Air Conditioner Installation: What To Look For In A Texas HVAC System | The Woodlands, TX
You know what an HVAC system is, right? It’s a big fan outside (maybe two if you have a two-story home) that is connected to a furnace inside the house.
That’s a good summary of an HVAC system. There’s a lot more to an HVAC system than that and it is worth your time to understand exactly how an HVAC is supposed to work. A great place to start is with a home energy assessment from a professional HVAC company, such as Mr. Reliable Heating & Air, who handles air conditioner installation.
Professional Home Energy Assessment
This is a great idea if you’re interested in saving money on your energy bill. Just as the title reads, this is a thorough look at your home’s energy usage. A professional will analyze your energy bills for the past year, do a room-by-room examination to check on energy loss through leaks in windows or doors, and check on the amount of humidity in the air. Some of the recommendations might include:
- Adding insulation to your attic, foundation, or walls to help prevent heat loss
- Seal and insulate air ducts
- Provide entire-home air sealing to reduce air leaks and drafts
- Repair any areas where moisture has created mold
This is advantageous to you before your air conditioner installation because you’ll be using your air quite a bit in The Woodlands, TX. You will want your home sealed in order to keep the cool air inside rather than escaping outside.
Types of HVAC for Air Conditioner Installation
Newer HVAC systems provide more options to homeowners. This is especially true for homeowners planning on air conditioner installation. These systems offer options such as variable fan speeds and multiple stages of heating and cooling.
Warmer climates like The Woodlands, TX, have high usage of single-stage cooling. These systems are also popular in colder climates for heating. The disadvantage of single-stage HVAC is that the system is designed to provide cooling on the warmest days of the year. This means that, for the majority of the day, the system is operating at full capacity. This adds to your energy bill because the system shouldn’t be at its maximum for long periods.
Multi-stage HVAC systems are more costly to install but they will save you money on your energy costs. The most popular multi-stage system is the two-stage system, which gives you a high and low-temperature setting. This gives you the option of cooling rooms quickly or slowly, depending upon the severity of the weather. This is important to investigate before you begin your AC installation.
Another option is zoned cooling and heating. The advantage here is that you can cool or heat rooms in your home only when necessary.
One additional component to consider is humidity control. The optimal humidity for the human body is 50% and you know it is much higher than that in the area. Humidity control will keep the humidity down in your home when cooling and will increase it when you are heating.
What Cooling System Do I Need?
You’ll be discussing cooling systems with your HVAC professional before air conditioner installation begins. It will help if you better understand what makes an HVAC system.
There are three main components: a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator. The compressor and condenser are located outside in that large, generally square, metal container with a fan. The evaporator is generally located inside your home.
Check out the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating (SEER) of the units you are considering for your home. You’ll want a minimum SEER of 13 for air conditioner installation. The higher the SEER, the more costly the unit. But a higher SEER will save you money on your energy bill.
Your HVAC pro will mention BTUs. That stands for British Thermal Unit and is the universal rating for HVAC systems. The rule of thumb is having 20 BTUs for every square foot of living space in your home. Size does matter when it comes to HVAC units but not like you would think. A large unit won’t necessarily provide even cooling throughout your home. A smaller unit, operating at peak efficiency, can deliver consistent temperatures throughout your home. Again, this is a conversation to have with your HVAC pro before air conditioner installation.
Let’s get into heating because there are times when it is cold. You’ll want to have a conversation with your HVAC pro about a heat pump. Heat pumps work to heat and cool a home and are very efficient. Basically, when cooling, a heat pump takes heat from the air before pumping it into your home. When heating, it takes heat from water, the ground, or the air and pumps it into your home. These are also called heat exchangers because that’s how they function.
There are hybrid systems available that feature both a heat pump and a furnace. The hybrid system uses the outside temperature as its guide to whether to provide cooling or heat to your home. This is another subject to discuss with your HVAC professional.
About Air Conditioner Installation in The Woodlands, TX
The HVAC professionals at Mr. Reliable Heating & Air are experienced in dealing with the Texas gulf climate. They are the experts to call for air conditioner installation. They also offer a number of other services, such as HVAC repair, HEPA filter installation, air duct repair, freon leaks, dust and allergy solutions, and much more. You can set up an appointment now by clicking on Mr. Reliable Heating & Air. Delays in having your existing HVAC system repaired or the purchase of a new system will show up as higher costs on your energy bill. Talk with the HVAC pros at Mr. Reliable for your energy peace of mind.
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