Cozy Comfort Plus Logo
Free Consultation
(416) 780-9760

Understanding Efficiency Ratings

When purchasing a home comfort system, it is important to know what some of the numbers mean especially when it comes to efficiency ratings as they are directly related to savings on your energy bill.

 

What is SEER?

When it comes to Air Conditioners (and air source heat pumps), the most prominent energy rating we encounter in Canada is the SEER. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and it is based on a standard set by the air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration institute, an american trade organization. The calculation is simple; the amount of cooling done by the A/C or heat pump during a typical warm season divided by the total electric energy spent during that same season. The higher the SEER, the better.
[swf src=”http://www.carrier.ca/assets/flash/seer_en.swf” width=320 height=170]
The Canadian government requires all new air conditioning products to have a SEER of at least 13, that is why it is crucial to replace your old unit if it has an energy rating below that. A SEER of 18 and above is what is normally considered as high-efficiency.

 

What is AFUE?

The Annual fuel utilization efficiency rating, or AFUE rating is to gas furnaces what SEER is to Air Conditioners. It is defined by a standard set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and it is a percentage of how much of the gas that the furnace consumes, in average, is actually used to heat up your home during the whole cold season. Just like the SEER; the higher, the better. Typically, a AFUE rating in the 95% region and above is considered high-efficiency.
[swf src=”http://www.carrier.ca/assets/flash/afue_en.swf” width=320 height=170]

 

What is HSPF?

Because air source heat pumps can heat your house as well as cool it, they have two efficiency ratings associated with it. the SEER (explained above) for when it is cooling the house during summer and the Heating Seasonal Performance Factor, or HSPF (based on the same standard as the SEER) during the cold months when it helps heat up your home. Again, just like the SEER, a higher HSPF means more savings. High-efficiency heat pumps are typically given a HSPF of 9.0 and above.
[swf src=”http://www.carrier.ca/assets/flash/hspf_en.swf” width=320 height=170]

And speaking of heat pumps…

A home comfort system consisting of a furnace and heat pump typically give you the highest energy savings but it is important that all of the components are matched correctly for higher energy efficiency, otherwise the individual units may never be able to perform at their optimum level of efficiency. The outdoor units need to be matched properly with the indoor units – indoor coils, air handlers, etc – in order for this to happen.

 

How to read those EnerGuide tags?

As Canadians, due to our particular weather conditions, our energy needs and efficiency requirements are naturally different than those that apply to americans. It is with that in mind that the Canadian government has implemented the EnerGuide tag system, containing relevant information when we purchase either new equipment and also new houses. The picture above has the breakdown of a typical EnerGuide tag:

  1. The annual energy consumption of the appliance in kilowatt hours. The lower the number, the better.
  2. The energy consumption indicator shows you how this model compares to others in its class. The bar below the indicator gives the energy efficiency range for this class of appliance. The further the indicator is to the left end of the scale, the better.
  3. This bar shows you the energy consumption of the most and least efficient appliances in this class. In this case, the most efficient comparable model consumes 564 kWh per year while the least efficient uses 972 kWh per year.
  4. This tells you the type and capacity range of similar models compared.

 

Call us now for more information

46 Comments

  2. RodneySam on May 29, 2025 at 8:13 am

    Ero Pharm Fast Ero Pharm Fast Ero Pharm Fast

  3. Jamesacent on May 29, 2025 at 9:03 am

    buy antibiotics from india: BiotPharm – buy antibiotics from india

  4. RodneySam on May 29, 2025 at 10:55 am

    discount ed pills Ero Pharm Fast Ero Pharm Fast

  10. EugeneGlakY on May 30, 2025 at 4:34 am

    pharmacie en ligne sans prescription pharmacie en ligne trouver un mГ©dicament en pharmacie

  11. Matthewknica on May 30, 2025 at 5:25 am

    viagra sans ordonnance: viagra sans ordonnance – Acheter du Viagra sans ordonnance

  12. Edwardcheta on May 30, 2025 at 6:18 am

    Viagra generique en pharmacie: prix bas Viagra generique – commander Viagra discretement

  13. Issackeync on May 30, 2025 at 6:48 am

    kamagra gel: achat kamagra – kamagra livraison 24h

  14. EugeneGlakY on May 30, 2025 at 7:21 am

    Viagra generique en pharmacie viagra sans ordonnance acheter Viagra sans ordonnance

  17. Edwardcheta on May 30, 2025 at 9:36 am

    kamagra oral jelly: kamagra livraison 24h – Kamagra oral jelly pas cher

  18. EugeneGlakY on May 30, 2025 at 10:10 am

    acheter Kamagra sans ordonnance kamagra gel Kamagra oral jelly pas cher

  29. Matthewknica on May 30, 2025 at 5:45 pm

    kamagra gel: kamagra en ligne – acheter Kamagra sans ordonnance

  33. Matthewknica on May 30, 2025 at 8:13 pm

    Meilleur Viagra sans ordonnance 24h: Viagra sans ordonnance 24h – Viagra générique en pharmacie

  34. EugeneGlakY on May 30, 2025 at 9:25 pm

    livraison discrete Kamagra achat kamagra kamagra en ligne

  35. Matthewknica on May 30, 2025 at 10:40 pm

    commander Kamagra en ligne: kamagra pas cher – commander Kamagra en ligne

  45. EugeneGlakY on May 31, 2025 at 5:43 am

    Viagra sans ordonnance 24h Viagra generique en pharmacie Viagra gГ©nГ©rique sans ordonnance en pharmacie

  46. Matthewknica on May 31, 2025 at 5:59 am

    commander Cialis en ligne sans prescription: Acheter Cialis – Acheter Cialis 20 mg pas cher

Submit a Comment

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