SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. The efficiency of an air conditioner is rated by SEER. The SEER rating of a unit during a typical cooling season is the cooling output divided by the total electric energy input.
If the SEER rating is higher, the energy-efficient will be higher as well. 14 SEER and 16 SEER are two units of SEER.
Key Takeaways
- SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio and measures the cooling output of an air conditioner divided by its energy consumption.
- A 16 SEER air conditioner is more energy-efficient than a 14 SEER air conditioner, meaning it uses less energy to produce the same amount of cooling.
- While a 16 SEER air conditioner may be more expensive upfront, it can save homeowners money on their energy bills in the long run.
14 SEER vs 16 SEER
14 SEER is a type of air conditioning unit which can provide 14 BTUs of cooling per watt-hour of electricity used. A 14 SEER, air conditioning unit, is a common standard in many parts of the US.16 SEER is an air conditioning unit which can provide 16 BTUs of cooling per watt-hour of electricity used.
The 14 SEER ac models cost about 30,000 and more. The air conditioners before were rated 8 or 9, so right now 14 rating is pretty good.
The lowest SEER rating is 13. So they have better efficiency than that of previous ac models.
They have standard comfort features. The 14 SEER models mostly have single-stage compressors.
16 SEER ac models give better efficiency than that of 14 SEER as it is more rating. However, it’s not the best. 22 SEER is the maximum SEER unit.
But the SEER rating of 16 is also very much energy efficient, and air conditioners with these ratings of SEER are really considered these days. They are a little bit costly initially, but they will not cost more on your electricity bill.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | 14 SEER | 16 SEER |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | It is energy efficient. | It is 1.14 times more energy-efficient than 14 SEER. |
| Installing Cost + AC Units | The installation cost of 14 SEER is $2820 aka almost 1 lakh 90 thousand. | The installing cost of 16 SEER ac models is $3420 aka 2 lakhs 30 thousand. |
| Electricity usage | It uses more electricity than 16 SEER. | It uses less electricity. |
| Running time | The running time of 14 SEER is about 10-15 years. | The running time is about 15-17 years. |
| Compressor | It has a single-stage compressor. | Mostly, the 16 SEER models have two-stage compressors. |
What is 14 SEER?
The 14 SEER is a rating of SEER. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, which is a rating by which the efficiency of the air conditions is measured or calculated.
The higher the rating, the more efficient your cooling device is. The minimum rating is 13, and the maximum is 22.
The air conditioner models these days are available in 14 SEER, which are much more efficient than that of previous air conditioner models. They had a SEER rating of around 8 or 9.
So 14 SEER models are about 20-30 % percent more energy efficient.
These Ac models are medium energy efficient. The cost of these AC models starts from 30000, and the installation cost will cost you a few bucks more.
The installation cost of the 14 SEER is less than that of 16 SEER or ac models of higher units of SEER, but it will cost more on electricity bills. As it uses more energy to operate, it will consume more electricity.
Indeed, 14 SEER ac models have a single-stage compressor, and they give better performance than that of previous models of ACs, But lower performance than ac models of higher SEER ratings.
These AC units are better than previous ones as they reduce carbon footprint and produce fewer greenhouse gases.
What is 16 SEER?
16 SEER is another rate of SEER. It is a higher rating of SEER, which means the AC models of this SEER unit have high efficiency. The maximum is 22 SEER however, 16 SEER is very good too.
The 16 SEER air conditioners have high energy efficiency, about 1.14 times that 14 SEER models. But they also have more installation costs.
Their purchasing cost starts from 50000, and installing will cost you a few bucks more. However, the annual cost of these models is less.
They don’t consume much electricity and therefore cost less on the electricity bill.
Also, they have a two-stage compressor, which means that these units will adapt to the conditions of the place rather than running at full speed all the time.
It will reduce the humidity and will also run quieter. Indeed, it will run for a more extended period of time.
These AC units improve the climate control of the place and have features like programmable thermostats and better cooling abilities. They are designed to run smoother and better.
They can keep up for 15-17 years. And most AC models are sold with a guarantee of 3 to 5 years.
Main Differences Between 14 SEER And 16 SEER
- 14 SEER models of air conditioning are less efficient than 16 SEER models. That is, the 14 SEER models use more electricity than the 16 SEER.
- 14 SEER models have less installation cost than that 16 SEER.
- 14 SEER uses more energy than that 16 SEER.
- 14 SEER model will take much more cost to run than that of the 16 SEER models.
- Often the 14 SEER unit models are mostly single-stage compressor models, and so have low performances than that of the 16 SEER units as they are two-stage compressor models which give better performances.
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/c115507c9e5c4c6e0f4d51eaf5fa0e14/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=41118
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520934009/html
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
