Picking an AC Filter for the highest air flow

[FastStache]

How does one pick an a/c filter to use the least amount of electricity? From what I'm reading online MERV ratings are useless, but some sites say a higher MERV rating will allow higher air flow which seems counterintuitive.

Do I need to look at the air flow of my a/c to make the best decision?

[tooqk4u22]

If you don't have any allergies then the cheapies are the best - you really can't have it both ways....except maybe if you get an electrostatic filter installed.

[notquitefrugal]

I have allergies, but I still buy the cheapies. I spray them with cooking spray before installing them, and this seems to help them do a better job of collecting dust.

Edited to add: I was due for another multi-pack of filters, and the store happened to have a washable, reusable filter in my size, so I bought that. $20 for that, which should last almost forever, versus $1-2 per cheap fiberglass filter (I was using 6-8 of those per year).