- IMPACT - Department Of Energy Changes in Minimum SEER Ratings for A/C Equipment
EPA mandate – As of January 23, 2006 the Department of Energy will no longer allow Air Conditioning manufacturers to produce equipment that has an efficiency rating of less than SEER 13.
Impact on equipment – The new equipment will be larger in size. The outside condenser coils and the inside evaporator coils will be larger to achieve the higher rating. Larger coils will allow more heat to be absorbed or rejected with less energy to meet the higher requirements. Connecting the two A/C components is two copper refrigerant lines allowing the "Freon" containing the heat from inside to move to the condenser and reject the heat outside. 13 SEER systems contain approximately 50% more refrigerant than the older 10 or 12 SEER systems according to the manufacturers. With more refrigerant in the systems the copper lines carrying the "Freon" must be larger. This is not a problem with new systems being installed but old systems will require the "suction" line to be changed for the system to work as prescribed by Rheem, Ruud, Lennox, Carrier and Trane.
Impact on Manufacturers – Manufacturers of Rheem equipment and others have been preparing for this change and stopped taking orders for the lower rated equipment back in October and November of 2005 and ceased producing it around November 2005 and began producing the higher rated equipment to be sold in 2006.
Impact on Customers – Uninformed customers will be surprised and in some cases shocked that their A/C contractor is telling them they will have to change more equipment than the one component that failed. The customers will think the contractor is trying to make a larger sale than is needed. The truth is their equipment must be "matched" for size and if the older equipment is no longer available after January 23, 2006 then they have no choice but to change to more efficient equipment. This is not bad, more efficiency means less money spent to heat and cool the house in the future. In many cases the amount of money saved will more than cover the cost of the new and more efficient system. All of the A/C contractors are quick to point this out to customers and can provide projected savings in energy with software provided by the manufacturers and the energy companies.
Down falls by Uninformed Contractors – Over the years customers have had equipment changed out as needed and the contractors should have matched the new equipment to the old equipment but unfortunately that has not always been the case. So after a number of years, the system can be mismatched or worse, the original installation was over or under sized. Heating and cooling loads should be calculated to insure the proper size when contemplating a new heating or cooling system for the house. Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has done studies to determine common problems with A/C systems in the U.S. and found 70% of the A/C systems are over sized and the house has humidity problems. Here in Houston, Texas, humidity is a constant and to compound the problem by not sizing the A/C system correctly is a disservice to the customer.
Remedies:
- If you will talk to informed contractors who attend classes, they will all advise you to have the A/C contractor measure the house (one hour measuring time), compile the information and calculate the heating and cooling load for the house using the ACCA industry recognized "Manual J" protocol (two hours desk time).
- Ask the contractor to design a duct system for you to insure that your new system will operate correctly with the proper "Static Pressure" (two hours desk time). Manufacturers rate their equipment to be installed with an efficient duct system having .5" of water column. "Static Pressure" of the average home is 1.8" of water column. This is over 3 times the design "Static Pressure".
- If your house has hot and cold spots, the air flow has some problem that needs to be investigated and corrected. Things change in your attic over the years, animals destroy the ducting, people step on the ducting, tripping on a duct will pull it free from the supply air or return air plenum and roof leaks will deteriorate the equipment in the attic rapidly.
- An acceptable duct leak rate by ACCA is 3%; the average house has a 35% to 44% leak rate. Damage to the ducting and equipment as well as poor installation procedures will cause the ducting to lose up to 45% of the air in the attic or draw in 130 degree air from the attic. If the duct system is poor the best new high efficiency air conditioning equipment will fall short of the performance promised by the manufacturer. Both the manufacturer and the A/C contractor will get a black eye from the negative endorsement given by the customer.
- 90% of our houses have a return air filter grille and ducting that are too small. Think about this: if you can’t get the air into the system, you will not be able to get it out. This results in several problems that result in poor performance at best and system failure at worst.
- Ask your contractor if he is a member of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, this is professional group of informed contractors that promote education and excellence within the heating and cooling profession. They make their knowledge available to interested contractors through the ACCA organization. Another question to ask your contractor, is whether his company is NATE certified? NATE is an organization that provides testing of technician skills and trains professionals in the A/C industry. Forward thinking and innovative contractors use the NATE to qualify their technicians’ skill level. In the near future, all technicians will be required to be NATE certified in the State of Texas.
The most effective way to insure an efficient and long lasting A/C and Heating system is installed, will be to become informed and by asking your contractor many questions. Insist that your contractor provide accurate information and measurements of your house before you agree for the work to be done.
Rick Barto
Clayton Air, Supervisor
