Air Conditioning Installation - Texas Central Air

Before You Call An AC Contractor, For That New Air Conditioning Unit, Things You Should Know

Buying New Air Conditioners

Modern air conditioners use up to 50% less energy, for home cooling, than air conditioners made in the mid 1970s. Even if your air conditioner is only 10 years old, you can save up to 40%, in energy costs, by replacing it with a new AC unit.

Sizing Air Conditioners

Air conditioners are rated by the number of British Thermal Units (Btus), of heat, that they can remove, from the air, in one hour. Sometimes, AC unit size is referred to by the term "ton," which is 12,000 Btus per hour.

What size air conditioner should you buy?

AC size depends upon:

How Large is your home?
How many windows does you home have?
Do your windows, walls and roof have more shade or sun on them?
How well insulated is your home?
How airtight is your home?
How many people live in your home?
How much cooking do you do and with what type of fuel?
There are many more elements that come into consideration when factoring the correct size, of the AC unit, that you need.

All of the above factors, should be considered when determining an air conditioner's efficiency, performance, durability, and initial cost. You must match an ACs size to the load it will be under. Too small, and you will be putting undue strain on the AC unit, too large, and you will have wasted money buying more air conditioning system than you need.

Once again, installing an oversize air conditioner will not provide the best cooling. Buying, an over sized air conditioner, penalizes you in the following ways:

It costs more to buy a larger air conditioner than you need.

An overly large air conditioner cycles on and off more frequently, causing less efficient home energy consumption. This on and off cycling makes the indoor air temperature fluctuate more and results in a less comfortable home environment. Frequent cycling also inhibits humidity control.

In Texas Central, humidity control is essential for acceptable comfort. In addition, this cycling wears out the compressor and electrical parts more rapidly.

A larger air conditioner uses more electricity and creates added demands on electrical generation and delivery systems.

There are two groups; The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). These groups publish information for the procedures for sizing central air conditioners. A reputable air conditioning contractor will use one of these procedures, often performed with the aid of a computer, to size your new central air conditioner.

Air Conditioner Efficiency

Every air conditioner has an energy-efficiency rating that lists how many Btus of heat per hour, are removed from the ambient air, for each watt of electricity it draws.

The efficiency rating, for a room air conditioners, is the Energy Efficiency Ratio, or EER.

A central air conditioners, efficiency rating is measured by the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, or SEER.

Every AC unit, be it central air conditioning or window air conduits, has an Energy Guide Label, which must be conspicuously attached to all new air conditioners. Most air conditioner manufacturers participate in the voluntary EnergyStar® labeling program. EnergyStar-labeled appliances mean that they have high EER and SEER ratings.

Generally, a new air conditioner with a higher EER or SEER will have a higher price tag. However, paying more for an energy-efficient air conditionerWill pay for itself several times during the life of the ac unit.

Check with your local energy company. Some energy companies will rehab the difference, in cost, of an energy-efficient model. Buy the most efficient air conditioner you can afford, especially if you use (or think you will use) an air conditioner frequently and/or if your electricity rates are high.

After you make the decision to install a central air conditioning system,the contractor you choose should:

Provide samples of central air conditioning prices, for similar homes for which he has installed central air conditioning systems

Use a computer program to size the air conditioner, based on information you have supplied to your contractor

Provide you with a written contract, which lists the main points of your air conditioner installation

Provide a cooling load calculation

Provide a written warranty on all air conditioning equipment and workmanship

A central air conditioning system needs its own power source. Check with your air conditioning contractor about whether your home can support a 220v power supply, directly to the ac unit. If not, your contractor should refer you to an electrician who can do the job of providing 220v power to the ac system.

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Reputable air conditioning contractors allow you to hold the final payment until they are finished, with the job, and your air conditioning system is working correctly.

Don't make the decision on which ac unit or which air conditioning heating contractor, to use, solely on the basis of price. Your decision should be based upon quality of work, because quality will determine energy cost, comfort, and durability.

Installation and Location of Air Conditioners

Choosing the right installer, after evaluating different air conditioning systems, getting your AC installed correctly and making sure that the company provides air conditioning services for aftermarket needs, will ensure that your AC system will perform efficiently for many years.

Many air conditioners are not installed correctly. As an unfortunate result, the newest energy efficient air conditioners can perform as poorly as the older inefficient models. This is why it is so very important to choose an experienced air conditioning contractor. Ask for references.

Be sure that your contractor performs the following procedures when installing a new central air conditioning system:

Leaves enough space for the installation, maintenance, and repair of the new system

Installs an access door in the furnace or a duct to provide a way to clean the evaporator coil

Uses a duct-sizing methodology such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Manual

Installs enough supply registers to deliver cool air and enough return air registers to carry warm house air back to the air conditioner

Installs duct work within the space to be air conditioned, not in the attic, wherever possible

Seals all ducts with duct mastic and heavily insulates attic ducts

Puts the condensing unit somewhere where its noise will not keep you or your neighbors awake at night, if possible

Places the condensing unit in a shady spot, if possible. (this can reduce your air conditioning energy costs by 1% to 2%)

Checks to make sure that the newly installed air conditioner has the exact refrigerant charge and air flow rate specified by the manufacturer

Locates the thermostat away from heat sources, such as windows, or supply registers

If you are replacing an older or failed split system air conditioner, be sure that the evaporator coil is replaced with a new one that exactly matches the condenser coil in the new condensing unit. (The air conditioner's efficiency will likely not improve, if the existing evaporator coil is left in place; in fact, the old coil could cause the new compressor to fail prematurely.)