SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency ratio. Simply stated, this is the electrical efficiency of your air conditioning system. Today we have 14 SEER, 16 SEER and even up to 20 SEER systems on the market. The higher the SEER rating, the less electricity the system uses, and the lower the utility bill. As of January 2006, manufacturers will not be able to produce anything less than 13 SEER. Obviously, the higher the SEER rating, the more expensive the system costs up front.