SEER is simply an acronym for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio SEER is a rating used to tell the efficiency of an air conditioner or the cooling side of a heat pump. The higher the number, the more efficient the machine is. The SEER rating is often found on a yellow sticker attached to newly installed condensers.
Pricing for heat pumps is based on the overall capacity of the pump in BTUs per hour. Most of the product prices that were listed on various websites were not dependent on the SEER rating, but the BTU per hour listing. (Brand name also had little to do with pricing.) Most higher rated BTU heat pumps were rated with a higher SEER rating due to the ease of efficacy of a larger size and not necessarily a higher level of technology.
The federal standards have changed recently (January 2006) and the minimum SEER that can be manufactured is a 13 SEER. 10 SEER machines can still be installed, but they can no longer be manufactured by the companies who produce HVAC equipment. Just because the label on a unit says “high efficiency” does not mean that this is true. 15 SEER or above is considered “high efficiency”. 13 and 14 SEER machines are fairly average, while anything below 13 SEER is heading toward “inefficient.”
Different Heat Pump Options...
How Pricing Works
More on SEER...
http://www.bryant.com/products/acheatpumps/heatpumps/index.shtml
http://ingramswaterandair.com/goodman-heat-pumps-p-617.html?osCsid=6a0891b9e32badc794ddec3ea846b216
http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=heat+pump+prices&scoring=pd&sa=N&start=10