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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Jacqui Rohrborn

Pleasant and completed the complete installation of a new AC system
Noraldo, Dave and Hero were the technicians 😁

Jocabed Martinez

Michael came to AT and was professional, quick, and had a funny sense of humor.

Melissa Hamric

SHEILA KELLEY

Jordan and Jaylen
Did a professional job!

Janice Derian

Mike king and dana Dussault are the men that serviced my AC . They arrived on time and went right to work. Based on Mike's recommendation Dana came to clean inside unit. They are a credit to your your company.

Response from the owner:Hi Janice, Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're glad to hear that you had an excellent experience with our service. We pride ourselves on our knowledgeable staff, and it's great to know that Dana was able to provide you with such great service. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again soon!

Catherine Anagnostakis

Paul was amazing. He was kind and courteous. He took time to explain things to me and genuinely cared. Honestly all of the aztil employees have always been kind and courteous. I’ve been with aztil for 14 years. There have been some hiccups but overall they have good people working there and their work is always on point.

Jill Doane

Dana was professional and helpful with replacing our compressor due to a power surge.

Merrie Lee

Elder was on time and performed installation on new thermostat quickly.

Bill Sahler

Had my AC go out. Alex Molina came first thing in the morning, fixed my AC and did a full clean and maintenance while here. Very professional and knowledgeable. Highly recommend

Elder Z provided great customer service and expert knowledge. Would highly recommend for my next service.

Rich Feldstein

Outstanding service!!! Dana came today to service our A/C. Prompt courteous service. On time and outstanding!!

Response from the owner:Hi Rich, Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're glad to hear that you had an excellent experience with our service. We pride ourselves on our knowledgeable staff, and it's great to know that Aztil was able to provide you with such great service. We appreciate your feedback and hope to see you again soon!

Anne Bewley

Niko was great! Very helpful and knowledgeable. Had a great service experience 😃

Bill Kist

Paul your technician, is 1 of a kind..responsive...proficient...knows the product..its strengths ...its problem...DON'T lose this guy... make him a senior tech

Response from the owner:Thank you for the kind words Bill! We appreciate your feedback and we won't be losing Brandon any time soon. He's an invaluable asset to our team and we are very proud of his expertise. Thank you for taking the time to give us your honest review.

Michael Lubinski

Wow, this guy (Michael) actually showed up on time was quick and efficient definitely knew what he was doing and even wore the little foot booties inside my house so I didn’t get dirt on the floor! He took his time to a great job, conducted some routine maintenance and even sucked out my condensation line and treated it. This was not one of those quick in and out smoke and mirrors operation. This was the real deal. TY!!!

Judith Gingerelli

Naraldo &. Hero were very courteous & professional. Codoes to both.Thank you for a great job

Applied Pysics Solutions

Niko Garza was very thorough and professional. Extremely satisfied with his work.

Arnold Sadowski

Service technicians Naraldo Buncie, and his partner Dave Moynahan, were prompt, professional, patient and knowledgeable in removing my old unit and installing my new unit. They started installing the new unit in the middle of the afternoon and we're finished in four hours. Noraldo also installed a Nest thermostat and explained how it works and paired it to my wife's phone. Some issues that arose were followed up by a call from Jack Bridges in the main office and resolved. We have used Aztil since we moved into our home over 4 year's ago and their AC department has been very reliable.

Joan Calabrese

Paul Gross is always on time and highly efficient. He has worked with us before and is very professional. Definitely deserves 5 stars!

Trudy Stein

Niko superb service. Above and beyond!

Lynn M Hastings

Service Tech Michael King was awesome !

Michelle Weithaas

Niko was great! He was extremely thorough and answered all of our questions. I would absolutely recommend him again.

Cynthia Dagan

Nico Garza solved my problem a nd was professional and personable.

Tyruz30

Great experience with Alex. He did a very good job and was informative.

Marlena

For those looking for a reputable AC company. We have been using Aztil for many years, as has my daughter n a few neighbors and friends. We had a loud noise coming from our air conditioner inside our house. We called aztil, and was told somebody would be at our house between 1 and 4:00 that same day.

I received an email and a phone call from Dana saying what time he would be here. Dana showed up at about 1:30, and promptly got to the issue. We needed a new inside fan, Dana got on the phone to the office, and then let us know that they had a fan and he was going to get it and he would be back.

He left and came back within a half hour 40 minutes and proceeded to put in the new fan. He changed our filters and asked if we had any questions.

Dana did a GREAT job and made sure we were happy. He was very polite, neat n clean and courteous. Could not ask for a better service call tech.
Aztil is GREAT and I highly recommend them.

Shondra Sejour

This morning, the battery for my AC system died, and when I looked at my thermostat the entire screen was blank. I started panicking because I couldn’t figure out what to do or how to replace the battery. My neighbor recommended Aztil Air Conditioning, so I called them right away. I spoke with the customer service manager, Sabrina, and she was truly incredible. She had me send her a picture of my thermostat, and then she personally walked me through the whole process step-by-step all through her own number. She was patient, kind, and made sure I understood everything. What really surprised me was that she didn’t charge me at all for the help. She told me she didn’t have to charge because she was able to guide me through it over the phone. That level of honesty and customer care is extremely rare.

Sabrina went above and beyond for me this morning, and I am truly grateful. I highly recommend Aztil Air Conditioning to anyone looking for a company that truly cares about their customers. Thank you again, Sabrina!

Jazziz

Nico was excellent. Full explanation of services. I would like to get him for any future services. I'd like to add that I was pleased with the vent cleaning that was performed by Alex Molina and his assistant.

Response from the owner:Hi Jazziz, 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.

Freddy John

Dana and all the staff was very professional, courteous and prompt. Dana did an excellent job repairing my a/c and double checked his work. I am very pleased. Thanks again Dana, Juan and William.
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Jason Poulin

Aztil has always been great. They respond quickly and are friendly and knowledgeable. Paul did my service today and was a pleasure. Thanks team Aztil!

Gilles Ouellet

Maria P Gomez

Fantastic, wonderful and professional. I renewed my contract with Aztil. Very happy.
Thank you
Paul you are excellent 👏

Morty Benedik

Tino was very professional and always friendly he done an amazing job with my air conditioning thank you Aztil for sending him

Janet Ernstein

Elder did an outstanding job at our home. Very professional.

Kelly Koch

Niko was very professional and fixed my AC quickly. Thank you!

Barbara Mitzner

Jalen and Jordan were so professional. They really did excellent work. Very happy with them.

Edward King

Niko was very professional and knowledgeable.

Melanie Fortin

Good service from Elden and Alex

Monica Guevara

Niko Garza was very helpful and professional, thank you

David Luckman

Elder was great !

Michael Solomon

Nico Garza was great. Friendly and respectful. We don’t wear shoes in our home and he respected our request

Peter Crenier

Elder Zavala Arrived on time, professional, courteous, and knowledgeable

Kathleen Sanford

Tino from Aztill was fantastic explained the work he was doing and answering All my questions thanks Aztill for a wonderful job

Angel Munoz

Michael did a GREAT job. Thank you, Michael!!

Response from the owner:Hi Angel, 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.

Edward Liberston

Explained everything I needed to know. Concise and understandable.
Did a great job.!!!!!

Ola Oduola

Michael was professional, courteous and very knowledgeable. He’s definitely my go to technician for my HVAC at Aztil.

Alison Riconda

Raffelle Stjohn

The technician, Michael, was exceptional at servicing our AC unit. He didn't rush through and was respectful and super patient with my elderly mother's questions.We would like to request him for future servicing.. It was obvious that he was trained well for this work.