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I am getting competing bids to replace two 16 year old builder grade air conditioning units. (3.5 + 4 ton).

One bid is for 14 SEER Carrier units (24ACC442A003) with final price $6,320.

The other bid is for 16 SEER Lennox units (EL16XC1) with final price $8,474.

The carrier tech also quoted 16 SEER unit but said that I would not see the efficiency unless I also replaced my furnace.

Is what the Carrier tech said true: That the 16 SEER units will not achieve 16 SEER without replacing the furnace?

I posted the following tweet to ask Lennox: https://twitter.com/pottmi/status/868529151749304322

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  • Are these prices just for the condensing units or do they include the evaporator coils and associated controls? What is the refrigerant in the existing units? R-22 or R-410a? We have been in our 2000 sq ft tract house 39 years. The original unit was a Carrier; 25 years ago I replaced the one unit (furnace and all) with a 3.5 ton (42 kBTU/h) 12 SEER Carrier (R-22), one of the first scroll compressors. It is due for replacement and I will go to at least 14 SEER and probably 48 kBTU/h and maybe up to 18 SEER, but probably 16 SEER.
    – Jim Stewart
    May 27, 2017 at 21:58
  • The price includes installation of two units and is for the condensing units, evaporator coils, and thermostat. I do not know the refrigerant used in the current unit, but I know it is out of date and not used on new installs.
    – Be Kind To New Users
    May 27, 2017 at 22:41

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True...but it's true for the 14 SEER unit too. It's a package deal. The condenser, evaporator, coils, furnace, etc. all need to be replaced to achieve the SEER rating.

Remember, the SEER rating is the MAXIMUM that is achieved. Depending on the number of heating days verses the number of cooling days per year is important too. Typical savings usually is about $10 - $20 per month from 14 to 16 SEERs. (Even 21 SEER unit has a savings of only $50 - $75 per month.) So, if you're COOLING about 6 months a year, your savings is about $60 - $120 per year. (We don't recommend a 21 SEER rating because the unit is two stage, complicated and expensive to service.)

By the way, here the cost difference between 14 and 16 SEER is about $500 - $700. (Installation cost is the same.)

Other considerations: 1) Here, we heat most of the time, so we are concerned about the HSPF rating. 2) Warranty (actually, we like Trane, Lennox, Carrier equally. Also, I just heard about a recall on some Carrier units...be sure to verify this.) 3) A programable thermostat will save a lot.

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  • So @Lee Sam do you not recommend 2-stage compressors in general? Is there significantly more maintenance and a shorter lifetime for a 2-stage compressor than a 1-stage? Our current Carrier 1-stage scroll 12 SEER (R-22 refrigerant) was put in service June 1991 is still cooling, but can't be for much longer. Carrier now has a 17 SEER with a 2-stage scroll and a 16 SEER 1-stage scroll compressor.
    – Jim Stewart
    May 28, 2017 at 9:45
  • @JimStewart Two stage units are relatively new and must be installed and serviced correctly. I live at the end of the world and service techs are limited (quality and quantity)...so I'm prejudice. They're efficient, but the savings are minimal compared to cost.
    – Lee Sam
    May 28, 2017 at 14:33
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SEER ratings go hand in hand with the air delivery system. When they are rated they are rated with a coil and furnace or air handler combination. Usually to achieve 16 SEER or higher a variable speed fan is required. If you aren’t willing to get a new variable speed furnace at the same time stick with the lowest SEER unit as the actual energy usage of both systems will likely be the same. Part of the SEER rating is based on the furnace fan energy usage and how they handle the on and off cycles. Higher SEER ratings really do require a matched system to actually get close to the SEER on the name plate. On another note, the duct work makes a far bigger difference than a couple SEER on the equipment. Properly sized and sealed duct work makes a huge difference.

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