Does one point EER make a big diff in energy efficiency?
m...@privacy.net
(5000-6000 BTU) for bedroom use.
Does the drop from 107 eer to 9.7 eer mean a big diff
in electrical usage?
Does on point make much diff?
Anthony Matonak
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/roomwindow_ac_e.php
: The EER is a simple ratio of the BTUs of the unit to the amount of
: power it consumes in Watts. Thus an air conditioner with 10,000 BTU
: capacity and an EER of 10 consumes 1000 watts of power
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/air-conditioner-reviews/
: With an efficiency rating of 9.7, the Kenmore window air conditioner
: will cost 10% more to run each year than a similarly sized unit with
: an EER of 10.7.
How much difference it makes is determined by how much you use it.
Comparing two 5000 BTU air conditioners, the 10.7 EER unit would
consume roughly 468 Watts and the 9.7 EER unit 516 Watts or a
difference of about 48 Watts.
If you use this air conditioner some 12 hours a day for 4 months
of the year that amounts to 1440 hours and 69 kWh difference. If
a kWh costs you 14 cents then this is about $9.66 a year.
Say you expect this air conditioner to last 10 years. This difference
between the two units in electricity costs would be $96.60
In short, it makes a difference but since the 9.7 EER units usually
cost about $100 and the 10.7 EER units cost about $200, they both
will cost the same over the long term.
Anthony
m...@privacy.net
wrote:
>In short, it makes a difference but since the 9.7 EER units usually
>cost about $100 and the 10.7 EER units cost about $200, they both
>will cost the same over the long term.
I live in north Missouri and would use it for say 3
months a year
m...@privacy.net
wrote:
>If you use this air conditioner some 12 hours a day for 4 months
>of the year that amounts to 1440 hours and 69 kWh difference. If
>a kWh costs you 14 cents then this is about $9.66 a year.
Would use probably say 6 hrs daily in July and
August... mainly while sleeping in bedroom only
Jeff
Anthony has covered the EER bit, but there is more in choosing an AC.
There's also something called Energy Star. Energy Star appliances use
less electricity.
A 10.7 EER Energy Star AC can potentially use much less electrify
than a non Energy Star 10.7 EER AC.
Generally the savings will come when the AC is not at max cooling.
Energy Star ACs tend to have energy savings modes. For example, in a
"regular" AC the fan runs all the time, whether the compressor is
running or not. So you are always using the sizable amount of energy the
fan draws, whether you are cooling or not. In other words Energy Star
appliance can use dramatically less power while idling.
Another common feature is automatic fan speeds. When there is a lot of
cooling to do, the fan automatically runs faster. When it is just
maintaining a temp, it will run slower and quieter.
They may also have sleep modes that let the room warm up a bit after a
time delay, and then cycle back to the set temperature for when you are
getting up again.
All these features are switchable and you can enable or defeat them.
I'd buy a better AC. I upgraded my window ACs last year and I'm much
happier with the new units even if I wasn't saving energy. I love the
remote and the quieter operation. And electricity pricing can only go up.
I just sent someone off to buy a 600BTU AC. The 10.8 EER Energy Star
was $138 (Lowes), the cheapest "regular" was $85 and was a 9.0 (Brand
Smart).
m...@privacy.net
>In other words Energy Star
>appliance can use dramatically less power while idling.
Ok thanks for pointing that out!
The 6000 BTU model I looked at was NOT energy star
model.
phil scott
yes.. and it also means the thing will last longer because of the
larger condenser surface and cooler running compressor especially in
extreme climates... the farther south you go the more imporatant this
is..not so important say in SF calif or coastal oregon.
savings in your case might be in the 15 to 20pct range...not just on
amperage but in less run time... can add up in the souther US climates
or on the humid east coast.
but dont pay a nasty premium for it... payback might be 5 years or
whatever...too long.
