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Department of Energy 2023 Rating Changes
WHY ARE THE SYSTEM EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS CHANGING?
PECO Home Rebate changed their System Efficiency Requirements for HVAC equipment in response to the Department of Energy 2023 rating changes.
WHY DID THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY CHANGE THE TESTING PROCEDURE?
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) mandated new minimum cooling energy efficiency requirements on January 1, 2023 for newly manufactured residential air conditioners and heat pumps. The new efficiency requirements include more rigorous testing procedures which more accurately account for real-world conditions. The new ratings are SEER2, EER2, and HSPF2.
WHAT IS SEER?
SEER rating stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This is the main energy efficiency rating for air conditioners. SEER is used to determine the energy efficiency of cooling equipment (Air Conditioners and Air Source Heat Pumps). It is calculated by dividing the amount of cooling (in BTUs) by the electricity input (in watts). SEER is a weighted average of cooling equipment operating at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% output, with a calculated 58% output on average. This value is useful when comparing the efficiency of different air conditioners and heat pumps.
SEER2 rating is essentially calculated the same way but uses more stringent conditions. The new testing procedure increases the external static pressure 5-times at the air conditioner or heat pump to calculate SEER2. The resulting SEER2 rating is lower than the old SEER rating. The reason for the lower value is because the blower motor must work harder to move air against the higher external pressure during testing, which requires more energy.
The same testing procedure changes also affect EER2 (Energy Efficiency Ratio 2) and HSPF2 (Heating Season Performance Factor 2) values. All ratings (SEER2, EER2, and HSPF2) will have lower values when compared to the old SEER, EER and HSPF ratings.