SEER Rating Comparison Calculator
ANA›Life Services Authority›National Calculator Authority›SEER Rating Comparison Calculator
.calc-container { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0; padding: 1.5rem; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.06); font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif; } .calc-container h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.15rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding-bottom: 0.5rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; flex-wrap: wrap; } .calc-row label { min-width: 160px; font-size: 0.9rem; color: #333; font-weight: 500; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { flex: 1; min-width: 120px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; color: #1a1a1a; background: #fafaf8; } .calc-row input:focus, .calc-row select:focus { outline: none; border-color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(26,74,138,0.12); } .calc-row .unit { font-size: 0.82rem; color: #888; min-width: 30px; } .calc-btn { display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.5rem; padding: 0.55rem 1.5rem; background: var(--ac, #3d5a80); color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; } .calc-btn:hover { opacity: 0.9; } .calc-result { margin-top: 1.25rem; padding: 1rem 1.25rem; background: #f0f6fc; border-left: 3px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0; display: none; } .calc-result.visible { display: block; } .calc-result-label { font-size: 0.78rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #666; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .calc-result-value { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-result-detail { font-size: 0.85rem; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5rem; line-height: 1.5; } .calc-note { margin-top: 1rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #888; font-style: italic; } .calc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.75rem; } .calc-grid-item { padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid #eee; } .calc-grid-item .label { font-size: 0.75rem; color: #888; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.04em; } .calc-grid-item .value { font-size: 1.1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #1a1a1a; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-row label { min-width: auto; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { max-width: 100%; width: 100%; } .calc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } } .calc-chart { margin: 1rem 0; text-align: center; } .calc-chart svg { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .calc-chart-legend { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 0.6rem 1.2rem; margin-top: 0.6rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #555; } .calc-chart-legend span { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-chart-legend i { display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 10px; border-radius: 2px; font-style: normal; } .calc-related { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0 1rem; padding: 1.25rem 1.5rem; background: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-radius: 8px; } .calc-related h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; padding-bottom: 0.4rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-related-list { list-style: none; padding: 0; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.4rem 1.5rem; } .calc-related-list li a { font-size: 0.88rem; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-related-list li a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .calc-browse-all { margin: 0.5rem 0 0; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; } .calc-browse-all a { color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-browse-all a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-related-list { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } }
SEER Rating Comparison Calculator
Compare two air conditioning units with different SEER ratings to estimate annual energy consumption and cost savings.
Cooling Load (BTU/hr)
Typical home: 18,000–60,000 BTU/hr
Annual Cooling Hours
Typical range: 500–3,000 hrs/year
Unit A — SEER Rating
Older/baseline unit (min federal: 13–14)
Unit B — SEER Rating
Newer/high-efficiency unit
Electricity Rate ($/kWh)
US average ≈ $0.13/kWh (2024)
Comparison Period (Years)
Typical AC lifespan: 15–20 years
Calculate Savings
function seeCalc() { var resultDiv = document.getElementById('see-result');
