It can be complicated to choose the type and kind of central air conditioner your home needs. There’s a wide variety of central air conditioning systems along with the size, efficiency and installation requirements. Physical factors about your home come into play too. All these factors will make any homeowner confused when they try and figure out what size of air conditioner they need for their home.
What Size Central Air Conditioner Do I Need?
The correct size is a key factor in the way the cooling system in your home is set up and there are factors that affect the way your home will cool. The square footage isn’t enough to look at. You’ll need to know the total volume of the living space in the home. The shape of the ventilation system and ductwork will be looked at along with the amount of shade your home receives from trees and shrubs. The windows will be looked at. How many are there? How old are they? Where are they and what condition are they in? Other factors to consider are how much sun does your home get, how old your home is and how much air sealing of the insulation there is? The air conditioner for your home needs to be able to run a proper full cycle and have your home stay cool longer making size very important. So, it’s not as simple as just putting any size unit in your home. If the AC unit is too big it will cool the house off very fast and then shut off too soon. It will also keep the building structure itself from being cooled correctly and allow heat and humidity to creep in. This in turn, results in the AC turning on again and again. Therefore, AC units that are too big will run for many short periods of time and too often, leading to higher energy bills. If the unit is too small, it won’t effectively cool your whole house. It will keep running and waste energy costing too much money too.
What Do Air Conditioner TON and SEER Ratings Mean?
Air conditioners are rated in tons of cooling capacity. 1 ton of cooling equals 12,000 BTU’s (British thermal units) per hour. For example, most residential AC units have a 2-ton unit that will cool 24,000 BTUs an hour and bigger units like 3-ton will cool l36,000 BTUs an hour. You may have two AC units that have the same tonnage, but can be totally different in how efficient they are. This is also known as Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER). You will need to have the correct tonnage-size need to cool your home and then you’ll want to look at which unit has the best SEER rating that will work within your budget. Higher ratings mean less energy being used, about 5% less per SEER. A home with an older 12 SEER unit that is upgraded to a more efficient 16 SEER unit will be approximately 20% more efficient and will cost less to run. Any AC unit that is Energy Star approved will have SEER range between 12 and 23.
HVAC Services in the Las Vegas Valley, Summerlin, North LV & Henderson Nevada
Having air conditioning in your Las Vegas Valley home during scorching summer months ranges from a wonderful convenience for everyone to a life saving necessity for young, elderly and infirm. It’s important to be able to rely on it when you want it. Have the professionals at Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning help you determine which AC unit will be best for your home. This will keep your home comfortable and save you money with efficiency. Call us today.