Does one point EER make a big diff in energy efficiency?

 I'm looking to buy a small window air conditioner
(5000-6000 BTU) for bedroom use.

Does the drop from 107 eer to 9.7 eer mean a big diff
in electrical usage?

Does on point make much diff?

  me@privacy.net wrote:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/roomwindow_ac_e.php
: The EER is a simple ratio of the BTUs of the unit to the amount of
: power it consumes in Watts. Thus an air conditioner with 10,000 BTU
: capacity and an EER of 10 consumes 1000 watts of power

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/air-conditioner-reviews/
: With an efficiency rating of 9.7, the Kenmore window air conditioner
: will cost 10% more to run each year than a similarly sized unit with
: an EER of 10.7.

How much difference it makes is determined by how much you use it.
Comparing two 5000 BTU air conditioners, the 10.7 EER unit would
consume roughly 468 Watts and the 9.7 EER unit 516 Watts or a
difference of about 48 Watts.

If you use this air conditioner some 12 hours a day for 4 months
of the year that amounts to 1440 hours and 69 kWh difference. If
a kWh costs you 14 cents then this is about $9.66 a year.

Say you expect this air conditioner to last 10 years. This difference
between the two units in electricity costs would be $96.60

In short, it makes a difference but since the 9.7 EER units usually
cost about $100 and the 10.7 EER units cost about $200, they both
will cost the same over the long term.

Anthony

 wrote:


I live in north Missouri and would use it for say 3
months a year

 wrote:


Would use probably say 6 hrs daily in July and
August... mainly while sleeping in bedroom only

 me@privacy.net wrote:

Anthony has covered the EER bit, but there is more in choosing an AC.

There's also something called Energy Star. Energy Star appliances use
less electricity.

   A 10.7 EER Energy Star AC can potentially use much less electrify
than a non Energy Star 10.7 EER AC.

   Generally the savings will come when the AC is not at max cooling.
Energy Star ACs tend to have energy savings modes. For example, in a
"regular" AC the fan runs all the time, whether the compressor is
running or not. So you are always using the sizable amount of energy the
fan draws, whether you are cooling or not. In other words Energy Star
appliance can use dramatically less power while idling.

  Another common feature is automatic fan speeds. When there is a lot of
cooling to do, the fan automatically  runs faster. When it is just
maintaining a temp, it will run slower and quieter.

  They may also have sleep modes that let the room warm up a bit after a
time delay, and then cycle back to the set temperature for when you are
getting up again.

All these features are switchable and you can enable or defeat them.

  I'd buy a better AC. I upgraded my window ACs last year and I'm much
happier with the new units even if I wasn't saving energy. I love the
remote and the quieter operation. And electricity pricing can only go up.

  I just sent someone off to buy a 600BTU AC. The 10.8 EER Energy Star
was $138 (Lowes), the cheapest "regular" was $85 and was a 9.0 (Brand
Smart).