New SEER2 Efficiency Standards Take Effect in 2023
A big change is coming to the HVAC industry starting on January 1, 2023, when the Department of Energy’s new SEER2 standard will go into effect for all newly-manufactured commercial and residential air conditioners and heat pumps.
The SEER rating, or seasonal energy efficiency ratio, measures a unit’s cooling output during a typical cooling season divided by the total electric energy input. SEER efficiency standards are split into three regions, North, South, and Southwest; New Jersey is in the North region. The new SEER2 standard will increase the minimum efficiency requirements of new residential equipment by about 7%, or the equivalent of one SEER point. For the North region, the new SEER2 minimum will be 13.4, or 14 SEER. The new heating seasonal performance factor, or HSPF2, for heat pump efficiency, will increase by 0.6 to 6.7 for most new equipment in all regions.
So what do these new SEER2 ratings mean for HVAC contractors installing residential equipment? Here in the North region, purchase and installation of residential equipment built before January 1, 2023, will still be permitted until inventory is depleted. All equipment manufactured after that date will be subject to the new SEER2 testing procedures and efficiency standards. New SEER2 regulations in the South and Southwest regions are much more stringent, requiring equipment to be installed no later than December 31, 2022, unless they meet the new SEER2 minimums.
On the commercial side, HVAC equipment will be entering the second phase of DOE efficiency changes on January 1, 2023. The first phase, which went into effect in 2018, increased minimum efficiency by 13%, and the second phase will increase efficiency by an additional 15%. Commercial SEER requirements do not have regional standards and compliance is based on equipment ship dates or building permit dates, per local codes. Commercial equipment built prior to December 31, 2022 can be sold and installed after that date, but contractors must educate themselves on the SEER requirements for their area.
