That chart is very misleading....thats the BEST readings, in a CONTROLLED
LAB..

In higher humidity areas, you will find that your savings are not anywhere
NEAR what is POTENTIALLY advertised.

I have several customers that have lower bills than some with new 14SEER
units with only 12SEER units...its more in the proper sizing for the area,
and home than just slapping in a 18SEER unit and thinking, sometimes
wrongly, that your bills will magically go down to nothing.

Once you understand the trade offs of the higher SEER stuff, you understand
why they are perfect for Southern CA, but not so perfect for a humid
climate.

"Rudy" wrote in message
...

Hoping to get some insight to make a good decision...We are shopping for
a
new home here in Austin TX, and have come to the conclusion the home
will
be
a two story, probably between 2600-3100 sq foot ...Some builders offer
two
seperate systems, one for up and one for down, and some offer a single
"zoned" system..I think they are all using 12seer units

Our last place (5 yrs ago: 2740 sf one floor) had 2 Carrier heat pumps
1-12.5 SEER 1- 14 SEER..We were happy with them and had the lowest
heating/cooling bills in the neighborhood. It was a LONG house (120') and
needed two.

We're building a new one now and this time its a 3300 sf 2 floor home
and
we're going with a single American Standard 14SEER heat pump. IMO, the
additional cost of going up to 14 SEER (from 12) will be paid back to you
by
more efficient operation of the higher SEER device. See chart below.

You may want to see the FAQ or order the free video at:

http://www.americanstandardair.com/VideoRequest.asp