A High Efficiency Air Conditioner WON'T Save You Money

What SEER Rating or Efficiency Air Conditioner Is Best? In this video I talk about which is better, a low SEER rating air conditioner or a high SEER AC. I explain why a two stage, variable speed, and inverter unit may not be the best option even though they are the most efficient. I shed light on a few HVAC secrets while we go and also cover a popular question: Is it worth buying a very efficient air conditioner if the upfront cost will heavily outweigh the energy savings? We dive into that in this video!
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#furnace #airconditioner #appliancerepair #heating #airconditioning #hvac #wordofadvicetv #seer #inverterac

[bills]

In the business 41 years. That Intermatic AG3000 surge protector is standard for every install we do. Your cost analysis is spot on. When a customer calls for a second price for ac or a furnace and says they want the high end system, I tell them you will never get back the money you paid with savings and the service is usually more frequent and repair parts usually more costly, as you pointed out. Trane, Carrier and Lennox cost more, use repair parts that are usually are not on the truck and take at least 2 days or more to get. Pro Tip. Goodman gets bashed as junk but are cheaper to buy, use interchangeable parts, except for defrost boards in a heat pump, every tech can service them and, like any brand, it is only as good as the installer putting it in.

[pittwm]

Oh boy…. It’s like car manufacturers with the start/Stop… it barely saves a few bucks but wears out your starter, which cost thousands to replace.

[petem]

Good video (I'm a HVAC engineer since 1972). An influence not emphasized enough: utility cost. In our area [Phoenix], which electric company supplies your power makes a HUGE diff. Broadly speaking, in all the analyses I've done, the most efficient units come with such a high initial cost penalty that they really don't pay back in reasonable terms. Incentives by either the power company or tax breaks don't really offset the premium costs; they're marketing tricks (and often the utilities are allowed to raise their rates overall to offset incentives). While I agree that the higher SEER of staged equipment is negated at high temps, the amount of time spent at high temps is much lower than you might think. The vast number of hours of operation are at a fairly low part load, at which point the staging is saving a lot. However, the push for higher efficiency is relentless, so the "new" concepts and tricks will expand with time. BUT, the most cost effective HVAC improvement: ceiling fans. If you have a hunnerd bucks to spend on saving money, spend the first $98 on ceiling fans, and adjust the stat upward. Comfort is about 90% the feeling of air flow on the skin.

[victorsr]

Good video young man! Been in the trade for 36 years and this is the real deal NO sales pitch and I’m not even asking for a thumbs up 👍. Inverter technology & ECM motors are superior to traditional single speed compressors and PSC motors with regards to comfort, period no questions asked. They don’t break down as much for one simple fact they don’t have or need a contactor and they don’t have the Jolt of lock rotor amps at start up. Contactors get pitted and can single phase an expensive compressor. With that said the real saving is NOT with SEER but rather with airflow and duct design. Most homes leak air out of the ducting into attics, basements & crawl spaces by as much as 50% and air delivery is reduced by 40% to 50% due to improperly sized ducting, return air grills & cheap highly restrictive supply registers. I can get much better comfort and energy saving out of an existing system regardless of SEER rating by simply 1. redesigning the ducting 2. Fixing or replacement of ducting and registers & grills and commissioning the existing mechanical equipment. The challenge is most technicians don’t know or don’t want to or are too lazy to educate themselves on airflow measurements and static pressure readings and how to interpret the information. 🎤

[Mike-]

My AC went out I'm in Phoenix got an estimate for $15k for high seer 3 1/2 ton split system. I decided to install two DIY mini splits that had 3 air handlers each. I ran the lines down the duct work I already had. My bill dropped $200 a month in the summer because we only run the rooms we use. The total cost was $6500 in parts far cheaper and I got inverter high seer systems. That even included all the tools I needed and I got my 608 EPA license. All of that was still cheaper then hiring a contractor.

[FacetoBookSharingChannel]

My 1993 80% Coleman/Evcon HVAC system still limping along. Replaced igniter and flame sensor once and replaced fan and service connect on condenser. Never had scheduled inspections for any HVAC! DIY!
🎲👍✌ The snowman had a total meltdown when the sun came out

[monteglover]

I’m a 40+ year HVAC&R tech. We were installing 2 stage air conditioners years ago they maintain comfort level much better and were super efficient (for the time) overall operating costs were about half, but at about twice the price or more. I sold them mostly on comfort. The one in our home lasted nearly 30 years the 90%+ furnace made over 30 years

[shawnroddick]

I had a 14 seer installed when my 10seer 5ton compressor died. Expected a much better electric rate during the summer. I was wrong! $10k for a 14seer 5ton package unit. It saved me a whopping $20 a month on my electric bill! 😱. So overall you can expect a $5 drop in hot climates with every seer you go up. Maybe more now that the rates have doubled due to natural gas shortage and the factor they have not been doing any upgrades to the grids till its an emergency. I knew the rates where going to double last summer so i bought an 18kbtu 22seer solar hybrid mini split. And some solar panels max it could handle and run all day free. Had an electrician install a disconnect box so i could run the higher seer during some of the night. Then Installed it all myself because i have hvac and some electrical experience. It dropped my usage in half and kept my bill a little lower than it used to be. My kwh before was 2000-2200kwh after the install with 110° days 1000-1200kwh for the hottest month. $223 bill instead of the expected $450

[realvanman]

I’ll grant you that. The variable capacity units sure are quiet and comfortable. But those low grade consumer electronics are just itching to leave you hot under the collar! The surge suppressor is definitely good advice.

