A High-Efficiency A/C Can Pay Back Your ROI, but There Are More Benefits

Every central air conditioner sold today earns a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) number. The rating is posted on the bright yellow EnergyGuide Label, which must be displayed conspicuously on the new unit for sale. While high SEER ratings typically come with higher price tags, the return on investment is significant. In fact, a high-efficiency A/C is likely to pay for itself relatively quickly during its lifespan.

In addition to this clear benefit of choosing a high-efficiency unit over an average model, you stand to gain many other benefits as well. Here are four examples:

• Fewer repairs: Less expensive operation is coupled with less frequent repairs. The reason for this is because high-efficiency air conditioners are higher quality machines in general. As long as you schedule annual preventative maintenance, you can expect your new high-efficiency A/C to last a decade or more with repairs few and far between.
• Enhanced comfort: The advanced features that enhance efficiency also boost home comfort, including a variable-speed air handler, automatic-delay fan switch and fan-only operation. These help keep air moving at the right speed, the right time and the right temperature to maintain a comfortable interior no matter what the weather is doing.
• Added convenience: Extra features such as quiet operation and a filter-check light make your life a little more convenient. You have enough to worry about from day to day; it’s time that your air conditioner worked unobtrusively in the background and reminded you of the ideal time to check and change the filter.
• Smaller impact on the environment: This is accomplished by high-efficiency A/Cs in two ways. First, more efficient operation consumes less energy, which is good for the environment. Second, all new air conditioners run on R-410A refrigerant (Puron) or some other more environmentally friendly alternative to R-22 refrigerant (Freon).

It’s hard to argue against the obvious advantages of high-efficiency air conditioning. To learn more about the benefits of choosing a high-efficiency A/C, please contact Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We have proudly served residents of northwest Arkansas for more than 40 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Northwest Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about high-efficiency A/Cs and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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