Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top I am replacing a 30 year old AC unit and I have had 4 estimates. 2 of the 4 people did not even take any measurements and the other two took a lot of measurements. I am leaning towards the ones that took measurements, but they are giving me two options. I live in Florida. Here are the two options: 3.5 tons 13 seer straight cool 3.5 tons 13 seer heat pump What is the difference between the above two? Does anyone know some important questions I could ask the installers to see which one maybe more qualified or knowledgeable in installing the unit I found paperwork on the house and it indicates that a 3.5 ton was installed in 1984. The two people that did not measure apparently were salesmen. One from sears told me this: OK great give me a call or send me an email when you ready. You currently have a 2 Ton and I can see going to above 1/2 ton more or a max 1 Ton more not 1 1/2 Tons more.

I will install what you want, and our system and service will be better than any company out there. When you contract with Sears you don't get a lot of plastic and thin metals you get a good quality system that will last. I don't understand how Sears can tell me I have a 2 ton when I have a 3.5 ton. how much is a new air conditioning unit costSomething smells fishy here?ac units online The heat pump can move heat indoors to outdoors ("air condition") as well as from outdoors to indoors (heating). window ac unit repair costThe cooling only unit can only air condition. If the house already has heating or you rarely need heat, you can save some money by getting a cooling-only unit, and maybe supplement that with portable electric heaters as needed.

As to brand comparisons, I strongly recommend you review the Consumer Reports reader reliability report of air conditioners and heatpumps: that can be done online by paying a fee, or visiting a library. As for some installers carefully measuring and the others not, the latter could be fine if your dwelling is not especially unique: an experienced installer has run the numbers so many times that they know what the result is. That experience is helped by there being a coarse choice of capacities: 2 ton, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, 12.5, etc. On the other hand, not measuring could be a sign of an unknowledgeable installer. Do they also propose a 3.5 ton unit? As far as questions to ask, I like to elicit being assured that if anything goes wrong for X years, they will fix it for free. If they can say so confidently, that is a very good sign that they don't think anything will go wrong. It might be useful to ask an installer why they choose 3.5 tons and not 3 or 4.

There is a certain degree of assumption about worst case and average case conditions. If the a/c can't quite keep up on the 5 hottest days that is one thing, but if it can't keep up on 30 of them, that is quite a different matter. Likewise, an oversized system can chill the air so much that it doesn't have to run much, making the air stagnant and possibly muggy. Questions asking about how they balance those factors are good for you to understand and for the installer to reflect upon. Differences: none and probably made by the same, or comprable, manufacturer. 13 SEER is the lowest efficiency HVAC system a contractor can install. There are much better systems out there that would significantly reduce your electric bill. 2 ton or 3 1/2 ton? there is a nameplate on the outdoor unit that will have a model number. Something like xxx24xxx etc,. the 24 means 24,000 BTU/hr or 2 tons (12,000 BTU/hr per ton). I have a freind that has a variable speed system the runs on low speed all the time and he has a $90 electric bill, in FLORIDA!

I sell Ameristar and have for several years. Very good equipment almost no warranty work ever needed. A lot depends on your installer and his competence. The problem with both Ameristar and Goodman is that anyone that has a licsence can buy them at the local wholesale shop, that doesn't mean they know what they are doing when it comes to installing them..trust me when I say there is a reason that I get paid 80 bucks an hour to fix those screw ups. Get someone that makes their living in HVAC not a buddy that used to do HVAC or a fresh grad from a trade school or a guy that works as an installer for a plumber that a buddy knows. Be sure your contractor can and does do warranty work on the brand you buy,,,what ever that brand may be. I have installed Goodman for years with hardly any problems. The warranties are very good (10 year parts and compressor) plus you can purchase a labor warranty. I warranty my labor for a year after installation. Also if you need parts after the manufacturer warranty they are less expensive than most other brands.

It does depend on the installer. If Goodman is installed right, you should not have problems. Thank you for your interest in this question. Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count). Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead? Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged air-conditioning or ask your own question.Air Conditioner Unit Ratings (AC) Learn More About Air Conditioner Ratings (AC) Central air conditioning units are rated for efficiency using the "seasonal energy efficiency ratios" or SEER. The higher the SEER number the more efficient the unit is and the better job it does of cooling your home for with less energy. Less energy used means fewer dollars spent on energy bills which is of course a good thing. Like most energy appliances air conditioners have made great strides over the last several years.

In the late 1980's the average SEER rating for an air conditioner was around 6.0. In 1992 the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) who regulates the minimum SEER rating of new air conditioners in the United States mandated that all units sold must have a 10 SEER rating or higher. Today the minimum level allowed to be sold is 13 SEER and manufacturers offer high efficiency units ranging from 16 SEER all the way to 20 SEER! It is important to note that there is a difference between the air conditioner size (or capacity) and it's efficiency rating. A 3 ton air conditioner (36,000 BTU/hr) which is 8 SEER will cool at roughly the same rate as a 3 ton air conditioner with a 12 SEER rate. When we talk about efficiency we are really talking about the amount of energy used to create the 36,000 BTU/hr. To put it another way, SEER is similar to the MPG rating your car has while the size of the AC unit is similar to the amount of horsepower that your car has. Here is a simplified look at SEER efficiencies:

A 8 SEER unit would use twice as much energy as a 16 SEER unit would for the same cooling. A 12 SEER unit would use 1 1/4 times as much energy as a 16 SEER unit would for the same cooling. So, the 8 SEER unit will use significantly more energy than the 16 SEER model. The next question is what that means from a practical point of view. In other words, how much money did I save with the higher efficiency air conditioner? Now for the more complex version: Let's take a test case and look at the dollars and cents. Assuming a 3 ton or 36,000 btu unit will run for approximately 4 months, on average 8 hours of the day, with a kilowatt hour cost of $.07. 36,000 BTU/hr X 960 hours / 8.0 SEER = 4,320,000 X $.07 = 302,400 / 1000 watts/KW = $302.40 to run per year. 36,000 BTU/hr X 960 hours / 16.0 SEER = 2,160,000 X $.07 = 151,200 / 1000 watts/KW = $151.20 to run per year. Over the life of the air conditioner (15 years) this could add up to quite a sizable amount of money.