A new central air conditioning unit is an important (and expensive) investment for your home. Thankfully, you don’t have to do it very often! When the time to choose again comes around, it can be a bit of a headache to find the best option, especially since there have likely been many new additions to the market since your last purchase of this nature. Whether your last unit is kicking the bucket or you’ve moved into a new home and want to replace what’s currently installed, here are four tips from Clarke & Rush’s HVAC technicians to help you choose appropriately:
1. Unit Location
Keep in mind where your air conditioner unit is going to be installed. This may affect what type you will end up getting once you also consider factors like size and noise. When choosing a new site for your air conditioning unit, pick a location that’s fairly debris-free where there isn’t much decoration. Measure the spot to guarantee your unit will have plenty of room. Once it’s installed, be sure to check the area around it periodically for any debris restricting its air flow. On the inside of your home, check the vents to see that they are not covered by furniture or other objects from the home.
2. Noise
While maybe not the most important factor of all, noise does play a role in the comfort of your home. Maybe your current air conditioner is both close to your bedroom and loud, waking and keeping you up at night. Or the noise is disrupting to your neighbors, souring your relationship with them. When looking into getting a new A/C system, more expensive dual-stage units with higher efficiency tend to run quieter (as much as 13 times quieter) than cheaper single-stage systems, which may make the extra money worth the investment. The upside is these systems often end up paying for themselves by reducing utility costs.
To discover noises your AC unit should NOT be making, click here.
3. What Your Budget Looks Like
You might be tempted to buy the cheapest of the cheap. We can’t blame you; everyone wants to find shortcuts to save a few extra dollars. However, this is not a system that is going to be used up by the end of the month or year. This is an investment that will be serving your home for next couple of decades. A more efficient model might be more expensive, but it will pay you back in time with a lower utility bill. That’s money back into your pocket! You can check its energy efficiency by looking at its SEER rating. The higher that it is rated for, the more efficient the unit is.
4. Quality of Installation
Regrettably, many air conditioners are not installed correctly. This can result in your modern, high-efficiency air conditioner working as poorly as an older, ineffective model, meaning you are using just as much energy, if not more, and your bills go up. Oftentimes, a lack of experience and knowledge is at fault for an improper installation. An amateur or unlicensed contractor is not who you want installing a new AC system.
Learn why Clarke & Rush is the best here.
Be sure you have an experienced professional install your new AC system to ensure it runs safely at the highest efficiency possible. After a proper installation, get your unit maintained regularly with an annual tune up, that way it will work smoothly for you for years to come. Clarke & Rush sticks to the best practices to provide top comfort and efficiency for your home. We carry several air conditioning brands, as we believe there is no “best brand” for every homeowner. Do you need help picking out and installing a new unit? Our experts will get the job done right! To schedule air conditioning replacement or installation, call (916) 609-2665 today!
