Air conditioners don't last forever. The good news, though, is that if you have an old air conditioning system, replacing it should save you money. Efficiency has improved a lot since that old hunk of metal and noise was installed in your back yard. Beyond just swapping out the old equipment for new, getting a new air conditioner really needs to involve some thought. Here are five things for you to think about and ask potential contractors. If possible, you should use an HVAC contractor who understands building science and will treat your air conditioning problem using a systems approach. An air conditioner is only one component of many that helps with the heating and cooling of your home. Insulation, air leakage, duct leakage, solar gain through windows, radiant heat problems in bonus rooms, and more all affect the comfort, healthfulness, durability, and energy efficiency of your home. To understand the basics, see our article on Building Science 101. If you ask an HVAC contractor how they're going to decide what size air conditioner to put in, there are some wrong answers that should have you yelling, "Next!"

Here are a few: The first answer is bad because they're assuming the original contractor sized the system properly—and that nothing has changed since. The second is bad because they're assuming that bigger is better. The third is bad because using a rule of thumb based on square footage doesn't work, and they should measure the house themselves rather than relying on your number. The proper way to size heating and cooling systems is to calculate the actual heating and cooling loads for your home. To do so, the contractor has to measure the house completely, get all the insulation R-values, window types, orientation, infiltration rate, duct leakage, and more. Then they put all that into their load calculation software and find out how many Btu's per hour your home needs. The most common way of doing this is to use the Manual J load calculation protocol. Proper sizing is important because an air conditioner does two jobs: (i) cools the air, and (ii) dehumidifies the air.

In a humid climate, an oversized air conditioner will cool just fine but won't dehumidify well. Also, oversized systems go on and off a lot, and all those start-ups and shut-downs will shorten the life of your air conditioner. What happens inside the cooling equipment is only part of making your home cool and comfortable. The distribution system plays a huge role, and the typical duct system has a lot of leakage in it. If you're paying a lot of money each month to run your air conditioner, you don't want to waste that cooling through a lot of leaks in your ducts, do you? A duct leakage test will determine how bad your ducts are. Duct leakage isn't the only problem with getting cool air into your home. Many duct systems don't move as much air as they should because of ducts that are too small, kinked, too long, or have other types of constrictions. At a minimum, your HVAC contractor should measure the total external static pressure and make sure it's within the limits specified for the equipment they're installing.

Ideally, they'll also measure the air flow to each room to make sure your home will be heated and cooled uniformly. window ac unit no powerRemember, it's not all about the air conditioner. auto repair shops in miami floridaThe overall performance depends a lot on how well the ducts move the conditioned air.ac units for sale online If you're serious about getting a new air conditioner installed for peak performance, head over to the ACCA website and download their Quality HVAC Installation Checklist. Use it as a guide to choose the right contractor. In addition to the checklist, they have a nice page on their website on choosing the right HVAC contractor. Getting an air conditioner replaced is a big investment. It's also an opportunity to improve the comfort, healthfulness, durability, and energy efficiency of your home.

It won't happen without your involvement, though, because many HVAC contractors will be happy just to swap out old equipment for new without looking at the bigger picture. Find one who's willing and able to go beyond the box. Even better, get a full home energy assessment. The Magic of Cold, Part 1 - How Your Air Conditioner Works How to Choose a Company to Do a Home Energy Audit Case Closed: Get Those Air Conditioning Ducts out of the AtticFirst, Not All Connecticut Air Conditioning Companies Are Alike. Below are five insider tips that can prevent you from getting ripped off, but read on before skipping to the good stuff. An air conditioning system is one of the most expensive appliances you’ll ever buy for your home, due to the intense labor and all of the materials that are necessary for a proper installation. Air conditioning manufactures state that your air conditioning system must be installed per the Local & National Mechanical Safety Codes. All licensed CT contractors are supposed to follow the Local & National Mechanical Safety Codes.

