Is a Carrier condenser and air handler Energy Star designated? I am having it professionally installed and want to make sure I can get the best energy efficiency as well as a tax credit.
Our Answer
You are smart to make sure heating or cooling equipment you install are have earned the ENERGY STAR designation. Earning the ENERGY STAR means products meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. By choosing ENERGY STAR certified heating and cooling equipment and taking steps to optimize its performance, you can enhance the comfort of your home while saving energy. Saving energy helps you save money on utility bills and protect our climate by helping prevent harmful carbon pollution and reducing other greenhouse gases.
ENERGY STAR certified central air conditioners have higher seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) and energy efficiency ratio (EER) ratings and use 8 percent less energy than conventional new models.
To find out if specific air conditioning equipment is ENERGY STAR rated, you can always check the manufacturers website. However, to be certain AHRI, the American Heating and Refrigeration Institute, runs an online directory that lists ENERGY STAR certifications by appliance. The directory is recommended as a source by the Energystar.gov website as an authoritative source of up to date information.
Your heating and cooling contractor should be able to tell you this. Without knowing the model of both the condensing unit and the evaporator coil along with the blower type we could not tell you. There are several system match ups that can be mixed and matched to get both high SEER ratings and that would qualify for energy star rating. But these individual components must match up to qualify.
You may want to consider getting a home energy audit performed. These professionals will not only size your home but make suggestions on what you can do to make it more energy efficient. We have done that many times and with the proper improvements have been able to down size the equipment in some homes almost by 50%.
Good Luck!
Bob