Jeff Wilson replaced his HVAC system for the same reason most homeowners do: It broke. Five years ago in the heat of summer, his air conditioner died — and this was well before he embarked on an all-out Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) to green his 70-year-old Cape Cod. Still, he used this opportunity to upgrade the old, standard unit. "We had to keep a little air conditioning on so we didn't have so much mold," Jeff says, describing a major pitfall of the home: high humidity that produced damaging condensation, causing woodwork deterioration and poor air quality. Jeff got three bids for the HVAC project, ranging from $3,500 to trade the old HVAC unit for a comparable model to $12,000 for a state-of-the-art system. (These price estimates are from the time of installation in 2005.) "We expected gas prices to go through the roof, which they did in 2008," Jeff says, weighing the options. "And we expected this new HVAC unit to last." The 26-year-old unit Jeff replaced was 80 percent efficient — not bad for 1979 technology.

But we've come a long way since then. The standard option Jeff considered as a replacement would basically restore the system to status quo for $3,500. But Jeff was looking for more. The midrange unit was priced at $4,200 and would boost the furnace efficiency to 90 percent, with a 16-SEER air conditioner. The lower the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER), the more energy it takes to cool the home. The high-end system would cost Jeff $5,800, but for that $2,300 more, he got more features and optimum, 97 percent efficiency. Because the Wilsons mainly used their air conditioning to defuse the thick humidity typical in southeast Ohio during summer, a variable-speed blower was worth the investment. This mechanism allows Jeff to set the humidity level on his thermostat. "Instead of cooling your house down to get humidity levels low, you can do a bit of dehumidifying [with the blower] to keep the temperatures lower," he explains. Jeff could get this feature plus 7 percent more efficiency on the gas furnace.

"We were looking toward the future," he says of the price tag and, when comparing systems, the estimated five-year payback. The choice was relatively easy for Jeff. He chose the highest-end unit and sized the HVAC system exactly to fit his home so no energy would be wasted. However, he did not figure in extra capacity to supply heat and air to the new home addition, which would come to fruition five years later. Because this addition is built using the latest green technology in new construction — and solar panel energy — he doesn't expect to need the extra power for this part of the house.how much is a heating and air conditioning unit Immediately after installing the new HVAC, Jeff noticed energy bills that were about 20 percent lower. my ac unit outside not working"That's pretty significant," he remarks, noting that as HVAC systems age they become less efficient. cost of ac repair home

The old system was probably running at 50 percent efficiency by the time it was replaced in 2005. Invest in the best. "This is a long-term decision; it's not an appliance like a microwave," Jeff says. "By buying the highest efficiency rating possible now, you hedge your bets against the high energy prices that will come later."It may sound like a good thing if an HVAC unit kicks on and cools down a house in five minutes. "If you put in a unit that's too big, you'll fry the compressor," Jeff says. Ask the HVAC professional to size the system just right for your home.Jeff asked three contractors for estimates and made an educated decision based on the cost benefits of each. Shop around before you settle on a system or a contractor. The 2.4-gigawatt Robert Moses Niagara hydroelectric power plant is the fourth-largest hydroelectric power plant in the United States.  In 2015, New York produced more hydroelectric power than any other state east of the Rocky Mountains. In 2015, New York had the seventh-highest average electricity prices in the United States, down from the third-highest price in 2014.

To curb air pollution, in 2012 New York became the first northeastern state to require that all heating oil be ultra-low sulfur diesel. To ensure reliability, New York regulators require electricity-generating units that can burn either fuel oil or natural gas to be ready to switch to fuel oil if natural gas supply is constrained. The NY-Sun initiative aims to install 3,000 megawatts of small-scale (less than 200 kilowatts) solar photovoltaic facilities by 2023, and more than 15% of that target was installed by the end of 2015. More than half of New York households (53%) use individual window or wall air conditioning units, while only 20% have a central air conditioning system, according to EIA's Residential Energy Consumption Survey. Last Updated: July 21, 2016 Renewable & Alternative Fuels State Renewable Electricity Statistics Natural Gas Summary Statistics Governor Cuomo Announces Air Conditioners Available for Low-Income New Yorkers With Serious Medical Conditions

You are leaving the official State of New York website. 1 used & new from Available from these sellers. NewAir AC-10000E 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner With Auto Evaporative Technology 12.4 x 13.9 x 28.1 inches 3.0 out of 5 stars #1,196,351 in Home and Kitchen (See Top 100 in Home and Kitchen) #386 in Home & Kitchen > Heating, Cooling & Air Quality > Air Conditioners & Accessories > Air Conditioners > Portable Would you like to give feedback on images? See all 57 customer reviews See all 57 customer reviews (newest first) Most Recent Customer Reviews Purchased this in May 2015 and in July 2016 it quit working. Two months after warranty expired. And the company had little interest in diagnosing what was going on and no... Damaged on bottom when rec'd. Too heavy for me to lug down steps to return. This AC blows out some really cold air, which is great. The unit does a good job cooling down a 280 square foot room, and also effective in dehumidifying as well.