Room Air Conditioners Key Product Criteria

Equipment Criteria
Room Air Conditioners At least 10% more energy efficient than the minimum federal government standards.
Table 1: Units without Reverse Cycle*
Capacity (BTU/hour) CEERBASE
(units with louvered sides)		 CEERBASE
(units without louvered sides)
< 6,000 12.1 11.0
6,000 to 7,999
8,000 to 10,999 12.0 10.6
11,000 to 13,999 10.5
14,000 to 19,999 11.8 10.2
20,000 to 27,999 10.3 10.3
= 28,000 9.9
Table 2: Units With Reverse Cycle*
Capacity (BTU/hour) CEERBASE
(units with louvered sides)		 CEERBASE
(units without louvered sides)
< 14,000 10.2
= 14,000   9.6
< 20,000   10.8
= 20,000   10.2
Table 3: Casement Units*
Casement Type CEERBASE
Casement-Only 10.5
Casement-Slider 11.4
Table 4: Connected Allowance**
Product Type CEERAdder_Connected2
All RAC types covered in Tables 1, 2 and 31 0.05 x CEERBASE

1 Product must be certified using the final ENERGY STAR Test Method for Room Air Conditioners to Validate Demand Response (TBD) to use the allowance.

2 Calculated allowance shall be rounded down to the nearest tenth before being applied in Equation 1.

*See ENERGY STAR Version 4.0 Room Air Conditioners for additional information on certification criteria.

**See ENERGY STAR Version 4.0 Room Air Conditioners for additional information on connected product criteria

Features that help room air conditioners achieve this efficiency include:

  • High-efficiency compressors
  • High-efficiency fan motors
  • Improved heat transfer surfaces

An air conditioner transfers heat — from the inside of a building, where it is not wanted, to the outside. The compressor sends cooled refrigerant through the coils. The refrigerant draws heat from the air as it is forced over the coils. A fan blows outside air over the hot coil, transferring heat from the refrigerant to the outdoor air. Because the heat is removed from the indoor air, the indoor area is cooled.

By using advanced heat transfer technologies, ENERGY STAR qualified room air conditioners transfer more heat from the air into the coils than conventional models transfer, saving the energy required to compress the refrigerant.

ENERGY STAR room air conditioners will also have intelligent, energy-saving features including:

Energy Saver Mode – In this mode, an air conditioner will operate more efficiency by limiting fan operation when the compressor turns off. While this will be the default mode when the unit is turned on, consumers can override this setting, if they wish.

Filter Reminder – The air conditioner will provide a visual reminder that the air filter needs to be checked, cleaned or replaced, as needed – to help keep the unit operating at a high efficiency.