Maintaining indoor temperatures at a comfortable level is the key to a quality lifestyle. During very hot summer months temperature controls are essential. Discovering how to choose the right cooling system for your home will not only keep you comfortable, but it will help you save energy and lower your utility bills.
How to Pick the Best Cooling System for Your Home
- Evaluating Your Needs
If it is very hot and humid in your region during the summertime, you will need a more powerful cooling system than the average homeowner. Keep in mind, however, that more powerful systems tend to cost more in terms of purchase price, installation and operation. For this reason, it is wise to evaluate your household budget early on in order to determine how much cooling power you can justify investing in.
- Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating
HomeSmart from Xcel Energy is a member of Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). According to their heating and cooling technicians, efficiency ratings matter when it comes to choosing a new home cooling system. Before you finalize a decision, you should take into account the SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating) rating of the system that you feel is a good fit for your home. Today’s central air systems have SEER ratings ranging from 13 to 21. These numbers provide an indication of a system’s overall energy efficiency. The higher the rating, the more energy efficient the system is.
- Proper Sizing
In a home where the windows and insulation have been upgraded, any new central air conditioning system should be re-sized. Indeed, no matter how hot it gets in a particular region, some homeowners are sure to install systems that are too powerful for their needs. This can be a problem because it creates short on/off cycles leading to inefficient use. When considering a new system, it’s wise to take into account energy savings derived from other efforts like new insulation and re-size the HVAC system accordingly.
- Energy Star
Energy Star is another recognized standard for scoring the energy efficiency of certain consumer products. What began as a voluntary labeling system for rating computer parts has expanded across the years to include other types of consumer products, including residential heating and cooling systems. According to the Energy Star organization, the average Western household spends more than $2,000 a year on energy bills, with the better part of that going toward heating and cooling costs. Clearly, smart decisions concerning the selection of a high Energy Star rated cooling system will pay big dividends for many families.
Choosing a new cooling system your home is a very important investment decision. Your next air conditioning system will play a key role in your home’s entire energy consumption picture for years to come. When the summer heat is at its most intense, you will appreciate the wise decisions you have made to keep your family as comfortable as possible.
Guest Post written by Anica. Anica is a professional content and copywriter who graduated from the University of San Francisco. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. She was raised in a big family, so she’s used to putting things to a vote. Also, cartwheels are her specialty. You can connect with Anica here.
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tammileetips says
These are great tips!!! It can be so hard to know which one is best for your house and your families needs!
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Kristi says
Some great things to ponder. We had a new central air put in a couple of years ago and had to decide at that time if we wanted a furnace also. We chose not to do both and only fix what was broken.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
Thanks for the valuable information you have written. It is best to purchase a higher efficiency rating airconditioning unit, because electricity is not cheap.
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Denise C says
We could definitely use new insulation around here, especially in the kids’ bedrooms. Good tip.
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Allison says
Really great points to think about! We have a window unit in our NYC apartment and I totally wish we had central air!
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Rebecca Swenor says
These are great tips for how to pick a cooling system that fits your needs. A cooling system for your home is a big and important derision indeed. It is so important to consider the cost for these units per year. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa says
These are great tips for finding a cooling system. If/when we have to upgrade, I’m for sure going Energy Star!
Laurie says
You definitely should weigh all the options carefully before making your decision. Try to pick something that will fit your house needs and will keep cooling your house well for many years to come.
Elden Gatley says
I agree that it’s important to evaluate your needs. I think it’s easy to assume you need less heating or cooling than you actually do. Then, when the bad weather strikes, you’re unprepared.
Westly Smith says
I like your tip to evaluate your needs. I am in the process of looking for an air conditioner. It’s taken me a long time because I don’t really know what I’m looking for. So, thanks for the help! I don’t think I need a big air conditioner, just a small one.
Hazel Owens says
I like that you talked about how important it is to evaluate your needs when it comes to cooling systems. Like you said, places where it gets hot and humid will need some intense air conditioning during the summer. However, such a system would be too much for most people, so getting the smallest air conditioning system that will fit your needs is probably the best option. Thanks for the article.
