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Buying An Air Conditioner Is Like Buying A Car
Buying your own air conditioning unit? There are a lot of options out there. How do you know which system to purchase? As it turns out, purchasing an air condition system is a lot like buying a car. When choosing a vehicle, the wise consumer evaluates handling and gas mileage in addition to finding a bargain. In other words, you look for and compare its performance, efficiency and value. This same measuring stick also allows you to weight one air conditioning system against another.
Performance
When it comes to air conditioners, performance simply means matching a systems power to the area needing cooling. An AC unit’s power is represented by its Btu rating. A rating between 9800 and 12500 Btu/h is appropriate to cool a space of about 350 to 950 square feet. To calculate the square feet of the area you need cooled just multiply the length of the space by its width. For example, a 10 foot by 15 foot room is 150 square feet of space.
Although tempting, you should not purchase an AC unit that is too powerful. Doing so will cause the system to switch on and off frequently. This causes power surges that can have a detrimental effect both on other electrical devices on the circuit and to the AC unit it self.
Efficiency
In North America and Canada determining the efficiency of an air conditioning system is easy. All units come with a certification from either the AHAM or CSA. AHAM stands for the Association of Home Appliance Manufactures and CSA stands for the Canadian Standards Association. These associations keep track of the relative efficiency of home appliances. The ratings are usual easily to understand with an efficiency ranking with a range from “Low efficiency” to “High efficiency”.
Value
Value is a relative term whose meaning varies from person to person. But even so, there are some tips anyone can follow to find a good value.
- Some systems are more expensive then others because they carry extra features. If it is unlikely that you will not make use of those options then do not buy an air conditioning system with the extra features.
- Read testimonials and reviews from current owners of any system you are considering. Make sure to read the good and the bad reviews. This will give you a better base of understanding which, in turn, allows you to judge the relevancy of the points made in any particular review. Make sure to look for indications of reliability and excessive maintenance.
- Compare ratings at different price points. Even within the same brand there are variances from model to model. Just because two systems are similarly priced does not mean they have similar efficiency ratings.
- Understand your total cost of ownership. The price of a system over it’s life span is much more then just the purchase price. Take the time to estimate energy cost, usage and the expected life of the system.
So remember performance, efficiency, and value. Those are the points you must keep in mind when choosing an air conditioning system. Without considering these points you risk wasting your hard earned money.
Find out if you should hire an AC installation professional by visiting http://diy-air-conditioning.com/, a site dedicated to understanding air conditioners and their issues.
Tags: ac, air conditioner, buy, buying
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