a heat pump essentially <\/a>works like an air conditioner in reverse to provide heat, a unit that can use less power to compress and expand refrigerants to move heat around in the summer can do the same in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYour heat pump should also have an HSPF rating though, which is a better measure of its heating performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do ductless mini-splits have higher SEER ratings?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Generally, yes, ductless mini-split systems, whether heat pump or traditional A\/C, are more efficient and have higher SEER ratings than traditional \u201csplit\u201d systems. This is for two reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One reason is that mini-split systems allow for individual rooms, or zones in a home, to be set to different temperatures, depending on need. A standard forced-air system pushes air to the entire house, doing so whenever a main thermostat tells it. You can somewhat control this with vent shutters, but distributed units will always be more effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other reason is that forced air systems lose efficiency in their ducts. Mini-split systems run refrigerant to and from a main outdoor unit, a more efficient heat transfer system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do dual-stage and variable-speed cooling systems get higher SEER ratings?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Yes, dual-stage and variable-speed cooling systems are almost always more efficient than their single-stage counterparts. .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cooling and heating systems are sized for a home based on the coolest or hottest day of the year. A single-stage system is always drawing the same power to run, whether it\u2019s a slightly warm day or a swampy supernova. Dual-stage and variable-speed systems can work at lower energy levels when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because they\u2019re running more often, dual-stage and variable-speed systems also do a better job of constantly moving air and keeping a home dehumidified. This in turn keeps temperatures down, and makes people feel cooler.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEER ratings explained If you\u2019re looking to buy a new heat pump or air conditioner, you\u2019ll likely see different SEER ratings for each model. Even if you know SEER\u2019s definition (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), you might be left with questions about what it really means. What\u2019s a good SEER number? What\u2019s the typical range? How […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[224,393],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","category-heating-and-cooling"],"yoast_head":"\n
What Is a SEER Rating? \u2014 Cost and Savings Comparison<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n