.png?width=500&name=2019%20e%20news%20spotlight%20logo%20(1).png)
At the start of 2023, the US Department of Energy said that all new HVAC products with cooling systems must meet SEER2 requirements. SEER2, the updated version of SEER, stands for “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio 2,” and it measures how much heat is removed from a cooled space during the months when cooling is required.
Mike Cham, CTO of Encentiv Energy, says there’s a lot of math by very smart people that goes into it, but all that most people need to know is this: SEER2 is an enhanced measure of efficiency for HVAC appliances. Cham explained, “If you go to Best Buy or Home Depot and buy an air conditioner that goes in your window or you own a home and you replace your air conditioner or heat pump, it’s measuring how efficient that unit is in terms of converting electricity into cooling.”
All new cooling appliances sold as of 2023 must meet SEER2 standards, but existing inventory, whether it’s installed or sitting on a showroom floor, will have different qualifications depending on the appliance.
For a traditional condensing unit, mini split, or single packaged unit, the appliance must meet regional efficiency standards whenever it’s installed. If you have an older unit at home, you won’t run afoul of any regulations, but next time it’s replaced, you’ll need to meet the new standards. However, if you’re buying a new condensing unit today, it will need to meet the SEER2 standard. Usually, the business from which you buy your unit will ensure that their inventory meets the new standards.
However, heat pumps built before January 1, 2023 may still be installed. The exception does not work for split-system heat pumps, but this transition is designed to ease the burden on units for sale in southern regions of the US, where heat pumps are more popular according to Cham.
“We're mostly on the other side of making a transition from a utility perspective, most of the programs have updated their stuff,” Cham said, “But there's still old inventory out there, so utilities are still trying to figure out how to handle that.”
Encentiv Energy is tracking new SEER2 in our manufacturing tools, according to Cham, and the old SEER data is still visible as well. “We built a transition so that we can handle utilities having both SEER and SEER2. I assume the utilities will just stop supporting the old SEER eventually.”
Similar to SEER2, there have also been updates for heating which uses a slightly different standard: HSFP2. The meaning behind the number is similar, since they measure how efficient the technology is, but HSFP2 measures the seasonal performance of your electric heating appliance.
For more information on cold weather heat pumps, visit our blog post on cold weather heat pump rebates and efficiency standards.
