S.E.E.R. stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rate. A.F.U.E. stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency and H.S.P.F. stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. These are the most commonly used terms to describe equipment efficiencies. The higher the number, the better.

SEER is Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating. It's basically a benchmark that tells you how efficient a piece of equipment may be. Mostly you would use this rating when comparing different brands of equipment, to ensure that you're comparing similar products. A SEER is an indicator of how much electricity you can expect the unit to use - the higher the SEER, the more efficient the unit, and the less power it consumes while cooling your house.

SEER: The seasonal energy-efficiency ratio (SEER) rates how many Btu an air-conditioning unit will remove for each watt of electricity consumed. The higher the SEER, the less you spend on operating costs. Federal law mandates a minimum SEER of 13 for all new air-conditioning units. TONNAGE: An air-conditioning ton equals 12,000 Btu per hour. That means a three-ton air conditioner can remove about 36,000 Btu of heat per hour from your home.

HSPF stands for Heating Seasonal Performance Factor. This measures the efficiency of the heating component of the heat pump. A higher number means the unit should work more efficiently.

Ans. Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This is the equivalent of EPA mileage on an automobile – The HIGHER the BETTER. January 2006 13 SEER is the minimum allowed by the federal government.

To help consumers make informed choices, the U.S. government requires an efficiency rating of all air conditioning and heating equipment. The rating is meant to reflect the percentage of energy used efficiently. A high rating indicates high efficiency. There are various names for the efficiency ratings of varying types of equipment. Air conditioning equipment is rated by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating, or SEER.

AFUE is a term created by the Department of Energy. It stands for "Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency". It is used to measure the amount of gas consumption of a furnace. As an air conditioner with SEER ratings, the higher the AFUE the greater the efficiency for a furnace. The minimum allowable AFUE is 78%. For every $.78 spent on gas to heat your home, $.22 is wasted as it goes up the flue. We recommend you consider an AFUE of 90%-95% when replacing or installing a new one.

The efficiency of central air conditioning units is governed by U.S. law and regulated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Every air conditioning unit is assigned an efficiency rating known as its “seasonal energy efficiency ratio” (SEER). The SEER is defined as the total cooling output (in British thermal units or Btu) provided by the unit during its normal annual usage period divided by its total energy input (in watt-hours) during the same period.