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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Consumer life-cycle cost impacts of energy-efficiency standards for residential-type central air conditioners and heat pumps

Conference ·
OSTI ID:799569

In support of the federal government's efforts to raise the minimum energy-efficiency standards for residential-type central air conditioners and heat pumps, a consumer life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis was conducted to demonstrate the economic impacts on individual consumers from revisions to the standards. LCC is the consumer's cost of purchasing and installing an air conditioner or heat pump and operating the unit over its lifetime. The LCC analysis is conducted on a nationally representative sample of air conditioner and heat pump consumers resulting in a distribution of LCC impacts showing the percentage of consumers that are either benefiting or being burdened by increased standards. Relative to the existing minimum efficiency standard of 10 SEER, the results show that a majority of split system air conditioner and heat pump consumers will either benefit or be insignificantly impacted by increased efficiency standards of up to 13 SEER.

Research Organization:
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs. Office of Building Research and Standards (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
799569
Report Number(s):
LBNL--49355; B& R EC0904000
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English