Upgrading Your Home's Air Conditioning

If your home does not currently have a central air conditioning system, this can be an important upgrade to make. In addition to making it more comfortable inside, this upgrade can also lower the energy costs of your property as it will be more efficient than window units.

Avoid Focusing Exclusively on the Purchase Price of the Air Conditioning System

Failing to consider the total range of costs that are involved with a particular air conditioning system can be a common mistake for people to make. While it can be tempting to purchase the cheapest air conditioning system available, these units may be undersized for your house or they may have other efficiency issues that could increase their operating costs. Comparing units based on their expected monthly costs and the initial purchase price will be a more involved process, but it can offer you a more realistic picture on what to expect.

Value the Importance of Efficient Vent Placement Inside Your Home

The placement of the vents inside your home is a feature of the AC system that you may not have given much thought to during the planning stage for this process. However, the correct placement of these vents can be a very important consideration in determining the ability of the AC system to cool your home's interior. Cooler air will sink, and placing these vents on the ceiling or other high areas can allow the colder air to evenly cool the entire room as it settles near the floor.

Elevate and Shade the Exterior Air Conditioning Unit

The exterior air conditioning unit will be subject to a number of risks that will have to be mitigated to avoid needing to replace it in the near future. An example of this could be flooding. If the area around the exterior unit floods, water could get inside the unit where it may cause major damage. Elevating the unit at least several inches off the ground may help to reduce this risk by making it harder for water to make it into the interior of the system. In addition to planning to elevate the unit, you may also find it beneficial to shade it. Shading the air conditioning unit with an awning can reduce the amount of heat that it absorbs from the sun so that it will have to spend less energy compensating for this additional source of heat gain. At a minimum, your awning should provide total shade for the unit during the middle part of the day when the sun's light will be the most intense.

If you are interested in learning more about air conditioning installation, contact an HVAC contractor near you. 


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