Let’s help you calculate the 10 SEER vs 16 SEER energy savings. In these cases, you usually have 20+ year old 10 SEER unit and are wondering if it makes sense to replace it with a 16 SEER unit. To help you out, we have created a 10 SEER vs 16 SEER energy savings calculator you can freely use. On top of that, we have calculated 1-year, 10-year, and 20-year savings and gathered the results in the chart further on.
Alright, we all know that a 16 SEER unit is more energy efficient than a 10 SEER unit. The electricity usage difference is substantial; 16 SEER unit is 60.0% more energy efficient than 10 SEER unit. For the biggest 8-ton units, that can literally mean over $10,000 in energy savings during a 20-year AC lifespan (specified in the chart below).
Let’s look at one quick example (it will help you use the calculator and chart below). Suppose we have a 3-ton 10 SEER AC unit and are looking to replace it with a new 3-ton 16 SEER unit. What are the energy savings we can expect here?
Using this formula, we can calculate the average running wattage for both units:
AC Running Wattage = Tonnage × 12,000 / SEER Rating
Here are the results for a 3-ton unit at a $0.15/kWh electricity rate and 1,000 running hours per year:
- 10 SEER 3-ton unit runs on 3,600 watts, and it thus uses 3.6 kWh of electricity per hour. That means our expected yearly AC bill is $540.
- 16 SEER 3-ton unit runs on 2,250 watts, and it thus uses 2.25 kWh of electricity per hour. That means our expected yearly AC bill is $337,50.
In this situation, if you replace a 10 SEER unit with a 16 SEER unit, you are looking at $202,50 energy savings per year. That’s $2,025 savings in 10-years and whooping $4,050 savings in the next 20 years.
Now, you might be looking to replace 2-ton, 2.5-ton, 4-ton, 5-ton unit, and so on. The electricity rates in your are might not be $0.15/kWh; they can be as low as $0.08/kWh or as high as $0.30/kWh.
To help you out with the energy savings calculation, we have prepared the 10 SEER vs 16 SEER calculator you can freely use. Use the 1st slider to specify the AC tonnage, and the 2nd slider to specify the electricity rates. The calculator will give you 1-year, 10-year, and 20-year energy savings.
Below the calculator, you will also find a 10 SEER vs 16 SEER chart for 1-8 ton AC units ($0.15/kWh) and the corresponding 1-year, 10-year, and 20-year energy savings:
10 SEER Vs 16 SEER Energy Savings Calculator
Let’s take a big 5 ton AC unit to illustrate how this calculator works. The electricity rates in your area are $0.12/kWh. You slide the 1st slider to ‘5’ and the 2nd one to ‘0.12’, and you get this result:
By choosing 16 SEER over 10 SEER 5-ton unit, you are looking at $270.00 savings per year. That’s $2,700 savings in 10 years, and very high $5,400 savings in 20 years.
You can see that upgrading from 10 SEER to 16 SEER unit is a financially very smart choice.
Here are the calculated 10 SEER vs 16 SEER 1-year, 10-year, and 20-year energy savings at $0.15/kWh and 1,000 running hours/year for 1-8 ton units:
10 SEER Vs 16 SEER Chart For 1-8 Ton Air Conditioners And Heat Pumps
| Unit Size (Tonnage): | 1-Year Savings ($): | 10-Year Savings ($): | 20-Year Savings ($): |
| 1 Ton | $67.50 Savings Per Year | $675.00 Per 10 Years | $1,350.00 Per 20 Years |
| 1.5 Ton | $101.25 Savings Per Year | $1,012.50 Per 10 Years | $2,025.00 Per 20 Years |
| 2 Ton | $135.00 Savings Per Year | $1,350.00 Per 10 Years | $2,700.00 Per 20 Years |
| 2.5 Ton | $168.75 Savings Per Year | $1,687.50 Per 10 Years | $3,375.00 Per 20 Years |
| 3 Ton | $202.50 Savings Per Year | $2,025.00 Per 10 Years | $4,050.00 Per 20 Years |
| 3.5 Ton | $236.25 Savings Per Year | $2,362.50 Per 10 Years | $3,600.00 Per 20 Years |
| 4 Ton | $270.00 Savings Per Year | $2,700.00 Per 10 Years | $5,400.00 Per 20 Years |
| 5 Ton | $337.50 Savings Per Year | $3,375.00 Per 10 Years | $6,750.00 Per 20 Years |
| 6 Ton | $405.00 Savings Per Year | $4,050.00 Per 10 Years | $8,050.00 Per 20 Years |
| 7 Ton | $472.50 Savings Per Year | $4,725.00 Per 10 Years | $9,450.00 Per 20 Years |
| 8 Ton | $540.00 Savings Per Year | $5,400.00 Per 10 Years | $10,800.00 Per 20 Year |
We can see that replacing 10 SEER unit with a 16 SEER unit will produce:
- $67.50 to $540.00 savings per year.
- $675 to $5,400 savings in 10 years.
- $1,350 to $10,800 savings in 20 years. That’s quite incredible savings.
From these simple calculations, we can see that upgrading 10 SEER to 16 SEER unit can save us $1,000 in the next 10 to 20 years. If you are still in a dilemma, you can give us some figures in the comments below, and we will help you out with the calculations. Thank you.