Many people need to replace the air conditioning unit in their home for one reason or another. It could be that the old unit is inefficient and costing too much money to run. It could be that the unit is just no longer cooling properly. It could be that the unit is completely broken down and will not run at all.
Whether you are replacing the current unit in your home or you do not have a unit at all and you need one installed, you will want to choose the right central AC for your home. However, if you are like many people, you may have no idea what type of unit you need. Do not depend totally on an installation company to tell you which AC unit you need. Instead, know what you need and pick the right one wisely for your home. Here are some tips on choosing an air conditioning unit that will work in your home.
The Size of the AC Unit
To begin with, you need to know what size air conditioner you need for your home. Some people have the misguided notion that the bigger the better holds true of an AC. However, this is the exact opposite of the truth. An air conditioning unit that is actually too large for your home will create an uncomfortable living situation. An oversized unit will:
- Cause the room to be too cold
- Cause the room to feel damp
- Cause too much cycling and extra power consumption
Choosing the right sized air conditioning unit depends on a few different factors. These include the square footage of your home, the number of stories in your home, the number of rooms that will need to be cooled, the amount of sunlight or shading that the home gets on a regular basis, and the type of insulation and window insulation your home has. The best way to choose the right sized air conditioning unit is to talk with a licensed contractor to evaluate your home.
AC Efficiency
In this day and age of rising costs for energy and a need for a better environment, energy efficiency is extremely important. You need to choose an AC unit that will work efficiently. Thankfully, modern air conditioning units work much more efficiently than older models do and you can choose a highly efficient model for your own home.
There is a specialty ratio that will indicate the energy efficiency of an air conditioning unit. It is called SEER, which stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. This is a number that companies use to indicate the efficiency of the unit. To make things simple, a higher SEER number will indicate a higher efficiency in the unit. Common air conditioners are a SEER of 13. You can choose a higher number if you are more concerned with efficiency and less concerned with price. A lower SEER will equal a higher energy bill each month.
MERV Rating
The type of filter that your central air conditioner unit uses will have an effect on the air quality in your home. If anyone in your family has asthma or suffers from allergies, the air quality in the home is extremely important. You can determine the information about the filter for a unit by its MERV rating. This stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The higher the rating, the more high quality the filter will be. While the standard MERV rating is eight, you may want to choose a higher number if you have asthma or allergies.
Choosing the right central air conditioner will have an immense impact on how efficiently your home is cooled. Be sure to consider the things above so that you can pick the right AC unit for your home.
Paul Bennett is a writer for Ocean State AC. Ocean State AC has been serving the Jacksonville, Florida area since 1975 offering affordable air conditioning and heating services.