[MrPirfree]

This same lesson can also be applied to other things as well, like buying an electric vehicle, or even a hybrid vehicle. Often, the amount saved does NOT translate to a savings over the typical life of the vehicle. Even if a new hybrid cost $10K, the time to recoup is often far longer than it would take to recover the increased price..

As applied to home air conditioning, I had an issue with my home air conditioner last year; it was apparently low on refrigerant, after 16 years. The first tech that came out didn't even bother looking at the system other than the date of manufacture. Yep, that's right - didn't bother looking.. 3 quotes for low, medium and higher end units to replace the entire HVAC system; starting at about $15K up to 25K.. No advice; no check of pressures or even the power draw from the unit ; just outright replacement. Had another company come out, and they speculated it MIGHT be low on refrigerant, but their advice, surprisingly, was to sign on the dotted line, and here's three quotes - from about $17K up to $23K. Oh, and they'll finance .. YAY.. I asked about - well, from what I was experiencing, I suspected that it was low on refrigerant; their first thing, - it'll cost $1K to replace the Condensor fan; $5K to replace the compressor, or better just replace the entire HVAC system. Hmm. They did check the pressures and the power draw; suspect that it might be low on refrigerant, but won't - you know, first - put in some refrigerant, and see if there's something that could be fixed ? Anyways, they did eventually put in some very expensive, at least to me, refrigerant. He also suggested that I could save some money on the electrical by buying a new system ( ok- a few hundred a year, $23K should be recouped in like 40 years ), and that my choice in air filters might need some adjusting downwards, .. Anyways, still running this year; no significant issues but it's still warm out. I think the smart thing is to see if it will run a year or two longer; just replacing it because someone else, that is going to make money off the deal suggests it, is not smart financial thinking. Anyways..

History: A few years back, I did have a different company come out and check the pressures and replace a failed capacitor. He even suggested that the refrigerant might have been low, but suggested not to put in refrigerant at the time. I don't get it however; when I worked on HVAC in my Army days, we checked pressures, we performed basic checks like leak detection, power draw, etc, and if need be, put in refrigerant as needed.. Why are techs so inclined to just go with "let's replace everything" because it's XX number of years old..

[Kittamaru]

Just replaced my ECM blower motor (control module went out) and startup capacitor on my outdoor unit this summer. Saved myself a crap load of money simply by having the guys to dig into and diagnose something new rather than opt for a near 14 thousand dollar replacement I was quoted. Always take time to decide if repair or replacement is more cost effective over time!

[parkershaw]

Honest video!!

If you truly want to save money, just buy mini split and install yourself.

[picklerix]

My electric bill dropped by 40% when I installed a new 16 SEER system along with a new furnace. I believe that the old plenum was leaking air so I installed a new plenum and made sure to seal all of ductwork with mastic.

[wmueller]

Our 19 seer variable speed Carrier does an awesome comfort job. It has a 10 year warranty. That is good because replacing the inverter board is $6, 000! Yep, a quote direct from the dealer.

[andrewd.harris]

We bought a 22 seer2 unit that also runs off of solar. It was manufactured by EG4, and I like it. Not real sure how much it's going to reduce the bill, but we are getting a second one because the house's central went out, and it'd be easy to cool and heat the majority of the house with these minisplits. One reason we haven't been able to tell exactly how much we saved is we were still running this behemoth 2 ton central unit that was dying. If you have solar and can afford it, I recommend it because of how much less the dying unit was having to work on some very cold nights. We live in Mississippi, so heating isn't as much of an issue as cooling. We will see this summer just how much it can save a person. I've read that minisplits can last a long time, so I think it will work out.

[publicmail]

As SEER goes up the % saved becomes less per unit, about 3-4% each unit. If you pay for more repairs it negates any savings. Duct work has to be perfect or SEER can be cut in half.

[patrickmaloy]

After replacing a builder's grade, 10 SEER, 3.5 ton, 18-year-old, split, with a name brand, high SEER HVAC, we had problems with humidity and reliability.

Our ten year warranty and annual service contract on the replacement paid for itself. Every major component had to be replaced, some parts more than twice.

I fail to see where the economy is in the high SEER units when we had to run dehumidifiers in addition to the HVAC.

[skylerdylan]

We put in a 16 seer single stage Diakin. Only need to run the AC a few months of the year most of the time, and also it came with a 12 year warranty.
Since when run heat more than cool we do have an inverter furnace, I love how silent the furnace is, you barely notice when its kicked on. If I lived in Florida probably an inverter AC would be worth it for comfort alone.

[purplej]

TL;DR For a new house or one that doesn't have AC, get a mini-split and it will save a lot. Even without the huge savings, the comfort leads to less stress and better sleep and it is worth it.

A minisplit system is best IMO. It doesn't filter air... but it also doesn't create a bunch of holes in your ceiling for HOT, dirty air to come in through. You can also get one for like $500 and install it yourself. Now most people already have their indoor ducting and all of that, but if we are thinking of a new house, an efficient minisplit is the way to go. The fact that it is quiet is another HUGE bonus. You will never hear the compressor kick on from outside, you won't hear the ducts blowing air, etc.
The comfort is MUCH more than you imagine. It isn't just that the temperature is going to be controlled better, but that your house is less noisy. You aren't having to speak up ever so slightly. You aren't going to be woken up in the middle of the night (even if you don't actually wake up, your brain still does) because your AC turns on and creates noise and cold air is blasted on you with a 20+ degree temperature difference.

As far as affordability, most people could afford this, but they are too busy spending money on a car or something else like that. I'd rather have a beater with a nice house.

[chowmaine]

I always enjoy your videos. Great info and low BS. Thank you 😊