I'm in the middle of a renovation so forgive me if this sounds like a slightly loopy (or paranoid) question, but: I thought I was signing up for a relatively efficient AC system to be installed in my home as part of the project. I told the contractor I wanted at least a 16 SEER system. They brought the main AC condenser units today and the yellow label says SEER 14.5 (ICP CXA630GKA100). I immediately asked the installer about this and he told me, it is paired with a variable speed airhandler. The airhandler is very efficient and brings the whole system up to 16 SEER. "Don't worry, the air handler and the AC unit are meant to work as a set and you'll get your rebate for the energy efficent system no problem." My contractor's quote (which is what I signed off on) includes the following:

---UPSTAIRS TO BE 2 TON COMFORTMAKER 16 SEER VARIABLE SPEED

---DOWNSTAIRS TO BE 2.5 TON COMFORMAKER 16 SEER VARIABLE SPEED.

If anyone out there can give me advice about how to make sure the numbers actually add up, or if this is a common practice, I'd appreciate it. The contractor and HVAC guys are very nice and have a good reputation, but I'm just a bit surprised by this one. I did research on the 16 SEER comfortmaker system before I signed off on the contract and was happy that it seemed a decent set up, but did not see anything in the material about the fact that the AC is actually only 14.5 SEER.