RichK wrote:

"HeatMan"


A 2 ton condenser and SEER 10 (Bryant) costs 1300 installed, in my area
(Midwest). A guys I know, who does it for a living, said he'd put in a
Goodman condenser of that size for a $1000 and still make money.

Uh-huh...


No messing
with the coil, but it does include a system sniff and full installation.


If the evap coil is not replaced he didn't get SEER.


Please educate me - why not? Isn't the efficiency in the compressor mostly,
or even completely?

Some compressors are more efficient than others, but this is only one of
very many parameters involved in producing higher SEER ratings. In a
nutshell the highest efficiency is produced by providing the greatest
mass flow of refrigerant for the least amount of input energy. Typically
this means increasing low side pressure and reducing high side pressure,
usually by increasing the coil sizes and/or air volume. IOW the main
object is to reduce the pressure differential across the compressor.
More efficient motors and more efficient compressors can typically bump
SEER up another couple of notches. There are still other tweaks besides
these that can be incorporated. Virtually every component of a low SEER
system has a more efficient alternative.

hvacrmedic