Survive the SEERing Days of Summer

Sarah Taylor
by |

The heat and humidity from summer are rapidly approaching. Now is the time to make sure your air conditioning system is fully functioning.

If your air conditioning unit happens to fail, it is important to do your research before deciding on a new one. Learn how SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) ratings should influence your decision.

014938-get-seerious-summer-_final2

To download the infographic in PDF, click here.

To prepare your fully functioning air conditioning unit for the summer, read this article.

When determining whether you should repair or replace your system, consider these 10 factors.

Share
print

Was this helpful?

Vote This Post Up 1,505Loading...

9 thoughts on “Survive the SEERing Days of Summer”

  1. Being a retired hvac mechanic for 35 yrs here is what I have to say. Most contractors install one return on the second floor, because that is the fastest and cheapest. Every room in the house should have a return except for bathroom(s) and the kitchen.
    There are only a few manufacturers of compressors, the rest is cabinet design
    R22 systems are being phased out.
    You must change the indoor coil with the outside condenser
    A/C is like buying a car, there are vw, buicks, town cars and rolls Royce
    The more you pay up front, the more you save in the long run, but the complex, more thing to go wrong.
    Pick an installation company that knows the equipment.
    Don’t buy junk

    Reply ↓

  2. Poster looks cool so bump up a little. But has little useful info other than explaining different fans. Showing the minimum seer for different areas has some use even though it is widely available elsewhere. What about different compressor types? What about other features that save energy or is more reliable? What about installation methods that save energy or increase reliability?

    Reply ↓

  3. Would you buy a new car in pieces if the sales person promised they were the best at assembling it for you? True reliability and efficiency largely depend on the installer, regardless of brand,bells or whistles. Ask for references!

    Reply ↓

  4. Having owned several rental properties over the years and being a homeowner myself, price is usually foremost but it depends on the type of product. With heating and A/C equipment, you do need to look at the SEER and other energy efficient features. Most likely the unit that has the highest energy efficient rating will save you the most money over the next 10-12 years (probable longevity of unit) than the cheaper unit. Do the math.

    Reply ↓

  6. 2-4 estimates I understand, several gets the customer confused as they hear different things from every contractor.

    Reply ↓

    • Just went through this with 5 bids. It was quite a learning curve but after reviewing the bids I saw similarities and was able to pick the best deal at that point.

      Reply ↓

  7. Love it, except… 2. Get several estimates and compare to prices

    Price really!, is that how I should shop your products against your competition?

    If it wasn’t for that, I would share this with my customers, but price is not what they should be shopping, so this is useless.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Jim. You are right. We intended that to say “value” instead of “price” but missed that in our review. We will update the copy for this within a day or two if you want to check back then it should be fixed. Thanks for pointing this out.

      Our research and a lot of posts on this site indicate that HVAC problems are often complicated and there are many different solutions available with lots of trade offs. We try to encourage consumers to consider different options until they find the right system and the right contractor and not just for price reasons.

      You are correct that pure price shoppers are often not satisfied with either their equipment decisions or their contractor selection and our research supports this. Thanks for using our site and helping us improve our message.

      Reply ↓

Let us know your thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *