ST. LOUIS - In its fifth installment of the GetSEERiousâ„¢ series of 13 SEER market surveys, Emerson Climate Technologies reports that a vast majority of the leftover 10 SEER inventory has been depleted. According to survey participants, 77 percent of the stockpiled 10 SEER units are currently being used. It also predicts that 97 percent of the 10 SEER inventory will be exhausted by the end of 2006.

According to an earlier report from the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), "Manufacturers were clearing out the remaining 10 SEER units to make room for the new, more efficient models," as far back as the end of last year. The institute indicated that the end of 10 SEER production and the need to install new systems in hurricane-damaged areas, have contributed to the movement of lower-efficiency systems into the market.

Of the contractors surveyed in January and April of 2005, approximately 63 percent had no plans to sell 10 SEER units after Jan. 23, 2006. A total of 37 percent of respondents said they would sell 10 SEER after the 13 SEER deadline had passed. As of April 2005, 26 percent said they would sell 10 SEER for special jobs only, while 11 percent said they would sell 10 SEER outright.

"Some contractors communicated through the survey that they had stocked up on 10 SEER inventory in anticipation of the 13 SEER transition," said Karl Zellmer, vice president of air conditioning sales, Emerson Climate Technologies. "Their primary reasons for holding onto this inventory included staying competitive in case the competition stocks up on 10 SEER inventory, having prior new-construction commitments, and having some special needs applications."

Publication date: 11/13/2006