SEER2 Savings Calculator: 14 vs 16 vs 18
Enter the system's tons, the SEER2 you have (or the base model) and the SEER2 you're considering, and see the kWh and dollars each uses per year in your state, and an estimated payback on the price difference.
SEER2 savings
C04Scenario A
Sets the electricity rate. Pick US average if you're not sure.
From EIA for US average. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 18.4¢/kWh · US average · EIA reference 2025–26 · climate zone 4 (data as of 2026-09-26) ·
Estimated savings per year
Payback on the upgrade in US average: 16.3 years (1100 full-load cooling hours).
- kWh per year at SEER2 14
- 2,829
- kWh per year at SEER2 17
- 2,329
- Savings per year
- $91.85
- Payback on the upgrade
- 16.3 years
- Full-load cooling hours (climate zone)
- 1100
Estimate. Formula and sources are under “How it works”. Change any input; the result updates as you type.
2026 note: The federal 25C and 25D tax credits ended for installations after Dec 31, 2025. Our numbers use 2026 rules. State rebates, HEAR/HOMES programs and utility programs may still apply.
Formula
How it works
- kWh per year = tons × 12,000 ÷ SEER2 × full-load cooling hours ÷ 1,000
- Savings per year = (kWh at the lower SEER2 − kWh at the higher SEER2) × your rate
- Payback = extra cost ÷ savings per year
Full-load cooling hours are the hours a system would run at 100% to deliver a year's cooling in your climate zone: zone 1 = 2,400, zone 2 = 2,000, zone 3 = 1,500, zone 4 = 1,100, zone 5 = 800, zone 6 = 600, zone 7 = 400, zone 8 = 300. They're what decide whether higher SEER2 pays: the same upgrade saves far more in Florida than in Michigan.
SEER2 replaced SEER in 2023. The test (M1) uses higher fan pressure, so a unit's SEER2 is about 0.95 × its old SEER rating. Compare SEER2 to SEER2.
This is an estimate: it holds your rate flat and doesn't count repairs, the unit's life or rebates. Edit the rate, the extra cost and the SEER2 values to test your own assumptions.
Sources: full-load cooling hours by climate zone: ENERGY STAR central AC savings calculator / ACCA. SEER2 definition: AHRI 210/240-2023 (M1 test procedure). Electricity rate: EIA Electric Power Monthly table 5.6.A. Climate zone: IECC 2021 (DOE/PNNL).
Worked example
A worked example
Florida is climate zone 2, with 2000 full-load cooling hours. A 4-ton system at SEER2 13 uses 48,000 ÷ 13 × 2,000 ÷ 1,000 = 7,385 kWh a year; at SEER2 18 it uses 5,333 kWh. At Florida's 15.0¢/kWh that difference is worth an estimated $307.69 a year, so a $2,500 price gap takes about 8.1 years to pay back.
Reference
By state, at the default inputs
Estimated savings per year, with this page's default inputs and each state's reference prices (EIA reference 2025–26, data as of 2026-09-26).
| US average | $91.85 | 18.4¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $105.50 | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Alaska | $45.38 | 25.0¢/kWh |
| Arizona | $136.13 | 15.0¢/kWh |
| Arkansas | $88.49 | 13.0¢/kWh |
| California | $217.82 | 32.0¢/kWh |
| Colorado | $58.08 | 16.0¢/kWh |
| Connecticut | $108.91 | 30.0¢/kWh |
| Delaware | $84.86 | 17.0¢/kWh |
| District of Columbia | $94.84 | 19.0¢/kWh |
| Florida | $136.13 | 15.0¢/kWh |
| Georgia | $98.70 | 14.5¢/kWh |
| Hawaii | $457.41 | 42.0¢/kWh |
| Idaho | $43.56 | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Illinois | $61.71 | 17.0¢/kWh |
| Indiana | $56.27 | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Iowa | $49.01 | 13.5¢/kWh |
| Kansas | $72.38 | 14.5¢/kWh |
| Kentucky | $64.89 | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Louisiana | $113.45 | 12.5¢/kWh |
| Maine | $70.79 | 26.0¢/kWh |
| Maryland | $94.84 | 19.0¢/kWh |
| Massachusetts | $105.28 | 29.0¢/kWh |
| Michigan | $70.79 | 19.5¢/kWh |
| Minnesota | $42.20 | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Mississippi | $91.89 | 13.5¢/kWh |
| Missouri | $64.89 | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Montana | $35.39 | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Nebraska | $43.56 | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Nevada | $102.10 | 15.0¢/kWh |
| New Hampshire | $73.51 | 27.0¢/kWh |
| New Jersey | $109.82 | 22.0¢/kWh |
| New Mexico | $74.87 | 15.0¢/kWh |
| New York | $90.76 | 25.0¢/kWh |
| North Carolina | $98.70 | 14.5¢/kWh |
| North Dakota | $20.87 | 11.5¢/kWh |
| Ohio | $59.90 | 16.5¢/kWh |
| Oklahoma | $88.49 | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Oregon | $72.38 | 14.5¢/kWh |
| Pennsylvania | $67.16 | 18.5¢/kWh |
| Rhode Island | $105.28 | 29.0¢/kWh |
| South Carolina | $102.10 | 15.0¢/kWh |
| South Dakota | $35.39 | 13.0¢/kWh |
| Tennessee | $67.39 | 13.5¢/kWh |
| Texas | $140.67 | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Utah | $43.56 | 12.0¢/kWh |
| Vermont | $59.90 | 22.0¢/kWh |
| Virginia | $77.37 | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Washington | $59.90 | 12.0¢/kWh |
| West Virginia | $56.27 | 15.5¢/kWh |
| Wisconsin | $47.65 | 17.5¢/kWh |
| Wyoming | $34.03 | 12.5¢/kWh |
Questions
FAQ
Is SEER2 16 worth it over 14?
It depends on your cooling hours and rate. For a 3-ton system and a $1,500 price gap, SEER2 16 saves an estimated $65.06 a year at the US average (payback about 23.1 years) and $96.43 a year in Arizona or Florida (about 15.6 years). Go from 14 to 17 in Texas and it's $140.67 a year, about 10.7 years.
Where does a high-SEER2 unit pay back fastest?
Where cooling hours and the rate are both high. Zones 1 and 2 (Hawaii, the Gulf Coast, Florida, Arizona) run 2,000–2,400 full-load hours. In Michigan (zone 5, 800 hours) a 2.5-ton upgrade from 14 to 16 saves about $41.79 a year, and $1,200 extra takes about 28.7 years to recover.
What's the difference between SEER and SEER2?
SEER2 is measured with the M1 test procedure that took effect in 2023, with more realistic duct pressure. The same unit rates about 5% lower in SEER2 than it did in SEER, so a SEER 16 is roughly a SEER2 15.2.
What's the minimum SEER2 in 2026?
For split central air conditioners, the federal minimum is 14.3 SEER2 in the South and Southwest regions and 13.4 SEER2 in the North. A new system at the minimum is the "current" side of most comparisons.
Does a higher SEER2 lower my bill if I keep my old unit?
No. Savings only happen when the new unit replaces the old one. Enter your old unit's rating (SEER × 0.95 if it only lists SEER) as the current SEER2 to see what replacing it would change.
Related