The Basics Of Air Conditioner Installation | The Woodlands, TX
If you live in The Woodlands, TX then you probably rely on your air conditioning pretty heavily during the summer months. Temperatures can easily get well over 100°F which makes it worth your time to make sure that your air conditioner is working properly and ready to compete with the coming summer this year. The best way to do this is with an air conditioning service performed by a qualified HVAC technician to ensure that everything is in its right place and working order.
However, at some point, you will have to acknowledge the fact that air conditioning units are not made to last forever, which means that this might be the year that you need an air conditioner installation in your home. While most people try to put off air conditioner replacement as long as possible, at the end of the day your unit is a machine and there’s only so far it can go before it reaches its demise. At this point, air conditioner installation is the only thing that is going to save your summer because it is not realistic to live in a home in The Woodlands, TX without a working air conditioner system.
Many people attempt to put off a new air conditioner installation as long as they can but this is not always the most economical choice. Sometimes it is better to bite the bullet because paying for continual repairs in a system that is going to die anyhow will actually end up costing you a lot more money. If the repairs to your AC unit are more than half the cost of a new one it is time to seriously consider a new air conditioner installation to cut your losses and save money in the long run. The best person to talk to you about whether or not you should install a new unit is actually your The Woodlands, TX HVAC company because they’ve seen a lot and usually know when a unit is at its end.
While the choice is yours at the end of the day, getting advice from a trusted HVAC company is the best way to reassure yourself that you’re making the right choice when it comes to a new air conditioner installation. You will also need their input because the average homeowner is not equipped to just pick out and install their own air conditioning unit. There are a lot of factors that need to be considered before installing a new air conditioner unit and this is where working with a professional HVAC technician will really come into play. Factors such as the size of your house, how many floors there are, and the average temperature in The Woodlands, TX will all impact which unit is going to be the right fit for your home. The future lifespan of your air conditioning unit and its energy efficiency within your home are all dependent on choosing the right unit upfront.
With that in mind, we offer you this guide that covers everything you need to know about air conditioner installation so you can rest assured you made the right choice and that your investment will pay off over time. Not only will we look at what you need to know during the actual process of air conditioner installation, but we will break down the factors that are involved with choosing a new AC unit and how working with an HVAC tech will help you. In addition, we will take a quick look at the number one way to make sure that your new unit lasts for its full lifespan and possibly a couple of extra years.
What Are the Signs That I Need a New Air Conditioner Installation?
Obviously, the biggest sign that you need to consider air conditioner installation is if your old unit has failed and will no longer startup. However, sometimes the choice to opt for a new air conditioner is not as cut and dry. In reality, you will want to start thinking about investing in a new air-conditioning unit if you find yourself constantly making repairs on a unit that is older than 10 years old. Keep in mind that each time you repair it you are putting money into a machine that will not be able to give it back, whereas a new HVAC unit will help stop repair costs altogether. You can think of your situation somewhat as you would think of junking an old used car that is no longer helping you stay ahead financially.
There are other reasons why you might want to start looking at a new air conditioner unit such as if you notice that it is no longer blowing out cold air or the airflow is extremely limited. As an air conditioning unit ages, it is not as productive as it used to be, which is why you may notice that the airflow is diminished or that the air is simply not as cold, forcing your AC system to work harder to produce the same amount of cooling that a newer system could with much less energy consumption.
Following this logic, it is not unheard of for people to start looking at new AC units when they notice that their energy bills are starting to get sky high. Newer units are much more energy-efficient and a great way to instantly reduce how much you were paying each month on energy costs. While the price of a new air conditioner installation can be unsettling, it will pay off over the next 10 years when you consider how much you stand to save on energy.
How Do I Pick Out a New HVAC Unit?
The key to comfort in your home in The Woodlands, TX may just be choosing the right central air conditioner because the only way to battle summer heat is with an effective air conditioner unit. However, choosing the right air conditioning unit is not the easiest task which is why we recommend talking to your HVAC company for help. However, if you want some pointers so that you don’t go into the situation completely blind here are a few things that you need to consider while choosing a new AC unit for conditioning installation.
First of all, it might be helpful to know how your AC unit works. The best way is to consider your AC unit kind of like a refrigerator whose job it is to cool your home. Similar to the way that your refrigerator works there is an evaporator coil in your AC unit where warm air blows across and the heat energy is then turned cool by the refrigerant that his house inside of the coils. That cool air is then pushed out throughout the home by the blower inside of your indoor unit and all of the heat stays with the condenser outside in the unit. The end result is a cool home that is unaffected by the hot summer sun.
Many people believe that a bigger AC unit will work better than a smaller one but in reality choosing the right air conditioner installation has a lot to do with choosing the perfect size for your home. An AC unit that is too large for your home will cool your home, but not properly remove the humidity from the air creating damp and sticky air within your home. This is one reason it is a good idea to work with an HVAC technician because they can do the proper calculations based on the square footage of your home to match it with an air conditioning unit that can meet your cooling capacity needs.
Of course, size is not the only thing that you need to consider because you also wanna make sure you choose a new air conditioner installation that is energy efficient. The average home spends about 45% of all of its energy cost on air conditioning and heating, therefore you need to choose a unit that will be as energy-efficient as possible for the size of your home. HVAC systems are ranked by the SEER measure which stands for seasonal energy efficiency rating. This rating calculates how well a unit is able to cool versus the amount of energy that it uses to do that job.
If you have an older unit there’s a good chance that it has a SEER rating of 10, because that was the old standard but now all new units in the US must be rated at least 14 or higher. Some AC units can have SEER ratings as high as 22, which can save you as much as 2/3 on your energy bills. Of course, you can expect to pay more for a higher SEER rating, so ideally you want to strike a balance between your energy savings in the long term and the amount that you are willing to pay upfront for an air conditioner installation.
While these should be your two biggest concerns, there are a handful of other things that you will want to consider when choosing a new AC unit for your home. The warranty that comes on your unit is also worth heavy consideration because the longer the warranty the more protected your new AC unit will be following your air conditioner installation. You also may want to see what the rating is for the noise levels produced by your air conditioning unit as well as if there are any financial incentives such as tax credits or rebates available for the air conditioner unit that you end up choosing.
How Do I Prepare for Air Conditioner Installation?
If this is the first time that you are having a new air conditioner installation done at your house in The Woodlands, TX you may be worried about how to prepare for the process. The good news is that there’s very little that you will have to do outside of hiring a reputable HVAC company to work on the installation. They will deliver the new air-conditioning unit directly to your home to avoid any damages to the unit and to make installation as quick and painless as possible. Many times the unit will be delivered to your house the day before to make it easier on the day of installation.
Most of the time an HVAC company will require that you are home to let them into the house and that all animals are safely locked up during the installation which can take between 4 to 8 hours depending on the extent of your installation and whether or not you need to have an old unit removed at the same time. Sometimes they are able to come the day before the new air conditioner installation to remove the old unit if it is not functioning to help streamline the process.
The one thing you can do to help is make sure that there is a clear pathway to your outdoor unit and that all cars are removed from the driveway as well as debris such as bikes and balls. You will also need to make a clear four-foot radius around the indoor AC unit so that the techs can work on the air conditioner installation without worrying about damaging any nearby property
How Do I Protect My New AC Unit?
The best way to protect your new AC unit following the air conditioner unit is to book an annual air conditioning service. This not only will help ensure that your AC is working properly every year, but it is necessary to keep most warranties valid even on new units. If you need help with a new air conditioner installation in The Woodlands, TX, or are looking to schedule your annual service inspection, please call Mr. Reliable Heating & Air today. We will be glad to set up an appointment.
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