SEER is calculated on the basis of the total amount of cooling
(in Btu) the system will provide over the entire season, divided
by the total number watt-hours it will consume. Higher
SEERs reflect a more efficient cooling system. This federal
mandate impacts 95% of the unitary market in the United
States, which is about 8 million units at the time of this writing.
Because of this new federal mandate of 13 SEER, most
air-conditioning and heat pump manufacturers are looking for
more efficient evaporator and condenser designs, more efficient
compressors and fan motors, and more sophisticated
control systems in order to meet this new energy efficiency
requirement.