Definition
EER2 (Energy Efficiency Ratio 2) is the U.S. Department of Energy rating for an air conditioner's or heat pump's cooling output per watt of electricity at one hot test condition, 95°F outdoors, rather than averaged across a season. It describes peak-heat performance. Federal EER2 minimums apply only to air conditioners installed in the Southwest region.
Also called: Energy Efficiency Ratio 2
Why it matters to you.
Kentucky has no federal EER2 minimum, but EER2 describes the hot, humid July and August afternoons when a Central Kentucky system runs hardest. Two systems with similar SEER2 ratings can differ in how efficiently they cool on those peak days.
Practical guidance.
Read EER2 from the AHRI Directory listing for the exact matched indoor and outdoor pair you are quoted. Use it as a tiebreaker between systems with similar SEER2 ratings, not as a legal threshold in Kentucky.
About this definition
Written by the Feistritzer Heating & Air Conditioning team — family owned and operated in Danville since 1976, Kentucky HVAC license M02584. Definitions inform; a whole-system diagnosis in your home decides.