SEER2 Energy Savings Calculator

Look up the DOE minimum SEER2 for new systems in your state, then compare yearly cooling costs at two ratings using your own electricity price.

SEER2 is the efficiency rating on central air conditioners and heat pumps made since January 1, 2023. A higher number means less electricity for the same cooling. The calculator does two things. First, it shows the federal minimum for the system type in your state, because split system air conditioners installed in the Southeast and Southwest must meet a higher level than in the rest of the country. Second, it estimates yearly cooling electricity and cost at your current rating and at a new rating, using your system size, your cooling hours, and your electricity price. Nothing is filled in for you except the EIA price, and only when you ask for it.

Worked example

Example inputs chosen to show the arithmetic, not typical values: a 36,000 Btu/h system running 1,000 hours a year, at the U.S. average EIA residential price for January to July 2026 (18.19 cents per kWh).

How it works

The 2024 edition of the Code of Federal Regulations defines SEER2 as "the total heat removed from the conditioned space during the annual cooling season, expressed in Btu's, divided by the total electrical energy consumed by the central air conditioner or heat pump during the same season, expressed in watt-hours" (10 CFR part 430, subpart B, appendix M1). The older SEER in appendix M is defined the same way under the earlier test. Turning the ratio around gives the formula:

kWh per year = capacity (Btu/h) x cooling hours per year / (SEER2 x 1,000)
Cost per year = kWh per year x price (cents per kWh) / 100
Savings = cost at the current SEER2 - cost at the new SEER2

Cooling hours are the hours your system would run at full capacity over a year. That number depends on your climate, house, and thermostat, so the calculator asks for it rather than assuming one.

DOE minimum efficiency standards

EER2 in the Southwest: "The 11.7 EER2 standard applies to products with a certified SEER2 less than 15.2," and 9.8 applies at 15.2 or higher (11.2 and 9.8 for the larger class). "Any model of outdoor unit that has a certified combination with a rating below the applicable standard level(s) for a region cannot be installed in that region."

Southeast: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Southwest: Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico. Everywhere else, the national level applies.

EIA reference electricity prices

Reference only: average residential price by state from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, released September 24, 2026. Your own rate may differ. U.S. average: 18.19 cents per kWh for January to July 2026.

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