Makers of residential air conditioning and heat pump equipment are moving quickly to meet the 13 SEER requirement recently imposed by the Department of Energy (DOE), and most manufacturers contacted by The News intend to promote systems that offer even greater efficiency.
In a little over 18 months, manufacturers of such equipment must meet the new standard. While much of the industry initially supported a minimum standard of 12 SEER, the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) withdrew its court challenge on March 17, and the Department of Energy quickly announced its intent to enforce the 13 SEER standard. (See "ARI Withdraws Challenge to 13 SEER Rule," March 22.)
The increase in minimum SEER levels is the first since 1992, when the current minimum of 10 SEER was adopted.