Look at the SEER Rating to Lower Air Conditioning Costs

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Saving energy means saving money on your regular household bills, so you need to look carefully at how energy efficient your household appliances are.  The biggest single item on your utility bills will be the cost of your heating and air conditioning system.

There are some relatively simple ways to be sure that you are as energy efficient as possible.  One is to install an energy efficient furnace, and a second is to check your air conditioning SEER ratings (Seasonal Energy Efficient Rating).  The higher the SEER number, the more efficient the system is. 

Almost any air conditioning system that was fitted before 1980 will have a SEER rating (seasonal energy efficiency rating) of around 7.  Today, with modern manufacturing capabilities and increased efficiency, most air conditioning equipment has a SEER rating of around 12.  The government specifies that air conditioning equipment must have a SEER rating of 10 or over.

SEER ratings mean cost efficiency.  If a unit with a SEER rating of 7 is replaced with a comparable unit with a SEER rating of 11.5, there will be a yearly saving of $507 on energy bills.  With this kind of saving, there is every reason to replace an old air conditioning system, making sure that the new system has as high a SEER rating as possible.

Another tip to save costs is to install an energy efficient central air conditioner.  This means that there is one cooling unit, and the air is ducted to the rooms that require cooling - much more efficient than separate cooling units.

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