Understanding SEER Ratings: What Homeowners Need to Know

By Aztil – April 16, 2025

When it’s time to replace your climate control system, you get a lot of information thrown at you. The size of the unit in tonnage and the HVAC SEER rating. What does SEER even mean? Why should it matter to a homeowner? You feel like the HVAC company has its own language.

The SEER rating influences your energy bills, home comfort, and environmental footprint, so you need to consider the best rating for your needs. We want to help you understand this rating system, how it affects your HVAC system, and what to consider when choosing a new one.

What Is an HVAC SEER Rating?

The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) rating measures the efficiency of your air conditioner or heat pump over the cooling season. It’s a way for you to easily compare one unit’s efficiency over another. A higher SEER rating indicates a higher efficiency.

How SEER Is Calculated

To get the SEER, you divide the unit’s cooling output over a season by the total electricity it consumes. For example, if a unit has a SEER rating of 18, it puts off 18 BTUs for every watt-hour of electricity it uses.

Why Does SEER Matter?

Does the SEER really matter? Yes, and here’s why.

Energy efficiency and lower utility bills: With a higher HVAC SEER rating, it takes less energy to cool your home, lowering your utility bills. When you upgrade from a model with a 10 SEER to one with a 16 SEER, you can save between 30 and 40 percent of your cooling costs.
Improved home comfort: Units with higher SEER ratings feature variable-speed compressors and fans, helping maintain more consistent indoor temperatures while reducing humidity. It also avoids frequent on/ off cycles and runs more quietly.
Environmental benefits: You reduce your home’s carbon footprint with increased efficiency. Most units with a high SEER provide eco-friendly refrigerants that comply with AIM Act regulations.

What Is a Good SEER Rating for Florida Homes?

We all know that the roads in Florida shimmer in the summer because the heat is melting them, and this is why you rely on your air conditioner to be in top form and energy efficient. Choosing the proper rating can help save you money while increasing your comfort. Here’s what you need to know:

Minimum: 15 SEER, required by law
Better Efficiency: 16-18 SEER
Best Performance: 20+ SEER

The ideal balance between cost and energy efficiency typically falls between 16 and 18 SEER.

SEER Rating vs. Real-World Savings

With a higher SEER and better energy efficiency, factors still affect your actual savings, such as home insulation, ductwork condition, and thermostat settings.

HVAC SEER Rating Savings Comparison

Here’s a look at the savings you can expect:

Upgrading from 10 SEER to 15 SEER saves around 33 percent
Upgrading from 10 SEER to 18 SEER saves around 44 percent
Upgrading from 10 SEER to 20+ SEER saves around 50 percent

A unit with a higher SEER does cost more upfront, but in the long run, it saves you money.

Choosing the Right SEER for Your Home

The SEER rating isn’t the only factor you should consider when it’s time to buy a new cooling unit for your home. Here are a few other factors to consider:

Size and layout of the home: You need a professional load calculation to ensure that you get the correct unit size for maximum efficiency.
Smart thermostat: This thermostat can help improve efficiency even more.
Condition of the ductwork: Leaking or uninsulated ductwork lowers efficiency even with a higher SEER-rated unit.
Budget and return on investment (ROI): You should consider your overall savings throughout the life of the unit.

Is a Higher SEER Always Better?

No, it isn’t. Even though a unit with a higher HVAC SEER rating offers better energy efficiency, it costs more upfront. To determine the best SEER for your home, consider:

How often do you run the air conditioning
How long do you plan to stay where you live
Your budget for a new system
Your home’s level of insulation and energy efficiency

If your home has an outdated HVAC system, an upgraded SEER rating can save you a lot of money.

Upgrade to a High-SEER HVAC System With Aztil Air

When it’s time to upgrade your HVAC system, Aztil Air is the company you can trust. We offer a selection of high SEER-rated air conditioners to help keep your home cool, comfortable, and cost-effective year-round. Contact us today to explore your options and find the perfect unit for your home.

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Aztil Air Conditioning

Based on 1386 reviews

Michael King came to do AC maintenance. He was professional, courteous & great at his job. Highly recommend & will request him in the future.

Response from the owner:Hi Robyn, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Michael did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Steven Garellek

Dana Dusault was timely courteous and did the job.

Response from the owner:Hi Steven, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Chris Cosgrove

Very good and professional niko

Response from the owner:Hi Chris, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Niko did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Debbie feiler

They were great

Response from the owner:Hi Debbie, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Aztil did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Pertrinka Carter

Dana was great, very well experienced at what was needed to be done. If I had a question, he answered to the best of his ability, Thanks again, Aztil. 5stars all around.

