Answer

A consumer-friendly list of all tax credit eligible Central Air Conditioners does not exist. There are two lists designed for HVAC professionals which we do not recommend for consumers. The first contains systems certified by a third-party to achieve the claimed performance and contains the vast majority of eligible systems. The second is a small complementary list of systems that are manufacturer self-certified.

Having said that, here are the lists that consumers could use to verify the equipment you plan to purchase is eligible for the tax credit:

1) CEE-AHRI Online database .

      Scroll down the page to the chart. For the "Residential Central AC" row, click on the link in the right-hand column to "Find Qualifying Equipment"

      At the bottom of the first column, click "Yes" for "Eligible for Tax Credit"

      Specify as much additional information as you can (manufacturer, model number)

2) Non-AHRI CAC/ASHP Product List  [Excel]  [PDF]- This list is much shorter, but you'll need to check for the required SEER and EER levels:

Split Systems: SEER >= 16 & EER >=13
Package systems: SEER >= 14 & EER >= 12

Note - not all ENERGY STAR products will qualify for the tax credit. View ENERGY STAR criteria.