How to Calculate Your AC Energy Consumption
The 2012 Residential Energy Consumption Survey data from the Energy Information Administration has shown a 10% decline in household energy consumption dedicated to heating and air conditioning. This decrease is attributed partly to more efficient systems growing in popularity, and partly household practices like maintenance and AC repair. This consumption rate is expected to continue to decrease as more people are taking conscientious steps toward a more energy-efficient future. You can easily calculate just how much your home’s air conditioning unit is costing you in monthly utility bills by following the steps outlined below. SEER Rating Your air conditioning unit has a set SEER rating. You can ask your heating and AC repair technician for more information about the SEER rating, but in summary, it’s a measure of its efficiency in terms of energy consumed versus the cooling effect produced. The higher the rating, the more efficient it is in energy consumption. Older models will have a rating of 6 or lower. Heat Capacity Heat capacity is measured in British Thermal Units-hour or BTU-h. This is a measure of how much heat the unit can process. Higher capacity units tend to have higher rates of consumption but can cool much larger spaces. You can