By M. Power |
1/6/2010
The typical home air conditioning system dumps almost two tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year. Clearly, it’s time to improve that record.
Many homes built prior to 2006 still have 10 SEER units installed. By upgrading to today’s minimum standard of 13 SEER, homeowners reduce their annual energy bill by about $200 a year. Let’s say the unit upgrade costs $5,000. That’s a 25-year payback at current energy prices—not much of a sales pitch.
With a new home, let’s say you put in a high efficiency 16 SEER system that costs $8,000 dollars. It saves about $115 bucks a year compared with a SEER 13 model, and costs $3,000 more installed. With a 30-year, 6 percent mortgage, the buyer will pay $48 per month for the 16 SEER unit (not counting energy used). Factor in the $1,500 tax credits from the Feds, and the mortgage hit drops to $40 a month.
If the buyer had purchased the SEER 13 at $5,000 instead, she would add about $30 a month to her mortgage. But the SEER 16 saves about $10 a month compared with the SEER 13. So it’s a wash. The SEER 16 costs almost exactly the same over time.
Not bad, but here’s how to sweeten that deal. Talk about the future of energy costs. Ask your clients if they believe energy will remain at today’s rates. Every time the costs of fossil fuels rise, their new air conditioner becomes a better bargain.
Upgrading to a higher SEER unit can reduce energy demands by 20 to 50 percent.
Source: Andrews Air of Pensacola