Posts Tagged ‘heating’

Air Conditioning – You get what you pay for.

If you are going to be in your home for any considerable amount of time, consider this. If you have an older air conditioner it can be costing you hundreds of dollars in the summer months more than it could be with a newer high efficiency system. When you factor in the cost of repairs… well, you get the picture. Today’s high efficiency systems offer more than just energy savings, they offer improved comfort, cleaner air, humidity control, and quieter operation.

Most people when they are in the market for a new system ask themselves 2 questions: 1). What brand or model should I get? and 2). whats the price? Both of these are important questions but the bigger question is who is going to install it? It starts with the comfort consultant. Make no mistake, this person is a salesman that is being paid a commission when you buy.  That’s not a bad thing as long as that person earns their money by doing the best work possible.

To select the right comfort consultant there are several things you should look for.
1). Make sure the company is reputable, check their complaint record with Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
2). Get references. Get 2 recent installs, 2 one year old installs, and 2 five year old installs.
3). Before recommending any piece of equipment your comfort consultant needs to do 2 very important things. They need to get to know you, your needs and preferences. They also need to get to know your house. This is the interview phase. If you try to rush through it, your comfort consultant my miss a piece of vital information that could lead to you getting the wrong solution.
4). Any good comfort consultant will insist on performing a Manual J heat/load calculation. This is done with a computer program that looks at the size of your home, its orientation to the sun, construction type, and the size and type of your windows and doors. This is very time consuming so please be patient. The purpose of the calculation is to determine the correct size of the equipment that you need.

If the equipment is sized too big for your house you will have problems with excess humidity, uneven temperatures throughout the house, excess wear and tear on the equipment from frequent starts and stops, and higher than normal energy bills. If the equipment is too small, it will not keep up during the hottest weeks of summer and you will be uncomfortable and your system won’t get a rest, again higher bills. So sizing is critical.

Once all of that has been done then the consultant can narrow down the myriad brands and models of air conditioning systems to one that’s just right for you. Don’t go cheap. Your air conditioner is most likely the most expensive appliance in your home. It’s an investment, so treat it like one. Remember quality counts and it doesn’t come cheap.