Upgrade SEER or zone playroom over 3 car garage

11 years ago

We are in central SC. The house is a 1.5 story with approximately 4400 sq ft. The upstairs has 3 bedrooms and a small open area as well as a long playroom over a 3 car garage. We are going to foam the roofline and upgrade to R-15 in the walls. There are two units (13 Seer). The downstairs is gaspac and upstairs is electric. Our builder has offered the following now that we're foaming and a lesser unit is needed.
1- take a $1,000 credit
2- upgrade downstairs unit to 14 SEER, variable speed unit with dehumidifier.
3- leave units as 13 SEER but make the room over the garage a separate zone.

We could do a combination of these but would have to pay additional (about $1,000 to zone the room over the garage separtly, and about $1,000 to upgrade to the next SEER level). so I want to make sure we will get a good return on the investment.

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Comments (6)

chispa
11 years ago
I would have 3 zones, downstairs, upstairs and room over the garage.
energy_rater_la
11 years ago
think about it for a minute.
in the hottest part of the house, the hvac
will be minimum efficiency.

upgrading would be a no brainer to me.
even with foam sealed attic, a/c removing
more humidity makes air colder.

put the savings towards higher SEER
and IF the company has experience in
zoned systems, pay the extra for zoning.

why people put minimum SEER allowable
by law in their homes makes no sense to me.
it isn't like a dishwasher, we need heating & cooling.

best of luck.
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Spottythecat
11 years ago
I agree....money is better spent upgrading the SEER than zoning.
Zoning is expensive and usually doesn't work that great.
Our upgrade from 16 seer to 21 was only $700. It was $2,500-$3,000 to do zoning...we upgraded both units and spent $1,400.
matt_in_ks
11 years ago
I'm just curious to see people's thoughts on the way they calculate the potential cost savings on the website below. I'm sure there are some gross oversimplifications but based on their method and the example of Florida and electricity at $.09 per kwh I would save about $112 per year if I upgraded from 13 seer to 16 seer ac. I will likely run my AC fewer hours in Kansas than a person would in Florida so my actual savings would probably be lower.

The upgrade costs me $1000 so that's nearly 9 years to break even so I'm not seeing myself making the upgrade.

We did invest about $3300 in Zip R foam sheathing to improve our air sealing and insulation and I haven't tried to guess what the cost savings will be...

Any thoughts on that method for estimating the savings?

Here is a link that might be useful: AC Direct example
Spottythecat
11 years ago
That is an interesting website...
I live in FL and when we replaced our 2 units (now 19 and 21 seer), we have saved about $200 per month in the peak months of summer. It was about $700 per unit to upgrade from the 13 seer to the 19 and 21 seer units. It looks like we already recouped the money we spent to upgrade.
Our home is 21 years old with single pane windows and terrible insulation...We are really looking forward to our new home that will have double pane, low E glass, better insulation etc....and the same 21 seer units....oh, and the 2 speed pool pumps that really save some money here in FL.
So, I think it really does matter where you live if you should upgrade. I think if I were in Kansas, I would probably save the money and go with the 13 seer.
Pam
energy_rater_la
11 years ago
I hear you Pam.
I'm in an existing house also, single pane
wood windows, decent insulation.
with my 15 SEER heat pump my electric
bill hasn't exceeded $60 since install
in June of 2012 install.
My sister's utility bill is always $150 plus
13 seer with elec strip, double paned windows
better insulation packags.
My house is tight, hers is fairly leaky.
air sealing & heat pump/higher seer
its a good fit, for me.

the $800 "savings" that my sister chose
has cost her every month...and until unit
is replaced..will continue to cost.
savings in her situation wasn't savings
at all.

and when she replaces...her DH will insist
on cheapest...again.
it is all in understanding what the investment
returns. savings & comfort was my goal, not
cheaper up front.
the difference in August
sept in RH & coolness of our houses are day
& night. with a variable speed air handler
my Rh stays 55%. getting it lower..and air
COLD (wonderful in hot summer) requires the
whole house dehumidifier.

I designed my system, sized ducts & ductwork inside
living space to remove RH, the aprilaire was a great
deal that I couldn't pass up...but I have to confess
I only used it in august/sept. otherwise 55% RH is
ok with me.
and the $40 winter bill...wonderful!!

best of luck.

Upgrade SEER or zone playroom over 3 car garage

Comments (6)

chispa

energy_rater_la

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