If you’re like a lot of people these days, you’d like to make your home more energy efficient and save a little on those heating and cooling bills that never seem to end — especially after the summer Texas has been experiencing. You’ve been reading about Energy Star ratings, high efficiency systems, and SEER measurements and think you’re ready to take the plunge on a new HVAC system, but there’s one more factor you should be aware of before taking that big step — rated efficiency vs. applied efficiency. What is it and how can it affect your system upgrade?

Rated efficiency is the testing done on a system in a laboratory under ideal conditions with 100 percent airflow and refrigerant charge to determine its efficiency and the rating it will be marketed under — if you read that a system has a 16 or 20 SEER rating as tested, that is more than likely its rated efficiency. How often it will operate under those ideal conditions while in your home depends on the installation. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 70 percent of all residential HVAC systems are operating with less than ideal airflow and as many as 74 percent may have improper refrigerant charging.

That means that the high rated efficiency of your new system may drop down to a much lower applied efficiency rating with an improper installation and the mechanic not taking the time to ensure your airflow is functioning correctly. Get the high efficiency you’re paying for by asking the experts at A-ace to check or install your new system — we’ll make sure your applied efficiency is as close as possible to the system’s rated efficiency.