California Energy Consultant Service

Technology has evolved immensely over the past 20 years, and air conditioners have seen many advances in that time. These advancements have enabled manufacturers to design AC units that are more efficient and eco-friendly than those of the past.

When compared with a 20-year-old AC, modern air conditioners can be between 25% and 60% more efficient, depending on the energy efficiency of a particular unit. This makes ACs more affordable to run, provides greater comfort, and puts less stress on a unit over time for long term cost savings.

What Makes Today’s ACs More Efficient than Older ACs?

The efficiency of an air conditioner is known as its SEER rating, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This number indicates how much electricity is required to adequately cool a space. Due to advances over the past decades, any new AC installation must have a SEER rating of at least 13 as of 2015. There are also even more efficient units available with SEER 25 ratings.

In comparison, many ACs that are 15 or 20 years old originally had SEER ratings around 10. The difference in these ratings is due almost entirely to the innovations manufacturers have made in recent years, including:

• Smaller Parts – Better manufacturing processes and materials have made it possible to design smaller parts for ACs that require less energy to move.
• Better Motors – The majority of motors are more efficient today, and this includes those at use in ACs to run blowers and fans.
• Variable Stage Fans – Although not available on every AC, more efficient units can have variable stage fans that run at a lower speed, using less energy, when full capacity is not necessary.
• Multi-Stage Compressors – Another feature available on high-efficiency units, a multi-stage compressor adjusts output based on cooling needs, significantly reducing power consumption.
• New Refrigerant – Modern ACs use the more eco-friendly R410A as opposed R22, which contributes to ozone depletion. While not directly tied to efficiency, this does make a new unit more eco-friendly.

An older AC unit may also be less efficient due to regular wear and tear, causing its SEER rating to drop further. As a result, replacing an older unit with a new AC, whether it has a 13 SEER rating or a 25 SEER rating, is going to be a more efficient AC and lead to lower energy bills over the coming decades.