on air conditioners to make the environment comfortable. Aircons consume a lot of energy, and it is, therefore, essential to understand the efficiency of an aircon. Owning a higher efficiency air conditioner can ...
What is an air conditioner?
Air Conditioner – A heat exchanger. An aircon is a heat pump. It consists of the condenser, the evaporator, refrigerant gas, and the heat exchanger coils. Just like a refrigerator, the aircon pumps heat from the room and vents it off with the ambient air outside.
How much cooling does a 5 star air conditioner provide?
These four 5-star rated aircons can provide 4 tons of cooling compared to the 3 tons supplied by the 1-star aircons, for similar power consumption. It must be noted that a higher star rating also means a more expensive air conditioner.
Is an air conditioner more efficient?
It reflects the amount of energy removed by the system in one second of operation. It becomes evident that an air conditioner that provides higher cooling power compared to others, for the same power consumption, is more efficient.
What is CEER in BTU?
CEER = (output cooling energy in BTU/. input electrical energy during use in Wh+idle input electrical energy in Wh) In most situations, the CEER won’t be largely different than the EER for a unit, and most units these days also have energy-saving modes for when the unit isn’t running.
Why are air conditioners less efficient?
Given that air conditioners are less efficient as the outdoor temperature rises (be cause the outside temperature is working against the unit), this ratio looks at an entire season’s worth of cooling versus a whole season’s worth of energy use. It takes the energy efficiency out of a vacuum and paints a more realistic picture ...
What is polyphase power?
Polyphase Circuits. While many of the loads throughout a plant are single-phase, their operating power comes from one phase of a three-phase distribution system. Heavy electrical loads, such as large motors, are generally three-phase for improved efficiency. Three-phase power is configured as either wye (Y) or delta.
What is demand in energy?
Demand is the average amount of energy consumed over a specific time interval. For a utility, this interval is usually 15 or 30 minutes. The utility must have sufficient capacity to supply the peak demand, so energy prices are often established based on this factor.
What happens when a load is balanced at unity power factor?
If the load is balanced, at unity power factor, each instrument will read half the load; at 0.5 power factor one instrument reads all the load and the other reading is zero; at less than 0.5 power factor one reading will be negative.
What is a CT and PT?
In higher energy circuits, or situations where the meter is located far from the power circuit, a CT and PT are used (fig. G). In a single-phase three-wire system, the two hot conductors are 180° out of phase (referenced to the neutral).
Can frequency meters be connected to AC?
Depending on voltage levels, frequency meters can be directly connected in the same manner as the ac voltmeter or operated through a potential transformer. Some wattmeters, power factor meters and watt-hour meters are directly connected to the power source (fig. F).
Can a 3 phase power meter be used on single phase circuits?
Some electronic 3 phase power meters cannot be used on single-phase circuits, due to the internal math function required. Energy. Energy is power used for a certain time (P ˚ t). Electrical energy is normally measured in kWh or MWh.
How efficient is a 13 SEER AC unit?
This is very similar to miles per gallon in cars. In other words, a higher SEER air conditioner will cost less to operate than a similar size unit with a lower SEER. A 13 SEER AC unit is about 23 percent more efficient than a 10 SEER unit. Another way to think of this is that the 13 SEER unit will save about 23 percent of the cost to run the 10 SEER unit during a year (Figure 2). Some efficient equipment can have SEER ratings of more than 20.
What is the minimum SEER for a new air conditioner?
At present, the minimum standard SEER for newly manufactured air conditioning and heat pump units (other than window units) is 13 SEER.
How much heat does a 3 ton AC unit move?
More importantly, one ton of cooling (or heating) is equivalent to moving 12,000 Btu’s per hour. Therefore, a “three ton” AC unit can move 36,000 Btu’s of heat per hour out of a space. Typical home air conditioning units are 3 tons to 7 tons in cooling capacity.
Why is oversized HVAC equipment so expensive?
Once the HVAC equipment is installed at the house, it is very expensive to fix a sizing mistake.

Energy Efficiency Ratio
Star Rating Compared
- The following data compares the energy consumed by a 1.0-ton air conditioner (based on annual electricity consumption). This data is only for comparison and reflect typical power consumption. Values would differ across different brands of air conditioners. The data indicates that a 5-star rated aircon consumes 34.28 % less energy than a 1-star rated aircon. Said another way, four 5-s…
EER – Example
- Referenced from: https://www.hitachiaircon.in/ranges/inverter-split-acs/Toushi-3100S Consider the Hitachi Toushi 3100S air conditioner. We shall examine the energy efficiency of the 1.0-ton unit. For simplicity, we shall consider the rated capacities instead of maximum capacity. Do you want to know aircon energy saving tips? Rated Cooling Capacity (at 100 % load) = 3516 Watts (1…
How to Make A Purchase Decision
- Air conditioners are expensive but durable appliances. You should consider your budget and cooling requirements (number of hours of use per day). Tell me more on how big air conditioneris needed. If a higher star-rated aircon has a higher initial cost than the additional electricity consumed by the lower model, you could consider buying the more economical model. This is R…
Conclusion
- Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) is a measure of the air conditioner’s efficiency. When comparing air conditioners from different brands, use the formula to calculate the EER. Manufacturers may report EER differently based on their assumptions. However, cooling power and electrical power consumption are reported accurately in watts. A division of those would give you the EER, and th…