Air Conditioners

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What You Need To Know Before Buying a New Air Conditioner

Whether your old air conditioner has had enough and you doubt that it will be able to get you through the next summer or you’re interested in improving your energy efficiency moving forward, there are some things that you should know before you rush out and buy that new air conditioner for your Edmonton home. After all, if you could get by with air conditioner repair rather than a new installation, that could save you some money. 

That said, a new central air conditioner for your Edmonton home isn’t something to take lightly. It could represent a significant expense, and if you choose the wrong one you could also end up paying more in energy costs each month if the unit you go with is under or overpowered for the size of your home or it isn’t compatible with your ducting.

The irony is that many air conditioners are improperly installed, so even if you opt for the best air conditioner money can buy, you may still be left with an air conditioner that won’t adequately cool your home, or an air conditioner that may cost you significantly more to run. There are also humidity problems to consider, as well as airborne pollutants and other air circulation issues to keep in mind, making that air conditioning installation for your Edmonton home a crucial decision.

The good news is that a new air conditioner will last up to a decade or two, meaning any money and time you spend on a new air conditioner today will keep you cool and comfortable in your home for years to come. Even if your existing air conditioning is working, you may be able to save money by switching to a more modern air conditioner that is more efficient at cooling your Edmonton home.

Here are some other things to consider.

1. Hire a professional installer. It may not seem like a complicated job, but air conditioning installation is not something to skimp out on. You may be able to buy an air conditioner from a big-box retailer or have one delivered to your home, but the installation is the most important part. A low-quality or shoddy installation could rob you of all those efficiency gains, as well as potentially shortening the lifetime of your new air conditioner.

2. Get the right air conditioner size for your home. When you buy in a retail store or online, it’s hard to make sense of all those numbers and models. And if you end up choosing an air conditioning unit that is underpowered for your Edmonton home, you could end up paying more each month or reducing the life of your air conditioner. A too-large air conditioner is also a problem since you’re paying for power you don’t need.

3. Complete a load calculation. Homes need a load calculation done anytime a new air conditioner is installed in Edmonton because without it there’s no way to know if your system is running at peak efficiency. Indeed, if you had an underpowered or overpowered unit installed the last time out, simply replacing it with a similarly powered unit could lead to the same problems that you’re experiencing today. 

4. Don’t forget the maintenance. Some homeowners may believe that an air conditioner only needs maintenance when there’s a problem. But annual tune-ups can help keep that new air conditioner cooling your Edmonton home for longer than if you ignored it year after year. Not only is air conditioning maintenance needed to help ensure the long life of your new air conditioner, but it’s also a way to ensure that you’re getting best out of your air conditioner on a daily basis.