Please register to participate in our discussions with 1.5 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads. 1,263 posts, read 1,785,300 times 4,600 posts, read 17,582,644 times 8,293 posts, read 19,165,217 times Originally Posted by lamontnow I had a new Payne (made by Carrier) central AC installed on a 3-bedroom rental house this spring. 2.5 ton unit, with a 10-year warranty. It replaced an older unit, so this was not an all new installation. It cost me approximately $2,300 (tax included). 27,825 posts, read 28,080,635 times 5,286 posts, read 15,274,119 times 697 posts, read 2,420,276 times 605 posts, read 3,884,357 times 1,501 posts, read 9,430,638 times 2 posts, read 414,668 times 7,386 posts, read 9,716,788 times Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum.

It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.Summer 2016 is off to a sultry start, and that means one thing for millions of people: air conditioning. And while we may take A/C for granted, it's generally an expensive luxury. Americans spend more than $11 billion a year on electricity to cool their homes with air conditioning. That accounts for at least 6% of all energy used in some homes. If you're shopping for a new air conditioner, you'll notice quite a few different sizes and models. Here's a quick primer on staying cool and keeping your wallet from overheating while picking out an A/C unit. Chances are you already know that BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, and the more BTUs an air conditioner cranks out, the stronger its cooling power. But here's the problem: Most American consumers aren't sure how to translate BTUs into the square footage of a room. (No disrespect to the Brits, but maybe we need an American Thermal Unit, where 1 AMU corresponds to 1 square foot?)

Lobbying for the AMU aside, you don't have to guess how much BTU power you'll need to cool your space. Instead, see the chart below, taken from a handy Energy Star document. It simply correlates the area you want to cool into BTUs per hour. So for example, an air conditioner with a rating of 8,000 BTUs can cool a room that's 300 to 350 sq. ft., or one that measures about 18 ft. x 18 ft. Of course, you still have to measure your room, but we trust you can work a tape measure and apply this formula: area equals length times width. For irregularly sized rooms, you can always estimate by breaking down the room into smaller geometric shapes, and calculating the size of those. It's one thing to run an air conditioner in your room. But combine its power with a simple ceiling fan, and you can have the best of both worlds. Costing less than a penny an hour to run, ceiling fans have an immediate impact on your domestic comfort once you buy and install them. They generally start at about $40 a piece.

The nice thing about a ceiling fan is it can make you feel anywhere from 3 to 8 degrees cooler. Easy, Breezy Buying: Our Comprehensive Guide to Ceiling and Room Fans When you buy any air conditioner these days, it should come with one of those bright yellow Energy Guide stickers on the box that tells you exactly how much the unit will cost to run. best window ac units for homeTake this into account, as it's part of your total cost for both buying and operating the unit. average monthly cost window ac unitMost folks think bigger is always better, but not so.how much to fix an ac unit According to the Energy Star folks, "Air conditioners remove both heat and humidity from the air. If the unit is too large, it will cool the room quickly, but only remove some of the humidity.

This leaves the room with a damp, clammy feeling. A properly sized unit will remove humidity effectively as it cools." Damp and clammy isn't much better than sweltering. If your unit is more than 10 years old, seriously consider replacing it. According to U.S. Department of Energy estimates, you'll use about 10% less energy with a new Energy Star appliance than one without that designation. Depending on how long you hold onto that new unit, you could save $60 or more over its lifetime in energy costs alone — a de facto rebate just for upgrading to an Energy Star model. The key number to look for is the Energy Efficiency Rating (or EER): The higher the EER, the more efficient the unit. So if you replace an old EER 5 unit with a new EER 10 unit, you'll cut your cooling costs in half. You should also look for the "Energy Star" and "Energy Guide" labels when purchasing a window unit. An energy-efficient unit will cycle the compressor on and off so it doesn't operate continuously.

And Energy Star central air units are 14% more efficient on average than standard models. If you're thinking about upgrading to central air, it's easy to beat yourself up for being an energy hog, or to get intimidated by the sticker price. Yes, it's true that central units will use a lot more power than, say, a single window unit on each floor of a 2-story dwelling. But if you have more than two rooms to cool, then your best bet is to go with a central unit, which also provides long-term resale value for a home. Well-designed central systems also win out in terms of being able to filter the air for allergens and pollutants, and for controlling humidity. Again, keep in mind that window units aren't necessarily more energy efficient than central air units. A window unit that is too small to cool a room may run continuously, wasting energy. When shopping for a central air conditioning system, make sure the SEER number (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) is 13 or better (14 in warmer climates).

A less efficient system will cost you more to run. It's easy to think that buying a new air conditioner or two will solve all of your summer cooling problems. But your AC could use a little help. With central units, for example, a programmable timer or thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs by regulating the temperature when you're out of the house, and by turning on only when you return home. With window units, air filters get dirty, and fast. Clean your AC filter at least every month, as a dirty filter makes your AC work harder and use more electricity. Regardless of the type or age of the unit, you should change your filters after every 90 days of use. 10 Things You Should Throw Away Right Now What's more, you'll use less energy cooling down a room by keeping direct sunlight out during the day. Sunlight can raise the room temperature by 10 to 20 degrees. The less heat gets into your home, the less you have to pay to remove it. It just so happens that drapes block sunlight and heat better than blinds.