var coolingLoad = parseFloat(document.getElementById('see-cooling-load').value); var hours = parseFloat(document.getElementById('see-hours').value); var seer1 = parseFloat(document.getElementById('see-seer1').value); var seer2 = parseFloat(document.getElementById('see-seer2').value); var rate = parseFloat(document.getElementById('see-rate').value); var years = parseFloat(document.getElementById('see-years').value);
// --- Validation --- var errors = []; if (isNaN(coolingLoad) || coolingLoad 500000) errors.push("Cooling load must be between 1,000 and 500,000 BTU/hr."); if (isNaN(hours) || hours 8760) errors.push("Annual cooling hours must be between 1 and 8,760."); if (isNaN(seer1) || seer1 30) errors.push("Unit A SEER rating must be between 8 and 30."); if (isNaN(seer2) || seer2 30) errors.push("Unit B SEER rating must be between 8 and 30."); if (!isNaN(seer1) && !isNaN(seer2) && seer1 === seer2) errors.push("Unit A and Unit B SEER ratings must be different to compare."); if (isNaN(rate) || rate 1.00) errors.push("Electricity rate must be between $0.01 and $1.00 per kWh."); if (isNaN(years) || years 30) errors.push("Comparison period must be between 1 and 30 years.");
if (errors.length > 0) { resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please fix the following:' + errors.map(function(e){ return ''; }).join('') + ''; return; }
// --- Core Formulas --- // Annual Energy (kWh) = (Cooling Load in BTU/hr × Annual Hours) / (SEER × 1000) // SEER is defined as BTU of cooling per Watt-hour of electricity consumed // So: kWh = (BTU/hr × hrs) / (SEER × 1000) [dividing by 1000 converts Wh → kWh]
var annualEnergy1 = (coolingLoad * hours) / (seer1 * 1000); // kWh/year Unit A var annualEnergy2 = (coolingLoad * hours) / (seer2 * 1000); // kWh/year Unit B
var annualCost1 = annualEnergy1 * rate; // $/year Unit A var annualCost2 = annualEnergy2 * rate; // $/year Unit B
var annualEnergySavings = annualEnergy1 - annualEnergy2; // kWh/year saved (positive = B saves) var annualCostSavings = annualCost1 - annualCost2; // $/year saved
var totalEnergySavings = annualEnergySavings * years; // kWh over period var totalCostSavings = annualCostSavings * years; // $ over period
// Efficiency improvement percentage var efficiencyGain = ((seer2 - seer1) / seer1) * 100;
// Determine which unit is more efficient var higherSEER = seer2 > seer1 ? 'B' : 'A'; var lowerSEER = seer2 > seer1 ? 'A' : 'B'; var savingsSign = annualCostSavings >= 0 ? '' : '-';
// Format helpers function fmt(n, d) { return n.toFixed(d !== undefined ? d : 2); } function fmtC(n) { return '$' + Math.abs(n).toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits:2, maximumFractionDigits:2}); } function fmtE(n) { return Math.abs(n).toLocaleString('en-US', {minimumFractionDigits:0, maximumFractionDigits:0}) + ' kWh'; }
- var savingsLabel = annualCostSavings >= 0
- ? 'Unit B saves vs. Unit A'
- 'Unit A saves vs. Unit B';
resultDiv.innerHTML = '### Results ' + '' + 'MetricUnit A (SEER ' + fmt(seer1,1) + ')Unit B (SEER ' + fmt(seer2,1) + ')' + '' + 'Annual Energy Use' + fmtE(annualEnergy1) + '' + fmtE(annualEnergy2) + '' + 'Annual Operating Cost' + fmtC(annualCost1) + '' + fmtC(annualCost2) + '' + '' + years + '-Year Energy Use' + fmtE(annualEnergy1 * years) + '' + fmtE(annualEnergy2 * years) + '' + '' + years + '-Year Operating Cost' + fmtC(annualCost1 * years) + '' + fmtC(annualCost2 * years) + '' + '' + '' + '' + 'Efficiency Difference: ' + fmt(Math.abs(efficiencyGain), 1) + '% more efficient (Unit ' + higherSEER + ' vs Unit ' + lowerSEER + ')
' + 'Annual Energy Savings: ' + fmtE(annualEnergySavings) + ' (' + savingsLabel + ')
' + 'Annual Cost Savings: ' + fmtC(annualCostSavings) + ' (' + savingsLabel + ')
' + '' + years + '-Year Total Savings: ' + fmtC(totalCostSavings) + ' (' + savingsLabel + ')
' + ''; }
#### Formulas Used
Annual Energy Consumption (kWh/year):
Energy = (Cooling Load [BTU/hr] × Annual Hours) ÷ (SEER × 1,000)
SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) is defined as the total cooling output (BTU) divided by the total electrical energy input (Watt-hours) over a typical cooling season. Dividing by 1,000 converts Watt-hours to kilowatt-hours.
Annual Operating Cost:
Cost ($/year) = Annual Energy (kWh) × Electricity Rate ($/kWh)
Annual Savings (Unit B vs. Unit A):
Energy Savings = Energy_A − Energy_B
Cost Savings = Cost_A − Cost_B
Efficiency Gain (%):
Efficiency Gain = ((SEER_B − SEER_A) ÷ SEER_A) × 100
#### Assumptions & References
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