“If they ain’t pullin’ a permit to replace your air conditioning, you can bet that their not following the safety codes.” It used to be that these codes were all about safety, but they started mandating efficiency codes as well. I’ll tell you why. Because consumers were being ripped off by air conditioning installation companies. Many of these companies were (and still are) taking shortcuts so they can get the job done quickly and charge the homeowner less money, just to land another job. A cheap price is not always the best option. It is almost impossible to replace or install an air conditioning system in a few hours and do the job right (up to code). And since you’ll be living with your new air conditioning for the next 15 to 20 years, it only makes sense to avoid such nightmares. If you’ve been told that you need to replace your air conditioning unit, we will happily give you a FREE SECOND OPINION so you will have all the facts. 1. You’ve heard this;

My Air conditioning Guy Said I Have To Get A New One. Many central air conditioning systems are replaced that don’t need to be. Why would a deceiving air conditioning contractor condemn a perfectly good air conditioning? Either to make money or their service technician wasn’t trained properly and can’t fix it. Many of these air conditioning systems could have been inexpensively fixed compared to the price of a new one. The 3 reasons to get your air conditioning replaced may be: it has blown compressor, it is old and inefficient or it’s too expensive to repair. Do you really need a new one? READ ON BEFORE BUYING A NEW AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. 2. What Brand Is The Best For Me? Central Air Conditioners manufactured today basically all have the same safety features. Similar controls, similar compressors, similar choices of efficiencies, etc. Many of the manufactures buy their parts from the same factory and put their name on it. All central air conditioners (no matter what brand) should last 15 to 20 years with the proper maintenance, BUT the cost of keeping an old clunker going can cost more in electricity and repairs than a new high efficient system.

I have replaced over 3,000 air conditioning systems. Many of them were “The Brand” (in their day) and many of them were about the same age. Now, here’s the “dirty little secret” they don’t want you to know. Only about five percent of the satisfaction you’re going to get – is the result of the brand you choose. The other 95% is how well it’s installed. And there are many crucial procedures that should be done properly (if not, the brand is irrelevant). 3. Will I Save Money On My Electric Bill If I Get A New One? Simply replacing an air conditioning system isn’t going to guarantee better cooling and lower energy costs. If the HVAC contractor isn’t careful about checking your ductwork system, you could be throwing Air conditioning dollars out of the window. The installer MUST make the proper size measurements on sheet metal fittings to connect to the new air conditioning. If the Sheetmetal fittings are not done properly, air will be leaking all around the air conditioning or even worse the air can be restricted, causing premature failure of your brand new air conditioning.

Having a programmable thermostat installed is another way to save money on your energy bills. 4. How Much Will It Cost to Install A New Central Air Conditioning System? “Time to give away the Trade Secrets”Condensing Unit (Outdoor Unit)Air Handler (Indoor Unit)Emergency Drain Pan and Safety Overflow SwitchDrain Piping with Safety Ball ValveSheet Metal Ductwork SystemCondensate Pump & PipingRefrigerant Piping (Line Set)Electrical Wiring & Service SwitchDigital Thermostat or Digital Programmable Thermostat ($125 per hour for the Licensed Installer and a helper x 24 hours)Installers Incentive if they do a superb jobConnecticut Sale Tax (6.35%)Total Fair Price Installed And that’s how we price our jobs. Some air conditioning installations may be a bit more, some less depending on the size of the home and ease or difficulty of the installation. If the installers have to work in tight conditions, if your home is larger or you need more ductwork than others then it will be more.

Also, you may want to consider other products to improve the air that you breathe in your home, like a good air filtration system or UV Germicidal Light. These are what we call indoor air quality products (IAQ). They run about $500 to $1500 and a little more labor plus a 20% profit on top of that. We try our hardest to make a 20% net profit so that we can fix our trucks or buy new ones, give incentives, provide health insurance, provide warranty service, give to charity or the community and other things that are important to the individual HVAC contractor. BUT it never seems to work out that way. The average air conditioning contractor earns about 2% net profit or less. And that is why so many go out of business within 5 years. Many Contractors will under-price a job, just to get the job. They are not helping the customer because it will be impossible to find these contractors in 5 years, when things start to break. Some older companies have been in business for so long that they forget to raise their prices or are simply afraid to because they think they will loose customers.

Well the problem with that is, you can’t take care of your customers if you are not making money. They will eventually end up in the same boat as those other contractors, WORKING FOR ME! Well, that’s basically how a good solid HVAC contractor prices their jobs. My competition is going to hate me when they read this…oh well. 5. How Many Years Is The Warranty? There are two types of warranties in the air conditioning business. There is the manufactures warranty and the air conditioning contractor’s warranty. The manufactures warranty covers the equipment and all of the parts in it. The air conditioning contractor’s warranty covers the labor costs involved in making the repairs to the equipment and any other work that was done, like sheet metal work, electrical wiring, etc. The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) products have a separate warranty (usually less) than the air conditioning so be aware of that when purchasing them. Some companies have a guarantee that stops the minute they leave your driveway.