High efficiency is a phrase tossed around plenty in the world of home services. People are often laser-focused on getting appliances labeled as “high-efficiency.” Thankfully, there are government regulations about efficiency that make it easier to identify when a product meets the criteria for improved energy consumption. For electrical products, this is the ENERGY STAR label, which is determined by the US Department of Energy.
But when we talk about high-efficiency air conditioners, we’re referring to appliances that go beyond the ENERGY STAR requirement. For a central AC to receive the ENERGY STAR label, it must have SEER (the standard efficiency rating for air conditioners and heat pumps) of 15 or more. But there are central ACs with SEER up to 25. In general, if an air conditioner has SEER greater than 18, it’s considered “high efficiency.” A standard for many high-efficiency systems is 20–22 SEER.
If you’ve lived in Colorado Springs through at least one winter season, you know that the arrival of March is no guarantee that the weather will just keep getting warmer as we move into spring. Nonetheless, it 
This week is the official start of fall. Temperatures, of course, don’t strictly obey the calendar, and you may still need to rely on running your air conditioner for a few more weeks. But it’s a transition time, and this is an ideal point in the year to stop and consider how well your air conditioner performed over the summer. This can help you make a few important decisions about your HVAC system and home comfort—in particular, answer the big question: “Is my AC good for another year, or should I schedule a replacement?”
A piece of machinery that’s covered with a layer of grime and dirt won’t run as well as when it’s clean. That’s just a basic fact. When it comes to your air conditioning system, a layer of dirt and grime almost anywhere on it is bad news. For example, dust along the indoor evaporator coils can quickly cause the AC to lose energy efficiency and ice to develop along the coils.
The indoor fan for your central air conditioning system is not only how the AC sends cooled air around the house. It’s also how the AC moves warm air brought from the living spaces across the evaporator coils to cool it down. Without a working fan, you have no cool air and no way to deliver any air to the rooms.
The second half of summer is when you are more likely to encounter a malfunction with your air conditioning system. This makes sense, as the AC has been hard at work for at least a few months, and wear on the system can cause small problems to start to worsen. (Another reminder about why spring air conditioning maintenance is so vital.)
During stressful times, you don’t want to have yet another major problem dropped into your schedule. A broken air conditioning system counts for most people as a “major problem” during the summer, and if you have an air conditioner that isn’t providing the level of comfort your household requires, you will probably need to call us for 
You’re probably not an expert at the technology of air conditioning systems. We don’t expect you to be—it’s a large field and it takes years of training to handle the extensive work involved in AC repair, installation, and other service work. We understand if you look at the stats on an air conditioner and feel a little bewildered. For example, what does a “5 Ton 15 SEER/11 EER R-410A refrigerant unit with a scroll compressor” mean?
The thermostat is how you communicate with your heating and cooling system. A simple idea on the surface. But handling thermostat settings requires a bit more planning and thought than just “raise it when it’s cold, lower it when it’s hot.” The thermostat doesn’t work like a throttle, and when it’s treated like one, it leads to energy waste, an uncomfortable house, and a potentially broken air conditioner during the summer.
To ensure you have 
