The ENERGY STAR program is a voluntary labeling program lead by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy. Product featured on this site with this label meet the ENERGY STAR requirements for product efficiencies. The product efficiency requirements for furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps are higher than the required efficiencies under U.S. Government standards.

For example, a 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rate) split system air conditioner is the acceptable efficiency standard by the U.S. Government. However, an ENERGY STAR-rated split system air conditioner requires the unit to rate at a minimum of 14 SEER to be qualified.

For the consumer, higher efficiency products could mean additional savings on monthly gas and electric utilities over lower efficient products. Several factors are involved in calculating energy savings for a heating and cooling system, including the region of the country the home resides, the direction the home faces, how many windows the home has and its age, etc. These factors help determine the most beneficial heating and/or cooling system available to the consumer. You may even live in a town that offers utility rebates for higher efficiency equipment!

Proper sizing and installation of equipment is critical to achieve optimal performance. Split system air conditioners and heat pumps must be matched with appropriate coil components to meet ENERGY STAR criteria. Ask your contractor for details or visit www.energystar.gov.