Spring 2016
Good Air Conditioning Starts with Installation
Your air conditioning is a vital part of your home during the summer months. In order to get it to work at its best, you need proper planning at the installation stage: choosing a system that fits your home and can provide the most efficient air conditioning for your circumstances. Preparation with a trained professional is key.
If you're in the market for a new air conditioner, you need to consider your options carefully. Obviously, the right company should be there to perform the installation, but it goes further than that. Air conditioners aren't like other appliances where you can just measure the size, find some features you want and plug it in. Ideally, your air conditioner will last for many years, and in order to do that, it has to meet the needs of your home precisely.
The good news is that it's fairly easy to do so. All you need is the right company as your guide and a few key tips on what to look for in an air conditioning system. That, coupled with a proper installation, will allow you to make the most of a considerable investment and ensure that you have plenty of quality air conditioning to keep cool this summer.
Sizing
Air conditioners have power loads that determine the amount of cooling they emit. That power level needs to be carefully evaluated to best match your home. Most people can guess that an underpowered system won't be able to cool your home efficiently. What you may not suspect is that overpowered systems won't either. By cooling the house too quickly, they trigger a condition known as short cycling, where the air conditioner turns on and off rapidly throughout the day.
AC units spend much more money turning on and off than they do running steadily. An overpowered system will end up costing you more and may require frequent repairs. Sizing means measuring your home's square footage as well as evaluating things like insulation and sunlight exposure to arrive at the precise power level that's right for your home.
Efficiency
On top of sizing, you also need to consider your system's efficiency, measured by a SEER rating. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, and the scale is fairly simple to understand: the higher the rating, the more efficient the system. Once you've decided on the power levels for your new air conditioner, you can begin looking for the most efficient model in your price range.
