SEER or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio is a measure of your cooling equipments efficiency over the cooling season. The higher a unit’s SEER, the more efficient the unit is. The ratio is determined by taking the total cooling power (measured in BTU‘s) which is then divided by the total electrical consumption (measured in KWH).
In order to determine how much energy you will save with a higher SEER unit, the process is very simple – take the units cooling power & divide it by the SEER rating. This will give you how many watts will be used for each full hour that the unit is active. (To get KWH divide that number by 1000) – For example here is a chart for a 3, 4, & 5 ton units (1 ton = 12,000 BTU cooling power)
