The Bush administration recently proposed a 20% increase in the minimum energy efficiency standard for air conditioners and heat pumps by 2006, from SEER 10 to SEER 12. This is a 10% decrease from standards adopted in the closing days of the Clinton administration, which required a SEER 13.
The 20% proposed improvement would save enough energy to light all U.S. homes for two years, equal to the output of 37 400-megawatt power plants, according to The Associated Press. Complying with the Bush standards would add $213 in up-front costs to the average $2,236 price of a home central air-conditioning system, the government estimated. Buyers would recoup the extra cost through lower utility bills over 9.8 years. The added up-front costs for heat pumps would be $144 more than the $3,668 average price.