Paul Langley says
This is some really great advice for anyone looking to replace their cooling system. I liked your point about evaluating your specific needs, because far too many people will read online advice about a system that doesn’t work as well in their region or climate. And I had never heard about the importance of proper sizing, though it makes sense that by lengthening the on/off cycle can make the system much more efficient. Thanks so much for writing!
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Jorge McMillan says
I agree with the point you made about maintaining the indoor temperatures to have quality lifestyle. I’ve learned this lesson last month when I had no AC to keep me cool. I’m grateful that there are things like this to help people find a quality AC systems to help them maintain this quality of life.
Silas Knight says
Thanks for the reminder to really evaluate our home’s needs before buying a cooling unit. It gets hot here where we live, but I definitely don’t want to over-spend on the air conditioning. We will definitely take our windows and insulation into account before buying, thanks!
Narit Thiptara says
Hey!!
Its a very nice share..
I must say that the first thing one should consider is the amount of space you have in an area where you want to install an air conditioner. Some people don’t know it but size matters when it comes to cooling down or warming up homes.
After determining how much cooling power your home needs, it’s time to decide on the type of air conditioners that would meet them.
Thank you so much for sharing your great information..
Keep doing good workk..
God bless u!!
Abélia says
It’s good to know that I must look for a good SEER rating when choosing an air conditioning system. I agree that it’s important to choose the right size of system for your home and for your needs. We had a tiny little A/C unit at my previous place and it hardly was capable of cooling down the room.Thanks you for this helpful information on how to pick the best cooling system.
Christina says
The summer heat can definitely be a challenge for your system. Evaluating your needs according to budget is a very good tip.
Maggie says
Wow, I had no idea that the average household spends about $2,000 a year on energy bills; that’s a huge amount! If that’s the case, then I’m definitely going to consider an Energy Star certified system more seriously. It would be nice to be able to cut down on monthly bills.
Steve @ heating and cooling services says
I am planning to buy new things for my house and this post has shown me the importance of buying the right thing. This way I can cut short my bills. Thanks a lot!
Brian says
A good AC unit is very important in saving energy bills on your own home. It was amazing when we got a new one how much money we saved!
Ryan says
These are great tips for picking the best cooling system for your house! I recently had to replace my ac unit because it wasn’t the right size for our house, but since we researched for the right size now the new unit works like a charm! Thanks for sharing!
Ryan Anthony says
Hi
Great Post
I think it is important to have your local HVAC company come out before it gets too hot out and take a look at your HVAC unit. They will check to see how it is functioning, if it needs more freon, if there are any leaks, etc. and can even clean it up a bit if it needs it. These tips looks really beneficial. This is best so there will be less chance of you having problems when you really need your air the most. Great information, thanks for sharing! Keep sharing posts like these! Really liked your blog!!!
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Ryan says
Wonderful tips! Air conditioners can use a lot of energy to run and so finding one that is energy efficient can make a big difference with the usage and save money on your electric bill! Thanks for sharing this!
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Rollston Scott says
Hey,
Great post.
I completely agree with you that choosing a new cooling system your home is a very important investment decision. The first thing one should consider is the amount of space you have in your home where you want to install an air conditioner. Some people don’t know it but size matters when it comes to cooling down or warming up homes.
You have shared very useful tips.
Thanks for sharing!!
Bob Wells says
Really great advice. I’d be asked these kinds of things all the time when I was still working. There’s so many factors to take into consideration and it’s really an environmental and economic issue that homeowners have to examine closely.
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insulation says
Insulation is an excellent sound absorber and can assist in reducing noise transmission through walls, ceilings and floors making the home or work environment quieter.
Lucy Gibson says
Jenn, I didn’t realize that you might need to resize your air conditioning system if you’ve upgraded the windows and insulation in your home. My husband and I are hoping to make our home much more energy efficient and comfortable in the summertime. We’ve been looking at upgrading our R-value in our insulation and replacing the windows. I suppose it makes sense that we’d also want to upgrade our AC unit too.