Back in 1987, most air conditioners in the U.S. market were 8 SEER although Congress had just established the implementation plan for a minimum of 10 SEER on residential air conditioners.
“When scroll technology was first introduced to the industry in 1987, 100 percent of the industry was using reciprocating compressors in 8 SEER systems,” said Karl Zellmer, vice president of sales, Air Conditioning Business of Emerson Climate Technologies. “At the time, the U.S. Department of Energy was establishing a government-mandated regulation that required the industry to achieve higher efficiency standards. Proponents for the new efficiency standards acknowledged the limitations of existing compressor technology and stressed the need for a breakthrough that could deliver higher efficiency levels to the industry.”