Response from the owner:Hi Pertrinka, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Sam Svetkey

Lax excellent job

Response from the owner:Hi Sam, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Lazaro did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

John Martien

I have had pretty good service from Aztil for the last 4 years as a service contract customer. I called them when my AC stopped working and they sent a tech who replaced a 45/7.5 capacitor in about 15 minutes. He then gave me an invoice and estimate for $375.00. I questioned him on what work he did and show me the part he replaced. He showed me the capacitor and said $375 was the cost to replace it. If you look up the part it only cost $25, even with a service call charge there is no way it should have cost me $375... I am beyond pissed and have tried to call Aztil to speak with someone about it but no one is calling me back. I hope this is not your experience just thought I would share mine

Follow up on this review.... Jack the service manager reached out and apologized for the mistake on the charges and issued a refund. Mistakes happen it's how the company handles them that makes a difference. I am glad they resolved this issue relatively quickly.

Response from the owner:Hello John, Thank you for taking time to provide feedback about your experience with our company. We completely understand your frustration and apologize for any dissatisfaction that may have caused your day. We are eager to discuss this experience with you. Please call our customer service manager, Jack. He can be reached at (561) 202-8726. It is our goal to make sure we resolve any issue we can and look forward to speaking with you.

Susan Levine

Lazaro was professional, helpful, and courteous.

Response from the owner:Hi Susan, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Lazaro did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Sergey M

I contacted Aztil Air Conditioning to request service for my air conditioning unit. I spoke to Ronda, who provided excellent service. She was very helpful, friendly, and had clear, professional, and transparent communication.

Response from the owner:Hi Sergey, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Ronda did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Marcia Woodbridge

Dana did a fantastic job. Explained things to us as he went along and you could tell he understood what the problem was and how to fix it.

Response from the owner:Hi Marcia, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Harvey Meiselman

On July 17th my air conditioning stopped working properly (it was set to 75 but was running at 82) and customer service scheduled a quick date for repair. Michael King was the technician they sent and he was very professional, friendly and explained what was being done. He was very thorough and made sure everything was resolved before he left. I would recommend Michael King for any A/C repair.
The a/c is again running great.
Harvey Meiselman
Boynton Beach FL

Response from the owner:Hi Harvey, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Michael did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Claudia

Juan came to our condo within two hours of me calling the company with a two week water leak that other companies could not fix within the past two weeks. He was therefore probably close to an hour to diagnose the problem, found what he thought was the problem, called me because I am out of town and had friends in the apartment to let them in, and he explained everything extremely professionally and calmly and told me thatafter the weekend since today is Friday they would probably try to get the part that’s needed which was a new ACP pan perhaps and did diagnose other problems. So far, we are extremely happy thank you. Kudos to Juan.

Response from the owner:Hi Claudia, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Juan did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Judy Schlossberg

Jorge Rivera was extremely professional, pleasant, knowledgeable, informative and neat. He answered all of my questions and helped set up the WiFi for the thermostat. I would highly recommend him.

Response from the owner:Hi Judy, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Jorge did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Margaret Sysman

Juan , was very knowledgeable, polite, and help me set an appointment for the evening of the same day. He found the problem and solved it and found out that my unit was under warranty for me. I’m so glad for Aztil taking care of me and sending Juan, before I would need a replacement of my entire unit. 5 stars!!!

Response from the owner:Hi Margaret, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Juan did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Michael Rozansky

Dana was right on time. The job was very professional and clean. It was a pleasure to work with Dana and would request him to service my AC whenever needed.

Response from the owner:Hi Michael, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Stephanie Lightner

Waited all afternoon for a service technician to arrive. The technician was late, but he was great! The best service check up ever!! Alex Molina is a 5 star tech! We’ve never experienced such a thorough check up!!! Asking for Alex from now on!

Response from the owner:Hi Stephanie, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Alex did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Gail Redner

Thank You Aztill. Tino was Excellent, knowledgeable friendly service. Did a Great Job! I would recommend Aztill.

Response from the owner:Hi Gail, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Tino did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Philip Willis-Holden

Excellent service. Requested an appointment this morning and the technician Paul Gross was here early this afternoon. He was very polite, knowledgeable and efficient. Made my day.

Response from the owner:Hi phillip, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Paul did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Jeanmarie Cerciello

I had Aztil today come for my annual maintenance the technician Juan was the best technician. He was thorough efficient and explained everything he was doing. He truly gives above and beyond service and is a great asset to the company.

