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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Arrived on time, professional, courteous

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.

Melanie Fortin

Good service from Elden

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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.

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Elder was very professional.

C Pope

Dana, put in a new drain line for me. Excellent work. I am very pleased.

Stephen Rubin

Elder efficient and cooperative

Claire widensky

Niko was perfect.I give him 5 stars.

Don Frederick

Niko was excellent. Very thorough with my maintenance checkup.

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Elder was very prompt and efficient

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Very effective in quickly spotting the and then doing the maintenance to resolve it. Pleasant and helpful personality. Seemed very knowledgeable and shared some tips and explained why I had the problem. Courteous which was appreciated!

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Michael Correa

Mike was early and knocked it out so well especially knowing my schedule. Amazing job and quick turnaround

Jeff Siegel

On /11/10 at 5:30 I had a service visit from Dana, My ac had a leak and eventually shut down. I cant say enough about his great attitude and knowledge. He took his time and fixed every little thing that he could find. His overall attitude was great. People like him will make your business better. A really good technician.

de fink

A/C thermostat kept rebooting and indicated the condisation pipe may be clogged. Called an a short time later Antonio, the tech, arrived. He knew exactly what to do and corrected the problem very quickly. He also did the servicing previously. He's efficient, knowledgeable, courteous and very pleasant. An asset to Aztil. No charge with my contract.

Response from the owner:Hi de fink, Thank you for your kind words! We are so glad to hear that Russell was able to diagnose the problem and that our techs were able to install the new system in two days. We strive to provide excellent service and ensure that our customers are satisfied. Thank you again for your review.

Amanda Rodman

Our downstairs A/C stopped working over the weekend. Called Aztil and they sent a technician that same morning! Antonio was excellent — diagnosed and fixed the issue in minutes. Everything was covered under our membership, including the emergency call. Highly recommend!

John Fiore

Michael is fabulous. He diagnosed the problem and fixed it immediately. A very respectful, courteous person you’ll be lucky to have him service your air-conditioning. I would not hesitate to use this company because of him.

Harriet Kutner

Jordan and Jalen were Great and professional they were the best

aztil air conditioning great had other company that was no good aztil is always there for me, and Ramon, was wonderful, very helpful great service

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

Debra Williams

Antonio was a godsend no more sweating and feeling nauseous, my air conditioner is working and if possible, even colder than before! He was so polite and well mannered my mean pitbull loved him and he doesn’t like anyone! Every workplace should have a man like Antonio dealing with the public or maybe he should be a supervisor if not already and teaching any new hires how to behave while being professional and knowing his job well and fast!! thank you very much Aztel and thank you, Antonio!

Marcia Fidler

Cody and Niko were very proficient in their knowledge and professionalism. A pleasure to work with!!

Kathy Vlahov

Jorge Rivera installed my new A/C system yesterday. He was polite, knowledgeable and worked efficiently. He had David helping him. They made a great team.

Harolyn Glicker

Niko

Harvey Glicker

Niko was very pleasant and knowledgeable

Dorothy Hymowech

Antonio was very polite and professional. Very good representative of Aztil

Rich Harts

11/6/25 - I had the AeroSeal duct sealing process done today, and Jordan and Skylar were great. Jordan explained the whole process before they started and they answered my (many) questions throughout. It takes about 3-4 hours and the guys covered our furniture in the vent areas, checked for mold/dirt in the ducts, cleaned them all out, then applied the AreoSeal spray. The leakage was reduced significantly when completed - the air flow in the room at the end of the duct run was greatly improved.
Both techs were helpful throughout , right down to cleaning up the minor debris from the vent covers when done. I’d definitely recommend Aztil and Jordan & Skylar for this process.

10/21/25 - Our tech, Elder, provided great service along with good information on how to maintain my HVAC system since we’re not here full time.
He resolved the error I was receiving which shut my system down and explained how to prevent it. Thanks Elder!

Ira Goldstein

Cody & Niko did a great install of my iflo system. They were very professional and cleaned up.

Bert Reiff

As usual, great service and what a super nice guy
Paul took care of everything perfectly

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Aztil has been amazing in responses to calls . Never down because of their efforts

Lourdes Chavez pogolowitz

Alex is extremely professional and very detailed. He explained the issue and solved the problem. He is our favorite technician.

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Sean

Nico fixed a drain issue last week, quick, professional service. Cody and Nico did drain and evaporate coil maintenance today as recommended and all went great. Comforting to have them on my team!

Sue Schulz

Michael was very courteous and professional

Les Matthews

Lazaro is an excellent Tech. Courteous and Professional. If possible ask for him for all your HVAC issues. Also just had a total replacement of my AC unit by Angel and Hero . They did an excellent job in and out in 2.5hrs would recommend these install professionals.

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.

Maureen Levine

Jordan and Jalen were fabulous very professional and kind

Lily Maury

Dana he is a very good employee from your company!
I am happy with his service
Thank you!!

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John Russo

Antonio was great. Courteous, professional, and took the time to explain things. He also does great work.

Bob Jaffe

Niko. Did a very nice job and answered all my questions. Very satisfied!!

Response from the owner:Hi Bob, thank you for taking the time to leave us such a positive review! We are so glad to hear that Favio was able to help you out and was so friendly and informative. We value your feedback and thank you for being a loyal customer.

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FGG Primost-Needleman

Thanks Dana. We’re up and running now. Prompt service! Antonio just did a great job with my repair. Thanks!

Response from the owner:Hello, 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!

Jonathan Wilson

Michael King was great! Signed up for the anual

Scott Kelley

We have been a Customer with you since we moved to this House 25 years ago and Always been fixing problems to repair or replace new units! Mr. Melina was, nice, knowledgeable, clean, and found the problem, fixed it and did a Tune-up! In short, they have always been there to help! I thank you all!!

Erminia Cain

Niko was prompt and courteous. He explained everything that he suggested for my unit clearly. I did not have to pay for this maintenance visit because I have a service contract with them.