Phil scott (mech contractor/ engr)
phil scott
<anthony...@nothing.like.socal.rr.com> wrote:
> m...@privacy.net wrote:
> > I'm looking to buy a small window air conditioner
> > (5000-6000 BTU) for bedroom use.
>
> > Does the drop from 107 eer to 9.7 eer mean a big diff
> > in electrical usage?
>
> > Does on point make much diff?
>
> http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/roomwindow_ac_e.php
> : The EER is a simple ratio of the BTUs of the unit to the amount of
> : power it consumes in Watts. Thus an air conditioner with 10,000 BTU
> : capacity and an EER of 10 consumes 1000 watts of power
>
> : With an efficiency rating of 9.7, the Kenmore window air conditioner
> : will cost 10% more to run each year than a similarly sized unit with
> : an EER of 10.7.
>
> How much difference it makes is determined by how much you use it.
> Comparing two 5000 BTU air conditioners, the 10.7 EER unit would
> consume roughly 468 Watts and the 9.7 EER unit 516 Watts or a
> difference of about 48 Watts.
>
> If you use this air conditioner some 12 hours a day for 4 months
> of the year that amounts to 1440 hours and 69 kWh difference. If
> a kWh costs you 14 cents then this is about $9.66 a year.
>
> Say you expect this air conditioner to last 10 years. This difference
> between the two units in electricity costs would be $96.60
>
> In short, it makes a difference but since the 9.7 EER units usually
> cost about $100 and the 10.7 EER units cost about $200, they both
> will cost the same over the long term.
>
> Anthony
thats right... what gets left out sometimes is the lower run times
seen with high efficiency systems since they cool better in very hot
weather due to the loss of efficiency as compressor head pressure
rises.. so the less efficient ones will run longer.. adding to the
operating costs above and beyond the eer ratio issues.
Phil Scott
phil scott
> Anthony Matonak <anthony...@nothing.like.socal.rr.com>
if money is short, get the cheap one.... if you were in south florida
or texas id say get the 10.7 eer unit.
Phil Scott
phil scott
>
> >If you use this air conditioner some 12 hours a day for 4 months
> >of the year that amounts to 1440 hours and 69 kWh difference. If
> >a kWh costs you 14 cents then this is about $9.66 a year.
>
> Would use probably say 6 hrs daily in July and
> August... mainly while sleeping in bedroom only
for sleeping only you are running it in a much cooler time frame.. and
only for a few months... get the cheapeer unit and a fan for not so
hot days.... I was in mexico last year for a few weeks and the motel
had a fan only, by the bed...worked fine.
Phil scott
phil scott
not bad advice at all.... i didnt know about the variable speed fan
and that cheap price on one at lowes
Phil scott
m...@privacy.net
>for sleeping only you are running it in a much cooler time frame.. and
>only for a few months... get the cheapeer unit and a fan for not so
>hot days.... I was in mexico last year for a few weeks and the motel
>had a fan only, by the bed...worked fine.
Agree buts it probably humid in Mexico, is it?
I'm in north Missouri and very humid here in the summer
phil scott
get the ac... use fan when its workable only. those are cheap... will
save a lot on running the ac.
run the ac to keep the room at 80F then the fan directly over the bed
will keep you cool.
The Real Bev
> phil scott <ph...@philscott.net> wrote:
>
>>for sleeping only you are running it in a much cooler time frame.. and
>>only for a few months... get the cheapeer unit and a fan for not so
>>hot days.... I was in mexico last year for a few weeks and the motel
>>had a fan only, by the bed...worked fine.
>
> Agree buts it probably humid in Mexico, is it?
We drove to just south of Acapulco to see the solar eclipse in July 1991
and the humidity -- and mosquitos -- got worse and worse the further
south we went. The eclipse was neat, but we cut it short and headed
back north because the bugs were so miserable. Still, a great experience.
> I'm in north Missouri and very humid here in the summer
Everything east of the Rockies is very humid in the summer :-(
--
Cheers,
Bev
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