Will The Best Central Air Conditioning Brands of 2014 Top The Ratings This Year? When it’s time to install a new central air conditioning unit some people will get themselves twisted up into knots trying to figure out which brand is ‘the best.’ That’s because most people start their research with the wrong definition of what the ‘best air conditioner brand' actually means. Despite what the marketing fluff on the websites of every air conditioning manufacturer says, there is no life-altering difference in the way a new air conditioning unit from one of the top brands will cool your home versus a unit made by one of the other top ac brands. As far as cooling performance goes, the differences in the units produced by the top rated air conditioning manufacturers are so subtle that any objective person would consider them insignificant. So how can you tell which is the best air conditioner brand if they will all cool your home the same? By paying attention to the one thing that really matters when it comes to central air conditioning units… reliability!

Reliability is the main issue that separates a merely good air conditioner brand from the top rated central air conditioners. Think 5-6 years down the road… how annoying (and expensive) would it be if that new air conditioner you spent over $4,000 to install quit working when the temperature was 95 degrees outside? Let me tell you, it would be very annoying, and very expensive. That’s why Consumer Reports’ annual ratings of the best central air conditioner brands are based on how reliable each brand proves to be over a 7-year period. So the 2014 ratings were based on findings from 2007 - 2013, and the 2015 ratings will be based on findings from 2008 - 2014. Here’s a look at the top 3 highest rated air conditioner brands in terms of reliability in Consumer Reports most recent survey... It’s important to note two things that Consumer Reports points out before putting too much emphasis on the ratings. First, differences of fewer than 5 points between the brands aren’t very meaningful.

So a new unit from any of the Top 5 air conditioner brands is going to be a good choice as fewer than 5 points separates the top rated ac brand from the 5th best rated brand. Second, as the editors at Consumer Reports have stated in the past, the most important factor to consider when choosing new heating and air conditioning equipment is finding a company you can trust. Hiring a company you can trust is more important than the brand you choose, the price you pay, or the type of air conditioner you install. None of that stuff matters if you can’t trust the company that installed your air conditioner to take care of you if there is ever a problem.What are some top-rated central AC units? Some top-rated central air conditioners as of 2015 include the Maytag M1200 PSA4BI iQ Drive, Dave Lennox Signature XC25, Carrier Infinity 21 24ANB1, Trane XV20i and Amana ASXC18. Other highly rated central air conditioners include the American Standard Platinum ZV, Coleman Echelon Series and Carrier Performance Series.

What are the ratings and reviews for heat pumps? What are some good brands of central ACs?window ac unit no window What are some highly-rated AC systems?high side on ac unitThis Energy Star Qualified unit has a Seasonal Energy Efficiency or SEER rating of 25.5. do window ac units workIts noise level is rated at only 59 decibels, which is similar to the noise of a conversation. The unit has a programmable thermostat and comes with a 12-year manufacturer's warranty. The Dave Lennox Signature XC25 is highly efficient, and its modulating compressor is capable of lowering energy costs by as much as 60 percent. This has earned this unit the Energy Star Most Efficient status. The Carrier Infinity 21 24ANB1, which is also Energy Star Qualified, has an SEER rating of 21 and a noise level rating of 65 decibels.

It is backed by Carrier's 10-year warranty, which covers all of the unit's parts. This unit can be used with an optional thermostat, which allows the user to control it using an Apple or Android smartphone or tablet. How energy efficient are Carrier central air conditioners? Carrier central air conditioners have seasonal energy efficiency ratios between 13.2 and 21, as of 2015. The Infinity model air conditioners hold the highe... Where are the most reliable reviews on the best central air conditioners online?This review website features the top 10 central a... What are some common problems with central air conditioning systems? Some common problems with central air conditioners include faulty wiring, low Freon levels, failure of the outside fan or unit to work, and the coil freezi... What are some types of air conditioning units for homes? The four main types of air conditioning units for homes are split systems, heat pumps, central air conditioners and ductless mini-split systems.

Why choose a direct-vent wall furnace from Empire? How does an infrared heater bulb conduct heat? What are some highly rated small blower fans? How do you know when a heat pump needs to be replaced? What is steam boiler piping? Where can you purchase Procom heater parts?If most consumers want to know the efficiency of their central air conditioner, they simply look to the SEER rating. The Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) is a metric used to measure how much cooling a system puts out for each unit of energy it consumes. In theory, the higher the SEER rating, the more efficiently the air conditioner operates. The problem with the SEER rating is that it doesn’t give consumers an accurate picture of energy efficiency. As a baseline, the SEER measures an air conditioner’s performance at 82 degrees. Most air conditioners don’t need a lot of power to cool down a space at that temp. However, raise the temperature to 90 or 95 degrees—which is a much more likely summer temperature for most U.S. cities—and you lose an entire ton equivalent of air conditioning.

By increasing the temp just 10 degrees, the cooling capacity of the unit goes down while the energy consumption goes way up. So, when you’re using a conventional central air conditioner at peak load, you may think you’re getting by with an energy efficient rating of SEER 13, but the fact is, it’s much less. So, why do we use such an inaccurate measure of efficiency? It’s important to note that SEER is a marketing term used by the air conditioning industry. It was developed by the manufacturers who make traditional, compressor-based products to help make their air conditioners appear more efficient than they actually are. Because our air conditioners don’t have a compressor, we don’t have a SEER rating. A much more accurate way to determine energy efficiency is using the EER rating—or Energy Efficiency Ratio. Like the SEER, the EER is calculated by taking the total BTU (British Thermal Unit) of heat rejected, or actual cooling per hour and dividing it by the watts of electricity used to reject the heat.