Response from the owner:Hi Jeanmarie, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Juan did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Debi kleinlevy

Alex and Molina were very courteous and professional. My air ducts were cleaned and they were careful to clean and vacuum so as to be certain they could be proud of a job well done.

Response from the owner:Hi Debi, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Alex did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Debi Kleinlevy

Niko was prompt, professional and answered any questions very precisely and courteously. Patiently found problem issues and corrected them. Highly recommend.

Response from the owner:Hi Debi, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Niko did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Joulian Moreau

Niko 10/10 customer service!

Response from the owner:Hi Joulian, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Niko did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Jerry Tyszka

Excellent technician

Response from the owner:Hi Jerry, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Aztil did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Theresa Bennett

Perfect in every way… professional, knowledgeable , clean, communicative.

Response from the owner:Hi Theresa, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Aztil did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Gary Cowart

Albert Rodriguez did a great job!!!
Would highly recommend him!!!!

Response from the owner:Hi Gary, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Albert did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Dennis Kleban

Dana was able to diagnose and fix the problem. With my air c conditioner that two prior technicians could not. He left me with a feeling of confidence in his ability and I would request Dana for any future problems

Response from the owner:Hi Dennis, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Jose U. Soto

Thanks Aztil for many years of service Tino was amazing did a great job on the ac units and was very professional I’m recommend Aztil for any ac needs.

Response from the owner:Hi Jose, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Tino did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Sharron Copeland

Dana Dussalt was awesome & very patient & courteous by ensuring our AC was functioning properly & explained in detail the issue that he resolved.

Response from the owner:Hi Sharron, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

William Geraci

ANTONIO MORENO services were a 10 where 5 was the highest!
Aztil is a great company where you can track your service teal time coming to your home. They’re right on time. They explain everything I’m impressed.

Response from the owner:Hi William, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Antonio did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Mark Schwartz

Albert is a great technician. He is very clean and courteous. I have been a customer of the company that they bought so it's been like a total of twenty eight years, and i'm very satisfied.

Response from the owner:Hi Mark, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Albert did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Michael Epstein

Niko Garza completed a detailed diagnostic & flush of my home AC. Very professional and courteous. I highly recommend Aztil & Niko

Response from the owner:Hi Michael, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Niko did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Diana Sabatini

Paul gross was wonderful.

Response from the owner:Hi Diana, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Pail did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Darius DiMarco

Can I please 🙏 say ... a/c was down for about 14 hrs in a day in July 😡 then they sent there top star Danna & my man took care of everything !!!!!! 5 ☆☆☆☆☆

Response from the owner:Hi Darius, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

George Ferreira

Dana was great very helpful and knowledgeable.

Response from the owner:Hi George, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Lyle Platt

I wanted to commend Dana Dussualt for his hard work at rectifying a substantial issue that I had with my HVAC system. It did require multiple visits but he stuck with it and figured out the issue and did get it resolved. Dana spent hours in the attic in the middle of summer working on getting this fixed. He is both a very hard worker and a pleasant individual. Dana is a credit to your company. In addition, the office staff worked with me in getting these repairs done by insuring we would get service on the date promised. Having no air conditioning in the summer is not a great experience. I have been an Aztil customer for many years.

Response from the owner:Hi Lyle, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Ginger Ferreira

Dana was on time and knew what he was talking about, highly recommend him.

Response from the owner:Hi Ginger, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

ricki stanley

Rhonda answered my call and was wonderful. Dana and Schuyler arrived within the hour and fixed my a/c problem. Cleaned everything up and would use Dana anytime.

Response from the owner:Hi Ricki, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Jim Zihal

Niko was fantastic... knowledgeable and professional... answered all my questions and did it with a smile... I would want to see him for all my service calls moving forward... thanks Niko!

Response from the owner:Hi Jim, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Niko did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Janie Coka

Jordan & Harold did a great job taking care of our system. Highly recommend them.

Response from the owner:Hi Janie, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Jordan and Harold did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Jeffrey loiselle

The Aztil technician Dana was very professional, knowledgeable and courteous. He resolved my issue and made the visit seamless. .

Response from the owner:Hi Jeffrey, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Dana did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

Les Matthews

Lazaro is an excellent Tech. Courteous and Professional. If possible ask for him for all your HVAC issues.

Response from the owner:Hi Les, thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that Lazaro did an excellent job and that you were pleased with the outcome. Thank you for being a valued customer.

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