13 SEER Vs 14 SEER on a Heat Pump

All,

I use my 20 yr old 3 ton 10 seer heat pump a bit for heat two weeks, maybe a month in the fall, rarely used in the in the spring on heat mode. It does run hard in the summer for cooling.

I know it's a matter of time. I have been told that a 14 will save money over a 13, etc when heating, but there would not be much difference at all in operational cost in cooling mode between the 13 and 14. I can buy at "to the trade" costs, but the cost for the 14 is still much higher.

Thoughts?

TIA
Dave

Well of course 13 seer is the least efficient unit you can buy now. You can get ratings up to the low 20's but big bucks. The difference between a 13 and 14 seer is probably a couple of thousand dollars in operating costs over the life of the unit.

Thanks, coalkirk,

I did some googling last night and saved some links. I need to study the subject, so I'm ready if my old unit dies suddenly.

Dave

I replaced both of my 25 year old heat pumps a little less than 2 years ago. New ones are 13 seer Friend of mine who did the install for me felt going much higher introduced more complex technolgy into the mix at a higher cost initially and probably for repairs over the long haul. I used the old heat pumps for heat until about thanksgiving, so maybe for a month or so. Otherwise they were air conditioners. The new units are very nice. My wife switched them on yesterday cause the temperatures were going to rise into the low 40s. When I got home the house was a steady 70, which is just fine for me. Nice thing about the newer heat pumps is the air is actually warm when it comes out of the vents.

We use ours for heat a little in spring/fall too. I know that in 50-60* air, they are probably cheap to run. I just hate hearing it run, so if it gets chilly at night, even in early June, I'll put a fire back in the boiler. I'd rather pay the coal guy than the elec company. Therefore, I am more concerned with cooling efficiency.

York's are somewhat pricey, fwiw, but I have had very good service from my 20 year old 3 ton 10 SEER York. [knocking on wood here] I have done absolutely nothing to it. I should have my butt kicked, but I have not as much as oiled the fan motor [should, every 5 years], nor have I ever cleaned the coil. [should, easy to do with the spray can cleaners]. I've done some reading, and York has two 14.5 SEER units that look like a good buy to me, as far as cost vs efficiency. I doubt that I would go higher than that.

Reading/studying, I have found that some experts recommend a single speed air handler [manually changed multi speed is ok], as the variable speed motors are very expensive to replace. Also, a scroll type compressor is supposed to be a good thing.

I'm still learning.

Dave

The rotary scroll compressors are a lot better for efficiency then a reciprocating ones, less moving parts, very simple design it has been out for years, very quiet all you really hear is the fan. If you click on the picture it should rotate, you'll get the point.

Thanks. I had never throught about what the term scroll compressor meant.

Dave